11:17
Three minutes before the end of class - though it sounded like Dr. Archer would go on forever.
Julian really hoped it wouldn't come to that.
It was that she was a bad lecturer - on the contrary, Dr. Archer was one of the best, and all of the Anthropology students gave her glowing reviews. And it wasn't that the subject matter was boring - the Fa'afafine, a third-gendered people from the Island of Samoa that are born biologically male and have both male and female trails and a huge part of the Island's culture. He'd never heard of anything like that before and on a regular day, it would have fascinated him. But right now, Dr. Archer and the Fa'afafine were the ones standing in between him and the beautiful Georgia Hinton.
And that just wouldn't do.
He glanced over at the clock - 11:18.
What the hell, time? Did it really feel the need to slow him down for giggles?
11:19 - no, wait, it's still 11:18.
Screw you, Time. Screw. You.
How long was this woman going to talk? She was an Archaeology by degree and by training, but she sure had an interest on the issue of Gender roles. It was as though she could talk all day about it. And it wasn't even because she was a woman - she was genuinely interested in how other cultures deviate from the strict concepts of "masculine" and "feminine" that are so prevalent in the Western world.
But. He. Just. Didn't. Care. About. That. Today!
But since Gender Roles in Society were being discussed today, he couldn't help but wonder how the ladies dealt with this sort of thing. He didn't consider himself a sexist pig or a man of prejudice, but he was more than aware of the female ritual of losing their mind over one guy. The sighing, the gazes of longing, the hours spent waiting for responses to Facebook and text messages, the mild stalking, the ability to somehow appear in the same place the lucky guy is due to appear at the certain - he wondered how they could do all of that and still manage to keep a hold of their sanity. Well, most of the world anyway. He considered himself quite the easy-going guy - he prided himself in his ability to take everything as it came and to think on his feet should trouble arise.
Hell, his roommate situation was a perfect example of how necessary this persona was with regard to his roommate situation. Liam was the mysterious, sometimes brooding ladies man, Randy was the loud-mouth, skirt chasing douchebag, and Julian was the happy, sensible glue that kept them bonded together. Why the hell they weren't offered their own sitcom by now was beyond his comprehension.
But Georgia...Georgia wasn't like the other girls he met before. He couldn't explain why but that didn't matter. Now, he was overcome with an uncontrollable urge to burst out of that door and huff it over the library, but he was nowhere near the door, and he'd have to step on a lot of toes to get there. And of course, one or two students would voice their displeasure, and then the professor would notice, and then that would make him feel really embarrassed.
No, thank you.
Still, it didn't help that Father Time appear to be swishing his long-ass beard, an aura of "I don't give a fuck" surrounding his frail countenance as he gave Julian the finger without hesitation or reservation.
Julian...
He looked out at the window, the school library staring right back at him. Once again, he was filled with a sense of urgency. Come on, come on! Can't this class end already? He foot tapped the ground furiously as he waited on bated breath for his release.
Julian...?
If he didn't know any better, he swore he could hear Georgia calling for him...
"Julian!" His eyes snapped to the front of the room, where Dr. Archer stared at him with a bemused expression. "As much as it warms my heart to see you so interested in my field, you should probably leave before the next class gets in."
"Huh?" Julian looked all around him, and sure enough, the entire classroom was empty. Dr. Archer herself was just about packed up and ready to move on. He glanced over at the clock - 11:26. What the hell? Well-played, Father Time, you magnificent bastard. Well-played. "I guess the Fa'afafine were just that fascinating."
"Uh-huh." Dr. Archer smirked as she hitched her messenger bag onto her shoulder, heading for the door. "And the woman you were obviously daydreaming about couldn't compare, right?" He could feel the golden color draining from his face. "It's all right - we all have our moments. Just remember that the final is next week, all right?"
He nodded graciously. "I will, not to worry."
"Right. See ya later."
Dr. Archer gave him a kindly wave before disappearing into the corridor. He waited a beat before blazing out of classroom, leaving a trail of imaginary fire and physical trash in his wake.
It was time to see Georgia - and he couldn't wait to get to her.
------
George did her best not to look at the clock, for fear of making an already messed up day even worse.
After a rather rough start at home, the rest of the morning evened out. First, Florence was mysteriously absent today, and heard Katie say in passing that it was due to "shot nerves and bad dreams".
Mission accomplished.
That made her smile. George didn't like showing off her abilities in public, but that bitch had it coming. What the hell was it about being a werewolf that attracted women who were way bitchier than she was and could ever hope to be?
She had no idea. Her wolf definitely found it funny.
Now, after helping out with a few tasks and setting up appointments for next week, she was simply biding her time, waiting for...
...is she really going to say this? Really?
Okay...she's waiting for him.
Ugh.
George stayed up a little late last night getting the resources ready for the meeting today. She would have done it in the morning, but she had meetings. September would be here before she knew it, and there was already talk about preparing for class instruction as well as updating subject guides. It was time to start preparing for the student body horde's return, and these tasks weren't going to do themselves. So, she did them at night, and she did a pretty good job. Julian was right - there was a lot of material to examine on the database, and you needed a discerning eye to pick out the really good ones. She was able to pick out five really good sources easily, if she did say so herself. And furthermore, with resources such as these, he would be able to write paper that would knock it out of the park.
Surely, with these resources in hand, Julian would go on to receive a favorable grade in Anthropology 100. With this grade in the books, he'd go onto the finish his final year with no further issues.
He'd probably go on to seek out the help of the Economics librarian for any and all fourth-year research projects, and he'd never need her services again.
They would never meet again - and life would go back to normal.
Just the way it should be - if it weren't for the wolf growling.
