Fall in love in a weekwe get by

But Norwood solved the problem radically. He walked to the counter like a hot knife through butter. They made way for him and didn’t even try to express displeasure. Some guy from the front rows handed him a huge, almost liter mug, apparently his own. He said, baring all thirty-two teeth:

“It still won’t help wash down the tidal pebbles, Professor.” But drink, I don’t mind!

– Thank you, Mr. Airsey. Your kindness and responsiveness goes beyond all conceivable limits. So make sure you also get some coffee for Miss Blair. She was also impressed by the pebbles.

“Deadly impressed,” I said plaintively.

Someone else handed me a mug, just as huge. Solemnly, like a medal for the torment experienced. He also shook hands with wishes not to kill himself anymore. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart and hurried to get out of the crowd following Norwood – he seemed to have spotted a free table.

But my skills in moving in a crowd failed me, and in the most treacherous way. I tripped over someone's foot and fell nose-first into the floor. She waved her arms, trying to find support, grabbed someone, but, probably, this someone was just pushed from the other side, and the two of us fell. Well, at least not in a hug!

A student I didn’t know sat down, shook his head, rubbed his forehead and said:

– Alive. ? I thought, too… that. Killed. Hey Miss Blair, how are you?

I hit the floor with my elbow, the pleasure was much below average, but what was terrible was not that, but Norwood, drenched from head to toe in my coffee. A mug split in two was lying on the floor, and coffee was dripping from his jacket and soaking into the shirt of the professor, who apparently turned around at the wrong time.

“An amazing ending,” he said after a pause that lasted what seemed like an eternity. – A hot coffee shower has never happened in my experience.

“S-sorry,” I muttered. I didn’t have the strength to get to my feet; I only had enough strength to sit up instead of lying in a heap on the floor. I rubbed my elbow, and the world around me blurred with tears.

This is all an unusual body! Try playing around with these buffers! Charlotte even seems to have a slightly different center of gravity, although I always thought that only men and women had different centers of gravity. It probably also depends on your body type.

–Are you okay? Can you get up? – Norwood pushed his mug to someone and extended his hand. – The painting “Miss Blair in a Coffee Puddle” is not suitable for an academic cafeteria. Now all connoisseurs will come running to take a look.

That's for sure. It's good that I don't wear Charlotte's favorite miniskirts and cleavage.

I took the professor’s hand with a strange trepidation, as if in the depths of my soul I was waiting for her to disappear. Didn't disappear. Norwood pulled me to my feet, held me, made sure I didn't fall immediately as soon as I lost my footing. Said:

– You better sit down. What do you want with coffee or cake? Chocolate?

“Yes, please,” I asked, burning with shame.

He returned quickly, this time with a tray. Coffee for both of us, and four muffins. All are chocolate. The clothes were dry, but the stains on the shirt looked terrible and caused me a new attack of shame.

“I shouldn’t have suspected the portals of malicious intent.” You can do just fine without them.

“It was an accident,” I muttered, clutching my mug like a life preserver. – And I apologized!

– As I noticed, accidents haunt you with enviable frequency. This can be life-threatening. If you had not fallen on Mr. Miller or together with him, the damage would have been greater.

“Dangerous for life”… He himself doesn’t know how right he is. I hurriedly took a sip of coffee and took a bite of the muffin, as if that would quell the tears that were welling up. I'll cry at home. Or better yet, there’s no need at all, what’s the use of tears. But telling yourself “don’t cry” is much easier than doing. I'm not a crybaby or a hysterical person, but who could manage to remain calm? "Life threatening". Damn four days, already less. And Norwood, who doesn’t know that he and I are in the same boat, rapidly rushing towards the waterfall.

I ate a cupcake, but for some reason it was salty. From tears, perhaps?

It's good that Norwood was silent. Now I could react too violently to even the most innocent remark.

But cupcakes can still lift your spirits even in such a terrible situation. I ate all four, and the last one no longer seemed salty. Great chocolate cupcake.

Before the couple started, Norwood had just time to change clothes – no, it’s still a good thing, portals. When they are not remembered in the context of accidents and danger to life… The picture of a boat rushing rapidly towards a waterfall without oars never left my mind. I once read a similar story: two people in a boat and a waterfall, something from American science fiction. There the heroes managed to escape. Will we succeed?