Haphephobia: the fear of being touched.
Blake, a second-year Psychology student, hadn't ever heard of such a phobia, until the day he was hired as a guide for Dean, the heir of a rich family.
Even though Dean had the appearance and behaviour of a ge...
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Passing his hands through his dark hair, Adam let out a frustrated sigh.
He had been in that field for years now, had done extensive research on the matter and planned everything in advance. He also repeated the experiment so many times, he had lost count. Still, he couldn't understand the reason for the results to come out wrong every single time.
Frustrated, yet not totally defeated, the doctorate student took a deep breath, ready to try again.
He was surprised when he looked up at the clock on the wall that marked half past six in the afternoon. After being inside that laboratory for as long as he had, he seemed to have lost the perception of time. That was apparent when finally awoken from his dormant state, his stomach turned with a loud roar.
Laying his hand on his stomach, he wondered when it was the last time he had eaten something. Coming to the conclusion his last meal had been a granola bar before lunch hour, he came to the pretty obvious conclusion that he had to eat something as fast as possible or otherwise he would fall to the side. The idea of a cup of noodles, at that moment, was as appealing as a gourmet meal.
The sound of the door opening was heard through the lab, calling his attention.
Collin had just entered the room, twenty minutes later than what was stated in his schedule. Adam was about to open his mouth, ready to state the intern's delay when he noticed his appearance. Since they had met, months ago, two things were clear about the boy: the complete and utter lack of responsibility, and the effort he put into his appearance. Although Adam couldn't stand the responsibility issue, he didn't consider the latter a problem. He himself tried to take care of himself to the maximum of his capabilities.
However, for the last few weeks, the intern wasn't behaving quite like himself. The usually doe-eyed student had now a tired gaze, with darkened marks framing the eyes, although it appeared to have been an attempt at concealing it with a light sheet of makeup.
He didn't even try to spew out a ridiculous list of motives that excused him for arriving late, cutting right to the chase instead.
- I'm sorry, I'm late.
Adam frowned lightly. Even his voice was weak.
- Just don't let it happen again.
Although lack of punctuality normally drove him crazy, this time he was willing to open an exception and let him go with just a warning. He recalled having told the intern to do some research and bring it to him, but given his tired appearance, it was a miracle he had remembered how to get to the lab.
