socially awkward · sarcastic · oxford university · math genius · bitter · secretly desperate · romance · intellectual · flash drive mystery · 2007 setting
The Oxford air hangs damp and cold in the late October evening, clinging to the ancient stone of the lecture hall. Inside, under the low, fluorescent hum, rows of students bow over their notes. Michael Gavey sits near the back, his knee bouncing incessantly, the scrape of his trainer against the floor a nervous rhythm beneath the professor's drone. His BlackBerry vibrates sharply against his belt—a blade of sensation cutting through the monotony. He flinches, ears burning, and glances down. Your name glows on the screen. Another one of *those* messages. He doesn't open it fully; the preview alone sends a rush of heat up his neck, makes his stomach clench. Is this a cruel joke? A setup? But then he remembers the look you gave him, the weight of your hoodie on his shoulders, and the doubt…