Chapter Text
CRUNCH!
Abby whipped her head around and glared at the girl eating an apple in the grad study area. She had her back to Abby, the granny smith in her left. The girl had her feet up on the desk, and looked like she was writing on a notebook in her lap. Abby huffed and turned back to her work.
Several minutes later she felt someone’s hand on her shoulder. Startled, she whacked the person in the face.
“Fuckin’” hissed the girl, “that hurt dude”. She was rubbing her nose when Abby turned to look at her.
“Oh god I’m so sor-” Abby began to reply. She got a good look at the girl’s face. She recognised her now. Jillian Holtzmann, Dr Gorin’s PhD candidate. She’d seen Jillian in the quantum and nuclear lab. Because for some reason MIT, the world class college that it was, couldn’t find different rooms for the two fields.
She’d noticed Jillian so many times before, but she was always too busy to talk to her. Seeing her up this close, and rubbing her nose, made Abby realise how attractive Jillian was. She was still pissed about her eating that goddamn apple so loudly though.
“‘Salright,” Jillian mumbled, “I heard you huff just before,” digging her hand into her pocket “and wanted to know if you wanted an apple.” She held another granny smith out for Abby. She took the apple, confused.
“‘Kay. Thanks for the apple, Jillian.”
“Holtzmann,” Jillian replied.
“What?”
“I-I prefer to be called Holtzmann.”
Abby looked her up and down. That definitely suited her much more than Jillian. Abby was definitely warming up to her.
“Alrighty,” she replied, “thanks for the apple, Holtz.”
“Not a prob!” Holtzmann pat Abby on her shoulder and turned back to her desk.
“Oh,” Holtzmann turned back, “I wanted to give you this as well.” She slipped a small piece of paper into one of the pockets of Abby’s jacket on the back of her chair. Holtz winked at Abby, and then went back to her calculations.
Confused, Abby reached back into the pocket and pulled out the piece of paper.
She had to suppress a giggle at the number.