Scientific Crescendo - Book 2: The Genetics Project 🪼✔

4 - Better Late Than Never

It was time for me to go back to my dorm and I hugged Dad goodbye for the time being.
"You don't have to wait until your breaks to come back home you know." He said with a smile.
I smiled back. "Yeah, I know... I just get caught up that I don't have time to come home anymore until I get everything done."
Dad frowned. "You do know that you have your whole life ahead of you to perfect those nanobots, right? Don't let life slip by you because you're trying to do things all the time. You have to live too..."
"I know and if I get it done faster, I have more time."
"That's a misconception everyone has. Don't let your priorities slip from you, Sim."
I nodded and started to get in the car when I hear someone yell my name. I stood back up and saw Tayla running toward me with her backpack on her back.
"Hey, Sim, can you give me a ride back to the college? I don't mean to barge in on you but my dad took my car without asking and decided to go on a trip." She said with a frown.
I had a feeling that would happen but nodded.
"Hello, Tayla." Dad said with a smile.
"Hey, Mr. Leoda. Long time no see... How's the family?"
"Good. And yours?"
"Oh... the same as ever." She said with a look to me. "How's your seahorse thing coming along?"
"Very well. If things go correctly then my project should go underway."
"That's awesome. You have a really smart son, Mr. Leoda." She said with a nod toward me. "He's like a wiz-kid. He never let me cheat off his tests."
Dad laughed. "He's responsible as well. You're smart enough to pass your own tests, Tayla; no need to cheat off of Sim's."
Tayla smiled at me and I laughed a little in embarrassment. She got into the car and I gave Dad a glare and he shrugged. He always liked Tayla more than Sansr, like most of the family did, but I was dating Sansr now so there was nothing I could do about it.

****************

"Thanks for taking me back. I can't believe he took my car without asking... He can't even drive it because his license is supposed to be suspended." Tayla said as she got comfortable in the passenger seat. "Is this okay for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, won't your little ginger get really pissed if she sees that you took me back to the campus?"
"I'm taking a friend back to the same college that we attend. There's no danger in that."
"I don't know... She's pretty ruthless when it comes to her boyfriends. You're a guy so you don't hear much of anything but the girls have some tales to tell about that one."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah... Heard that before she dumps her men, she tries to make them have sex with her so that she can get sympathy from other people by saying that it was the guys trying to get a booty call with her. Something like that."
"Well, she hasn't asked to have sex. I really don't want to have sex anyway."
"Really?" Tayla said and I can hear the surprise in her voice. "A life of celibacy for Sim Leoda?"
"Until I find the right one and want to get married. There's some things I need to make sure of before I get married... What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"
"You know I don't. I won't get a boyfriend."
I looked at her as she looked out the passenger window and remembered why she wouldn't date. I sighed and kept driving.
"If the right guy asked you out, would you date him? Like I mean, you knew he would be good to you..."
"The only one I trust enough like that is you but you're dating Sansr so there is really no point in it. Besides, it's fine the way it is. I figured that it would be this way anyway so it's not that bad in terms of being alone. I have friends that love and care about me."
"That's good..."
"And then there's you."
I looked at her as her blue eyes looked me over. I was still preoccupied with her green hair but looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"You're so smart and kind and yet you never let that go to your head or anything. You skipped two grades but you don't let people know because you're humble and sweet. You've been an inspiration to me all my life and I love watching you work."
"Watching me work?"
"Yes... I watch you work a lot. I don't stalk you or anything!" she added quickly. "It's just... you're kind of cute when you talk to yourself and try to figure out a problem. You always have been."
"Are you trying to tell me you have a crush on me?" I asked, looking at her at the stoplight.
Tayla looked away from me but drummed her fingers on the window in nervousness.
"You're the only guy that I will ever trust because you're honest with me and don't pull any punches. You're a great guy and... and I hate that I didn't have the courage to ask you out earlier. I wish that I had that type of courage like Sansr to just go up to someone and say, "I think you're cute, would you like to go out on a date with me?" I'm not graceful like that."
This was all new to me. Tayla had never done or said anything to indicate that she liked me and she never let on that there was even a maybe. She had always been with me every step of the way until I skipped two grades and we lost touch. I didn't know what to say to her.
"I... Tayla..."
"Don't worry about it, Sim. I blew my chances with you a long time ago but I just couldn't let it go on like this. I'll probably never get a chance to tell you this again so I thought I'd get all my courage up and do it. I'm sorry if it made things awkward for us..."
We were silent for a long time, almost unbearably so, but I finally clenched the steering wheel and breathed in a little.
"I'm at fault too, Tayla." I saw he turn to me. "I never had the courage to see if you wanted to go out with me. I thought about it a lot but I thought that because of what happened, you'd never want me. I should have asked..."
"No! No, don't blame yourself; please. I never indicated that I wanted to go out with you and I never indicated that I ever even wanted to date. What that bastard did has scarred me on the inside but I'm turning over a new leaf and trying to let that go. I want happiness and I can only do that by letting it all go. Don't you dare blame yourself."
"Are you sure there was nothing I could have done?"
"No. It is all my fault and my judgment. I just needed you to know that."
"Okay..."
"Yeah..."
The rest of the car ride was pretty awkward.

