Elizabeth walked through the corridors of UVA the next morning feeling lighter and less troubled than she had done for some time. Her interaction with the rather gorgeous Dr McCord that had taken place in her office the day before had been playing on a loop in her head. She had changed the ending slightly, imagining what it would have been like to kiss him and a goofy grin crossed her lips. She was hoping she'd get the chance to find out on Friday night… God, Friday seemed so far away. And what if he changed his mind before she could actually go on a date with him. After all, she had been so rude, all signals suggesting that she wanted nothing to do with him, so why on earth would he want to take her out.
Her grin has now dissipated and morphed into a frown. She had an overwhelming urge to go and find him, to make sure she hadn't imagined the whole interaction, but she had a lecture to get through, followed by a faculty meeting. Maybe she'd get lucky and literally bump into him around campus. She had managed it twice before so she could live in hope.
She entered her classroom and dumped her bag and files onto the desk, rummaging around to try and find the glasses she was sure were in there. As she moved things around haphazardly, her gaze fixed on a small note propped against a coffee cup. She always left her desk clear so who the hell was being so inconsiderate. She picked up the cup to throw it in the trash, but it was full and extremely hot and the welcome aroma of coffee filled the air. She opened the note and smiled as she read the beautifully neat writing
Miss Adams - Thought you could use a nice hot coffee to start your day. Don't spill it on your shoes. - Henry
The goofy grin had now returned in earnest as she looked around the room, hoping he was still there but was rather disappointed when she couldn't see him. It seemed he did still want to get to know her after all… And was happy to feed her coffee addiction. It was safe to say she was starting to fall rather quickly, which absolutely terrified her.
Her lecture was a fairly easy one as her students were mostly reading which gave her a chance to finish off a paper she'd been struggling to complete. By the time she got to her meeting, her head was once again filled with thoughts of Henry. His smile made her stomach flip and she so desperately wanted to see him. Her colleagues had been droning on for almost an hour and a half and she had completely zoned out. She was away with the fairies and had no idea what was being discussed.
"Elizabeth… What do you think?" She snapped back from her daydream and felt all eyes on her.
"Ummm… I'm not entirely sure… Can I think about it and get back to you?" That seemed like a plausible answer considering she had no idea what the question was.
"You need to think about taking a coffee break?"
"Oh… No, sorry… Switched off there for a minute. Seems I definitely need some caffeine huh." She let out a rather nervous laugh and was happy to get out of the room.
She grabbed herself a large coffee from the canteen and was about to head back to the meeting when she caught sight of him and tried desperately to keep her expression neutral. She was surrounded by colleagues who would love nothing more than a new subject to gossip about, especially with her being so new to the job, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips as he approached.
"Professor Adams, How are you settling in?" He was smiling at her and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.
"I'm loving it so far thank you… It's Dr McCord isn't it? I'm sorry...I'm terrible with names."
"Well, you can't be that bad as you seem to have remembered mine. If you ever need any assistance please don't hesitate to ask."
"Oh I'll be sure to do that… Thank you."
"I won't keep you… Have a good afternoon Miss Adams." He flashed her another smile and whispered as he walked past her "You look stunning."
She unconsciously let out a shaky breath and immediately covered it up with a cough, suddenly feeling very conscious of the people around her. And then he looked over his shoulder and winked at her. God alive… She was done for.
The following afternoon, Elizabeth had her next meeting with Blake. They'd been discussing his workload and how she could help him to organise his time better. They had also been throwing around the idea of him maybe dropping a class to ease the pressure a bit. He was beginning to open up to her more each time they met and she really believed she could get him to stay at UVA.
She enjoyed their meetings as he made her laugh and could see a lot of her younger self in him. He was an incredibly intelligent young man and it would be such a shame for him to drop out if she could help prevent it.
"Okay… So we've locked down a workable study plan for you and you're going to think about dropping your economics class, although I don't want you to make any rash decisions. Nothing has to be decided yet."
"I appreciate your help so much professor. Thank you." Blake had struggled to trust many people in his life and stayed rather insular, but Elizabeth was different. She made him feel as though he could be himself which was a huge deal.
"It's my pleasure Blake. I told you I am more than happy to help you in any way I can. Is there anything else you feel you want to talk about today?"
There was a knock at the door and Elizabeth sighed "I'm so sorry Blake. It seems our meetings are destined to be interrupted. One second."
She opened the door and eyed a rather confused looking student "Are you professor Adams?"
"Yes… How can I help you?"
"I have to give you this." He handed her a small brown paper bag "And this." He then handed her a coffee and turned to walk away.
"Who asked you to bring me this?" She had a pretty good idea but confirmation would be good.
"There's a note in the bag… Can I go now?"
"Sure… Thank you." She placed the bag on her desk and turned her attention back to Blake "Where were we?"
"We were about to find out what's in the bag… How exciting?" Blake looked like a kid in a sweet shop.
"Is that right?" She chuckled at his excitement "I'd better have a look then."
She opened up the bag and laughed. There was a small plastic box containing a rather delicious looking piece of chocolate cake and a hardback copy of The Invisible Man. She shook her head and opened up the note, written in the same beautiful handwriting as the one before...
Miss Adams - I promise not to disturb you this time...But I'm glad I'm no longer invisible! Don't let your coffee get cold - Henry
Blake rarely missed a thing and could see the dopey look on her face as she read the note.
"I guess you'll be sticking around here after all."
