When fate plays its hand

Miranda asked, “So, you were quietly mulling all this over in your head before saying anything?”

“Yeah,” Paul replied.

“No wonder…” she muttered softly.

“What?” He didn’t catch that.

Miranda smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s go.”

They held hands and walked toward the hallway.

Suddenly, Paul stopped in his tracks. Miranda stopped, too, and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

“So, are… are we official now? Like, boyfriend and girlfriend?”

She swayed their tightly clasped hands. “What do you think?”

“This isn’t a dream, right?” he asked.

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Miranda said, “Looks like you dream about me a lot.”

Paul froze, and his face turned a suspicious shade of red.

She raised an eyebrow and wondered if he dreamed about her that often.

He didn’t dare meet her gaze. Instead, he stared down at their joined hands with a goofy grin. Heh… this feels so good.”

So, she really did care about him. He wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

They had known each other for so long, climbed countless stairs together–sometimes side by side, sometimes one ahead of the other–but always maintained the proper distance as friends. But this was the first time they had ever walked up the stairs hand in hand.

Halfway up the stairs, Miranda suddenly asked, “Why would you think there’s something going on between me and Sawyer?”

Paul’s voice was muffled as he said, “Sorry. I overheard your phone conversation when I was paying the bill.”

“Huh?” Miranda recalled the conversation she had with Sawyer, but nothing stood out. She wondered what could have led Paul to have that thought.

She stayed silent as they continued walking. When they reached the floor below her apartment, Paul couldn’t hold it in any longer. “You two made plans to travel to Zettenburg together.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “Which part of our conversation made you think we’re going on a trip?” Her reaction was a mix of humor and exasperation.

“You said you’d meet him at the airport,” Paul said.

What else could it be if they weren’t going on a trip? She and Sawyer didn’t have any shared academic interests, so what could be the reason for them to fly to another city together? Surely, it wasn’t for a work trip.

Miranda didn’t know what he was thinking, so she explained, “We’re going to Zettenburg’s research department to review some materials.”

Paul raised an eyebrow but accepted her explanation. “You want to improve the precision of the measuring instruments? I can help with that too, so you don’t have to…”

She nodded. “Yeah. I know you can handle it, but you’ve got your own projects and experiments, and I have my plans. Improving measurement precision is a critical challenge in my project, and I need to learn to manage it myself. I can’t keep relying on you, right?” Paul’s expression grew serious as he spoke slowly. “I’m willing to be the one you turn to.”

Miranda chuckled. “Alright, I’ll keep you in mind when I’m too tired or can’t figure it out. Sounds good, boyfriend?”

Hearing her call him “boyfriend“, Paul’s lips curled into a smile. “Okay,” he replied sweetly. They soon reached the seventh floor. Miranda stopped in front of her door, but Paul’s grip on her hand tightened, and he was unwilling to let go.

She looked at him helplessly. “Dr. Jefferson, I’m home now.”

“Huh? That was quick…”

Miranda shook his hand off. “If you keep holding my hand, how am I supposed to open door?” novelbin

“I’ll open it for you!” Paul blurted out.

She was taken aback.