A Ph.D. in Chemistry Ch. 02

I enter the lab and realize that my morning head splurge into research papers has caused my arrival to be later then my fellow colleagues... not a great look. I head to my small office that smells vaguely of acetone and drop my bags off with a slight huff. My office gives me a nice vantage point of the lab. It has a small window that faces into the lab area, but it also happens to have a second window that faces directly into my rival's office. I take a quick peak over into Henry's office and I spot him hunched over his computer with an adorable scrunched up nose.

Henry is physically perfection. He has dark brown hair that is slightly too long, but adorably falls in front of his eyes when he is deep in thought. His skin is pale and clear except for some perfectly placed freckles that speckle his nose. His eyes are probably my favourite part of him, even though they are shielded by his prescription safety glasses most of the time, but they are the most bright and elegant green I have ever seen, like a lush rainforest. I swear they could swallow me whole if I let them. Oh, and his mouth, so soft and so goddamn kissable. Ok I must stop thinking about this, he is my rival and I hate him, regardless of his perfection.

Stuck in the moment of gawking he looks over at me and flashes one of his signature crooked smiles (ugh swoon). I give my best fake smile and plop down into my desk chair that is probably older than I am. When I get the job of running this lab, I will be 100% making sure that there is a proper allocation of funds for me to have a comfortable desk chair. I boot up my computer that is still running windows 7 and open my email (this takes at least 10 minutes). I see I have a new email, from Henry so I click and open it.

To: matilda.wilson@bu.edu

From: henry.marcus@bu.edu

Subject: Teaching and Lab work oh my!

Good Morning Matilda,

I see you are having a later start this morning. I realized that you will be teaching today (good luck!). I know you are working on a couple of reactions that need a lot of time to reflux and was wondering if you might need me to check in on them while you are busy today? Just let me know.

I was also wondering if perhaps you wanted to go and get a coffee after you are done today? I will be here until late tonight because I am working on getting data for a new paper that I am hoping to submit to JACS in the next month or so, so I will probably need a coffee pick me up right around the time you are done. Again, let me know!

Dr. Henry Marcus, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Boston University

I quickly type up a response, even though his office is next door, and I am currently looking at his slouched gorgeous body through my little window.

To: henry.marcus@bu.edu

From: matilda.wilson@bu.edu

Subject: Re: Flexing Research

Good Morning Henry,

I see you used the perfect amount of bragging and research flexing in your email to tell me about your research project. I am teaching today so I would appreciate you taking off my reactions at 11 am. Coffee sounds heavenly. See you at 2 pm.

Dr. Matilda Wilson, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Boston University

The smugness in his response, yes, he is doing me a favour, but good lord could he brag anymore about the progress he has been making. I have been at a bit of a mental block with my research. Over the summer I made a lot of progress and even managed to publish in ACS but since then my reactions just aren't giving me the result I want, and it has been immensely frustrating.

I check my watch and then quickly check my email one last time before heading over to lecture room B12 in the university's College of Arts and Science building (CAS). I notice I have a new notification from Henry. I quickly open it

To: matilda.wilson@bu.edu

From: henry.marcus@bu.edu

Subject: Re: Not a flex

For the record who uses the word 'flexing' when talking about research? Also, I wasn't 'flexing' I was just stating a fact. I will take your reactions off and I will see you at 2 pm

Dr. Henry Marcus, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Boston University

Even though we are sworn enemies I can't help but feel my heart flutter every time we talk. He could never know that of course, otherwise, he would use it against me.

I quickly grab my bag and head towards CAS. I am both excited and nervous. I have taught before but only as a graduate student TA. I honestly really enjoy it. Most professors don't enjoy teaching and only see it as a necessary evil but for me, it is half of the reason I got my Ph.D. As I arrive at the 200-person lecture hall I can see that it is already more than half full, to be fair it is a freshman course and freshman are always the most eager. I settle in and get into the introduction of the course followed by a brief overview of functional groups. The class is a 3-hour lecture once a week so not too horrible on my schedule.

By 1 pm the class is over, and a couple of keener students ask me a couple of questions. By 1:20 pm I am headed towards my office with a grumbling stomach ready to eat my lunch.

