Chapter Text
‘I’m scared.’
‘Hm.’
‘I mean it, all this could easily turn into a disaster. Do you think we need barrier tape to divide the garden into a Nicky and a Joe zone?’
‘Quynh?’
‘Yes, my love?’
‘Go to sleep. Please!’ Andy rolled onto her side, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in, back under the duvet.
Quynh allowed her to snuggle into her shoulder but her thoughts still ran wild, ‘I’m just confused, you know? How did we get to this point, what exactly happened to make them hate each other?’
‘Are you going to sleep once we had this discussion? Because then, I might actually be up for this right now at,’ Andy peeked through her already closed eyes to read the clock on the nightstand, ‘two in the morning.’
‘Yes!’ Quynh bolted to sit upright in bed, ‘Okay, so, do you know what happened? They are so similar in their interests and paths of life, I thought it would be natural for them to spend all their breaks together, and Nicky could have profited from Joe having finished his degree just as Joe could profit from Nicky bringing in a fresh perspective. Why can’t they see how perfectly matched they would be as friends?’
Andy sighed and propped herself up against the pillows, rubbing at her eyes, ‘Because they would be even better off together.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘They would be even better for each other together. It’s not friendship, you see? What they have and where they’re heading, I’d say they are halfway in love already but both are too stubborn to see it.’
‘Well, they better figure it out soon,’ Quynh sighed and let her head fall back against the wall, ‘the students have started to notice.’
‘What do you mean, the students have noticed?’
‘Oh come on, it really is clear as day; I mean exactly that,’ she tried to spot Andy’s face in the darkness of the room, ‘there are rumours going around the departments, of Professor al-Kaysani and Doctor di Genova ignoring each other in the hallway, of snide comments made about rivalry between the lecturers and at least one said they’d seen an eye-roll in the canteen.’
‘Sure, and your point? These are not rumours, we were there for the eye-roll. It’s hardly a secret,’ Andy moved under the blanket, wrapping her legs around it with a stretch of her feet, ‘so the two of them have a bit of a rivalry going, it’s not the worst thing that could happen.’
‘There is a betting pool and Booker is the one running it out of his Advanced French course.’
‘What?’
‘I just told you, he is running the betting pool from his course –‘
‘That’s not what I meant, he is running a bet and he did not ask me to participate? I’m going to give him a piece of my mind tomorrow, how can he do that knowing I would win that bet?’
‘Maybe because he knows that?’ Quynh sighed, ‘you’re already formulating what you’re going to tell him, aren’t you? Just make sure Nicky and Joe don’t hear about this, I want the barbeque to be a nice get together amongst colleagues, okay?’
‘Of course,’ Andy wrapped her arms around her waist, ‘now, will you finally lie down and let me sleep in peace? You know that everything is planned and organised, there is nothing you could possibly change up now.’
‘You’re right,’ she slipped down into the embrace offered by her partner, ‘a garden party without surprises or drama.’
‘You are going to regret saying that,’ Andy murmured, pressing her nose into her shoulder, ‘before that damn party even starts.’
She was right and Quynh knew it. By the time the first guests arrived, she had already had a fight with the caterer about the desserts and managed to banish Andy to the grill. It was a welcome surprise to see Joe and Booker enter together, both carrying flowers for their hosts.
‘You shouldn’t have,’ Quynh took her bouquet from Joe, ‘Andy is putting on the first sausages and potatoes, I think.’
Booker kissed her on the cheek and went to join her on the terrace. Quynh sighed and pulled Joe into the house, just in time before voices grew louder.
‘Is that Andy?’
‘Booker must have annoyed her. You know how they are,’ she grabbed a vase and filled it with water for the flowers, ‘these are beautiful, Joe, thank you very much.’
‘Pretty flowers for pretty women,’ he shrugged and watched as she moved the vase around the room, searching for the best spot, ‘I heard something quite amusing in one of my classes today.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘Yes, I have the first year students in their basic art history course, and apparently, there is someone who does English and art.’
‘That is a useful combination,’ Quynh watched his expression change, going through a journey of emotions as he tried to compose himself enough to find words, ‘they will have loads of opportunities, if things go right.’
