Page 45 of Brighter Shades of Light

Fuck, I loved when he said my name. I loved it even more that we were at school and hestillsaid it. It took a few times to break the habit of him calling me by my last name.

“Can I sit?”

“Please.” He gestured to the empty seat.

“What are you doing here so early?” I sat down and dove into the eggs, shoveling them into my mouth. PT mornings made me ravenous.

Dr. Vale watched me with a slight tilt of his head, seemingly amused. “I’m always here early.”

“Not inhere, though. You never come to breakfast.”

“True.”

“It was for the amazing coffee, right?” I grinned and took a drink.

“Possibly,” he said, not taking his eyes off me.

Something told me the coffee had nothing to do with it.

The last time we’d met at Brewed Emporium, I mentioned I ate at the dining hall each morning. But it seemed too much like wishful thinking for that to be the reason he was here.

“Going over today’s lecture notes?” I nodded to the journal in front of him. It appeared to be the same one he’d had the other time I saw him in the dining hall. The binding was red, and it was worn around the edges.

“No, this isn’t for class.” He closed the journal and pushed it aside, almost protectively. There was no writing on the front.

“What’s it for?”

“It’s…” Dr. Vale pressed his lips together. “Personal.”

“Like a diary?”

He opened his mouth to answer but took a drink of coffee instead.

We’d spent quite a bit of time together over the past two weeks, but while I had shared a lot about my life, I still didn’t know much about him.

“Are we friends?”

“Pardon?”

“Are we friends?” I repeated.

“Well, we’re friendly. But you’re still my student.”

“And the coffee dates?”

“Dates?” He cleared his throat, looking suddenly awkward. “They’re not dates, Mr. Miller.”

“Not romantic ones, no,” I said, tearing off a piece of my bagel and shoving it into my mouth. I might be ticked off, but I was still hungry. “The least you could do is admit we’re friends, though. We get along, and you seem to like being around me just like I enjoy being around you.”

“Friends.” Dr. Vale said the word as though testing the way it sounded on his tongue. It hit me then that maybe he didn’t have any friends. “Perhaps we are.”

Why did that make my stomach do flips?

“Well, since we’re friends now, can you tell me what will be on the test this Friday?” I smirked when he pinned me with an incredulous stare.

“Too clever for your own good.” A hint of a smile touched his lips. “A true friend wouldn’t let you take the easy way out.”

I was glad he knew I was joking.