When I get to my office and once again settle into my chair with a satisfying huff, I notice Henry walking over. I lift my shoulders up and sit probably as ridged as possible, oozing an aura of intensity and professionalism.

He tips his head into my office and says "I took your reactions off for you, they are now drying. I also wanted to know how your first class went. As you know I am also teaching this semester, but they assigned me general chemistry. So, I am completely jealous of you." His voice god his voice was like silky velvet.

I can't stop staring at his beautiful lips, and the way that his form-fitting button-up and tight-fitting pants hug his body. He is slim but also fit, I know for a fact that he goes running at least five times a week. Ok, I need to get a grip I am starting to look like an idiot just eating his body up with my eyes, I really should get on a dating app. I manage to say "thanks, and it went well" while I try to rearrange my thoughts away from horny teenager territory.

Honestly, it has been a hot minute since I've had any sort of romantic contact and my body has noticed. He smirks as if reading my thoughts, god am I that obvious? I feel a blush coming to my cheeks and I internally cringe. Why does this man have such an effect on me? I mean I've been around hot men before, but every time that I am around him, I turn into a shy, blushing idiot. Get it together girl! I start to grab my lunch from my copious number of bags when he asks "I also came in here to ask if you wanted to get lunch instead of coffee. I realized I forgot my lunch today and thought it could be nice to get to know you better. What do you say, my treat?"

I smile, did he just ask me to lunch? That is probably a bit more serious than coffee, right? Maybe I am just overthinking this, but he looks nervous. "although my leftover beans and rice is tempting, I think a lunch together would be great, thank you!"

I grab my purse and we head out to a student bar just off campus that has delicious and cheap lunches. I frequented this very spot numerous times during my undergrad. The bar smelled of cheap beer and bleach with a perpetual sticky feeling on every surface. But this place felt like home especially after the long break I took from Boston during my graduate studies. I've missed this place. I look across our sticky yet wet table at him and he gives me one of those signature crooked smiles. My heart skips a beat. "So, Matilda, I know we've been working together for a few months now but we've both been so busy, I wanted to get to know you. Tell me about yourself" he says in his deliciously smooth velvety voice, swoon.

I smile and tell him about my degrees and how I got to where I am now. I tell him about back home in Ontario, Canada. He keeps smiling through all of it. By the time I'm done with my novella-length life story our food arrives. Once the food was placed in front of me, I realized how starved I was, my stomach lets out a very loud and embarrassing grumble in agreement. I proceed to eat my food as I've never eaten food in my life. I didn't even acknowledge or try to speak with Henry until my plate was clean and the hunger monster was safely tucked away. I sheepishly look up at him trying to play off my full-on cavewoman moment. He smirks. A full-on blush spreads across my cheeks making me feel hot and shy.

"So," I say while wiping the remnants of my feast from my face, "tell me about yourself, I've been talking this entire time and I've just come to realize I barely know anything about you". He tells me about his time growing up in California. I learned that he knows how to surf and that he loves hiking. He tells me about his time at UC Berkley and then Stanford. I soak up every single word. I admire his form, his face and especially those rainforest green eyes as he speaks.

This entire conversation has allowed me complete permission to gawk at this uncomfortably attractive man. I was going to need a date with my vibrator after thinking about all the things that mouth could do.

..................

I check my watch and send Sofia a quick text.

Matilda: Hey, long day and even longer reactions. Raincheck on the wine and pasta?

Sofia: No worries, Lucas called me and wants to pick me up and go out.

Matilda: I will need a full report tomorrow when I drive you ;)

Sofia: No promises. A lady doesn't kiss and tell

After my lunch with resident chemistry god, I needed to distract myself from my rabid hormones and decided to throw myself into a series of very long but possibly useful reactions. Unfortunately, these reactions left me with a lot of downtime. I usually try to look up papers or write research proposals but today my head was a mixture of feelings for Henry and frustration for my own progress.

Sitting at my desk scrolling through Instagram, I realize that I haven't tried to look Henry up on socials. I decided to search him up. I find him rather easily, even though this is moving towards stalker territory I really don't care. His profile is set to private (because of course, it is), but god even his tiny profile picture is so beautiful. I click follow, hoping that he both accepts my request and doesn't find me creepy. I mean we just had a get to know you lunch so it really cannot be all that bad? I pop my head up and investigate his office. He isn't there. Damn.

