A Symptom of Love (GERI Labs #1)

14. Rules

14

Rules

“ T his is going to require some adjustment,” Eleanor says as she enters Aiden’s office, still overwhelmed by how her heart skips a beat at the sight of her… errr… collaborating professor. “Early mornings are not my thing.” She blows her bangs off her forehead with a huff.

Aiden studies her intently, still looking every ounce as shocked as yesterday. “It’s your second day and you’re already five minutes late.”

“Five minutes after is not considered late.” She lets herself drop into the seat in front of him, kicks off her sneakers, leans back with a sigh and stretches her legs on her side of his desk.

“What is it considered then?” He frowns handsomely, staring at her socks.

“It’s considered right on time,” she explains.

“Right on time is right at the time scheduled. Or even a few minutes before.”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong. A few minutes before is being too anxious.”

“No, that’s being punctilious. What’s wrong with being exactly on time?” His general expression appears troubled more than anything else, but there’s also a ghost of a smile hidden in there.

“I didn’t want to appear anxious,” she chuckles. “Jeez, I’m trying to make a good impression here. But okay, I’ll take that into consideration the next time I debate between hitting the snooze button a few more times or rolling myself out of bed.”

“You shouldn’t be hitting your snooze button when you’re supposed to be meeting with me.”

“Well, I can do whatever I want in my own bed. Unless you’re in there too… then I might consider you in my plans.” Her mischievous comment seems to spark a lightning storm in that beautiful blue of his eyes.

He clears his throat. “I think I should report myself to the office of ethics and workplace miscon—“

So that’s what’s eating him this morning…

“Report yourself for doing what?” Eleanor cocks her head to one side, trying to appear serious. Feet still wiggling on his desk.

“Misconduct obviously. Unethical behavior and intrusive disruptive thoughts. Exploiting my position of power for—”

“Pffftt!” is the sophisticated vocabulary Eleanor chooses in response, snorting. ”Professor Kowalski!” she says flirtatiously before a vocal burst of laughter escapes her. “If anything, I’d be exploiting you. And I bet my thoughts about you are a thousand times more intrusive.” Aiden looks simultaneously intrigued and concerned. “Hey,” she continues, “you didn’t even know who I was. And believe me, it was very much consensual.” She tries for serious. “And the thoughts part—maybe one day I’ll tell you mine.”

Or better yet, show him.

His eyes grow darker as he shakes his head slowly. “So what do we do now?”

“We follow our plan, our original plan that is. The one I came here for. I’ll peacefully and enjoyably do my research, you do your professory stuff, you know.”

“My professory stuff?” He furrows a brow at her.

“Yeah, do the things you normally do. Sit here, brood, look handsome.”

“I don’t brood.”

“That’s not what I heard,” she chirps. Still no smile. “Okay, don’t brood, just do your deep thinking. A common feature between scientists and musicians. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for me to assume you were a full-time drummer,” she mumbles.

“And what about us?” Aiden asks cautiously.

“Us? As in the one-night-stand no-strings-attached-we-almost-embarked-on us?”

“Jesus Ellie,” he sighs.

“What?” Gosh, this man is confusing.

And she’s really loving the way her name sounds when he says it.

“I’m being serious here.”

“I can tell.” Eleanor lowers her feet from his desk and sits up straighter. “Are you the kind of person who has to plan everything in advance?” she asks, and he nods slightly, as if trying to decide whether this is a trick question. “Just leave some room for spontaneity. You might find that it’s actually the things we don’t plan that turn out to be the best.”

Yes, she feels much more philosophical on a full stomach. Alannah’s vegan breakfast was spot-on.

“I’d feel more comfortable if we set some ground rules between us, so we know what to expect and how to handle certain situations.”

“Oh, we can have our own code of conduct! Or would you prefer a standard operating procedure?”

“You’re impossible,” he sighs.

