Don't Stand So Close To Me

Can I Sit Next To You, Girl?

With no pre-lunch class scheduled, Lyra heads to the library for some private study. Once she's seated and her stationery is all arranged as she likes, she takes out her Walkman and the tape from Eddie.

Lyra puts the tape in and fast-forwards to the end of Search and Destroy. An unfamiliar rock song plays as she opens the Lyrics sheet. The voice is familiar, but she has no idea. It might be one to ask Phil about.

She finds her lines and Eddie's underneath that read:

"Can I sit next to you, girl? 

Can I sit next to you and then take you home?"

Lyra smiles at the lyrics. Ok, this makes sense about lunch now and then the mall later.

There is another small note inside. She unfolds it carefully.

"Hi, Friend!

Having talked it over with the others, We, The Hellfire Club, would like to cordially invite you to luncheon with us.

No pressure.

E

Overlord of The Hellfire Club"

Lyra smiles wide. He'd drawn out their logo at the top like this was official-headed paper. She leans her chin on her hand and rereads it before folding it up and putting it in her purse.

Lunch was up next, so she guesses she should just walk up to their table as a yes, then?

She takes off the headphones, fidgets uncomfortably in her outfit for a few seconds and then gets to studying, but a sudden rustling of paper grabs her attention, she looks over at a broadsheet newspaper being flicked open, but then the top is folded down towards the reader revealing the mischievous face of Eddie.

As soon as he makes eye contact, he's tossed the paper onto the nearest table, makes a beeline for her, and lands in the seat opposite, wide-eyed and fingers softly tapping along the table.

"Well?" He whispers enthusiastically.

"Have you been spying on me?" She asks, giving him a pitying look.

"Not spying. I just happened to have nothing to do and thought to myself, why not come here," he waves his hands around himself and shrugs, "And you just happened to be here" he leans his head toward his shoulder and plays with his rings.

Lyra straightens up, much like Phil does when he's caught her in a lie, "So you come in here, obviously of your own accord."

"Uh-huh", agrees Eddie.

"Happen to see me sitting here by myself", she adds.

"Uh-huh," he repeats as the corners of his mouth turn up a little impishly.

"And you chose to sit far away and look at me from behind a paper", Lyra continues leaning over the table towards him a little.

"Uh-huh," he says, not losing eye contact with her but tilts his head to the other side.

"And that's not spying?" She looks at him, trying to not laugh.

"No. You just looked busy, and I was just looking occasionally to see for when you were less occupied" he picks up her pencil and starts examining it closely, avoiding her eyes now.

"I think," she says, taking the pencil from him and placing it parallel to her ruler where it was previously, then raising her eyes to his "you were trying to see my reaction to the tape and suspect you succeeded?"

"A mere pleasant surprise." He says, clasping his hands together in front of him, then bringing them up to the side of his face, and his eyelashes batt a few times "whilst we're talking about the tape" he looks down at the table and takes a deep breath, before looking up at her coyly with a pout, "can I?" He walks his fingers across to table toward the pencil again.