Revelation (Trinity Book 1)

Chapter 7

Rose woke the following morning feeling like she'd been hit by a train. Her whole body ached and protested as she slowly sat up, running a hand through the sweat-soaked mess that was her hair. She winced as the sun hit her eyes, slow to adjust to the light as she rubbed them with the palms of her hands – no doubt smearing the makeup that she'd forgotten to remove.

She staggered over to the sink, grabbing a glass of water and searching for the painkillers she hoped would stop her head from pounding. Swallowing a couple and chasing them with an entire glass of water, she considered her options. She could head back to bed in an attempt to sleep off what was promising to be a horrible hangover, or she could take a shower and find somewhere quiet to wait it out in the sun.

The idea of a shower won the decision for her, and she grabbed her bathroom bag, groaning as her body complained.

Half an hour later, she was showered, dressed, and heading out into the streets of Cambridge, looking for somewhere she could grab a cup of tea and a magazine. She wandered for a little while, before finding herself at the bridge where she'd bumped into the professor a few days before.

Resting her hands on the railings and looking out across the river, she thought back to that morning, confused as to why her heart still jumped at the thought of it. How could she possibly still react that way after the night she'd just had with Nate? She smiled, remembering his kisses, the dancing – but her heart wasn't in it; the image of the professor continued to appear in her thoughts.

Rolling her eyes at her insanity, she made her way to the coffee shop, breathing in the invigorating smell of freshly ground beans as she opened the door. She ordered a tea before adding an orange juice, figuring she could do with the vitamin-C.

As she waited for her order at the till, a familiar figure walked through the door. Rose groaned and turned, immediately, to face the cashier, praying the professor wouldn't notice her in her current state.

"Good Morning Rose." She felt him come to stand beside her, her prayers going unheard.

"Good morning, Professor," she sighed in resignation. She faced him and his eyes travelled over her before he chuckled.

"Good night was it?" he grinned as she winced, rubbing a hand across her face.

"Something like that." She accepted the plastic cup that was being held out to her, already turning to leave.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, as he placed his order with the cashier.

"Somewhere I can wallow in peace," she said with a wry smile.

"Ahh, hangover." He grinned. "'I've got just the cure for that."

Before she knew it, they were sitting in the wide open park known as Jesus Green, having stopped on the way for bacon rolls and a couple of newspapers.

Rose sat down on the grass, grateful for the warmth of her hoodie as the light breeze shivered through the trees. The professor sat with his back against a trunk and handed her a roll, wrapped in silver foil.

"Thanks," she murmured, unsure of how her stomach would react.

He smiled as she considered it, watching as she took a small bite. When her body didn't immediately reject it, she smiled too. He looked smug as he picked up the newspaper, absent-mindedly turning the pages as he ate his own roll.

Rose sipped her orange juice, feeling the final strains of her headache slip away with the infusion of vitamin-C and carbohydrates. Putting the drink aside, she pulled her hood up over her head and rolled onto her back, closing her eyes against the dappled sunlight that filtered through the leaves above. She breathed deeply as she relaxed, stretching out her aches one by one, enjoying the relative peace of the morning, the whisper of turning pages the only reminder that she wasn't alone.