After Hours

30. Confusion

The last few students brushed past her as Rainy stormed into the room. She scoffed, shutting the door behind her entering the mahogany office. With no care to study her surroundings, her feet made their way over to the hunched figure.

He still hadn't glanced up from his screen when her voice sliced through the air.

"Why is he avoiding me? What did you say to him?"

Immediately, Silver's head shot up at the sound of her voice looking over to see the scowl set on her face. Her arms were crossed, and she was standing by the empty chair that students often sat on to speak to him.

He had a mouthful of food in his mouth when he uttered a unbothered, "What?"

He couldn't catch a break it seemed.

Her nostrils flared, glaring at the way he was calmly eating his lunch, which she noticed was pasta of some sort. The sleeves of his white shirt had been rolled up to his elbows with the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned and his messy hair was more irregular than usual. He had let his beard grow out slightly since the last she had seen him, not anything too drastic as it was still short but she could tell it looked different. His tempting dark eyes held a tired glint to them.

"Elijah hasn't been answering my calls all week, and when I went to go see him just now he didn't open the door. So what did you say to him?" She bit angrily.

Silver shrugged, his hoarse voice low and unrecognisable. He was so tired that he didn't have the time to react in any other way but bluntly. "My office hours are closed when I'm on lunch. Did you not read the sign?" He questioned, nodding his head over to the door behind her.

Rainy didn't even glance at the door, she only took it upon herself to firmly plant her bottom onto the chair across his desk and sit down. "I'm not leaving until you explain to me why exactly Eli's ignoring me. I know it must be something that you've said."

He made a distasteful noise at the back of his throat, before shaking his head. "I'm not in the mood for this Miss. Love." He warned, in that same steady tone he knew how to control. "I'm tired, frustrated and quite frankly a little extra pissy today so please keep running that fucking mouth."

If only she knew why her beloved boyfriend was avoiding her, he thought.

It was like he was both of their go-to therapist and he wasn't sure how he had gotten himself that title.

That made her roll her eyes, she rose her brows at his reaction. "You definitely know something, that's why you're not telling me." She hissed.

A yawn escaped his mouth as he listened to her drawl on, "Sure," Silver muttered, putting another forkful of pasta in his mouth and swallowing, "let's say it's a big surprise that you won't be able to find out about until it's ready for you."

She hadn't clocked his sarcasm, bitting down on her lip. "A surprise?"

A low chuckle left the professor, there was a curt nod. "Happy birthday." He hadn't known what surprise occasion to go with so he said the first that came to his mind.

"My birthday? That's not for another five months."

"It might be a few more months after that, try around eight-ish starting from now."

She was confused to say the least, if that was the case then why would her boyfriend be planning it now.

Rainy gave him an odd look as she tried to think about what he meant. It wasn't until she saw the edge of an amused smile curl onto his lips that she realised he wasn't being serious. "There's no surprise is there."