Heather called York on skype as he was getting dressed for his daily workout. When the video opened, she looked at his face and it took her several seconds to realize it was York because he had shaved.
"Holy shit you're white," Heather said after a long silence. "What prompted that?"
"Just kind of felt like it," York said, talking about his face making him take his hand and run his thumb and fingers down his cheeks until they met at the point of his chin.
"Weird, that'll take some getting used to," Heather said, but smiled regardless. "What's up?"
"Nothing, just school and work."
"You and Mads boning yet?" Heather asked, obviously as a joke.
"What if we were?"
"Film it, I need evidence she was faking it this whole time." Heather said, making them both laugh. "If you need to get your rocks off and you're half as charming as you think you are, knock yourself out. I sure as fuck do."
"Really?" York asked, genuinely surprised.
"We've all been fucking each other for two years now, I think me drawing a line between you two is weird. Have the same fun with her that I do. If you can," Heather said and adjusted on her bed.
"How's the build?"
"Exciting, and it's mine. That's the crazy part," Heather said, unable to hide her massive grin. "I have to get going. Love you, call me tonight."
"Love you too, bye," York said and ended the call.
-
York and Mads seemed to avoid each other the entire day, but it wasn't planned. Twice, one of them exited as the other entered the apartment. First York coming back from his morning workout, bumping into her at the stairs leading to their door. They talked awkwardly for a moment, exchanging cliché salutations before walking away from each other faster than they had walked toward each other.
They ran into each other again when York was leaving for his physical training sessions and she was arriving to grab something she forgot, but forgot what that item was when he asked.
When York arrived home to stay home for the night, Mads was already gone again. He made himself a meal and went to his room, and didn't leave it even when he heard Mads entering the apartment and going to her room.
While he was reading a book, Mads leaned into his room and smiled at him, before exhaling deeply and entering the room.
"I thought about it," Mads said, sitting at the edge of the bed cross legged. "Thank you for not giving into temptation. I would have this morning. I probably would have regretted it. And I don't want you to be someone I regret."
"Okay," York said, kind of glad he didn't, kind of pissed he didn't.
"Not to say I didn't enjoy some of it. It's kind of cool I can make you squirm with one lick. That's actually fun," Mads said with a laugh.
"How fun?"
"I might be up for doing it a few more times," Mads said.
"I talked to Heather too. Pretty much gave us a green light," York said, Mads making a face that expressed intrigue and curiosity.
"At least she's consistent. I find it curious, she's not gone a day when we start this, and you say you want to marry her. Doesn't compute," Mads said.
"That's fair. Chalk it down to weakness, but I think my curiosity is satiated," York said, Mads smiling and looking down.
"Mine too," Mads said and left his room, saying good night as she did.
-
Mads worked at the lab for most of the day, looking over samples they received from the ongoing study with mice and the affects of toxins. This was looking like a failure, as most of the mice were dying from asphyxiation. They're hearts all stopped.
Mads ate her lunch at the tadpole pond, where the students maintained a controlled ecosystem. The pond was part of it, and she noticed her tadpoles were beginning to grow legs. They were maturing rapidly, and soon enough they'd have a new batch of fresh frogs for either dissection tables or a real pond.
Mads then looked at the butterfly tanks, and examined the development from larva, to cocoon, and then lastly to butterfly. There was an even spread of all three, but she liked the cocoons the most. It was like a present still wrapped, teasing you under the Christmas tree for weeks.
A new student was wandering the labs that day, a young female undergraduate. Mads had been eying her since she arrived at the beginning of the semester. The undergraduates were encouraged to learn from the graduate students, and Mads had been waiting for any of them to ask her questions. She also basically ran the ecosystem and was an assistant researcher.
