I thought back to his earlier words about the need to look at infrastructure as living communities. Considering things from that perspective meant humanizing our analytical lens, asking questions, and being genuinely interested in listening to the answers. Tentatively, I raised my hand.
His eyes fell on me, and he nodded.
I cleared my throat lightly, suddenly feeling like I was struggling to breathe, let alone speak.
“Holistic strategies that implement community engagement?” I offered.
His eyes widened ever so slightly, as though he was somewhat surprised. Or perhaps I’d just imagined that.
“Interesting. Care to elaborate on what you mean by that?” he pressed.
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of the entire class’s attention being diverted to me. “Well, um, you mentioned that we need to look at the human side of development. Which I think means collaborating with the communities involved in the process and keeping the design process as human-centric as possible.”
My imagination might just have been overactive today, but I could’ve sworn I saw something flicker across his face. Was he impressed? Amused? Maybe I’d embarrassed myself in front of everyone, and there wasn’t—
“Now we’re talking,” he said.
A rush of pleasure brought heat to my cheeks as I realized he was smiling. He nodded in approval, stepping out from behind the podium to walk in front of it as he continued speaking.
“That was a good answer, Miss…?”
“Price,” I answered. “June Price.”
“Well, Miss Price hit the nail on the head.” Just like that, he began addressing the rest of the class, and I couldn’t help feeling a small twinge of disappointment. “That’s exactly the sort of thing we’re going to be looking at this semester. Holistic practices. Using co-production as a tool instead of viewing it as an obstacle.”
He began asking a few other questions, and soon any flicker of disappointment I felt vanished in the depths of my curiosity. It was one of the most engaging open discussions I’d been part of since I started my degree, and I was evidently not the only one as more students started answering and asking more questions.
By the time Lucas invited us to speak to him after class, I could barely believe how fast time had flown by. Chloe and James were caught up in their own world, with Chloe already starting to fawn over our new professor with a huge grin on her face. I heard James click his tongue, but he didn’t even bother making a comment.
Networking, Madison’s voice seemed to echo in my ears.It’s all about who you know that’ll get you a foot in the door. Your grades and skills are what will help you kick it wide open.
I took a deep breath and waited until the last student had finished their conversation with him before approaching. When he saw me, his smile returned, and I had to force my breathing to steady itself.
Up close, he was even more good-looking than he seemed from behind the podium. His medium-length dark hair frameda strong-boned face, textured by the occasional hand he’d run through it whenever the thick strands fell forward. His eyes were just as dark. He had a tiny scar just above one eyebrow, and another one just above a very straight nose bridge.
“Ah, Miss Price,” he said. “How can I help you?”
Focus, June, I chastised myself. Recollecting my thoughts, I put on what I hoped was a friendly but professional smile.
“I just wanted to introduce myself properly and tell you that I really enjoyed today’s lecture. I don’t think I’ve ever been this interested in a syllabus before,” I said honestly. “This is the kind of stuff that I’ve been waiting to talk about since I started. And you also introduced a lot of topics that I hadn’t even considered.”
His smile seemed to warm. “I appreciate that. I also appreciated the answers you gave today. And the thoughtful questions you asked. It’s not that often that students are this clearly invested in their academics. I assume that you already have a path in mind for when you graduate?”
I nodded, unable to hide my enthusiasm. “Muller & Co. They have a fantastic mentorship program, and their success rate in environmental planning is unparalleled.”
“It’s definitely an ambitious choice,” he mused. “But if today is any indicator of your general work ethic, I think you’ll be in with a good shot.”
His words bloomed warmth in my belly.
“Thank you,” I said, then decided to just go for broke. No point in coming this far without taking the chance. “I was… Well, I was hoping that we could maybe meet up for coffee to further discuss some of what we spoke about in class today. Once I graduate, I really want to shift my focus to the sort of methodology you mentioned.”
I could’ve rambled on and on, and I probably would’ve if not for the ghost of Madison’s warning stifling my words.Relax, June.
Lucas seemed to consider this for a moment, and I thought he was going to reject the invitation. Were professors even allowed to go out with students outside of school hours? Of course they were, especially if it was academic in nature. But it still felt kind of odd. Maybe it was the small age gap between us. I didn’t know the rules for this, which was unfamiliar territory. Rules were usually my strong suit.
I tried not to focus on the symmetry of his face, the way the sometimes harsh lines were cut by his soft hair. But then he nodded.
“Sure. If you have a place in mind, you can let me know, and I’ll clear up my schedule,” he said.
