Perception

XVII

Even though she'd half and half expected the pull, that strange feeling of electricity coursing through her, it still took her by surprise when she felt it again, telling her beyond any doubt that Eli had arrived. Her eyes whipped to the entrance of the college hall of their own accord and he wasn't even there yet, but she knew he was about to be.
The students were noisily gathering around her in the hall, before they would break off into their focus groups and spend most of the day working on their studies in various places in the maze of the building.
Of course, just like she'd known they would, ten seconds later the two boys walked in. Eli's eyes found her instantly and he gave her the broadest smile.
"Hi!" he mouthed.
She felt the answering smile spread on her face and she gave him a small wave.
"Hey guys!" she said as they made their way into the row underneath them.
"Good morning, lovely ladies! James enthused, and because he was such a genial guy she liked the sentiment.

The professor didn't have very much to say today, so it wasn't long before they installed themselves and settled in at the same table in the library they had occupied yesterday.
But today Anna was not going to be a blithering mess any more. She'd decided that she wouldn't tell the guys about her adoptive status unless she could help it, but she would simply do the work, so she did.
She was happily surprised to realise that this group actually worked really well together, and Anna enjoyed herself, silently thanking Sarah for her quick reaction yesterday in pairing them up with these guys. Even though she knew full well Sarah had done that in a large part to get her in the same space as Eli, the end result - a good assignment - would be the same, no?

She studiously ignored the pull she felt from Eli and simply focused on what they were doing, so by the time the break came all four of them were looking pretty pleased. Anna had contributed her ideas calmly, and the boys had seemed to have been happy with her insights. She didn't think they were questioning where they came from at all.
Good.

Eli was right next to her now, as she put the last of her things in her backpack and slung it over her right shoulder.
"Hey Anna, would you like to take a walk through the hortus with me?"
The question came out of nowhere and when she turned she found herself falling straight back into those deep dark eyes. That was probably how her mouth beat her brain to the draw.
"Sure!"
She closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head imperceptibly and unseen, astounded at her own quick assent. Then she smiled almost apologetically at Sarah, who was giving her a surprised thumbs up over the white table, and followed him out through the building, through the open doors into the greenery she loved.

They walked along in silence for a bit, Anna breathing deeply as the rich green scent of freshly cut grass came from somewhere around the corner. She'd always loved the hortus of course, but somehow it did seem to be becoming something of a backdrop for the stories unfolding in her life right now.

"You have a lot of insight into the subject matter, Anna, it's been lovely to work on this assignment with you." Eli said in his pleasant tone as they meandered over the small paths, coming past the bench she'd sat on with Susan the day before yesterday. Wow, was that really only two days ago?
"Thank you, you too." she murmured.
"Do you come here a lot?" he asked her then, and he chuckled straight away. "That sounded like a cheesy pick-up line in a bar, hey?"
She grinned softly, but her tone was serious as she glanced up at him.
"Something tells me you don't do cheesy."
"You're right, not on purpose."
Her lips twitched slightly. It was so easy to be around this man, it wasn't even funny. Everything about this whole encounter felt so natural. What did that mean?
"Anyway, yes, I do come here a fair bit. I love the greenness of the place, the tranquillity it breathes.
Eli smiled as he turned to face her.
"And then you spread that tranquillity to the rest of the world."
He didn't ask; he stated, and she looked at him with some surprise.
"Is that how it comes across?"
She knew Sarah had often referred to her as her 'quiet place', but it was still something different to hear it from someone who was still basically a stranger. Even if... even if she had to admit he didn't feel very much like a stranger at the moment. In fact, he felt like someone she'd known forever.
"Well, I don't know for sure about the rest of the world, of course, but you make me feel very welcome, here." he said, his smile sincere and warm.
And Anna couldn't help it: his words, sinking into her as softly as his voice, meant something to her.
"I'm glad, Eli." she said quietly.