MIA POV
I am standing outside his office door at 2:05 PM.
My appointment was at 2:00.
Five minutes late. Deliberate. Calculated. The plan was simple show up late enough that he'd moved on, that the slot would be filled with awkward apology and rescheduling, that I could escape this whole thing on a technicality and blame the clock.
The hallway is empty. The building is quiet.
I lift my hand and knock.
"Come in."
Of course he's here. Of course.
He is standing when I open the door, which I wasn't expecting. Not sitting behind the desk in full professor armor actually standing, at the bookshelf along the side wall, sliding a book back into place. He turns when I walk in, and for exactly one second, before either of us has said anything, we are just two people in a small room looking at each other.
Then he says, "Ms. Cole. You found it."
"Sorry I'm late," I say. "I lost track of time."
"No problem." He gestures to the chair across from his desk. "Sit down."
