I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 89

Sophie went straight to Gavin's research institute.

Receiving her call, Gavin practically sprinted downstairs. He had a white lab coat draped over his arm, clearly having pulled it off in the elevator because he was in too much of a rush to do it before leaving the lab.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I still have a bit of work left."

Gavin stared into her eyes as he spoke, seemingly trying to read something from her expression.

"You've waited for me so many times. It's my turn to wait for you."

Sophie smiled. She looked right back at Gavin. All she remembered from last night was Gwen calling him to pick her up. By the time she was in his car, she was already heavily intoxicated. She knew she must have rambled on, but the actual words were completely lost to her.

"There's a coffee shop across the street. Do you want to wait there, or do you want to come up?"

"I'll come up," Sophie answered without hesitation.

She watched the corners of Gavin's mouth turn up. "I want to see what you look like in the lab. Wearing that white coat, I wonder if you look like a mad scientist."

The amusement in Gavin's eyes deepened. Sophie was in much better spirits than he had anticipated.

He led Sophie into the institute and pointed toward the lab at the very end of the hall. "Outsiders aren't allowed inside, so you'll have to wait out here."

He had originally planned for her to wait at his desk, but Sophie followed him right to the glass wall of the lab.

"That's fine. I'll just watch you from here. Don't worry, I won't steal any of your highly classified secrets."

She watched Gavin put his lab coat back on and scan his fingerprint to enter. Through the glass, she waved and smiled at him.

Inside the lab, Gavin had his back to her, surrounded by an array of vials and equipment. Occasionally, he would turn his head to say something to a female colleague sitting at a computer nearby, who seemed to be logging data.

Perhaps because the woman was sitting, it made Gavin look even taller. She had always known he was tall, but this was the first time she realized how broad and reassuring his shoulders were.

Sophie stared blankly at his back. She had never actually taken the time to truly look at him from behind.

Every single time, he had always been the one walking toward her, his eyes filled with a smile as warm as the sun. The only time she had seen him leave, he had walked backward just so he could keep facing her.

The glass doors slid open, and Gavin walked out, smiling. "Did you wait long?"

Sophie shook her head. Compared to the hours he used to spend waiting for her, this was nothing.

Once, she had been out with a client who got entirely too drunk and wouldn't stop bragging. Dinner had dragged on until nearly 10 PM. She had made several excuses to use the restroom just so she could go check on Gavin, feeling intensely guilty and urging him to go home.

But Gavin had just smiled, said it was fine, pointed to the English research papers on his laptop, and waited with complete patience.

"Well, well, the girlfriend came for a personal pickup?"

Once they got out of the car, Gavin took a close look at her. It was probably the lingering hangover, combined with the motion sickness. Her complexion was terrible, and now she looked even paler.

Feeling self-conscious under his gaze, Sophie asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"I'll handle it. You can inspect the results of my cooking lessons from the past few days."

Gavin pulled Sophie into his apartment.

They had been eating in for the past few days. Sophie would cook, and Gavin would stand by to learn. He had discovered that noodles were the easiest.

While Sophie was out with her colleagues last night, he had bought some dry pasta, fresh shrimp, eggs, and greens, trying his hand at making seafood pasta. He was pretty proud of the result.

Sophie had barely eaten anything for lunch, so she was genuinely starving now.

"If you're tired, go lie down for a bit."

Gavin handed her a glass of water and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. Thank God, no fever. But she still looked entirely drained.

A short while later, Gavin walked out carrying a tray with two steaming bowls of seafood pasta. Bright red shrimp, golden fried eggs, and crisp green vegetables sat beautifully on top.

"Looks pretty good, right?" Gavin looked at Sophie, fishing for a compliment.