Something About Alice Murphy: BOOK 3

P A R T - T H R E E

Chapter Three: Meetings.
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Tuesday, 21st September

It was another bright and sunny day in Oxford, and Alice had just finished her last lecture. She left the auditorium, dressed in a simple beige bodysuit tucked into her jeans with her hair styled to be in relaxed waves. "Hey wait up," a voice called softly, and she turned, seeing Catherine Wang walking up to her. "Are you heading to the library?" She asked.

"Yeah," Alice replied softly, her full lips coated in a warm shade of pink lipstick tilting up into a smile. 

"Mind if I join you?" Catherine asked, "I know they said we can get more work done and be more efficient when working together." She continued and Alice agreed. They began walking together, and Catherine glanced back at her friends and grinned proudly and playfully as they looked surprised to see her talking with their own little celebrity. "So where's Amara?" Catherine asked, walking with her laptop tucked under her arm.

"She's got the flu," Alice replied, having seen the onslaught of coughing and sneezing developing over the last couple of days herself. "Don't worry I've disinfected everything I own." She added with a giggle as Catherine looked nervous for a moment.

"Sorry, it's just... flashbacks, you know." Catherine replied and laughed softly. Alice smiled again and they conversed gently until they reached the library. Catherine asked questions about how Alice had been enjoying the campus, the course and the city, and they talked about different clubs and bars which were the best to go to for the nicest drinks and the cutest guys... but once they reached the library and found somewhere to sit, the conversation decreased into a quietness so that they could work.

Alice had already started on her first essay, and had conducted the majority of her own research as well as collecting information from her lectures and text books. She listened to music as she typed on her laptop, zoned out and in her own little world until she felt a hand on her back and looked up. Lucas sat down next to her, having left a lecture for Philosophy and  Theology himself a few minutes ago and seen in their group chat that she was working in the library. "Hi," He smiled, feeling calm and like nothing was out of the ordinary as Alice slid out an earphone to speak with him... But Lucas's attention had been so focussed on heading to the library that he had been unaware of his shadow... A shadow that had been following him since he'd been spotted leaving his lecture a few minutes before...

Magnus worked out that Lucas knew Alice by putting the pieces together after what had happened at his party... He'd seen nor heard anything in real life or on social media since then but the thought of knowing she was here in the city or on campus somewhere caused him to be more alert than usual. He tried not to search for her in crowds of students, but now blonde hair didn't make him flinch, and he found himself staring to see if maybe... it could be... And the apparent sight of Lucas leaving his lecture at the same moment he had across the hall seemed to ignite that slight predatory behaviour he'd tried to subdue since leaving Canada.

Magnus hung back behind the edge of a book shelf, watching as Lucas touched the back of a blonde girl with slightly rose gold tinted hair that looked so thick and glossy in the library's low lighting that he could just imagine how it felt between his fingertips. But he already knew how it felt, of course he did, he had that memory stored for safe keeping in his mind from all the times he used to play with her hair. He felt his heart thud a little harder, but it didn't quicken its pace as the girl turned her head to the right to look at Lucas, revealing the profile of her face...

Magnus's eyes widened a little then narrowed as he felt his muscles tense... It was her. Her delicate nose, full lips and long lashes he could recognise in an instant anywhere, and the sight of such a familiar face caused him to part his own lips and hold his breath for a moment, hating how light from the window above her head seeped in to coat her in a bright afternoon glow and make her seem almost angelic. He could see the dust particles dancing above her head and inhaled suddenly, but couldn't tear his eyes away even though he wanted to. There she was... just sitting there a few metres away with her back to him. She was right there. After all this time...