The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 36

"Then you owe me a drink for that one." She raised her hand and called out, "Excuse me, can we get two beers?"

The beers arrived quickly. Sloane cracked hers open with a pop, slid one over to Josh, and kept the other for herself.

"What made you decide to study geology?"

"The tuition... is fully covered," Josh replied softly. Then he looked up and offered a faint smile. "And I actually really like it now. It suits me. I get to travel for fieldwork and just focus on the research."

A pang of sympathy tightened Sloane's chest.

She knew all about Josh's family situation. His father's business had tanked, leaving them buried in debt before the man took what was left of the money and ran. His mother was left alone, struggling with poor health. At such a young age, Josh had been forced to become the pillar of his family.

"Do you need any help... financially or anything?" Sloane asked.

"No, I'm okay. Don't worry. I've worked a lot of jobs over the years and made decent money. The debts are fully paid off. My advisor is great, too; he helped me apply for a bunch of scholarships, so I have more than enough. Besides... you've already helped me so much."

Josh said it so casually, but Sloane knew exactly how much blood, sweat, and tears were behind those words.

Looking at the handsome, articulate young man sitting across from her, she felt a genuine surge of pride for him.

"By the way, Josh, tell me more about this Antarctic expedition," Sloane suddenly brought up the question that had been gnawing at her. "What exactly is the White Microbe?"

"Right." Josh set down his fork, his tone shifting into focused professionalism. "The White Microbe was first discovered seventy-three years ago, beneath the Antarctic ice sheet in a subglacial lake nearly 2,300 feet deep. They called it The White Lake, which is how it got its name. It possesses a highly unique phagocytic property, which is why it's heavily utilized across various medical and scientific fields."

Phagocytic property?

Sloane's heart skipped a beat.

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