‘If things go – Quynh, she seems convinced the English department is doing a great job right now, with all the courses they offer. She had the nerve to tell me, to my face, that she doesn’t just take Doctor di Genova’s classes, every single one, but also that he is her favourite lecturer and she is already excited for the research project.’
‘I don’t see your point,’ she set down the vase on the windowsill, casting a look at Andy and Booker who were deep in conversation but no longer yelling at each other which led her to believe her partner had paid into the betting pool and agreed on a rate with him, ‘how does agreeing with Nicky’s teaching make you look like a lemon in April?’
His lips twitched into a smile that dropped again before she could really enjoy it. The expression he wore was a little off, not at all what she was used from him.
‘Did she really tell you how much she liked his classes like that?’
‘No, I overheard her talking in the classroom,’ Joe leaned against the wall, ‘If only I knew what’s so special about him that makes the whole university swoon over him! It’s as if everybody lost their minds, all of a sudden; he has done nothing so far, to leave any impression, and still, all I hear anywhere is di Genova.’
‘Jealous?’ She grinned when she noticed Joe flinch a little as his eyes darted back to her, ‘oh, I’m sorry, is something distracting you before the official start of my famous garden party? Are you maybe keeping an eye out for a certain habilitation candidate out there?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous! And the party has already started,’ Joe returned to the door and opened it for her, ‘he’s late.’
‘I beg to differ,’ Quynh grinned and walked past him, towards the man who stood in the middle of the terrace and seemed to look around for someone, ‘Welcome, dearest Nicky, I’m so glad you could come today!’
‘Quynh!’ His face lit up with a small smile, ‘I am so sorry, I thought I was late already. Professor Burton had her baby today, I needed to arrange a few things she would have worked on from home otherwise.’
‘The baby’s here? That’s wonderful, did you talk to her already, what is it?’ She grabbed his arm and dragged him along, past Joe who still stood in the door and watched, towards Andy who showed Booker something on the table she used for all her meat cuts and barbeque supplies, ‘Andy, the baby’s here!’
‘Yes, Quynh, I can see you found Nicky, I’m not blind,’ Andy placed some vegetable pockets wrapped in kitchen foil on the grid.
Booker snorted out a laughter and ducked away with a quick greeting in Nicky’s direction. It left Quynh to glare at Andy.
‘That was rude! No, Burty had the baby,’ she explained, ignoring the way Nicky seemed to try and blend into the background, ‘the actual baby, Andy!’
‘She did?’ Andy turned away from the grill and hugged Nicky briefly, ‘that’s marvellous. See, Quynh, you can finally send off that gift basket you have kept in our bedroom for the last month.’
‘That gift basket is a wonderful, thought out thing of magic and love, don’t drag it down, Andy,’ she turned around to Nicky, ‘will you let her know we are overjoyed with the news and want to be updated as soon as possible, if you talk to her before we do.’
‘Of course,’ Nicky nodded, ‘is there some sort of code for tonight? I have to admit, I haven’t been to many garden parties.’
‘Oh, it’s very simple,’ Quynh pointed around the filling garden, ‘go around, talk to people, make friends. Be here when Andy hands out some grilled food and get a beer from the table behind Booker, yes?’
‘Thank you!’ He turned and retreated, hands shoved into the pockets of the suit he wore, seemingly the only one of their colleagues who had opted for formal wear.
‘Look at him, like a fawn making his first teetering steps,’ Andy laughed behind her, ‘how was your talk with Joe? He looks pissed off.’
‘Stubborn as a mule,’ Quynh sighed and shrugged, ‘please tell me you’ll try and get through to them. I don’t like seeing them like this, it’s not good and will only cause even more bad blood and grim faces.’
‘I have it on good authority that Nicky doesn’t intend to talk to Joe either, if he doesn’t show him at least a little respect and concession. After all, and I told him I backed that thought, he has his PhDs and a very good position at the university.’
‘Well, yes, they are both stubborn and idiots for not seeing what is right in front of them,’ Quynh took her hand for a second to get her attention, ‘what did you bet on, though?’
‘I told Booker they would be friends within a week from today.’
‘Then you better help me, darling.’