I decide that I need to keep my twitching finger from stalking him on any more platforms, so I decide to take a stroll and check on my reactions. Just like our offices, our fume hoods sit directly beside each other. This has been both convenient as it allows me the ability to side glance at sexy Henry doing lab work, double swoon, but it has been annoying seeing how hard he works and making me more and more nervous about my own future at B.U. I notice him hunched overtaking a TLC of his reaction progress.

Could someone look anymore delicious in a lab coat and safety glasses? I assume I look like an absolute mess in mine (I only assume because I haven't had to courage to look in the mirror while in full gear). It occurs to me that we are also alone in the lab together, something that oddly hasn't happened yet.

Please don't think that we are going to get it on in here though, labs are absolutely disgusting and getting whatever random chemicals that are the lab benches onto our most intimate parts would be a horrible idea. Sorry to ruin any lab coitus fantasies.

I smile at him even though he is hunched over and focused and I settle in at my fume hood to 'check my reactions' even though they are running perfectly smoothly with 1 hour left on the clock. I decide to take a peaking glance in his direction. He notices, "you should really be more subtle about checking me out" he quips.

I blush a deep crimson shade "As if, you really aren't my type, sorry if that ruins any of your lab sex fantasies." I retort.

"who said anything about lab sex?" he laughs "for someone who isn't interested your mind certainly went to us having sex really quick," he says while laughing, my blush intensifies, and my body begins to feel very warm.

I nervously smile trying to divert this conversation "so what are you working on?" I ask.

He looks up from his work and I see a sparkle in his beautifully bright green eyes "I am just doing a basic nucleophilic addition involving olefin's, just trying to gather some additional data for my upcoming publication" He says with the authoritative power of someone who really knows their shit.

I can't deny it I've always been attracted to intelligent men. I like to think that I am looking for someone who could be intellectual equal, and we could lovingly debate about reaction mechanisms until we were blue in the face. "Oh, neat so does it look like the reaction is progressing correctly? I noticed you were taking some TLCs" I ask.

He smiles and looks all serious "They are running fine, should be finished in about 1 hour" he responds.

"oh perfect! Mine finish in an hour as well. Anyway, I guess I should head back to my office and start reading a new paper I downloaded" I smile and turn on my heel, but right at that moment my foot slips and I start to fall.

Suddenly I feel a warm but strong arm pull me up and into an equally strong chest. My heart is pounding with adrenaline and I feel sparks and heat everywhere that his body is currently touching mine. His arms are around me now. I'm flushed and can't even manage to speak. I look up into those bright rainforest green eyes. He looks down at me with a look of concern but also an indescribable look. We stand like this for what feels like hours but couldn't have been more than a minute or two. We didn't speak we just look at each other, living in the heat and sparks of electricity emanating from each other's bodies.

His arms finally fall from around me, but I don't step back, lost in the lush green of his eyes. He clears his throat, which breaks my trance and I quickly step back, almost tripping again. I look down at my feet trying to avoid those magnetic eyes. "you should really be more careful, imagine if I wasn't here and you fell and hit your head on the lab bench" he states in a stern voice. I manage to look at his face. His eyes are clouded with indescribable emotions. Did he just feel what I felt? Did he feel the magnetic energy between our bodies? Or am I just imagining this?

"Sorry" I manage to spit out. My eyes begin to water slightly from the overwhelmingness of everything that just happened. He notices. His face changes from indiscernible to concern.

"I'm sorry that was harsh, I just, what if I didn't catch you?" he almost whispers. I am uncomfortable and embarrassed by my own stupidity and lack of balance, so I turn away from him and start heading towards my office. I can feel his stare on my back.

I get into my office and maybe with a little too much force shut the door. I slump into my older than me chair and it yields the normal huff sound. I replay the events that just happened, remembering the solidness and the heat practically radiating from his body, even through his lab coat. I squeeze my legs together a familiar feeling spreading below. God this man was going to be my undoing.