"Huh?... Sorry Blake?" She looked up from the note in her hand, not having heard a word he'd said
"I'm guessing your reason for wanting to quit may have become your reason for wanting to stay?" He knew he was being rather cheeky, but he couldn't help his inquisitive mind.. "I wish someone would send me coffee and cake."
"Don't be so presumptuous Mr Moran… It's merely a friend being thoughtful." Her voice was calm yet authoritative. But she couldn't hide her smile.
"Well your Friend…." The over exaggerated air quotes made Elizabeth laugh "Clearly knows how to make you smile."
"I think we're done here for today Blake. I'll see you on Monday… And don't forget your paper is due next week, no extension."
Blake gathered his things and headed for the door, but couldn't resist having the last word "Dr McCord has impeccable taste."
"Goodbye Blake." She picked up the note again. No Henry, you are definitely not invisible.
Friday was finally upon them and Elizabeth could barely contain herself. She'd hardly slept and the army of butterflies in her stomach were growing in numbers. Thursday's gift had been the strangest yet, but also the sweetest….
Miss Adams - There will always be space for you here.
Stay safe - Henry
Henry had clearly pulled a few stings and secured a parking spot for her right outside her building. It had ended up being a particularly shitty day and she'd been unable to locate him to say thank you. A mental note had been made to get his phone number so they could at least text, although the notes he'd written had been the most romantic gesture anyone had ever made for her… And she didn't really want them to stop.
She had never been so relieved that Friday meant only 2 lectures to get through, and as she glanced up at the clock for the 10th time that hour, she decided to wrap up a few minutes early.
"Alright everyone… I think we could all use an early mark today. Please don't forget that your papers are due in next week and I will not be granting any extensions. I may look friendly but I can assure you that my bite is definitely worse than my bark. Have a good weekend… Now get out of my classroom."
She was gathering up her paperwork and pushing it into her bag when she noticed Henry stood in the doorway.
"Can I help you with something Dr McCord?" She was pressing her lips together in a feeble attempt to prevent herself from smiling.
"Well… I realised we may have a slight issue regarding tonight." He walked towards her, not really wanting to shout across the room.
"Oh?... Have you changed your mind?" She could feel her stomach sinking as she awaited his answer.
"Not at all… But we didn't actually discuss any plans so I have no idea where to pick you up, what you'd like to do or even what time?"
Elizabeth chuckled "I guess that would be an advantage." She grabbed a pen and scribbled down her address and mobile number "There you go… You can pick me up there at 7pm and I really don't mind where we go."
The electricity between them was ridiculous and Elizabeth had to keep reminding herself to breathe.
"Great… I guess I'll see you tonight then Miss Adams." He walked towards the door and then turned back to face her "I'm curious… Is your bite really worse than your bark?"
Elizabeth turned crimson "Oh my god… You heard that?"
"I did… Maybe that's something I'll discover for myself at some stage… See you later Elizabeth."
She leaned back against her desk and let out the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. And then fished her mobile out of her bag and made a call… She needed some advice!
Isabelle had been Elizabeth's best friend for over 20 years. They had started at Langley around the same time and had instantly hit it off. Work had taken them in different directions, literally, but they always found their way back to their friendship. She was the one person Elizabeth could turn to no matter what and right now, she needed her. They sat in the quaint little bistro and Isabelle watched as her friend pushed food around her plate.
"Okay… If you're not eating, this must be bad… What's going on?"
"I've met someone." She looked up at Isabelle and the fear in her eyes was evident.
"Wow….And it's sent you spiralling, right?" She moved her chair and enveloped Elizabeth in a tight hug "You really like this guy, don't you?"
Elizabeth nodded and wiped a stray tear from her cheek "I didn't want this to happen, I wasn't looking for it and I tried so hard to push him away… But he's drawing me in and I'm supposed to go on a date with him tonight?... But i don't think I can."
"Bess…. Take a breath! It's just one date sweetie. And you know it's time to move forwards. Look at you.. You're gorgeous and funny and so clever.. You've hidden yourself away for long enough, start living again."
"I don't know how." Her voice was shaky and uncertain.
"Yes you do honey…You just needed to shut down for a while but it's time… You know it's time which is why you're telling me about him."
"Isabelle… I can't do it again… I wouldn't survive."
"Listen to me… I've got you, I've always got you and I won't let you fall… But you can't stay dormant forever Bess… And if this guy makes you happy then for god sake don't run away… Let him in."
Isabelle let Bess cry…It's not something she'd seen her do for a long time and was quite relieved she was finally letting it out. But she reckoned a bit of tough love was now in order.
"Right… Get your ass home, put on the sexiest outfit you have and have some fun. If he's not for you then at least you've taken a step… And seriously Bess… You need to get laid."
"Jesus Isabelle… We're having dinner not jumping into bed."
"Do both… And call me tomorrow. I want details." She wrapped her friend in another hug and wiped her tears away "Bess, you're allowed to be happy."
By the time she walked through her front door, Elizabeth had calmed down considerably and knew Isabelle was right. It was just one date. Nothing had to come of it, it really didn't need to be a big deal and if all else failed, Henry would make a good friend. She grabbed her phone to send Isabelle a thank you text and saw a message from an unknown number…
Miss Adams - You have me feeling like a child on Christmas Eve. I can't wait to see you and if I do or say anything stupid… I'm sorry! See you at 7 - Henry
She smiled to herself and tapped out a response…
Dr McCord - I'm sure you'll be just fine. And if not we can be stupid together. See you later - Elizabeth
Well…. This is it… Time to start living again!