Chapter 40: Forty

It was midafternoon when I met Declan just off campus, a quiet, tucked away café with big windows, dark wood interiors, and a cozy vibe I always appreciated in a coffee shop.. He was already there when I arrived, sitting at a corner table with a black coffee and a book he wasn’t really reading right then.

He looked up the moment I stepped in. That familiar flicker of something warm crossed his face.

“You’re late,” he said, lips twitching into a soft smile.

“You’re early,” I shot back, sliding into the seat across from him.

He nodded toward the counter. “Your usual?”

I blinked. “You remember that?”

“I remember things about you,” he said, already halfway to standing.

He returned a few minutes later with my coffee - oat milk latte, no sugar, just how I liked it. He slid it across to me smoothly. Like it was no biggie. But it felt like one. It always did with him. The way he remembered. The way he noticed.

I wrapped my hands around the cup, gathering some courage. “So… I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Declan leaned back slightly, nodding for me to go on.

“The RA position. I’m applying.”

“I assumed you would,” he said. “You’re a strong candidate.”

I hesitated. “Right, well… I was wondering if you’d be willing to read over my proposal. Just for feedback. Nothing official, obviously.”

His brows lifted slightly. “You want me to help you apply for a position I’ll be reviewing?”

“I don’t want special treatment,” I said quickly. “I just… I trust your judgment. And I thought if you looked at it before it’s submitted, it’d be better than if I kept second guessing every paragraph.”

Declan didn’t speak for a moment. His fingers tapped lightly against his cup.

“That’s a bit of a gray area, don’t you think?” he said finally.

I looked down at my coffee. “I figured you might say that.”

He leaned forward, voice gentler now. “Willow,” he said, shaking his head dramatically, “Look who’s taking advantage of their proximity with the professor.”

“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes.

He smiled lightly, “Next time you tell me to shut up I’m putting you over my knee.”

I giggled, “Shut up.”

“I’ll remember that.”

A pause, then, “You’re capable of doing this on your own, you know?”

“I know,” I said. “But I also know what I don’t know. And I want to get it right.”

There was a pause. He studied me for a long moment, then exhaled.

“I’ll look at it,” he said, quietly. “But nothing too much.”

“That’s fair.”

“I’ll still give you honest feedback. Not handholding.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

He smiled then, crooked and fond in the way that always made my heart stumble. “Send it to me when you’re done. Text me, don’t email me.”

“I will.”

I toyed with the sleeve of my coffee cup, watching the swirl of steam rise from the surface.

“So… Mara said something interesting earlier,” I said, glancing up at him.

Declan raised an eyebrow. “Only one thing?”

I smirked. “She said, and I quote, ‘Let’s be real, it’ll probably go to someone who’s already super tight with the professors.’”

His smile came onto his face slow, amused. “Subtle.”

I shrugged. “She tried to act like she didn’t care about the RA position, but you could see it all over her face.”

He took a sip of his coffee, then leaned in, voice low and dry. “Mara’s been trying to charm her way into every research group since week two.”

“Do you think she’ll apply?”

“Without a doubt.”

I tilted my head. “You don’t seem worried.”

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Because I’m not. She won’t get it.”

I blinked. “That confident?”

“Willow,” he said, voice soft but certain, “you’ve read her work.”

I snorted. “Brutal.”

“Accurate.”

“Still brutal.”

“I’m her teacher. I want her to do well, too. I’m just saying, she has more to learn.”

“Trying to cover it up, huh?”

He smirked, eyes twinkling. “You wanted honesty.”

“Right,” I murmured, holding his gaze. “And what would you say if someone accused me of being super tight with a professor?”

He gave me a long look, playful, then serious. “I’d say I’m incredibly professional and utterly impartial.”

“Oh, utterly,” I teased. “So the late night visits at my house and all the sex in your office mean nothing?”

He laughed, low and surprised at how direct I was being. “Like you weren’t desperate for me to fuck you.”

“Details,” I said, waving a hand. “History will forget them.”

He leaned forward again, elbow on the table, chin in his hand. “You’re not getting this position because of me, Willow. You’re getting it in spite of me.”

That silenced me for a beat.

“I want you to win on merit,” he added. “Because you’re the best person for it. And you are.” He added softly, “And I want you here for the summer.”

My chest fluttered, unexpectedly.

“Well,” I said quietly, “I guess I better make sure that proposal is flawless.”

“You better, baby.” He sipped his coffee, eyes locked with mine. “Be a good girl for me, and write a proposal no one can dream of rejecting.”

That made something flicker in the pit of my stomach. “And if I don’t?”

He cocked his head to the side, “I’ll make sure you do. I have my ways.”

“Now I’m tempted to do bad work.”

He raised his eyebrows at me. “Yeah? You love testing my patience, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” I grinned. “I like you impatient and riled up.”

“You love when I show your place, don’t you?”

I licked my lips. “Maybe a little.”

He smirked. “Be good, okay? Do good work.”

“Geez, grandpa. I will write the best proposal, okay?”

His smile returned,  slow, a little smug. “Good. Because I’m looking forward to tearing it apart. And punishing you for all the mistakes you’ll make.”

“I knew there was a catch.”

“Always.”