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It was exactly 9:58 a.m. on a Wednesday when Sophie pulled her satchel higher on her shoulder and climbed the stairs to the back of the lecture hall.
Dean Danbury had relegated her to babysitting duty after the clicker incident—which wasn’t, in and of itself, exactly terrible. She usually sat in the last row grading papers, occasionally glancing up to enjoy the spectacle of Anthony and Kate actively trying not to murder each other in front of one hundred unsuspecting fourth-years.
But today, instead of an empty seat waiting for her, she found Benedict Bridgerton.
His suit jacket was slung over the back of his chair, his tie loosened, feet propped on the table in front of him, and a bag of popcorn resting comfortably in his lap.
Sophie stopped short.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, dropping her bag into the empty chair beside him.
Benedict glanced up, entirely unbothered.
“Observing.”
Sophie frowned. “Observing what?”
Benedict tipped the popcorn bag toward the front of the lecture hall.
At the podium, Anthony and Kate were already arguing.
She turned slowly back to Ben.
“You brought popcorn?”
He popped another piece into his mouth. “I came prepared.”
Sophie slowly lowered herself into an adjacent seat as Kate brought the projector to life and welcomed the class.
Benedict tipped the bag toward her in silent offer. “How long do you give them?”
Sophie took a handful. “If previous lectures are any indication, about two minutes.”
At the front of the room, Anthony was already interjecting about something.
“And you just watch?” Benedict asked.
“Watch. Try to mitigate risk whenever possible. But mostly sit quietly in the back and question my life choices.”
He popped another piece into his mouth. “Interesting. And you get paid to do this?”
“Not well,” she clarified. “But it’s my current lot in life.”
At the front of the room, Kate clicked to the next slide.
Anthony leaned across the lecture table, pointing something out on the screen.
Kate leaned across the lecture table right back at him.
Benedict squinted thoughtfully. “Are they…circling each other?”
“Hard to say,” Sophie replied as she munched thoughtfully. “There’s ongoing debate about whether it’s an ancient war dance or some sort of mating ritual.”
He seemed to consider that.
Kate said something sharp enough that several students in the front row visibly flinched.
Anthony smiled in a way that suggested he had absolutely no intention of backing down.
And another handful disappeared between Sophie and Ben.
“Careful,” Sophie murmured as she leaned forward. “We’re approaching dangerous territory.”
Back at the front of the class, Anthony reached for the clicker.
Kate snatched it out of his hand.
Several students exchanged nervous glances.
Benedict leaned forward with renewed interest. “Oh, that felt significant.”
“It is,” Sophie said gravely. “The clicker is a constant source of conflict.”
“Fascinating.”
Anthony stood again, gesturing broadly at a chart.
Kate was gesturing more broadly.
“Do they always escalate this quickly?” Benedict asked as he tipped the bag toward Sophie again.
“Today’s actually fairly restrained.”
Benedict blinked.
“Last week there was a whiteboard involved.”
A flash of movement caught Sophie’s eye. Anthony stretched his arms, reached behind him, and tugged on the neck of his sweater, pulling it over his head before tugging the plain white t-shirt beneath it back into place.
Beside him, Kate visibly short-circuited.
“Is he…is he undressing?” Benedict asked.
“Just the cardigan,” Sophie clarified.
“So this is…a choice?”
Sophie swallowed and nodded. “Kate hates it,” she said. “And by hate, I mean it triggers a sexual awakening she refuses to acknowledge.”
Benedict’s eyes flicked between them as Anthony said something that made Kate’s jaw tighten.
“They’re making eye contact,” he noticed.
“If they maintain it for longer than ten seconds, someone will cite a paper out of pure spite.”
Benedict glanced at her. “How do you know when it’s about to get worse?”
Sophie gestured lazily toward the front of the room with a piece of popcorn. “Anthony’s forehead vein and Kate’s shoulders”
“Excuse me?”
“If she rolls her shoulders, or if Anthony’s forehead vein appears, I intervene. And try to save HR a whole mess of paperwork.”
“And that happens often?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“This is better than anything on television,” he said, extending the bag one final time to offer her the last few pieces.
She took them without hesitation.
Anthony dismissed the class without Kate’s approval.
The students immediately started filing out while Kate shouted last-minute instructions about upcoming assignments and simultaneously gave Anthony a death glare.
Benedict grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair.
“Next week, same time?”
Sophie slung her bag over her shoulder.
“It's a date,” she agreed. “Bring the popcorn again.”