Page 50 of The Tartan Thesis

“And furry cows?”

He laughs. “Yes, I’ll make sure you pet a Highland cow.”

I try to keep my face neutral, but the grin breaking across it gives me away completely.

I call Maeve as soon as Torin leaves, pacing slowly between the couch and the Christmas tree while the phone rings. She answers almost immediately.

“I’ve decided to stay in Scotland over the holidays,” I say. “I’m going to use the time to work on my research.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Your research? Over the holidays? What does this research entail exactly? The libraries and centers are closed during the break.” She doesn’t sound upset, thankfully.

“I know. I’m going to the Highlands to visit some sites. I also want to experience a Scottish Christmas and Hogmanay.” I say all this very casually, but Maeve always knows.

“You’re spending the holidays with Torin, aren’t you?” She says it like a statement.

I stop pacing. “How did you know that?” I ask. “Did he tell you?”

“Nah, I saw the look on his face when I invited you to spend time with my family. I could tell he wanted you to spend the holidays with him,” she says, then her voice takes on a tentative tone. “That might be why I asked you to visit in the first place.”

“You invited me to Ireland because you wanted to see what Torin would do?” I try to sound stern, but I’m laughing.

“Absolutely,” she says, then catches herself. “I mean, I would love to have you. But I see how Torin looks at you when he thinks no one else is watching… And inquiring minds want to know.”

I rub my forehead, ready to argue. “First of all, Torin is just trying to make up for being so combative the first half of term. I doubt he’s looking at me in any specific way.” I say it half-heartedly. “Second, if your mind was so inquiring, you could’ve just asked him if he’s into me. You’re not exactly shy.”

“I could have, but you know Torin. If I confronted him about it before he was ready, he’d just deny it and bury his face even further in a book.”

“Sounds accurate,” I tell her, remembering how quiet he’d gotten after St. Andrew’s Day.

“To your point, though,” she continues, “I’m glad he no longer has a book up his ass. I watched as you went from archnemesis to boyfriend material in just a few short weeks. Surely you noticed, too.”

I’m about to deny it, but Maeve wouldn’t believe me if I did. And it would be nice to have someone to talk with who knows both of us. There’s a long pause while I decide what to say, but Maeve can’t take it anymore. “I wish I were there to poke the truth out of you right now.”

“Fine,” I say with a laugh. “Yes, Torin’s attitude toward me has changed drastically. And we constantly catch each other’s eyes in class and the office, so I know the way he looks at me.”

I pause, thinking that should be enough. Apparently it’s not.

“And?”

“And…” I draw out the word, not wanting to admit what comes next, in case it isn’t true, but I cross my fingers and continue. “I know that whatever’s happening isn’t just two colleagues getting along. I’m hoping we can be… something more than friends.”

I pull the phone away from my ear as she whoops. It sounds like she’s jumping up and down as she yells, “I knew it!” She might even be dancing as she turns it into a tune, singing, “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.”

“Alright, alright. Calm down there, Maeve. I don’t even know if that’s a possibility.” I start pacing again as I try to talk some sense into her—and maybe myself. “He told me before that he doesn’t want to date while he’s in school, and he’s still standoffish at times, so it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.” I sigh.

“He’s thinking he wants to look into those gorgeous blue eyes of yours and feel your strong hands in his as he falls madly in love with you,” she says dreamily.

“The L word seems a bit much, don’t you think?” I ask. I doubt she hears me over her cackling.

“Why do you think Isla and I ditched you after the Royal Mile? We didn’t have a book club to go to.” She cackles again.

“Wait, what?”

“Beau,” she says with such condescension in her voice, it’s like she’s preparing to talk to the dumbest person alive, “when would two grad students have time to read books for pleasure?” I groan quietly. “It wasn’t even a good lie! Isla and I just wanted you to have some alone time with him, somewhere other than the gym. Torin’s into you. Always has been.”

“He sure has a funny way of showing it,” I tell her, shaking my head at her scheming.