Track 3 #2
Later, the refectory was buzzing with the hum of myriad conversations going on simultaneously.
Adam arrived first and grabbed himself a BLT sandwich and a coffee.
He bought a coffee for Lily, knowing she would no doubt be too excited to eat – as was usually the case when she was enthusiastic about something.
He found an empty table, and while he waited, he went over his notes from his first lecture of the day.
He had thoroughly enjoyed listening to Marcus Foreman, his knowledgeable tutor, and knew from the start this was going to be his favourite lesson of the academic year.
He glanced up just as Lily approached his table.
A big, mischievous grin spread over her face and her eyes glinted with mirth.
He knew that look all too well. She was closely followed by someone he couldn’t quite see, as whomever it was hung back.
Lily was evidently finding something very amusing. ‘Adders! You’re not going to believe this!’ She pulled her mystery companion around to her side. ‘Adam… this is Eve! Ha ha! Adam and Eve.’ She playfully gestured back and forth between the two.
He smirked as his gaze moved up to meet the person in question.
He swallowed hard and stared. Just stared.
His heart tripped over itself, and he continued gawping for what was definitely far too long.
Eventually when he snapped out of his stupor, he realised the girl, whom he had been informed was called Eve, was blushing profusely.
He stood, wiped his hand down his jeans, and held it towards her.
‘S-sorry… sorry… I… I was just eating my sandwich.’ Smooth, Adam, very smooth.
The whole situation had seemed to take forever, and he felt very, very stupid.
‘Ahem… I’m Adam… Oh, but Lil already said that.
Adam Armstrong is my full name.’ His cheeks were no doubt redder than a baboon’s bum by now, as the girl took his hand to shake it.
‘Hi, Adam. I’m Eve… obviously.’ She giggled. ‘For some reason that’s a sentence I never thought I’d be saying. Eve Martin is my full name.’
He decided then and there that she had the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen.
Her hair was long, thick, and golden blonde, and her eyes were a vivid sky blue.
She had a lovely figure, curvy like a girl should be, not skinny like so many of the girls he’d dated, and her skin was flawless.
He lost the ability to speak again and had reverted back to staring.
Lily snorted derisively and rolled her eyes. ‘Good grief, Adders, put your tongue away.’
Realising he had been staring again, he sat. ‘Are you both going to join me?’ Eve nodded and sat in the seat next to him which he was very happy about. He held out the cardboard cup to Lily without looking at her. ‘Lil, I got you a coffee.’
Lily grabbed her drink from him. ‘Cheers, Adders.’ He noticed a sulkiness to her tone and turned to watch her slump into the seat across from Eve, a scowl scrunching her brow.
He chose to ignore his friend. ‘Welcome to our humble abode,’ he said with a grin, turning his attention back to their new acquaintance.
‘Thanks, Adam. It’s all a bit strange right now. Lily’s the first person I’ve really spoken to.’
‘It’s a nice friendly place, so you should find you settle in quickly,’ Adam assured her. She smiled warmly and nodded. Intrigued, he continued. ‘So, what brings you to Forrest Hill?’
‘I was studying down in England at Sheffield Uni, but my dad’s been ill, so I applied for a transfer nearer to home and this was the closest uni with a space available on their journalism course. I can get back easier from here… not easily… but easier, at least.’
He found himself transfixed. ‘So where’s home?’ He cringed. ‘Sorry, I must sound really nosy.’
‘No, no, that’s fine.’ She smiled. ‘I’m from Skye originally. A little place called Glentorrin. You’ve probably never heard of it.’
‘I have actually. I went to Skye with my folks and my brother when I was wee. Lovely place.’
They chatted through lunch about their respective courses and the lecturers they had all experienced that morning. It turned out they were all free for the rest of the afternoon, which caused a flip of giddiness in Adam’s stomach.
‘Hey, Lil, we could take Eve on the tour we did when we started here,’ Adam suggested eagerly.
Lily shook her head. ‘Oh, I can’t… I have to… erm… go… and get some books… Yes, there’s a book I need, and I need to go get it today.’
Eve turned to Lily. ‘Isn’t there a bookshop on campus? I’m sure I saw a sign—’
‘Oh, yes,’ Lily interrupted. ‘I’ve tried there. I really need to go into town to Blackwell’s. You two go on the tour though.’
Adam shook his head. ‘Nah, we’ll go when you get back. It’s fine.’
