Page 43 of Unapologetic Obsession

“I didn’t. My chef makes my lunches.”

Despite myself, I smiled. Even when he was doing something nice, he did it in the most offhanded way. There was something endearing about it.

Picking up the fork he had placed beside the bowl, I pierced a piece of broccoli and chicken with it. I internally moaned when turmeric and truffle flavors burst inside my mouth. I never knew eating healthy could be so delicious.

“Did you have fun at the Alumni Fundraiser?”

I tilted my head with a furrowed brow. How did he know?

“You were dressed up last night,” he expanded. “I can only assume you were at a party before feeling inspired to bake.”

My cheeks burned. Did he discover that Sophie was the reason why I baked the cake? I avoided looking at him, worried about what he would see on my face. “I could’ve been dressed up for anything.”

“The outfit was too fancy for a frat party or a casual dinner at a nice restaurant. The only event happening on campus with that kind of dress code was at the Alumni Center.”

He was insanely perceptive and had deduced my activity from mere breadcrumb clues and the process of elimination.

“I’m surprised you attended,” he commented. “I heard there were over two hundred and fifty people.”

“Makes it easier to get lost in the crowd,” I countered absentmindedly.

He nodded as if he just figured it out. “Intimate settings create more opportunities for one-on-one conversations. But there are distractions at large events. You can socialize without actually socializing.”

I had heard Professor Maxwell was astute, often discerning his surroundings with precise acuteness. Now I had witnessed it firsthand. He was right. I loved big parties and avoided small settings unless I knew everyone in the group. I had lived through the trauma of being sliced open with a knife, but somehow, conversing with strangers gave me more crippling anxiety.

He stared at me for a moment. “I’m hosting the student-faculty affair for the chemistry department this semester. It’ll be alargeevent.”

My neck nearly snapped at the speed my head jerked back. He lived to shock me, didn’t he?

Every semester, one professor from each department hosted a student-faculty affair. The professors were urged to invite their influential friends looking to recruit talent, while graduating seniors were encouraged to attend. It was a party but also a networking opportunity for cushy jobs and graduate school admission.

Why would Professor Maxwell volunteer to host such an event? He hated joy and other human beings.

A few more moments passed before he asked, “You’ll attend? It’ll be on the second Saturday of next month.”

I racked my brain for upcoming commitments and realized I was busy. “I’m spending that weekend with my mom. We’re cruising the Hudson on a yacht.”

“You like yachts?”

“I love them.” My family went on countless cruises and yacht trips when I was young. Suffice to say, my best memories revolved around water and boat life. The few times Mom came around, she took me on a yacht trip, a tradition I thoroughly enjoyed.

He tapped his phone open. “I made a mistake. I’m hosting the student-faculty affair on the third Saturday of next month.”

But Professor Maxwell didn’t make mistakes, that was his whole premise.

“It’ll be a good opportunity to network,” he added.

It would have been if I had the guts to speak to strangers at the drop of a hat.

“Did I mention it’ll be on a yacht?” he said with a bite to his tone.

My lips parted for an,Oh.

He seemed irritated by my lack of verbal commitment, but he was freaking me out again. I admitted to liking boats, and it just so magically happened that his party was on one.

I was relieved when he dropped the topic. We ate in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. “I read your transcript and the notes by your adviser.” He waited for me to glance at him before he continued. “Does your family know you’re only a few credits short of majoring in organic chemistry?”

Of course they didn’t know. Everyone in my family majored in math, accounting, or finance, and upon graduation, they joined Ambani Corps as investment bankers. I had an anomaly Indian father who would be disappointed if I became a doctor or a scientist.