I stay there, for what feels like forever, hoping he makes a move, but somehow knowing he won’t.
And then I straighten and dangle the shoes from my hooked fingers.
“I needed my shoes,” I repeat.
He just blinks. I can’t tell if he’s even more annoyed.
Or worse, if he’s as turned on as I am.
Chapter 14
Max
Idon’t expect Holly to back down.
I’m surprised when I don’t hear from her about my beard right away.
I could have sworn—based on the sheer determination in her eyes—that she was going to fight me tooth and nail over the beard.
Instead, days pass.
I even hear from Rodrigo before I hear from her.
Rodrigo comes to the lab for a fitting.
And I still don’t hear from Holly.
No calls. No texts. No emails.
I don’t call or message her. That would be silly.
But I have started to wonder if maybe she’s given up. Maybe I’ve simply made this all too difficult for her and it’s just not worth the trouble anymore. After all, it’s my fellowship that’s at stake. My career. Not hers.
Moreover, I’ve been making it hard on her.
I’ve been a pain in the ass.
Which should surprise no one, but does give me a pang of guilt.
So much so that by the time I reach the lab on Thursday afternoon, I’m actually considering ways I can make it up to her. Obviously, shaving my beard is out of the question. If she knew what the scars on my face looked like, she wouldn’t even consider it.
But maybe I could get her some sort of gift basket.
Maybe muffins?
But fruit would be better. Healthier, at least.
I’m getting to the university much later than I normally do because of a teeth-cleaning appointment that morning. The lab is quiet when I let myself in. Gwen and Jaxon should both be here already.
I set the bag down and start the computer before looking around the room.
Yes, Gwen and Jaxon are both here. Priya as well. However, none of them are at their workstations. Instead, they’re all in the clean room, huddled around the digital microscope.
Their areas of research are distinct. They wouldn’t need to all look at the same samples unless something highly unusual has happened.
Intrigued by the possibility that one of them made some kind of breakthrough, I change shoes and jackets quickly, then do my standard pre-clean room scrub. When I enter the clean room, they are still all huddled around the digital microscope.
And they all jump when the door opens.