Quynh kept an eye on Nicky, as he socialised more and more with colleagues of different departments. He seemed to make good conversation with most of them, participating in a small group of language professors who seemed keen on exchanging research resources and university gossip. It seemed like he had found something to eat and drink as well, holding a plate with some salads and cut fruit in one hand and balancing a beer in the other as he listened to what one of the older colleagues had to say.
‘Is your plan working yet?’ Andy appeared by her side, a platter with grilled meats in her hands.
‘No, look at them, they are in different corners of the garden. Nothing can get them even close to each other. It’s like oil and water, they don’t mingle. They talk to the same people, just not together in the same group,’ Quynh sighed and grabbed a skewer off the platter, ‘what am I doing wrong?’
Andy pressed a quick, rushed kiss to her cheek, ‘You have their best interests at heart, but you have to go approach this matter like business.’
She ventured past her, a confident smirk on her lips. Quynh followed her a moment later, questions on her lips that she needed some time for to form them.
‘What are you doing? What do you mean? And why do I get the feeling you bet a lot of money on that wager? Andy, come on, what are you doing?’
‘I’m doing everybody a favour,’ Andy opens the gate and points to a car that has pulled into their driveway, ‘there you finally are, what took you so long?’
‘I am deeply sorry, traffic was the absolute worst,’ Lykon came up to her and gave her a hug, lifting her up and twirling her around, “it’s so good of you to invite me to the party! Hi Quynh!’
‘Lykon!’ She ran towards both of them, stopping short to hit her girlfriend in the side, ‘You could have told me!’
‘Oh yes, I could have but surprising you is still the best way to go about it!’ Lykon hugged her as well, holding both of them in his arms for a moment, ‘I brought wine.’
‘Thank you so much, we needed a good wine,’ Andy took the bottle from him with an eye-roll, ‘Booker and Joe are somewhere around.’
‘I should go say hello, I haven’t seen Joe since he helped me move my TV down to the car so it wouldn’t get damaged,’ Lykon grinned at them and ran off, into the garden.
‘Wait for it,’ Andy winked at her, ‘Three, two, one –‘
‘Lykon! What in all the world are you doing here?’ Joe’s voice was clear to hear throughout the garden, ‘I thought you were somewhere far away from here!’
‘Of course I’m here, I can’t miss Quynh and Andy’s garden party!’
‘See,’ Andy took her arm, ‘it’s all going according to plan. Now, we can enjoy our party. May I say, your dress looks absolutely stunning?’
‘Oh, this old thing?’ Quynh twirled around under her arm, ‘Just something I threw on.’
‘It looks amazing,’ Andy followed the back neckline with a finger, “I would argue, though, that something’s missing in that outfit.’
‘What? I am even carrying a purse today,’ Quynh held it out for her to see.
‘I’m not talking about the dress, or your purse, or the shoes,’ Andy slipped her arm around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss, ‘I’m talking about the right jewellery for it all.’
‘Oh Andy, I think I have enough necklaces. The one you brought back from Thessaloniki is still the most thoughtful gift I have ever received,’ Quynh turned back to her.
‘I was more thinking a ring,’ Andy held her open hand out, the small ring box popped open, ‘that is, if you want it.’
‘Andy, are you nuts?’
‘You tell me,’ she grinned at her, ‘come on, Quynh, don’t leave me hanging.’
‘You didn’t even properly ask me,’ Quynh pulled her hand back and pouted at her, ‘there was no question mark in that sentence!’
‘Okay, okay, I’ll add a question mark!’ Andy sighed and raked her fingers through her hair, ‘Quynh, my love, my life, will you marry me?’
She swayed on the spot, grinning and beaming at her, ‘Of course I will. That you even had to ask…’
Andy slipped the ring onto her finger and gave her another kiss, this time not letting her go immediately, ‘I love you.’
‘I love you, too. Do we tell everybody today?’
‘One of the reasons why I needed Lykon to be here. I wouldn’t announce it without him here,’ Andy pressed another kiss to her mouth, ‘but if you’re fine with it we can tell everybody.’
‘Brilliant,’ Quynh grabbed her hand, ‘let’s go I need to show off this ring.’
With that, she turned around and pulled her along, ‘Everybody, guess who just proposed to me?’
