Page 14 of Lessons in Chemistry

He nods and checks his watch. “We’d better get going.”

“Can I walk you to class?” I smirk. “Maybe carry your books. Your rucksack looks heavy.”

“You’re—”

“Devilishly handsome?”

Emory smiles. It’s only a slight upturn of his lips, but I notice it all the same, especially as it makes his eyes shimmer with light.

“Admit it. I’m good-looking,” I say as we walk in the direction of our lecture theatre.

“You’re big-headed.”

I knock my shoulder against his. “Yeah, that’s true. What’s this lecture about?”

“You haven’t done the reading, have you?”

“There was reading?”

He shakes his head and takes a breath. “This is a lecture for our neuropharmacology unit.”

“Oh. I don’t know what that means. I haven’t been to any of those lectures.”

“No offence, but I can tell.”

“Ouch.” I’m not offended. I know it’s obvious I’m a slacker.

“Neuropharmacology is the study of the effect of drugs on the brain and nervous system. The topic of today’s lecture is molecular memory and synaptic plasticity.”

Emory keeps talking as we walk, doing his best to explain what the hell we’re going to be learning about today. While I don’t understand what he’s saying, I enjoy listening to his voice, which is as sweet as he is. I nod every so often to make it look like I’m paying attention to what he’s saying rather than how he’s saying it so he’ll keep talking. Studying might be a chore I can do without, but having him as a tutor won’t be a hardship at all.

5

EMORY

I spend the next few days juggling classes, lab sessions, tutorials, and self-study, with helping Auggie write his essay and Casey keep on top of his work around swimming. It gives me a taste of what it’s like to be Casey, although I still don’t need to get up as early as he does, and brain work is very different to spending two hours in a pool or a gym.

On Friday, I set Auggie the task of writing a first draft of his essay and arrange to meet him for coffee on Sunday morning so I can read through it. I use Saturday morning to catch up on studying and then hang out with Casey in the afternoon, playing console games and generally having a laugh until he has to go to swim practice in the evening.

He gets home around ten. I’m on my bed, rereading one of my favourite books. My door is open, so he knows it’s okay to come and visit me.

“Hey, Em.” Casey comes straight into my room and collapses on the bed beside me. He snuggles closer, hugging me and resting his cheek on my chest.

This would be a perfect moment to tell him how I feel, as Auggie suggested. I can’t. Telling my straight best friend I’m in love with him will make things weird between us.

“Tough training session?”

“We’ve got a friendly competition next weekend, and Josh is working us hard.”

Josh is the men’s swim team captain.

I stroke his hair. “Is it too much?”

“No. I’m just tired and achy. Sorry to be grumpy.”

“You’re not.”

“I kinda am, but it’s sweet that you’re okay with it.”