*******************

I pulled onto the campus and dropped Tayla off in her section.
"Thanks for the ride, Sim. See ya around?"
"Yeah..."
She left and I parked my car in my section, getting my bags up. I started heading to my dorm when I felt some arms wrap around me.
"I missed you." Someone whispered in my ear.
"Hello, Sansr. Were you waiting?"
"All night! Where have you been?"
"Riding back home; why?"
"I saw your car go to another section of the building. Did you have business over there?"
"I dropped off a friend of mine."
"I see... Is she as smart as me, Sim?"
I turned to her with a look of amusement.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw that it was a girl you dropped off. Is she your 'on the side'?"
"No. She's a friend of mine from home that happened to go here. Her father stole her car and she needed a ride back."
"Did you kiss her?"
"No."
"Are you sure? You can tell me. I won't get mad if you say that you have."
"Really, Sansr, you're being quite paranoid." I said, starting back toward my dorm. "I have never cheated on you ever since we dated."
"Is that so?"
I turned back to Sansr and narrowed my eyes at her.
"I'm not like those other schmoes out there, Sansr. I don't cheat on my girlfriends. There's no need for me to do that. It's idiotic if you ask me; why do I want two women mad at me at once?"
Sansr's eyebrow went up in doubt but she looked like she was taking my words to heart.
"Forgive me then. I just have had so many people cheat on me before."
I nodded and she followed me up to my dorm.
I was one of the few that did not have a roommate and Sansr liked to come in when it was dark and the guards weren't paying attention to dormitory genders and such. We didn't do much but it wasn't for Sansr's lack of trying to get far. I was just afraid of what would happen if I went too far so I never let it get there.
"Did you uncle like your nanobot idea?" she asked.
"Yeah, he said that he would ask his boss if it was alright to use my nanobots for his project since it's from a college and not an acclaimed scientist or something. Once he gets the okay for it, I'll be able to develop the program and input the data for his stuff."
"If you could get that working correctly, do you know how much money you will be making? You'd be a billionaire!"
"Yeah..."
It really wasn't about the money because I just liked doing the science.
"Doesn't your brothers dabble in science? Will they be coming here?"
"Ichor is better at tinkering with things and building stuff. He likes to work with engines and the like so who knows. Jai is a whiz at science though and most likely will be coming here."
"That's so cool that your family kind of has a theme and all. It's cute."
I pushed the suitcases out of my way and moved some of Sansr's hair out of her face to kiss her. She kissed me back and we ended up on my bed. As usual, she tried to get my clothes off but I refrained until she gave up and pulled away.
"What is with you and sex? You never want to have it."
"Shouldn't that be a good thing?" I asked with a lift of my eyebrow, thinking back on what Tayla had told me.
"Yes but you never go to second base. I'm used to being touched by now."
"I'm being celibate so touching leads to other things."
"Right then... Well, I'll let you go to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow."
She left my room and I sighed, laying back on my bed and falling asleep.