Page 24 of Love, Academically
Lila took a breath. “Rhys, you don’t have to—”
“Don’t say it, Lila,” he snapped, holding his hand out to stop her talking. “I’m here and I’m not going until they let you go.”
Rhys Aubrey-Dallimore, with his stupid double-barrelled name, couldn’t possibly be understanding, couldn’t possibly beempathetic. The only reason she kept going on about him leaving her there was that he blatantly didn’t want to be there.
“I was only going to say that you don’t have to be so grumpy. Waiting is just what happens in the NHS.” It was one hundred percent not what she was going to say. “They haven’t got enough funding or enough staff.”
“Yeah, well.” He visibly deflated.
Lila cast around for something else to say. Sure, they could sit in awkward silence, but if she was going to pretend to be his girlfriend, then they had to at least get on. Otherwise, it would be obvious.
“Did you start that online course? How’s it going?” Perhaps not the best subject, but she’d said it now.
“I did start it, yes. You told me I had to.” His eyes cut over to her. “It’s fine, it’s just annoying.”
“Why?” How could an online course be annoying?
“It’s telling me stuff I already know. It’s getting in the way of my research.”
Lila snorted a laugh. If that wasn’t the epitome of the petulant academic, she didn’t know what was.
“Really? Stuff you already know?”
Rhys glared at the floor, colour shooting up his neck. His jaw twitched. Oh Christ, now she’d upset him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She was crabby and hungry, and they had been waiting for what seemed like six years, but there was no need to take it out on the one person who was actually here, looking after her. Even if he had been an arse about it.
He shifted to look out of the window and the darkening sky outside.
“Rhys.” Her fingers reached for the sleeve of his crisp shirt, buttoned neatly at the cuff. She had the intention of apologising again as she’d obviously touched a nerve, but the door swungopen and they were ushered by a different nurse into a different office to wait for a different doctor.
Rhys
This could all have been dealt with in about thirty minutes at his private service. As it was, he had wasted the entire afternoon and half of the evening. They were now in another room, waiting for a doctor to give them the results of Lila’s X-ray. Rhys hadn’t even asked if she wanted him there, he’d just wheeled her in and sat down in the chair with the rip in the padding on the seat.
The nurse left them. Again.
His fished his phone out of his pocket.
What had happened is that he was trying to be a good person (What Would Dan Do?) and help out a colleague. Now he was missing not only his research, but kickboxing as well.
Quite frankly, Dan seemed to be more interested in whether this would interfere with his date than the suffering Rhys was going through. He put his phone back in his pocket.
Perhaps it wasn’t a complete waste. He had ‘engaged’ with Lila, asked her about her hopes and dreams and all that rubbish – exactly what that stupid online course had suggested. For the life of him, he couldn’t work out why she wasn’t doing a lexicography job. She said she needed qualifications and experience. Well, she worked in a university with an English department, so surely,surelythere would be some kind of course she could do? Some experience she could get?
She was obviously competent (except for the cookie crumbs on his desk and possible glitter in his car), otherwise she wouldn’t have got the Departmental Coordinator job. He took a look at Lila out of the corner of his eye and she wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were on the sparkly rings on her fingers, twisting them this way and that. She was tired, and (he presumed) hungry, even though he’d tried to keep her fed with chocolate. Waiting was fucking tiring.
Rhys shook his head. Things weren’t that simple for people, there were barriers –financial or otherwise – that he didn’t know about. He shouldn’t press the issue, and he certainly shouldn’t judge. But, if there was one thing Rhys knew about, it was following your dream, even if it meant disappointing everyone around you.
Then, one of Lila’s issues slammed open the door. Jason.
“Lila, are you all right? I’ve only just heard. I’ve taken you as mypatient,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder and looking down at her as you would a child. Rhys rolled his eyes.
“Oh, Jason. Hello,” she said nervously, those wide eyes glancing at Rhys.
If Lila had been desperate for him to be her fake boyfriend at the bar then, now her expression was positively begging him. He’d best be her boyfriend again, especially if he wanted her as his fake girlfriend at the Dallimore family dinner.
This day couldnotget any worse.
“Jason,” he said, standing.
