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softspaceboibrian · 5 years

Text

Journeys End in Lovers Meeting (Chapter 4)

Pairing: Professor Gwilym Lee x student reader

Summary: Reader is a new student at Harvard University and, on her first day, she does something she might regret. Or maybe not.

Warnings: none

Wc: 2035

A/N: sorry for being inactive, not posting anything. it's just that I'm so busy with uni and exams (reason why I won't be too active in the next month or so). anyway, here's the new chapter! hope you like it!! remember to reblog and leave your comments, so I know what you think!!!

Previous Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 5

Taglist: @tegan-eva @kerouacsroad

“The play was really good, don’t you think?” Gwilym said with a smile, while walking out of the theatre, hands in the pockets of his jacket.

You finished closing your jacket while walking behind him, trying to protect yourself from the cold of your first American winter. “Yes, the actors were amazing, and I loved how they kept the original English rather than making it more modern.”

He was going to add something, but immediately noticed how much you were shivering because of the cold. “Do you want to grab something to eat? There was that diner you saw a few blocks back. You seemed to like it.” He smiled gently, taking a step closer to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulders, trying to warm you up a little.

And you actually did appreciate the warmth the man irradiated from his body, instantly getting closer to him, forgetting for even just a second the fact that you were supposed to be his student. In that moment, you were just friends, which, in a way, you really were. “Yes, please, let’s do it”. You were freezing, obviously you were. Geographically speaking, Cambridge, Massachusetts, was supposed to be somewhat warmer than good, old London’s freezing winter. At least that was what you thought since, by looking at a world map, you thought Massachusetts was a little more south than England. But, again, you knew next to nothing about anything regarding science.

You walked down the sidewalk together, actually appreciating the evening – yes, the cold too -, talking about the play and how you liked it, which was each other’s favourite scene, and all those things Shakespeare’s lovers discuss about. But, finally, a few minutes later, you got to the little diner. As soon as you walked in, your eyes started to move from side to side, admiring every single detail of that place, which looked as if it was from another era: it was just like those old movies you used to watch with your mother, like Grease or Back to the Future, with a black and white checked floor, with individual booths, leather-covered benches and stools, those big led signs, and, obviously, a jukebox. “This place is wonderful” You breathed, astonished by that place.

He just smiled, walking towards a booth and waiting for you to join him. “I thought you were more a 20s kind of girl – he grinned, looking at you – you know, dry cocktails, curtains blowing in the wind, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.”

“Oh goof (sweetie), it was cat’s pyjamas (awesome, the best) back then, but you know, this place is swell (cool)” you giggled, while sitting in front of him, finally laying your eyes on him, an amused grin on Gwilym’s face.

“So, you know the 20s slang. I see” He tilted his head to side. “And tell me, doll, would you mind ordering something to chew (eat)?”

You laughed, definitely not expecting him to know 20s slang too. It was already crazy for one person of your age to use a slang that was used almost a century before, let alone two. “Absolutely”

“That was delicious” You marvelled, right before taking the last sip of your vanilla and mint milkshake. You were ecstatic, and Gwilym noticed it. He had never seen you this happy, and he had known you for four months at that point. Your smile was pure, with the angles of your mouth so far back and up that it almost took up most of your face. Your eyes shone so bright. And those dimples, which he had only recently noticed, those were so accentuated.

“Do you want to play a song?” He asked, giving you a coin and nodding towards the jukebox right behind your table. He didn’t need to ask you a second time, you had already taken that coin and got up, your eyes already scrolling through the long list of songs. He was looking at you, noticing how your eyes were unable to keep still, they were lively and quick, never fixed on one thing for too long, probably to keep up with your always working mind. And you were beautiful.

“Hope you know this song, because we’re dancing” You broke the silence, immediately running to him and grabbing his hand, trying to make him stand up.

“What? Wait, love, I don’t… I don’t dance” He shook his head, laughing, trying to sound as nice as possible.

At those words, you stopped, pouting. “Please, just one song” And looking at you like that made it even harder for him to say no a second time. “Pretty please! I love this song!”

He stayed in silence for a few second, before getting up, finally giving him. He couldn’t definitely dance, that’s for sure, but he just couldn’t stay there and not do anything, not when you were that happy just a few seconds before. “You will have to guide me through this because, honey, I’m not joking when I’m telling you that I cannot dance” He giggled, squeezing your hand a little bit before actually pulling you closer. At those words, your face immediately lit up.