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Eleanor puts her shoes back on, stands up and takes a brand-new notepad from what looks like Aiden’s—very organized—supply shelf. “I actually think it’s not a bad idea, Professor Kowalski.” She pulls the chair to Aiden’s side of the desk and sits beside him.

“Okay, rule number one—you can’t call me Professor Kowalski.”

“It does sound kind of kinky.” She rubs her chin. “Okay, what should I call you?”

“Aiden would do.”

“Well, my sources tell me that you go by Professor Kowalski in your lab. Wouldn’t that seem suspicious if I’m the only one exempt?”

“No.”

“Might be a little challenging to explain how I’ve made it into this prestigious circle.”

“They’ll have to live with it.”

“Okay, rule one is settled. You’ll just need to figure out a convincing public explanation for this discrepancy in naming conventions, but I trust you.”

“Thank god.”

Eleanor reaches under him for a pen. His breath hitches.

He smells good .

But she already knew that. There have been multiple times that she’s taken a breath-full since falling into him at the airport. But still.

“Rule number two,” he says. “No seduction until we figure this thing out.”

“Oh, come on, that’s the best part. Are you serious right now?” This man is a real party pooper.

“Ellie, we could get ourselves kicked out of GERI, ruin our reputations.”

“Listen, I don’t know what the rules are here at GERI, but I’m a postdoc, I’ve completed my studies. I’m here as a scientist doing research.” She stops for better impact and a breather. “Yes, you are my main collaborator and, in a way, I hope you’ll serve as an unofficial mentor. And yes, your budget is partly funding my research. But it’s not like I’m your student. I’m not even your postdoc. I’m not a kid looking up to their professor. I’m twenty-eight years old, and perfectly capable of making my own adult decisions.”

Well, for the most part. There may have been some outliers.

“I don’t see why my ‘no seduction’ rule would make much of a difference to you. If I recall correctly, you said you weren’t looking for a relationship. ‘ Not looking for anything period,’ I believe were your exact words,” he challenges.

“That was before.”

“Before what?”

This guy is persistent. Dammit.

“Before I knew that I’d be seeing you every day.”

“I see.” His gaze disappears into some imaginary void. “So seeing me every day has the potential to change your pre-made decision?”

“It will surely make it harder to resist.” She bites her lip. “Okay, I’ll do my best. Now for my rules,” she deflects, handing him the pen.

“I wasn’t done,” he says sharply.

“I’m sure you weren’t. We’ll come back to your rules later. Now mine.” She gestures to the pen she shoved into his hand. “My one and only rule is honesty. This is not going to work if we don’t tell each other what goes on in our heads. And I mean it. As harsh or as smutty or as wonderful as it may be. I am a terrible guesser, and an even more terrible liar.”

“ Smutty ?” Aiden deadpans.

“Yes, write it down.” Eleanor points to the paper.

“Any other rules?”

“Just this one. And I think we should just take it easy and figure things out as we go. Not everything has to be predetermined. This can be a living document, just like a real SOP—every time you feel the urge to add a rule, just do it, with my permission of course, and up the version number.” She chuckles. “We can’t think of every possible scenario right now. And mostly—you should really just relax, don’t worry, everything will be fine.” She slaps on her best smile .

It feels good to say it even if she doesn’t one-hundred percent believe it. And it mostly just feels good to hear it, even if it’s coming out of her own mouth. Ah, the power of positive thinking.

“Why do I get a bad feeling when I hear —don’t worry?” Aiden sighs, running a resigned hand through his hair.

“It’s not just a regular ‘don’t worry,’ it’s my ‘don’t worry.’ And don’t listen to that voice in your head, it’s just your—how do you call someone who isn’t spontaneous?”

“Planned? Calculated? Responsible?” he offers.

“I believe uptight is the word I was looking for.”

“I’m not uptight.”

“Yeah? So are hugs allowed?” she challenges.

“No, that’s against the ‘no seduction’ rule.”

