Page 6 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
After weeks of being cooped up at the lab, she’d stepped out to meet Ryan at their favorite local diner to pig out on the new thin-crust-pan-fried-pizza on the menu. Only the lunch had turned into a confession of sorts, effectively short circuiting her brain.
“What?”
“Which part do you need me to elaborate?” Ryan responded to her dumbfounded lack of vocabulary as he peeled pineapple chunks off his slice todiscreetlymove them to her plate, while actively refusing to make eye contact with her. “The ‘I’ve had feelings for you for a while, and we should date’ part, or the ‘I’m looking into PhD programs in food science’ part? Because I’ve already found some great options near Alberta.”
“WHAT?” She downed her glass of water—and half of his—in an attempt to compose herself enough to use more words, like a person who knew how to use more words. “What do you mean by ‘we should date’? You’re like my brother. We’re practically siblings! And you know I don’t date. What are you even—Ryan, what’swrongwith you?”
Ryan stuffed his face with pizza instead of replying to her this time, his giraffe-like neck turning an alarming shade of red. A long moment passed where neither of them spoke. Yet the diner around them bubbled with laughter and music and bits of gossip flying about.
“We’re not siblings…”
“You know what I mean. I’ve never—I don’t see you that way. Besides, I don’t think I’m ever going to seeanyonethat way.”
“I uh—sorry, I have this thing I forgot about.” He lurched to his feet, the top of his head hitting the metal end of the canopy above. “I’ll see you later.”
“No, wait!”
By the time Nori managed to follow him downstairs and out through the hungry rush-hour crowd, it was too late. Her best—ex-best friend had dramatically vanished. He even went so far as to flee the country later that night. She only found out about it from his father when she went to his place the next day.
Nori swore under her breath, shoving her phone roughly into her bag. A few kids from a nearby table turned to stare at her, before quickly looking away when she glared back at them.
Yeah, whatever. She didn’t need that coward anyway. She’d only spotted him from a distance when she’d arrived at the campus last week. He didn’t seem to know she was there, and she was going to keep it that way. She refused to talk to that giraffe—ass—clown, ever again. And if he showed up in front of her, she’d walk away—kick him in the shin first—then walk away. That would show him.
On that note, the patient, Vir Varma, was also a PhD student there. Maybe she could meet him to explain her research before the other team had a chance to stuff the idea of their sparkly spare-parts down his throat. Hopefully, Tanya wouldn’t mind telling her which department he was in.
Scarfing her remaining breakfast in a hurry, Nori gathered her stuff and started for the HOD’s office. She hadn’t reached too far when a deep, familiar voice rang through the corridor, making her pause.
“Nori!”
No way.She considered bolting.
“Nori, wait!”
With an internal groan, she turned to find her clown-shaped ex-best friend marching towards her in quick, long strides, with a wide grin slapped across his face.
“Hey shorty!” Ryan, the giraffe, came to a halt in front of her to tower over her with his lanky athletic frame and spindly legs that had elongated like beanstalks over their eighth-grade summer vacation.
She opened her mouth and snapped it shut without a word while the lump in her throat made her consider running again. Her legs weren’t as long as his, but she could totally outrun him. She was fast as hell.
“What? No comeback? Come here.” Ryan pulled her into a hug, squeezing all the air out of her lungs while the familiar scent of his fruity shampoo assaulted her nose, making it scrunch up in response. She’d missed the stench.
“Hey,” she mumbled once he let her go.
“I heard you got here a few days ago. You know what they’ve been calling you? The Canadian prodigy.” He laughed.
“Why do you care?” she spat out acidly, her face growing warmer by the second.
“Nor—”
Before he could get another syllable out, her foot was already on its way to connect with his shin. He ducked, smirking, and whisked his leg away in time. Rookie mistake. One quick swipe, and she had him in a headlock.
“You dramatic ass—”
“Ow! Nor—”
“How dare you leave me like that—no call—nothing!”
“You promised—NO HEADLOCKS!”