Me no tell you again. MI -
George promptly ignored the repeated statement. Yeah, yeah, she knew. Yeah, she got the idea. Mine, he's her mate, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda.
"Excuse me, George?" George jumped in her chair, startled by the sudden voice and the two people who appeared at her door. On cue, she secretly sniffed for danger, willing herself to stay calm and keep her sharp canines hidden. After all, their humans, not other wolves. She sighed, recognizing one of figures as one of the reference desk librarians, Mr. Ringer. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you."
"I-It's all right." She clutched her chest, willing herself to calm down. There's no danger here - there's no danger here. Ringer's scent is as it should be, and the one beside him seems fine. "I-I guess was just...too into my emails."
"Yes, but I know you don't like being startled." Well yeah - it's usually not a good idea to startle a lone wolf. "In any case, need your help." Mr. Ringer gestured to the student to beside him. She smiled nervously. "This student needs some help, but her English isn't very good, and I know you speak Japanese. If you could help me out by translating, I'd be much obliged."
"Ah..." Worry crept up George's spine. "Yes, I speak Japanese, but wouldn't Ms. Ota be better for this? She's a native speaker."
"Well, normally, I would ask her, but she isn't in today." Just my luck. Sure, my listens skills are excellent from all the dramas I watch, but I don't have occasion to speak it very much. "And she's told me many times about your excellent skills."
"I-I'm not very good, though." It was the truth, the way she saw it anyway. All those times Ms. Ota complimented her on her speaking skills, she assumed it was due to customary politeness. "B-But if you have no one else, I suppose I could try."
"Would you?" He looked very please. "Thank you, George. I really appreciate this."
Hold you compliments until after this conversation. I might end confusing her even more. And the poor girl looked so nervous and confused - she reeked of it, too. But at least it was a pleasant scent to deal with, and George did look forward to practicing her Japanese skills with the girl. She hadn't really spoke the language since her three weeks in Japan one summer before her final year of her Bachelor's program. Sure, she learned the language quickly, but the myriad of new and unusual smells, both wolf and human, always kept her on edge. She was grateful for the experience, but she'd never try anything like that ever again.
Well, time to see if the price of admission was worth it. George offered a smile to the young Japanese girl, and prayed that she wouldn't notice her own nervousness. "Konnichiwa. Otetsudai shimashou ka?"
The girl's face lit up, and a nodded her head. George couldn't help but smile. Maybe her accent wasn't so bad after all.
------
Even if Julian couldn't understand a word of what was being spoken, he recognized George's voice, and one thing became very clear to him.
George was already a knockout, but she even more attractive speaking a foreign language.
Listening to the animated conversation inside of her office helped to ease his impatience. He thought it was Japanese. It sounded like Japanese, and she sounded like she was pretty fluent in it. Even the person she spoke with sounded impressed by her language ability. She never hesitated once - the words flowed out beautifully and naturally, and even would say that, even if he was extremely biased.
"Sumimasen. Watashi no nihongo wa heta desu ne."
"Hinton-san - shinpai shinaide kudasai! Anata no nihongo wa jyozu desu ne."
"Mada mada desu."
Julian sat outside her office, eyes closed, taking in all of the even beats, double consonants, and long vowel sounds. George's voice was a little quieter and a little lower as she spoke Japanese, and somehow he found that sexy as hell. The last time they met, he felt like he could have listened to her speak all day. Now, he wished that could hear her speak Japanese and English all day and all night.
How the hell someone already very attracted could become even more attractive in the course of twenty-four hours was beyond him - but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain.
"Is there anything else you'd like me to ask of her, James?" James? The heat surged through him without warning. There was another man in there? Who the hell was that? Why was in he in office with George? Julian paused, surprised by his train of thought. Where did all that come from?"Or is that everything?"
"I think that's everything George. I have all the information I need to help this young lady out."
"Great." He listened as she switched back to Japanese. "Kouun wo o-inori shite masu! Sayonara!"
He heard a few more spirited phrases in Japanese being spoken and watched as two people exited her office - an middle-aged gentleman and a well-dressed Japanese girl, probably a fellow student. He breathed a mental sigh of relief. He was a co-worker, obviously - another librarian that required her assistance. That made perfect sense - he couldn't speak Japanese but George could, and he needed a translator. Yes, perfectly a reasonable explanation for all this.
What he didn't understand was why he felt so jealous over hearing her with another man, when he met her only one day ago and she may not have even realized that he was alive, much less in admiration of her...
"Mr. Chang." The sound of George's voice snapped him to attention. "Are you going to sit out there all day or are you going to come in for this resource list? After all, I am scheduled to leave in fifteen minutes. Unless you prefer me to leave at the door so you can continue to daydream."
He jumped up from his seat, freaked out for all intensive purposes. He walked over to the doorway to find George sitting at her desk, a bemused expression on her face.
"How did you know I was sitting out there?" he asked, surprised.
"Oh..." She smiled that gorgeous smile, and he felt his heart melt. "I have my ways."
------
Author's Note: I'm learning Japanese - but I am horrible at it. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but if I made a mistake, please forgive me. Allow me to translate a few phrases for you, so you have a better idea of what George is saying.
Konnichiwa. Otetsudai shimashou ka? = Hello (Good Afternoon). Shall I help you?
Sumimasen. Watashi no nihongo wa heta desu ne. = I'm sorry. My Japanese is very bad.
Hinton-san - shinpai shinaide kudasai! Anata no nihongo wa jyozu desu ne. = Ms. Hinton, don't worry! Your Japanese is very good!
Mada mada desu. = You're too kind.
Kouun wo o-inori shite masu! Sayonara! = I wish you good luck. Goodbye (you say this goodbye if you don't expect to see the person for a very long while)
I hope that helps! Goodnight all!