In that moment, if someone saw the two of you like that, jumping around, Gwilym holding you close to him in that way, that someone would have probably thought that you were friends, or maybe something more, definitely not a student with her professor. And neither one of you felt that way. Everyone could read in Gwilym’s eyes how much he cared for you, but even how hard he was trying to not fall for you. Whereas you, you would never admit your feelings to anyone, but Rose already knew it. You definitely were head over heels for him, but at the same time you were too scared to admit to yourself that you actually had feelings for him. Every time Rose would ask you whether you liked Gwilym or not, you would immediately start nervously laughing, looking away, your cheeks would turn red and you would say things like “What? Him? But he’s my professor!” or “What are you saying? No!”, but your body was surely saying something totally different.

A few minutes later the song was over, and you were sitting again one in front of the other, trying to catch your breaths. “So, are you going back to your hometown for the winter break?” Gwilym asked, his back against the seatback.

In a matter of time, your smile faded away, which was quickly replace by a cold, distant expression. “No, I think I’m staying here” you mumbled, crossing your legs on the bench.

“I see… - he nodded, not getting why your mood changed so quickly after that question – are you celebrating Christmas with Rose then?”

“No, she’s going back to Illinois to her family. She asked me to go with her, but I didn’t feel like it. I will just stay home, watch some old Christmas movie, make cookies and hot chocolate. Maybe I’ll visit a couple of museums.” You explained, your eyes low on the empty glass that was once filled with delicious milkshake, absent-mindedly playing with the straw.

He hated seeing you like that. It wasn’t the first time he had seen you this sad, and it was probably for the same reason, which you never wanted to explain to him. You would always try and hide it behind a fake smile or simply a cup of tea. But that time, it was different. He had said something that made you feel that way, and he couldn’t stand it. “You can come over to my place for Christmas.” He said, trying to catch your attention, wanting to look you in the eyes. “My mom is going to be there and she’s definitely going to prepare too much food for just the two of us.” He laughed a little bit nervously, really hoping you would say yes. “Furthermore, I don’t want you to spend Christmas day alone. That would be really sad. Unless you’re old and grumpy and your name is Ebenezer Scrooge”

Finally, you cracked a smile. He knew it wasn’t a happy one, or at least not as happy as it would have been a few minutes before, but he made you smile, and that was already far more than enough. “I don’t know, Gwilym, I don’t want to-”

“Humbug!” He talked like an old man would, obviously trying to imitate the A Christmas Carol’s character. He new you loved that story, and he thought that it was definitely the right way to cheer you up. “Come on! I’ll come and pick you up, so you can help me set the table and then we’ll just wait for my mom to arrive while watching a movie.”

“Okay, but only if I can bring the dessert”

“You can do whatever you want, love” he smiled, happy to see you do the same.

The days went by quickly after that night, lessons finished, winter break started, Rose left and so did almost half of Cambridge’s population, because, apparently, most of the people living in that town were Harvard students. Walking downtown those days was both relaxing and melancholic, cafés were almost empty, shops played those old Christmas songs for the few people that came in to buy the last presents. It had even snowed for a couple of days, and now the streets and the sidewalks were covered in white, soft snow, which seemed to be asking to be picked up and thrown at people. But you had no one. Not that you minded being alone that much. you appreciated being able to walk alone, without worrying about what time you had to be back home for dinner, being able to walk out of the bathroom in your underwear after having taken the longest shower ever, without risking to find an unexpected guest. You had even found the time to get Gwilym a small present. It was nothing too special or expensive, just a little something to thank him for everything he had being doing for you since the first day. You were walking down a street, not really looking for something in particular, just enjoying your alone time, soft music coming out of each shop; then your attention got caught by an old bookshop just across the street. Curiosity drove you inside the store, where you immediately recognised the familiar smell of paperbacks, old newspapers, and you knew that was going to be your new favourite shop. You walked through the aisle, scrolling with your eyes through the titles, spending a little more time in the classics section. It didn’t take you long to sit yourself down on the ground, in the middle of the aisle, your back against the bookshelf, with books scattered all around you, trying to decide which one you should get yourself as Christmas present, not really thinking about anything else.

“Can I help you, dear?” A voice asked, which made you look up. In front of you there was a lady around her sixties, with grey hair neatly pulled up into a perfect bun, as if she was one of those ballerinas ready to go on stage for their performance.

“I was just looking for a book” You smiled back, getting up and noticing how small the woman actually was.

She turned around and reached for a book, handing it to the young lady in front of her, a gentle expression on her face. “Have you ever read this one?”

You took the book from the woman’s hands and read the title: The Call of the Wild by Jack London. “Yes, I know this book.” Of course you did, just as you knew it was one of Gwilym’s favourite books. You remembered how happy he got every time he told you about his mother reading him that book every night before going to sleep when he was 10. “I think this is the book I was looking for”

“Is it a present?”

“Yes” Your plan of getting a book for yourself just vanished from your mind, all you could think now was how Gwilym might react to you giving him that book.

“Someone special, darling?”

“I think so”

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