“Okay.” Hope shrugged. “No need to be rude. I just wanted to talk.”
“No. You just wanted to know what I’m doing, and I have no answer for you. I’m just experimenting.”
“But what kind of experiment?”
“The kind that could get me thrown out of college. That’s why I work at night, and why I prefer to keep quiet. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Now I’m even more curious. You really don’t know me at all, do you?” Hope laughed. “Oh, come on! Just spit it out!”
Luke stood up and moved to sit beside her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he drew closer to Hope’s face.
“You need to seriously think about this. Because if I share this secret with you, you’re going to get drawn into something, whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t need to think about it. I want to know.”
Luke stood up and returned to his workstation, and Hope knew the conversation was over. For now. Grabbing her things, she left the lab, this time feeling no fear at all as she walked back down the corridor. She was too excited.
In her bedroom again, she flung herself down on the bed and began tapping out an email on her phone. Once she’d finished, she read through it. Hope hesitated. And hit send.
2
The alarm rang out. Josh opened his eyes, stretching before clambering out of the bed. He splashed his cheeks with cold water, examined his creased face in the bathroom mirror, and decided to shave in the shower. Anything to snap him out of his sleepiness.
Hopping out of the shower, he toweled off, glanced at his watch, and dressed quickly. Finals season was looming, and the day was setting up to be a long one.
Checking he had everything he needed for classes and that his phone was fully charged, he tucked his keys into his pocket and left, slamming the front door behind him.
On his way to class, he picked up a copy of the free campus newspaper and rushed to the cafeteria.
Sitting down in front of his breakfast, he scrolled through his emails before landing on the only one he could face reading on an empty stomach.
Dear Josh,
I’ll get straight to the point. There’s a part of my cortex that wants to say, No hard feelings for yesterday. But the other part wonders why I’m even sending you this.
Hugs and kisses (on the cheek, obviously),
Hope
Josh worried he didn’t have the words to craft a reply that would make her smile, and he continued racking his brain throughout his classes until finally Luke asked him why he had been gazing up at the ceiling for the past hour.
“I think I messed up with Hope last night,” Josh replied.
Luke kept quiet about their midnight meeting in the lab. “Did you tell her anything about our work?” he asked.
“No, it’s nothing to do with that. I walked her back to her place. We had the weirdest conversation. I thought she was going to invite me up to her room. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Hey, it must get confusing, what with all your conquests . . .”
“Hope’s different. And quit with the urban legends. I’m not that bad. I flirt, sure. But I don’t sleep around.”
“I guess that’s a matter of opinion,” Luke mused. “I mean, I’m the one left picking up the pieces after you lead the girls astray.”
“Oh, come on, like you don’t secretly enjoy it! And by the way . . . where did you sleep last night?”
“I spent the night at the lab. One of us has to keep the project moving. Tell me the truth,” Luke said. “Are you planning to let her in on it?”
Josh pretended to be considering a reply. If it had been up to him, he would have asked Hope to join them a long time ago. Her assistance would be invaluable. But he knew Luke. He knew it was smarter to let him draw his own conclusions.
“Why not? She’s talented, imaginative; she’s as curious as can be . . .”
“I think you know exactly where you stand with her,” Luke said. “But I’m warning you: if we get her involved, you’ll need to keep a grip on your feelings. I don’t want heartache making her give up halfway through. If she accepts, she needs to be in it for the long haul.”
Hope didn’t venture back to the lab all week. Every spare moment she had, she poured into reading up on cryonics. Hope had a competitive streak, and once Luke had spilled the beans, she suddenly felt the urge to know as much about the subject as he did.
Josh, meanwhile, reflected on Luke’s warning and the conditions he had set for Hope’s joining the team. In a way, it made Josh want to leave things just as they were. But strangely, nothing made him happier than the idea of working with Hope.
On Saturday, Josh was paid for his tutoring, and he asked Luke to lend him his car.
“To go where?”
“Will telling you change your answer?”
“No. I’m just curious.”
“I need space. A trip out to the countryside will do me good. I’ll be back this evening.”
“Let’s go together, then,” Luke said. “I could do with a break too.”
“I want to be alone.”
“A trip to the countryside with a clean shirt and jacket?” Luke eyed him. “What’s her name?”
“Are you going to give me your keys or not?”
Luke rummaged through his pocket, fishing out his keys and tossing them over to Josh.
“Fill it up on your way back!”
Josh waited until he was safely strapped in behind the wheel of the Camaro before calling Hope. It was more of an order than an invitation.
