Chapter 48: Like Brother, Like Sister

The first place we went to was the Engineering building, specifically the Mechanical Engineering department.

Nicole took the lead, showing Chloe around the building and pointing out a few of the facilities along the way. I already knew most of what she was telling her, so I let them have their moment while Chloe looked around with the kind of interest I usually saw on her face when she found something she wanted to buy.

“Wooow. So cool,” she said, stopping in front of a display showing a cutaway model of an engine.

I glanced at her. “You sound like you’ve never seen an engine before.”

“Of course I’ve seen engines before. Just not one displayed like this.” She leaned closer to the glass, examining the model as if it might answer questions she hadn’t even asked yet.

Nicole watched her for a moment before smiling. “I didn’t think you’d also be studying Mechanical Engineering.”

“I want to be a mechanical engineer like Nathan,” Chloe said casually.

Then she walked away from us to look at a nearby display of student-built vehicles, apparently satisfied that she’d answered a perfectly ordinary question.

Nicole turned to me with a knowing smile.

I kept my eyes on Chloe. “I’m her role model.”

Nicole let out a small laugh. “I can see that.”

Chloe had already moved on to the next display, so Nicole followed her, and I went with them. I’d assumed the tour would cover the entire campus, or at least most of it, but after the first few stops, it became clear that Chloe was far more interested in the Mechanical Engineering department than anywhere else. Nicole seemed happy to indulge her, taking her through the different sections and answering her questions while I followed along.

We spent the next thirty minutes looking around, and by the time Chloe stopped to examine another student project, it was pretty clear we weren’t going anywhere else.

“Uhm…” I glanced at my sister. “You know there are other places in the school, right?”

“I know.” She didn’t even look away from the display. “I prefer here.”

Of course she did.

“Mr. Reed. Professor Collins.”

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice and found Professor Richards walking toward us from the faculty offices. My heart jumped before I could help it. We were just giving Chloe a tour, but seeing another professor approach while I was standing beside Nicole was enough to remind me that people didn’t need to catch us doing anything wrong for things to get complicated.

Still, something about being caught here with her made me feel like I needed to explain myself.

Professor Richards stopped in front of us, smiling as he looked from me to Nicole. “What is my favorite student doing with you, Professor Collins? Don’t tell me you’re trying to steal him away from me, too.”

Nicole smiled back at him. “Can’t steal what’s already mine.”

Professor Richards laughed, apparently delighted by the answer.

Chloe had stopped looking at the student project and was watching Nicole and Professor Richards instead. The smile had faded from her face, replaced by a thoughtful look. She knew what Nicole and I were risking, and hearing Nicole speak so openly, even in jest, seemed to have reminded her of it.

“We were just showing my little sister around,” I finally said.

Professor Richards turned to Chloe, his expression brightening with interest. “Oh? Don’t tell me this is what I think it is.”

Chloe straightened a little. “I’ll be starting here next semester, Professor. I hope I can learn from you as well.” She spoke with such polite composure that I almost looked around to see who had replaced my sister while I wasn’t paying attention.

Professor Richards smiled. “Like brother, like sister, huh?” He glanced at me before returning his attention to Chloe. “All right, then. But you’ll have to be at the top of your game. Your brother is quite the role model around here.”

“I’m smarter than him,” Chloe said.

“As if,” I scoffed.

Professor Richards laughed, and Nicole covered her mouth, though I could still see her smile. Chloe looked entirely pleased with herself, which was impressive considering she’d just gone from a prospective student seeking a professor’s guidance to insulting her brother in front of two members of the faculty.

Professor Richards glanced at his wristwatch before looking back at her. “What’s your name?”

“Chloe.”

“Nice meeting you, Chloe. I’ll be seeing you again soon.” He gave her a friendly nod, then glanced at me and winked before walking away.

Beside me, Chloe let out a breath I suspected she’d been holding since he’d started talking to her.

I turned to Nicole, who looked far too pleased with herself.

“Can’t steal what’s already mine?” I asked. “Really?”

Nicole tilted her head, giving me an innocent look that didn’t quite work with the smile tugging at her lips. “It’s true, though.”

Chloe giggled beside us.

“Let’s just go look at the next thing,” I said, turning away before either of them could make this any worse.

—

We ended up spending more time in the Mechanical Engineering department than I expected, mostly because Chloe wanted to see as much as she could. Nicole was happy to show her around, and there was plenty to keep Chloe interested. Unfortunately, the department had a closing time, and we eventually had to call it a day before she could see everything she wanted to. She wasn’t thrilled about leaving, but there wasn’t much we could do about it. We’d have to continue the tour another time.

By the time we finally started walking back to the parking lot, Chloe was a few steps ahead of us, looking at her phone as she walked. Nicole was beside me, close enough that our arms occasionally brushed whenever one of us shifted position.

“Chloe, you’re going to trip walking like that,” I called ahead.

“I won’t. Promise,” she replied without looking up from her phone.

I looked at Nicole, who had gone quiet beside me. She seemed to be thinking about something, and after a moment, she turned her face toward me.

“Nate?”

“Hmm?”

She hesitated, glancing ahead at Chloe before looking back at me. “Would you be available on Friday night?”

I gave her a questioning look. “Why?”

“My friend is having a party, and she’s invited me.” Nicole paused, as if she were deciding how much of the explanation she needed to give me. “I was going to ask if you’d come with me.”

I tilted my head slightly, watching her. She was trying to sound casual, but there was something uncertain about the way she was waiting for my answer.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go alone,” she added quickly. “I just…” She looked at me properly this time. “I want to go with you.”

Chloe turned around so quickly that I wondered whether she’d been waiting for an excuse to interrupt us. “Say yes.”

I turned to look at her. “Turn around.”

She pouted at me, then turned around and continued walking.

Nicole watched her before looking at me again. “Well?”

I looked at her for a moment, considering the invitation. Nicole had spent so much time stepping into my life that being around her had gradually started to feel normal, even when the circumstances were anything but.

She had met my sister, spent time with my best friend, and found her way into parts of my routine I hadn’t expected to share with anyone. But I knew very little about the life she lived when she wasn’t teaching me Thermodynamics or finding some reason to spend time with me.

I could tell that underneath the ‘I want to go with you’ was her actually asking me to step into her world, to meet the people she knew and see the part of her life that existed beyond the university.

“I’m not wearing a suit,” I finally said.

Nicole’s face brightened immediately. “Deal. No suit. Who even likes suits?”

I looked at her overly excited expression and couldn’t help smiling. “Watch where you’re going.”

She nodded enthusiastically, although she was still looking at me instead of the path ahead. It took her another moment to finally face forward, and we continued toward the parking lot with Chloe still a few steps in front of us.