The Birds & The Bees | S.R.

Ch. 1 | The Hummingbird

"Thank you."

Whatever he saw, he seemed unimpressed with. Perhaps I was just being too insecure, but for the rest of the interaction, he seemed to look everywhere but me. Like he'd already learned everything he needed to know.

Still, there was a faint tint to his cheeks that I swore hadn't been there before.

Okay, now I'm positive that I'm projecting.

"How's your day going? Sorry for the mess in here."

"My day's going well!" I answered, trying to sound chipper but probably just sounding annoying as I continued, "I was glad you called, actually, I—"

"Yeah, sorry for the late notice. I just got back from a case and I could really use the help sooner than I thought."

Although he'd cut me off, I was strangely unaffected by it. Normally I would take it as a red flag, but something about the tilt in his voice comforted me. A reminder that he was, for whatever reason, also uncomfortable with the stiff, formal nature of these things.

"You don't need to apologize, Professor Reid. Believe it or not, I want to be here."

I hadn't been sure about that before, but I was now. That feeling only grew in intensity when his eyes finally wandered back up, meeting mine just as I took the seat across from him.

He smiled. The kind of smile that just as easily becomes a chuckle, ruining the words your heart wanted you to say and replacing them with the ones your brain told you were preferable. A self-preserving smile.

"Pretty sure that's the first time I've ever heard that sentence."

"Oh, nonsense," I chuckled back, "I always hear students talking about your class."

"Yeah, to audit," he replied in the most dejected whisper.

I had only just met him, but I decided then that it wasn't a tone I liked to hear from him.

"Well, to audit it would be a mistake. It's not often we get to learn from someone like you. Someone who's... been through it all in person rather than just in theory."

His face scrunched up, and for a second I thought it was a bad scrunch. One that told me I'd overstepped. But then the tension melted away again, dropping his jaw open far enough that I could see the way his tongue curled in on itself before he settled with, "Thanks, that's very kind of you to say."

I got the feeling he didn't believe it, but also wasn't willing to argue with me on it. If given the opportunity, I would have. I would have explained that I'd read every article with his name on it that I could find. That, despite being in another field understanding almost none of it, I read each and every word of his many published papers. But I got the feeling he wasn't well-accustomed to flattery, and I didn't want to overdo it. Brown-nosing wasn't how I wanted to get the job.

Still, when I flashed him a smile in return, I saw that lost look in his eyes again. A distant, far off blankness. A vastness like the night sky that hid universes.

"So... How is your day going?" I asked, realizing that he'd never actually answered for himself.

Dr. Reid seemed caught off guard, only managing to give a half-shrug and a weak, "Oh, it's... fine, I guess?"

"Were you not anticipating that question?"

"No, not really."

At least he was honest.

"People don't usually ask me."

Maybe a little too honest, depending on who you asked. I could relate to that, too. Speaking without pausing first to wonder if I was following the ever-changing social rules.