“I meant friendly hugs, you know there’s a wide spectrum—”

“You want honesty? I don’t think I should put my self-control to the test when it comes to you.”

“That’s a very nice, candid response Professor Kowalski!”

“You’re already breaking the rules.”

After an interesting 1:1 with Aiden that included a lot of discussion around drafting their three rules—yes, Eleanor never actually let Aiden get through the rest of it, admitting she’s terrible with rules and having too many would just render most of them useless—and Aiden conceding. Eleanor walks up to the fifth floor, stopping by the boss’s office. “Good morning, Professor Harrington!” she says, knocking gently and opening the door simultaneously.

“Good morning, Dr. Benjamin.” The old professor looks surprised by her audacity. Well, he’ll need to adjust. “Can I help you?” he asks politely, probably wondering if a meeting had been scheduled for them first thing this morning and he somehow missed the memo.

“No, just came to say good morning.” She beams.

“Oh?” he says in a graceful half-question.

Is that such an unusual habit in this lab?

“Well—that’s how I usually am, I say good morning when I come into the lab, that is. I hope you don’t mind.” She smiles broadly, not really seeking permission. Even if he does mind, she’s still planning on doing it every single day. He’ll get habituated to it eventually.

“Oh,” Professor Harrington says, this time without a question. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Just came to warn you, I might do it every day from now on. And I might also barge in unannounced during the day if I get some groundbreaking results on my experiments.”

“Please do,” he approves.

“You bet!” she says, then pulls her head back and closes the door, feeling a small sense of victory over Mano’s warning-advice.

Now it’s time for the inevitable—cleaning up the dungeon. She steps into her new—yet very old and messy—lab, puts on her crisp new lab coat that bears the abbreviated ‘Dr.’ Followed by her last name embroidered neatly right next to it in a fancy blue font, then some gloves and even goggles, not really knowing what old chemicals may be lurking in those big piles of chaos in front of her. And digs in.

It takes a while until she’s able to see the actual lab bench hidden underneath, but when she finally does, a minuscule sense of accomplishment takes over, making her smile.

“What the hell is this?” A familiar growl echoes through the room, blowing warmth into her.

She turns her head to face Aiden. “My new lab.” She grins. Seeing him here, basking in his presence, has an unexpected effect of broadening her smile, which makes her cheeks bump into the edges of her goggles. He’s taken off his lab coat and his button-down’s sleeves are rolled up, exposing an attractive set of forearms.

Aiden’s eyebrows crush together. “I’m not letting you work in this shithole,” he decrees. “I’m going to speak with Professor Harrington right now!” He tries to storm out of the room, but Eleanor slides off her dirty gloves quickly and catches him by the forearm. His skin feels warm and unyielding under her fingers.

Damn, why does touching him feel so enticing?

“Aiden, you can’t be acting like a protective boyfriend around here, it’s going to look suspicious. Don’t worry, I can handle—"

“I don’t like it,” he huffs. “You have a perfectly good space in my lab, why do you even bother with this?”

“I need to spend some of my time here too,” she reminds him. “Don’t worry, it’s going to look great when I’m done. Eventually.”

“At least let me help you.” It sounds more like a command rather than an offer.

“That’s very nice of you, but you have to treat me like you would everyone else,” Eleanor says calmly. And at the slight chance of getting him all worked up she adds, “You can get your postdoc Finn to help me.”

“No fucking way!” he snaps. “You’re off limits and I’ll make sure Finn knows it.”

“Why Professor Kowalski, I didn’t take you for the jealous type.” She gives him a mischievous smile. “I was just teasing you.”

Aiden sighs, his other hand closes on her fingers that are apparently still clutching his forearm, thumb gently stroking the back of her hand in an unspoken longing moment. “I’ll help you clean this place up. End of discussion.”

“I see you don’t waste any time,” says Professor Harrington, amazed, when he stops by her room on his way out. “This place hasn’t looked so nice in years,” he admits.

Was this whole thing a test? Well, he ain’t seen nothing yet.

