Lorna and Alex - after class

[sunpowered]

His first class on Mondays was easily Alex's favorite. Because, rocks!! But also because of Lorna, who always arrived in a rush, always with a roommate horror story. Even if she wasn't beautiful and brilliant, Alex would still be totally fixated on the soap opera of Life With the Evil Twins. What would they do this time? Change the locks again? Use not just the hot water, but all the water, period?

Alex only believed they were real because everything else about Lorna was totally credible.

He still kind of wanted to meet them.

This morning, they hadn't had a chance to share their usual twin update - Lorna had been late, and the work had been so absorbing they'd just talked about the lab instead - but as they walked out together, Alex turned to her with a grin.

"Let's go to that coffee cart, drink all the coffee, and you tell me about your weekend and morning with the rich bitches."

Comments

[alphaursaeminoris]

Lorna blushed lightly at the compliment and sipped at her coffee. "Thanks, Alex. So are you."

[sunpowered]

"I try! We're a pretty good team." And not just because they needed the same amount of coffee to function.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"We are. It's a good thing class isn't a competition, or all those other nerd would be toast." She was pretty sure most of their classmates thought she was a hot mess, but that didn't matter. Lorna was used to having to ignore what other people thought of her, and living with the twins was only reinforcing that lesson.

[sunpowered]

People probably only thought Lorna was a hot mess if they didn't know how great she was at geology. "Who said it isn't a competition?" Alex asked, grinning at her, waggling his eyebrows.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Our professor, on the first day of class, pretty sure," Lorna shot back with a laugh. The schol tried to foster a cooperative rather than a competitive spirit, but of course that could only go so far.

[sunpowered]

"I definitely wasn't listening," he said, smiling. "Too busy scoping out the future losers of this competition."

[alphaursaeminoris]

"I am so trading up for a lab partner that knows how to pay attention," she teased.

[sunpowered]

"Rather than one who knows science?" This was the one thing - the one thing! In his entire life! - that Alex could be cocky about.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Science can be taught! Paying attention, though... I'm betting you're the incorrigible type." Lorna was grinning over her coffee.

[sunpowered]

"I'm incorrigible, but like, I'm cute about it." Alex grinned back at her, easily.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"I don't know..." she replied, pretending to seriously consider his claim.

[sunpowered]

Alex rested his chin in his hands, just smiling at her. Cutely.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Cuteness is not required in a lab partner." Of course that was kind of conceding the point that he was, in fact, cute.

[sunpowered]

That snapped Alex out of his pose; he laughed triumphantly. "You do think I'm cute!"

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Yes, you are just racking up the qualities that are of no use to me. Congratulations." She rolled her eyes playfully.

[sunpowered]

"No use to you? You sure about that?" Was he flirting? Oh yeah. Alex was flirting.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"What do I need from you when I have a naked Wanda in my life?" Her voice was wry.

[sunpowered]

"Aw, man. I can't compete with a beautiful insane woman."

[alphaursaeminoris]

"How do you know she's beautiful?" She was, of course. "Stop thinking about my roommate naked."

[sunpowered]

"She's probably not more beautiful than you, but I was totally picturing her naked."

[alphaursaeminoris]

"I should just send her to walk around naked at your place instead. Then I could get some work done."

[sunpowered]

"Nah. I only like it when girls I date do that."

[alphaursaeminoris]

"That is surprisingly classy of you, Summers. I'd offer to put in a good word for you--I'm pretty sure she's single--but she hates my guts, so."

[sunpowered]

"What if I want to ask you out instead?" Alex asked quickly.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"You can't, because eventually we would break up and it would be super awkward and we would no longer be the rockstar geology dream team we are now." Her answer sounded practiced, like she'd actually thought about it before. More than once.

It took another minute for her to realize that she wasn't just considering some hypothetical by herself, but that he'd actually mentioned asking her out. In real life. "Wait, what?"