‘No, don’t be daft. You should go. Show Eve the delights of Forrest Hill.’ Lily smiled.
Adam knew there was no way Lily could have missed his reaction to their new friend. She appeared to be giving him an opportunity to get to know Eve alone. He’d have to thank her later.
Seriously, he owed her one for this. ‘Okay, great. What do you say, Eve?’
A blush spread from Eve’s neck up to her cheeks, and she nodded shyly. ‘Thanks, Adam. That’d be great.’
His heart swelled in his chest. She was so sweet. So different. There was definitely something about her.
After waving Lily off, Adam and Eve set out on their tour.
The thought briefly crossed Adam’s mind that Lily had seemed distracted by something, and he doubted it was a book.
She was nothing if not prepared for study, so he wondered if everything was okay at home.
He vowed to make a point of chatting to her about it later, checking in as they always did for each other.
‘So, have you always lived in Glentorrin?’ he asked Eve as they strolled around the large campus, weaving in and out of the other students.
‘I’m from there originally. But we moved to a village north of Portree when I was going to high school.’
‘Oh, wow, lucky you, I remember Portree from my family holiday. Stunning scenery.’
‘It’s completely different to here though and to Sheffield too.
I still feel a little like a fish out of water when I come back to uni.
A country girl in the big city and all that.
’ A wistful expression washed over her face.
‘I do love the views from home though. I can just about see the tops of the Old Man of Storr from my bedroom if I stand on my tiptoes. I kind of miss that.’
‘Ah, yes, I remember that place. It’s quite spectacular. Out of interest, why is it called the Old Man of Storr?’
She smiled. ‘It’s simply because people think that the rock formation looks like an old man.’ She giggled.
‘Really? Oh, I’d never really thought about that, to be honest. I’ll have to look it up and see.’
There was a pause in conversation where Eve peered off into the distance and seemed to be taking in her new surroundings.
Eventually she spoke. ‘Thanks for this, Adam. I really appreciate it. I’ve been so nervous about transferring here.
It’s like being the new kid in school all over again.
Friendship groups are already established and I’m already quite shy as it is.
So, after two academic years it’s been quite an emotional upheaval which has made being away from my family even harder.
My dad insisted I didn’t quit my studies, so this was a compromise.
I’ve been toying with the idea of just going home anyway.
Well, I was until I met Lily and you.’ She tucked a golden strand of hair behind her ear, and the pink hue rose in her cheeks again.
He completely understood how she felt. ‘I think it’s hard moving away from home as it is, but if your dad’s ill, it must be compounded for you.
I only moved up from Jedburgh, but even now, a couple of years on, I still miss my mum and dad.
Although Mum insists it’s her cooking I miss most.’ He chuckled.
‘I’ve never been to Jedburgh. What’s it like?’
‘It’s not a huge place. But we do get a bit of tourism. Mainly people stopping off on their way to the Highlands though. There’s an abbey and an old jail. Oh, and it’s where Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed, too. Lots of history for a wee town.’
She smiled as he spoke. ‘It sounds fascinating. I’d like to visit one day.’
‘Yeah, well, one day is probably all you’d need.’ He laughed. ‘Nah, it’s a lovely town. I lived there all my life until I moved here to study and like you, I find it quite different.’
A comfortable silence settled on the pair as they strolled the campus. She glanced up and around as he watched her from the corner of his eye.
He turned so that he was walking backwards right in front of the gorgeous blonde girl. ‘So, Eve, what’s your ambition for when we’re done at this place?’
Eve pursed her lips and glanced skyward again. ‘Hmm, I’d like to maybe go into editing, or writing in some capacity. But my dream is to have my own publishing company one day.’
He cringed. ‘Wow… my ambition kind of pales into insignificance against that.’
She scrunched her brow. ‘Oh, I doubt that. What do you want to do?’
He grinned. ‘You’ll probably think I’m mad.’
She stopped in her tracks. ‘Go on?’
He took a deep breath before he admitted his seemingly small dreams. ‘I really want to teach English at high-school level.’ His words came out in a rush.
She laughed. ‘Why do you think that pales? I think teaching’s a wonderful and very noble thing. I just couldn’t cope with someone else’s kids all day.’
He loved the musical sound of her laughter. ‘Well, yeah… I understand that.’
‘What made you decide on that career path?’