“She had some special help,” Mano has to interject. He seems to have eyes and ears everywhere. Eleanor might need to watch her back.

“Oh?” is Professor Harrington’s half-question-half-statement.

“Yes, you’ll fall over your feet if I tell you!” Mano grins from ear to ear.

“Mano, this form of speech does not sit well with someone my age.” Professor Harrington gives him a cynical look.

“Good point, Professor,” Mano says, still excited by the prospect of sharing his piece of gossip. “It was Professor Kowalski!”

“Professor Kowalski…?” His curiosity on the rise. This piece of news seems to be almost as exciting for the old professor as it is for Mano. “How interesting.” His face forms into a surprised smile. Eleanor doesn’t quite know what to make of it.

“I love what you did to the place!” Antoine chimes in, squeezing himself into her small room, warmly patting her shoulder.

“Thank you, Antoine, that’s the reaction I was looking for.” She beams at him.

“You’re welcome!” He grins, then sends quizzical looks to the other gentlemen in the room, realizing he’s missed an essential part.

“Guess who her secret helper was?”

“Not secret, obviously.”

“Professor Kowalski!”

“Mano, that’s not how guessing games work,” Eleanor quips. “You didn’t even give him a chance to make a single guess.”

Professor Harrington chuckles at that last comment and leaves them to their fascinating discussion.

“Why is that so exciting? Sorry, I didn’t get the joke, maybe my French?” Antoine looks clueless, sharing Eleanor’s sentiment.

“Antoine, have you been living under a rock? I’ve never seen Professor Kowalski help anyone or interact with anyone if it’s not part of a scientific discussion. He’s not really known for his superior small-talk abilities, in case you haven’t noticed.” Mano throws his hands in the air to help make his point. “But apparently he has a soft spot for Eleanor here.”

She wouldn’t exactly call it a soft spot.

“Professor Kowalski is hot!” Antoine says in a cute French accent, “And he is a brilliant scientist. His contributions to the world of science are superb .” He says that last word with a French emphasis and gives Eleanor a wink. “He doesn’t have to hold small talks if he doesn’t want to.”

“I swear, Antoine, I don’t know how I’m even friends with you.” Mano sighs, shaking his head.

“Is that a coffee cup you’re holding there, Antoine?” Eleanor can’t help herself. “Not trying to change the topic but I could really use some caffeine. Where can one get a decent cappuccino in this place?” She takes off her lab coat and puts on her jacket. Her caffeine withdrawal symptoms are starting to show.

“My very own coffee buddy!” Antoine’s face glows. “Come with me, I’ll show you,” he says happily, adjusting his scarf and linking arms with her. “Ciao,” he waves at Mano.

“Wait, can I join too?” Mano asks petulantly.

“You’re up for the good coffee, Mano?” Antoine gives him a dubious look.

“I am today,” he says and trails behind them.

They walk out of the building, down a narrow path between a few smaller buildings until they finally emerge into a large grassy area, albeit grayish-yellow in color due to the freezing weather, with a volleyball court, some benches, and—drumroll—a real coffee shop!

It has no sign or name attached to it, but the pleasant aroma of freshly ground coffee beans carries itself through Eleanor’s olfactory system before they even open the front door. Inside, there are just a few tables with chairs and a barista who greets them warmly.

They get some GOOD coffee, finally, and sit down by one of the empty spots.

“So, when do you usually have lab meetings?” Eleanor realizes she’s missing some crucial info.

Antoine and Mano exchange looks. Crickets.

Okay…

“Journal clubs?” she tries again.

Still crickets.

“Other meetings?”

They both shake their heads.

“Okay guys, this is like the weirdest conversation ever. No lab meetings whatsoever?”

“Professor Harrington used to hold them once a month, but we lost track a few years ago, and… I guess forgot about them,” Mano finally chimes in. “These were no good anyway, very boring.”

“Boring? Why?”

