Page 41 of Away With You
With one last glance at my message screen—still nothing—I check the timer at my waist and turn on my computer. I have thirty minutes to read through my latest research proposal and check the referencing. It won’t be enough time to get it all done, but in the quiet of my office, I can at least make a start.
I’m deep in referencing hell when my timer beeps, saving me. Standing and stretching, I pad my way back to the lab and complete the next step of the experiment. As per my troubleshooting protocol, I check the transfer solution and then set it to run for two hours. Just the right amount of time to take a lunch break.
“What to eat today?” I wonder, wishing I had a pile of those bagels in front of me. I’ve been dreaming about them since…yesterday?How was that just twenty-four hours ago?So much has happened since then.
I’m just remembering that I never got around to having a cup of tea earlier when my phone vibrates in my back pocket and I glance down at it. Another message from Nathan.
Can you buzz me up?
Hmmm, clearly a mis-message.
KATIE
You just sent that message to me.
NATHAN
I know. I’m outside your building. Can you buzz me up?
I stare at the letters on my screen, trying to make sense of them.What on Earth?
KATIE
I’m not at home, Nathan.
NATHAN
Yes…
Insert
He’s outside? Now?
Galvanised into action, I run down the three flights of stairs, feeling breathless for many reasons when I find himstanding there. He’s wearing the peacoat, dark green with a few snowflakes resting on his shoulders. His hair is tucked into a dark grey beanie, and his cheeks and the tip of his nose are pink from the cold. And he’s holding a tray of takeaway drinks and a bag of…food? The man seems to think he has to bring food every time he shows up.
“What are you doing here?” I swipe my access card and open the door. He steps inside, bringing with him a gust of frosty air and the scent that is uniquely his.
“I figured we need to talk. And you probably need to eat.”
Dumbfounded, I stare at him. “How did you know where to find me?”
“You told me you were at work.”
Yes. But—“But how do you know where that is?”
His pink cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. “Instagram. LinkedIn. Google Maps.”
I motion him to follow me up the stairs. “You little cyber stalker.”
He shrugs. “You were actually quite easy to find.”
Hmm, that’s a bit terrifying.
“You didn’t have to come find me to talk to me. And you didn’t have to bring food.” My grumbling stomach protests this, and I silence it with a stern pat.Behave.
He shoulders through the door into the Centre and motions for me to walk through, like he owns the place. I swallow down my annoyance and lead him to our kitchen area. It’s small, almost too small to fit me and the oversized intruder with food, but it will have to do.
“Here, sit.” I point to a chair and take the one across from him. “Explain yourself.”