The onslaught was immediate. With colleagues and friends already there, Andy got more hugs than usually in a year. Joe and Lykon nearly tore them apart in their joy, lifting them up and nearly knocking them over with their overflowing energy. Booker inspected the ring on her finger and nodded, telling her with a wink it was a real stone and Andy would be unable to ever disappoint her if she went all out on the engagement already. Quynh thanked him with a smile and an eye-roll, reminding him that neither of them planned on ever disappointing the other.
Once the first tidal wave of congratulations was over, Quynh spotted Nicky hovering to the side, seemingly waiting for everybody else to step aside or unsure whether he wanted to say anything at all. She decided to take the choice out of his hands, pushed past Lykon with a playful shove and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
‘I am happy, Nicky,’ she exclaimed and squealed into his ear, ‘hold me so I don’t combust out of joy.’
‘Congratulations, Quynh. I am happy for you and Andy. The two of you will become even more radiant and beautiful in this final combination of your souls and love,’ Nicky squeezed her and lifted her off the ground, his arms holding her up without wavering, ‘you deserve the world, both of you, and you are so good for each other, it’s almost as if you are each other’s world. Everybody can see it.’
‘Oh you are too sweet, Nicky,’ she stayed in his arms even after he set her down again, ‘thank you! I can’t believe this is happening today, of all days.’
She looked around, saw Andy still talking to Joe and Booker, and waved Lykon closer who, in turn, had taken to hovering close to them. Quynh knew a chance when it presented itself.
‘Lykon, do you know Nicky? Have the two of you met, already?’
‘What?’ Lykon turned around and grinned at her when he spotted Nicky next to her, ‘Oh yes, I was there for your interview, wasn’t I? You spoke on the jester’s position in King Lear and compared it to the Arthuriana. An impressive study topic, Doctor di Genova!’
‘And you,’ Nicky took the hand Lykon extended for him, ‘I remember your comments after my trial lesson. You were very kind.’
Lykon grinned and pulled him into a hug, ‘I am just relieved we found you, Burty is immensely pleased with you, she told me as much. Someone told me she had the baby?’
‘She did,’ Nicky nodded, ‘I sorted everything in the office and we did have a last meeting last week, in preparation for this. Without doubt, she will call me within the next few days because she doesn’t trust me to keep to her plans.’
Lykon tugged him away by the elbow, towards the buffet. Quynh watched them with a satisfied grin. By the time they had loaded their plates with food and snacks, they were deep in conversation, discussing the advantages of different research theories and comparing experiences made in Italy. She joined them as Lykon retold a story from an earlier study tour around the north of the country, only for Nicky to join in and ask questions to reveal that Lykon had visited his university before.
‘That was when I knew I wanted to find out more about the Great Tour because I essentially followed all these people in their tracks,’ Lykon filled two glasses with the fruit punch, ‘I have to say, I did not expect that idea to become reality when I suggested it to Professor Burton.’
Nicky nodded slowly, accepting one of the glasses, ‘We were funded with that project. Professor Burton and I spent a lot of time going through the plans again and again to make sure it was fool proof but there was nothing that would have been a weakness. You must have spent weeks coming up with every detail, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better, more thought-out research plan. It was a joy to take over.’
Lykon chuckled and put an arm around his shoulders, ‘You can’t imagine how thankful and relieved I was when you agreed to take it on. Not all candidates for the job were as forthcoming, the least of them even asked about what my plan with it had been and not a single one of them lit up at the mention as you did. When Burty suggested to take you on, I felt like my project would be in good hands and it became a bit easier to say goodbye.’
‘Knowing that you would return for all the important things?’ Quynh sipped on her punch and let her eyes wander.
When she caught Andy’s eye behind Nicky, she could no longer hold in a grin. She continued to listen to the conversation between the two, just as Nicky began to once again list the exact things he loved about the project Lykon had devised long before he transferred. Lykon replied in kind, and within minutes, they had found a new topic in discussing Professor Burton’s genius and Nicky’s habilitation thesis in detail, resulting in Lykon getting rather shiny eyes.
She gave both men a pat on the back, hugged Lykon once more and pressed a kiss on his cheek before making her round towards Andy. Her fiancé, she thought and wrapped her arms around her waist, squeezing her tight for good measure.
