“You know what they mean when they say that something’s as old as dirt?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Organic matter. It makes up the living Earth. Anything older than life itself is older than dirt.”
“But I thought everything was made of a little stardust?” I countered. “So… is that really true? Isn’t life supposed to be this cyclical thing? Aren’t we all supposed to be connected?”
He cracked a winsome grin, sliding his hands into his khaki’s pockets. “This is getting too deep for me, Millie. I think I’m going to have to get something sweet if we’re going to keep this conversation going.”
I laughed as we crossed the road. Caleb was sweet, and in a way, I think our minds worked more similarly than I first realized. He knew how to tangent in a conversation, like scenic detours, but he always found his way back. He was always paying attention, more than I ever knew. For a moment, I tucked my hair behind my ears and wondered it would be like to live with a man like him. Would it always be so charming to hear him monologue like this?
“I guess if you’re doing something you love, the location doesn’t matter so much,” he remarked, getting back to the original conversation. “This is an amazing research university. Even if I hate the weather, I can’t imagine leaving this place by choice.”
“I thought you were frustrated with the department for bullying you into publishing.”
“Yeah, well, there’s always growing pains, and you’ve been making this as painless as possible.”
Though I grinned back, Caleb was heading into unknown waters. He was my boss, in a way, and he was over a decade older than me. All these smiles and conversations were well and good, but they walked a hard line I’d never dared to cross with one of my researching collaborators. Still, I didn’t technically work for him. I worked with him, but I was better off imagining, keeping the conversation light and my hands to myself.
“You know, there are better cafés around campus,” Caleb pointed out as we took our place in line. “There are even some good restaurants within walking distance too. I can’t imagine when the sandwiches were made for this place.”
“Oh, they’re fine,” I insisted with a wave of my hand. “There’s no need to overthink a ham and cheese sandwich.”
I liked that they were quick and cheap. Sitting down at a table and waiters meant an extra cost I wasn’t totally willing to spend. A dollar saved meant that dollar could be spent on something else, yet as I opened my mouth to speak, a wine-red suit jacket caught my attention. It was that dark-haired man, still just as chiseled and attractive as he’d looked that morning. His rectangular jaw was perfectly shaved, and his nearly-black hair was styled and swept away from his face. There was something striking about him, something that spoke of power and authority.
“Hey, Caleb, do you know that man?” I asked, pointing secretively in the stranger’s direction.
“Who?”
I kept my voice low. “The man in the red jacket.”
His dark eyes hadn’t noticed me yet. Still across the street, he clearly was walking in our direction. Caleb scratched his head, mulling over my question.
“O, yeah, I think I do,” he realized slowly. “We’ve met at a few big alumni events, but he’s from the business school. He’s pretty memorable.”
“Why?”
Well, his looks certainly made him memorable, but I doubted Caleb was talking about his broad shoulders or defined arms.
“His accent,” he answered. “The man’s from Russia, I think.”
“Can I help you?” I heard beside me.
I pried my eyes away from the foreign man to see a glowering young woman behind the register waiting for me. Somehow, none of the employees here ever looked particularly happy.
“Sorry, I’d like a ham and cheese with an iced coffee,” I answered quickly.
“Small or large?” she asked with a sigh.
“Small.”
“And a sugar cookie, please,” Caleb added beside me before handing over a card.
Before I could stop him, Caleb was paying for my lunch and buying himself dessert in the process. I blinked, and smoothing my hands over my houndstooth pants, I felt another twinge of endearment.
“Why do you ask about him?” Caleb wondered, wanting no thanks for his kind gesture.
“I ran into him a few days ago,” I explained. “I dropped some of the things I was carrying. He helped pick them up.”