The next afternoon, after class, when Ryan walked into his shared office with the other junior staff, silence ensued, and all eyes turned to him. The sudden shift made him pause at the doorway. There were only four other people in the office apart from him, and just before he stepped in, he had heard them jesting and laughing. But now.
He took a step back, wondering what had happened in the few hours he had spent in the classroom. "Is there a problem?" he asked cautiously.
Mary walked up to him with a teasing smile. "No problem."
The others shook their heads quickly in denial. But Ryan didn't buy it. Something had definitely happened.
Mary led him to his table, her grin wide, and there a pot of red roses was sitting. The bright red and green plant looked oddly at home among the stacks of papers and frames of insect pins.
"Who sent it?" Ryan asked, scanning the room for Alex, but he wasn't in. Now he wasn't sure if this was arranged as a prank by Alex or something else.
