Discovering Licapta

9 (pt. ii)

AFTER FINISHING THE chicken caesar wrap I picked up after leaving Émile's residence, I rise from the wooden park bench where I've been seated for the past fifteen or so minutes, basking in the comfortable California weather. It's definitely not anywhere near this warm in Seattle right now, and if there's one thing I can be thankful for it's the weather, among many others.

Licapta is turning out to be the best decision I've made in the past year.

With that thought in mind, I toss the plastic wrapper into a garbage can and continue down the sidewalk, venturing deeper into a side of campus I've not yet explored. Among the biggest difference is the style. The buildings here are more modern, many made entirely of glass while others are painted grey or taupe, glass reserved only for windows.

The medical quarter looks more like a metropolis than a hospital.

But even here, the Licaptians haven't forgotten about their fountains. The sound of water trickling or rushing or crashing against stone is everywhere, and as I continue down the sidewalk, following the signs leading to the Neurological Research Centre, I understand why. The sound is soothing.

Just as I walk past a building with a sign displaying directions to the hospital cafeteria posted outside it, its glass doors swing open and out steps Audrick. He has his phone pressed to his ear, but when our gazes lock, he nods and offers me a small smile.

"... that should work. Mom, I have to go now... I have to head back to the office. I'll call you tonight. Okay... okay. Love you too. Bye."

Love. I feel a tightness in my stomach when I hear Audrick utter the verb. Even the mention of the word serves as a reminder that I don't have anyone to say 'I love you' to nor anyone who will say it to me. But I like to think that at some point I did. Somebody other than Adam, that is.

But if Gemma Allan did, then where is that somebody, or somebodies, now?

The anxiety in my stomach dissipates slightly when Audrick's bright blue eyes find my grey ones once again, offering a distraction from my thoughts, while he tucks his phone into his pants' pocket. "Gemma," he announces. "How are you?"

"Good," I say, my automatic reply even on not-so-good days. "And you?"

"Busy, as always. But I'm well." Audrick steps to the side to let some ladies dressed in suits pass, and I follow along.

"I don't want to keep you from your work," I say, remembering his parting words to his mother.

Chuckling softly, Audrick shakes his head, causing a couple locks of his neatly combed blonde hair to fall out of place. "Oh no. I only told my mother that to get her off my case. We're attending a gala next weekend and my mother's trying to coordinate plans.
As long as the work gets done on time, I can return to my office whenever I'd like. I just don't feel like dealing with party plans right now."

"Okay," I chuckle. "What's the occasion?"

"It's just an annual affair," he states. "It's organized by some government members as a no politics talk night, an attempt to help take their mind off work for a few hours and connect with the public. It rarely works, though."

"It's the thought that counts, right?" I suggest as the glass doors next to us slide open again and a lady pushing a stroller steps outside. "I hope you have a good time."

"Thank you." There's a beat of silence in which I decide I should say goodbye to Audrick, not wanting to be late for my appointment, but Audrick beats me to the chase. "You should come."

Flustered, my breath catches in my throat. "To the gala?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," I say, remembering my manners, "but I wasn't invited. Either way, I wouldn't have anything nice enough to wear. But thank you."

"You'd be coming as my guest," he says. "My parents have been on me to find somebody to invite. You would be more than welcome, Gemma."

"I don't know," I say. A part of me wants to refuse. I certainly don't want to give Audrick the wrong idea. I don't want him to think this is a date, and I'm really not sure if he's extending the invitation to me as a friend or if he's using it as an opportunity to ask me if I'd like to be someone more than just a friend. Plus, there's the nervousness I feel just thinking about being trapped in a room with dozens of members of authority. As far as I know, I don't really know why I was accepted into Licapta-U. It all still seems too good to be true.

"I can bring you a few dress options," Audrick offers. "My sister has plenty of outfits ready to go."

"I..." Audrick's still wearing that friendly smile, and the way his eyes are narrowed the slightest bit into a slightly-- I really don't want to say it-- seductive stare makes it hard to say no. "Okay. It's this weekend?"

"Yes," Audrick confirms. "Saturday night. I'll pick you up at five, if that works? The venue's a bit of a distance from campus."

"Sounds like a plan," I say, mustering a smile despite the butterflies fluttering inside me.

Audrick studies me carefully for a moment, his eyes doing narrowing thing as they did just moments earlier.

"What?" I ask, suspicious. Why is he looking at me like that? Like a... well, like someone out of a fashion magazine.

"Is it okay if I ask my sister to organize a salon appointment for you? Everyone there is going to be, well, quite done up, to put it bluntly."

Oh. "Um, sure. I don't have any plans that day." Except studying, but I can do that while my hair's being done, right?

"Okay," Audrick states. "I'm glad I'll have somebody... well, someone pleasant to talk to that night."

"I'm not that interesting," I insist. "But thank you."

Audrick laughs as if my words are absurd. "Whatever you say, Gemma."

Wondering how much longer I have, I check my phone for the time. Seeing that my appointment is in less than fifteen minutes and I still have to find the building, I say to Audrick, "I have to get going. I have an appointment at two."

"You know where you're going?" he checks.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay," he chuckles. "Well, I'll see you Saturday then. And I'll text you more details before then."

"Okay," I say.

"Bye Gemma."

As I continue down the sidewalk in the direction the last map said to go, I feel a breeze strike. Looking to my right, I see Audrick zoom past me on his bicycle, hair windswept by the force generated as he accelerates forward.

And suddenly that uncomfortable feeling is back in my stomach, a mix of nerves and excitement. Something I've been feeling a lot lately, but an experience you never quite get used to.

This is going to be one interesting Saturday.