Mano just shrugs.

Eleanor chugs the rest of her coffee before it has a chance to get cold. Looks like she has some work to do and some status quos to change.

So this is how it’s going to be from now on, given Aiden’s ‘no seduction’ rule. A new-old routine. A scientist during the day and a scientist during the night. That’s all she’s known in the past five years, that’s how she had it planned out, that’s what she came all this way here for. Eleanor is sprawled on her bed, waiting patiently for midnight, which will be a reasonable morning time back home. Last night Eleanor was too exhausted and too confused to speak with anyone, family included, after her sensational discovery.

Tonight, she finds herself battling with her phone, looking at the funny selfie with Aiden that’s still etched to her home screen.

“Hey.” She shoots him an exploratory text. A whole minute goes by before her phone beeps in response. It feels like forever.

“Hey.”

“Looks like you haven’t deleted WhatsApp yet.”

“I’ve decided to keep it,” is his response after a few seconds of hesitation.

“Did I wake you?”

“No, can’t sleep.”

“Me neither. Is it crazy that I feel excited?”

“No, it’s not crazy,” he texts back. “You’ve just started a new postdoc fellowship in a new country, would be crazy not to be excited.”

“These are good reasons, but I don’t think these are the only reasons.” Another exploratory text.

“Understandable.”

“Enlighten me please,” she teases. Adding a smiley face.

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Rule number two,” he writes back.

Ah. She sighs deeply. What is she going to do with this man?

“How was your second day at GERI?” Her mom’s text message arrives right on time.

“Looks like my mom is awake, I promised to call her. Good night for now, hope you dream of me,” she writes, then regrets the last part a second too late. She considers deleting the message, but another text from Aiden beats her to it.

“I hope you do too.”

More messages start to trickle in as her family back home is waking up for the day.

“Ima!” Eleanor says into the screen when her mom appears on the other side of the WhatsApp video call, spreading love into Eleanor’s empty and oh-so-far-away room.

“Ellie! How were your first two days? Tell me everything!”

“Exciting,” Eleanor answers, knowing her tone might start an entire conundrum but she can’t bring herself to lie.

“What’s wrong honey?” The famous mom’s sixth sense kicks in, her mother’s laser mom-eyes scanning Eleanor’s face for any and all unspoken subtexts.

“Remember that guy from the plane?”

“Aiden, of course, he has a thing for you, I can tell you that… Wait, did he do something wrong?”

“No Ima, but I found he’s a professor, Professor Kowalski.” Eleanor pulls on the string of her hoodie and starts rolling it on her finger nervously.

“Oh, he’s a professor? Honey, that’s not a bad thing. He’s also a nice Jewish boy, I asked him—"

“No, Ima, THE Professor Kowalski, my collaborator.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, and we’ve been kind of hanging out before we knew.”

“Honey, you can be collaborators and lovers, I don’t see any problem with that.” Her mom’s smile broadens.

“I had been hoping he would serve as my unofficial mentor…”

“Oh, just keep the second one, what’s his name?”

“Professor Harrington.”

“Yes, just keep Professor Harrington as your mentor, you don’t need two. Then you can keep hanging out with Aiden.”

So simple, yet…

“I’m not sure I can do that, Ima. I chose both because each of them specializes in different fields and techniques. I need both of them. You know how long I’ve worked on finding the right mentors for my project.”

“It’s also not easy to find the right guy,” her mom interjects, still smiling. Relentless romanticism must have genetic roots in her family. Although Eleanor’s generation may have been skipped.

“Ima! I am not looking for a boyfriend, I didn’t come all the way here for that .”

“I’m sure you two will figure it out. But if you want to take your Ima’s unsolicited advice,” her mom cackles, “science is important, no doubt, and I know how much it is important to you, honey. But love is important too, and finding your one might only happen once in a lifetime. So while you’re busy formulating your hypotheses and testing them with sophisticated science experiments, make sure you also listen to your heart.”