“One who asks so many questions,” Callan answered for him.
“It was nice meeting you, Briar, but duty calls me elsewhere. You coming back soon?” Hollis’s question was directed at Callan.
“Be out in a while,” Callan said, noncommittal.
Hollis gave me a nod and a smile then left the room.
I finished packaging my artifacts with a flourish then reluctantly moved from the table.
Callan’s tone softened as he opened the door for me. “Let me drive you to your car.”
I didn’t protest, eager for a few more minutes with him. We hurried across the central vein and out the front door. I heard two people talking in the rose garden, but if they saw us, they didn’t pay us any attention.
The thick purple blossoms I’d noticed on the way in were filling the air now, streaming toward us from the south and catching in my hair and on my flower crown. I reached up and pulled one from my dark-auburn strands.
“What are these?” I asked.
“A rare species of jacaranda. The tree is blooming right now.”
My lips parted, something tugging at my memory. “I think Yasmin mentioned it last year. The big tree out by the pond? Didn’t she say it only blooms once a year?”
“Yes, on midsummer.”
My eyes widened. “Can we swing by and see it?”
At the immediate shaking of Callan’s head, I added, “Please? It might be my only chance to witness it bloom.”
“Sorry, local. This little soiree has moved out there for the next part of the festivities. You’d be noticed.”
I sighed. It had been worth a shot. “Well, enjoy it for me, will you?” I inhaled, soaking in the rich grape fragrance that must have been coming from the brilliant violet-blue trumpet-shaped flowers.
“Who says you’ll never enjoy it yourself?”
I perked up, wondering if he’d had a change of heart.
“Notthis year,” he clarified, dampening that little glimmer of hope. But if not this year… Did he think I would get to be here on midsummer at some point in the future? That thought made me feel warm all over, and I snagged a few of the jacaranda flowers from the air and tucked them into my pocket.
We climbed in Callan’s truck, and the subtle cologne smell I’d caught a few hints of in the academy hit me more strongly.
I tried to place the notes. It smelled like sandalwood and was that… peaches? I felt the telltale signs of the cologne taking effect on my limbic system, and I cracked the passenger-side window, letting the fresh air cool me off. Given that it was summer, it didn’t help much.
I looked at him again, his svelte tux in stark contrast to the pickup truck, which was dusty from driving across the dirt roads that led to campus. I was finding it hard to keep my eyes from darting to him, taking in all the subtle ways he had changed since I had last seen him.
The tousles of hair on top of his head were a little longer, and it stirred in the gentle wind that came through the open window. His olive skin was clear and smooth except for the stubble that lined his jaw.
“Which way are you parked?” he asked, and I quickly refocused out the windshield and pointed to the right. “How are your summer classes going?”
“Brutal, since they’re condensed. But I’m surviving. I even got an A on my most recent Calculus test.” I suppressed a smile, waiting for his reaction.
“You’re taking calc?” The note of surprise with a tinge of admiration in his voice sent a little thrill through me.
“You kept saying I should continue my math studies.” I shrugged.
“Yeah, but I didn’t realize you were listening.”
“Hey!” I said in mock offense. “I’m powerless on campus, not incapable of hearing.” I was delighted by the amused expression that formed on Callan’s face, though a shadow crossed it again at the mention of my loss of powers.
“Still no progress with figuring out the leaf messages, or are you just ghosting me?”
