When I looked up I found him watching me, almost like he sensed my thoughts. I’d been chewing on my lip so hard I tasted blood. Stu lifted an eyebrow in question but I just looked away, going to collect the worksheets from the rest of the class.

When the bell rang for lunch I noticed Stu hanging back, and when he approached my desk with a food container and a flask, I knew I had to set some boundaries.

“So I’m not gonna lie, my brother Lee put all this together for us. He’s got mad skills in the kitchen. I can’t cook for shit.”

“Stu, what you are doing?”

He frowned. “I told you I’d bring lunch today.”

“And I told you the lift home was a perfectly reasonable way to return the favour.”

Setting both the flask and the container down on the table, he eyed me shrewdly. “That’s how it’s gonna be, huh?”

“Stu, I’m happy to spend time with you if it’s coursework related. I’ll even lend an ear if you’re having personal issues, but I think we both know that’s not what’s going on here.” I paused and glanced down at the packed lunch. “Is that sushi?”

Stu smirked. “Oh, now she’s interested.”

“I’m not interested. I was simply surprised by your choice of cuisine. You don’t look like the sushi type.”

His smirk transformed into a grin. “Well now, that’s just racist.”

“Don’t be a smart-arse. You know what I meant.”

Stu ran a hand over his jaw. “Like I said, my brother made it. He’s a chef, has his own restaurant and everything. You should stop by sometime.”

I tensed up. “Thank you for the offer, but no.”

“There you go again, making assumptions. Just because I might be a shifty fuck, doesn’t mean my family is, too.”

“I never said they were. Or you for that matter.”

“You don’t need to. Your face said it all, Andrea. Though you should know that Lee’s married to a copper. Can’t get any more law abiding than that.” He paused to eye my reaction and I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t deny the information surprised me.

“Come by the restaurant this weekend. It’s Trev’s birthday. We’re throwing a big shindig or what have you. It’ll be fun, good chance for you to let your hair down.”

The look he shot me had tingly goosebumps rising on my skin. Desperate for some way to break the moment, I bent over and pulled the Dawkins book from my bag, handing it to him.

“This is for you, since you didn’t get the chance to borrow a book from the library. I was thinking we could read it together during class while the other students are doing written work.”

Stu didn’t look at the book. Instead he stared at me, his expression hard. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and regretted bringing up the subject. But I couldn’t just let him continue as he was, sweeping his problems under the rug and ignoring them. Finally, he broke eye contact and glanced at the cover. His mouth was a straight line as he shook his head, then placed it back on my desk. “Not my thing, sorry.”

“How do you know it’s not your thing? You haven’t even looked at the blurb.”

“I can just tell,” he replied, scooping up the lunch he’d brought. “Listen, if you don’t want to share this then I’ll head off. No need to shove shitty books at me to try and scare me away,” he grunted before turning and stalking out of the classroom.

I sat there, mouth agape as he slammed the door behind him. My stomach twisted into knots as I dropped my face into my hands and rubbed at my temples. His unhappy expression said it all. By trying to discuss the matter in a roundabout way, I’d offended him. Well, crap.

Seven

“So, any plans for the weekend?” Susan asked as she helped me stack some folders into the cabinet behind my desk. Most of the class were busy making a start on the new assignment I’d given them, but I could tell Stu was eavesdropping. After his abrupt departure at lunch, I wondered if he was still pissed at me.

“My friend Jamie is having an author visit his bookstore to do a reading and I offered to help out,” I replied.

“Wow, no offence, but that sounds mega boring, Miss Anderson.”

I chuckled. “It’s not boring at all. This guy wrote a book about the Persian Wars. You should read it if you ever get the chance. I find the whole thing fascinating.”

“Oh my God, it gets worse. I think you just about put me to sleep there.”

I heard a little snicker come from Stu’s direction and now knew he was definitely listening. Well, at least snickering was better than the scowl he’d given me at lunch. Turning to Susan, I smiled, because for some reason I had a fondness for the way she liked to playfully rib me. Unlike Stu, who I still had suspicions about, being cheeky was just Susan’s way. “Did you enjoy the movie 300?” I asked.

“Yeah, obviously. Tell me a woman who doesn’t want to stare at Gerard Butler’s oiled-up CGI abs for ninety minutes.”

“Well, that film tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where a small force of Spartans and their allies fought against the giant Persian army to defend against invasion. There’s a chapter in the book that gives a more realistic overview of it. I always find it interesting to pick out the alterations made when transforming history for the big screen.”

Susan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m still bored.”

I wagged my finger at her. “A curious mind makes life interesting, Susan. You shouldn’t always dismiss things before they’ve had a chance to wow you. If you do, you’ll miss everything that’s wonderful in the world.”

“Maybe my idea of wonderful is just different to yours. Ever think of that?” She cocked a hip, all attitude.

“Okay, true. But if you go around living your life indifferent to new experiences, you’re going to have a grey life. Wouldn’t you prefer it to be a rainbow?”

Susan shot Mary a look like I was some hippy-dippy crazy woman. “Here she goes again, philosophising.”

Mary chuckled, shaking her head and continuing with her assignment.

“It’s my job to help you open your minds,” I said, addressing Susan again.

“Yeah well, you know what they say about that,” said Larry, joining our chat. “If you open your mind too much, your brain might fall out.”