Page 94 of A Lady’s Guide to Subterfuge and Science

“That my life has been unusually exciting of late,” she fibbed. It was only half a lie, because her life had never been as exciting as it had been this summer. While she had ushered in some of the excitement on her own, she knew full well that Oliver had also played his part.

And played it well.

“Excitement isn’t unusual for me,” he confided, “but I can’t say I’ve ever appreciated it quite as much as I do now.”

She giggled, unable to help herself. Oliver chuckled at her delight and, for a perfect moment, they simply stood there in each other’s company.

“Let’s go to the roof,” he said, a playful smile still on his face.

“The roof?” Kalila echoed. “What’s on the roof?”

He pushed the tapestry aside for her as they returned to the makeshift museum. “You ask too many questions, Kalila Darwish. It makes it difficult to surprise you.”

“I like questions,” she said as he led them up flight after flight of stairs.

“I know you do,” he replied. It was a statement that could have come off unkind. But Oliver said it with such fondness and appreciation that she felt as though her blood had been replaced with honey.

Just as she was about to complain about being a little too short of breath, they arrived at the top of the university. The roof was large and empty, save for—

“A telescope?!” she gasped, rushing up to it.

“The astronomy students come up here to make their observations.” Oliver came to stand next to her. She could sense his focus on her as she bent toward the eyepiece, tilting the brass body of the telescope up to the stars so she might examine the heavens. “Kalila?”

She mimicked his serious tone when she said, “Oliver?”

“I lied to you earlier.”

“What about?” Kalila asked, distracted by the sight of a distant falling star. If she knew Oliver, it wouldn’t be anything unforgivable.

“Thinking I might fall in love with you.”

At that, Kalila snapped up. She bit her tongue as dread invaded her every cell, wanting so very badly to appear unaffected by what was quite possibly the worst thing she’d ever been told in her life.

“That’s—that’s good, isn’t it?” she croaked, her throat dry. “Now we’ve nothing to worry about.”

Oliver took a step toward her, shifting the telescope away so that nothing separated them. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

Kalila’s dread was dampened by a wave of confusion. “I don’t know what that means.”

“It means,” he said, the words soft and helpless, “I’m already in love with you.”

A strange, terrifying exhilaration pushed all other emotions aside as Oliver’s confession sank in, nestling itself into the heart of her.

Say something, she urged herself. Tell him the truth, tell him—

“Why?” she blurted out. The moment the question left her lips, she considered pitching herself off the edge of the roof.

Oliver, however, seemed rather unfazed by her response. In fact, it rather seemed like he’d expected it, because he gave her his answer with no hesitation.

“I love how passionate you are,” he began, his eyes never leaving hers. “I love how you can’t give up, even when you want to. How when you love something, you love it so fully that you unknowingly build an altar to it in your room.” He offered her a lovesick smile that sent an arrow straight through her chest. “I want to love like that.” A pause, followed by, “I think I already do.”

“I—when did this happen?”

“The very first day you walked into the university.”

Kalila’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “That can’t be true.”

“Why not? Why is it so impossible that someone might like—or, in my case, love—you on sight?”