‘Joe went into the pavilion,’ Andy turned in the embrace and kissed her softly.
‘Why would I need to know where Joe is right now?’
‘Because you’re fucking plot worked,’ Andy shook her head, ‘he overheard Lykon talk about his idea for the research project, turned beet-red and ran to hide in the pavilion.’
‘Really? What a coincidence,’ Quynh hummed and nuzzled her neck, ‘for them to be talking about the very thing Joe still holds a grudge for, making him an absolute ass towards Nicky, just as he walks past. You know I love Joe dearly but he tends to get ahead of himself and rushes into situations and judgements before he even takes a moment to think.’
‘Outright devious,’ Andy grinned, ‘but did you think to include Nicky in your little plot?’
‘No, why?’
‘Because there’s a good chance he’ll just blow him off, if Joe approaches him with an apology and an explanation. That boy can hold a grudge just as well as Joe, you know?’ Andy threaded their fingers together and pulled Quynh in, ‘This is far from over, babe. I still have a bet to win. Will you talk to Joe?’
Quynh whined a little, letting her fiancé hear what she thought of letting her go again but Andy’s eyes were big and shiny and she too weak to say no to them, ‘Alright, I will, but you owe me food afterwards.’
She unwound Andy’s arms from around her waist and sighed deeply. Behind her, Booker laughed at something Nicky said, looking altogether pleased with himself. Quynh made her way over to the small pavilion Andy had built herself, designing it to fit their imaginations perfectly. Inside, Joe sat on the bench they had installed around the brazier.
‘Hey, Quynh,’ he looked up from his hands that he had fiddled with, ‘did you know that Lykon devised and planned the project the English department got the funds for?’
‘It wasn’t necessarily a secret,’ she shrugged and sat down next to him, ‘why?’
‘Because I’ve made very sure to treat him in the least respectful way I could imagine,’ Joe buried his face in his hands, ‘I guess he just came here to finish his thesis, work and contribute to the academic life here.’
‘Really, Joe, what a surprise, it’s almost as if all of us told you so.’
‘I know,’ he rubbed at his eyes, ‘I should go apologise to him for making an ass of myself.’
‘You should.’
‘Quynh?’
‘Hm?’
‘Do you think it’ll work?’
‘Apologising to the young habilitation candidate whom you made snide comments about from Day One? The one who overheard you vent to Booker about how unfair it was that he was given anything because he hasn’t been in the game as long?’
Joe groaned and Quynh grinned, seeing his discomfort as a sign of betterment under the circumstances, ‘I mean, you can try. He might even listen to you. Can you remember being a young researcher and starting on the big projects, hm? You wouldn’t want someone as a colleague who doubted you from the beginning and didn’t deign you the option to even prove yourself. You know well enough that at some point, we all needed to take on something bigger than our paygrade to get any further, and Nicky is at exactly that point in his career. So I would advise you to think before you talk to him again, and maybe remember what it was like. I suppose, it’s already a big thing that you started thinking. It’s just sad it needed Lykon to come back for a visit for you to even have the inkling of an idea your behaviour might be inappropriate.’
Joe groaned and looked up at her, ‘Should I apologise tonight?’
‘Joe, you’re an adult man with a job and a couple of titles,’ she shrugged and pushed herself onto her feet, ‘figure it out yourself. You still have some thinking to do.’
‘I do?’
‘Duh,’ Quynh patted his head, ‘think about this; would you still apologise if you’d just realised that you behaved shitty? Or did you only feel like you should apologise because you realised the project Nicky got the funding for is actually based on Lykon’s idea?’
‘Quynh,’ Joe let his head knock into the wooden beams that held the roof and the numerous vines and blooms that were part of the meticulous planting plan Andromache had inflicted on their garden, ‘do you think there’s even the sliver of a chance that he’ll even listen, let alone forgive me?’
‘That, old chap, is an answer you’ll only be able to get when you tell him,’ Quynh patted his shoulder and left the pavilion again, throwing out her arms as she walked away, still looking back at him.
‘Yes,’ Joe ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes finding Nicky under the cherry tree, joking around with Lykon and Booker, his hand resting on his chest as he threw back his head in a full body laugh that made his eyes water and his hair fly, ‘I will talk to him, at some point soon. I promise.’