Chapter 14: The Visitor

Barbara Brown's POV

I was breathing slowly right now. I can feel that my mind was sleeping as it was still morning but at least it was Wednesday. Half through the week when I saw the familiar car parked in front of the building. Anticipation was building inside me before I saw who was it. I smiled at the sight of her as I was running toward her.

"Lea!" I called after her before she turned to look at me and she was breathtaking as always.

Her black, straight hair.

Her ocean blue eyes.

Yes, I consented that Azalea Johnson was one of the breathtaking women that I ever met and I think I was lucky to say that I was one of her best friends. She turned to look at me as she smiled at me.

"Hey, Barb. Where have you been? Oops, sorry, how are you? It's been long I saw you around the building," she said as I was laughing at her.

"Well, you know. Here and there. And last week I was in the Bay Area for a conference about new research that will be conducted by world re-known scientists. I think I might apply for that," I said as I was walking with her toward the building. I think she was ready for her class this afternoon and we went our separate ways as I was making my way to the advisor.

Carol said that it was important to see her and she also stated that there was someone that wanted to see me. I stood in front of her room and knocked on the door.

"Come in," her voice was coming from inside. I was smiling when I opened the door and when I saw who it was, I smiled died.

Brandon Cornwall was here.

Shit!

I looked at Carol before I took my seat next to Brad on the seat in front of the table. Carol was smiling as if she did not know what was going on but she was happy to know that a renowned geologist was in her office.

"Barb, I think you don't meet yet with Mr. Brandon Cornwall, he was the one that presented at the—"

"Conference. Yes, I remembered. I went to talk with him after the conference," I said before Carol arched her eyebrows.

"Oh, I don't know that,"

"And he also the new employer for my internship and the upcoming proposal for my Ph.D. research," I said as she arched her eyebrows even more.

"Oh my. That was fantastic news,"

"Yes, it is," Brad finally spoke after hearing all the conversation that I exchanged with him. I turned to look at him and his caramel orbs were laughing at me.

Judging me I think.

I gritted my teeth before I was smiling again at Carol as I took my seat and she cleared her throat as she was folding her hands on the table and looked at me.

"So, the reason Mr. Cornwall is here is that—"

Please don't tell me I got rejected. I have signed away my freedom.

"Is that he wished to look around the campus. He will be applying for the assistant professor position in our department, you see," Carol said as she was beaming at me. I think I was dying but right now, I was digging my own grave. My smile flattened.

"What?''

"Mr. Cornwall will be the new addition to our faculty. Wasn't that great?" Carol said before she was talking about Mr. Cornwall's request to have me as his tour guide for his campus tour.

"Would you love to do that?" She asked and when she did that charming smile, I cannot resist her even if I wanted to.

"It will be my pleasure," I said as I was turning toward Brad and he was smirking at me.

Brandon Cornwall's POV

"Oh come on, are you mad?" I asked my fiancée when she was making her glare over her shoulder. I think she was cute when she was angry as I was trying to control my laughter that was about to escape my mouth.

I laughed at her.

"Why are you here, seriously? And that position? Why do you want to be a professor after all? You have other obligations outside of here," she said as she was looking at me before I was walking beside her. She was mad but I will not let that get in the way of us spending together right now.

"I just wanted to see if I was fit to teach the future geologist with my knowledge. Maybe they will learn something, one or two, from my experience in the field.," I said as I was smiling at her. She glared at me before she narrowed her eyes at me. We were in front of the door before I opened the door and urged her to go out first.

"Ladies first,"

"Aren't you a gentleman?"

"I can if I wanted to," I said before she scoffed at me and I was walking behind her before I was beside her again. I can smell the faint scent of her blood orange perfume and body mist. It was intoxicating to be close to her but cannot touch her.

"Fine, my advisor already asked me so I guess it was something that I need to do after all. But not for your sake, it was for her," she said as she was pointing her finger at me. I grabbed her finger before I kissed it. Her eyes widened before she pulled it off my hand.

"Don't do that. I cannot have people thinking that I was trying to seduce the new assistant professor in the making," she hissed at me before I chuckled lowly.

"Well, no one was out here,"

"Not to differ but I think you were too obvious with the surrounding. People loved to gossip when there was a new guy and the faculty was flirting with him," she gritted her teeth before putting some distance over us. I missed her scent but I will play by her rule just for today.

"So, shall we?'' I asked her before she nodded and we're off.

"So, as you can see, we have a museum that was dedicated to the minerals that we have found in the area that was near the campus. Some were being donated from the alumni and we have some negotiation from the company that we can trust to get it," she said as she was showing me the Rock Garden.

As you can guess, it was full of rocks that were minerals in them.

I loved to spend some time here as I wanted to look at the mineral and admired them. Right now, I was smiling as I was remembering my undergraduate days when I was spending some time in the garden back home at my university.

My father has a shelf of the mineral samples from his works.

"Well, this is a nice collection. I wonder if it can beat mine," I said as Barbara was back into the reality when I was looming over the rocks, looking at the minerals and other geological features over the rocks.

She smiled at me as I looked at her before I was focused on trying to figure out what it was.

"It's the plunge. You see this line where it was in the horizontal line than we took a compass to calculate the dipping and we can know how much," she said as I was looking at her. I felt her eyes on me as I was tracing my fingers on the line before I turned to look at her. I smiled.

"I missed the good old days where I don't have to think about anything but college life," I said as we were walking through the garden and I was smiling with my mind on the memory of my past.

"What was it like? For you to learn about geology?" She asked me as I was looking at her expressive amber orbs. I loved it so much.

"Hmm, let see. I was always a good student and even though I was not that good, I wanted to know so much knowledge that I ended up coping inside the library and just looked at books. It was a nice day indeed," I said as a soft smile was on her lips.

"I bet it was," Barbara said as I was looking at her who was oblivious to my stare and I think I loved to look at her all day.

God, was I besotted to her like Alex to his bride? I hope not.

I cleared my throat as Barbara was looking at me. She archer her eyebrow. I smiled at her as I was tucking her hand on the crook of my arm.

"Shall we go to the dining hall? I heard it was delish and the food was smashing," I said before I was walking with her to our next destination. And I think I was falling in love with her company in my lonely days.