Free Only Uni by Camy Tang

an entire day in contaminated plates. “I’ll check it today.”
    He had already figured out that Trish might act like a ditz sometimes, but she certainly wasn’t one. It hadn’t taken him long to realize a biologist wouldn’t have gotten to her level of seniority without some brains behind the wide eyes and nonstop mouth.
    “How’s your mom’s flu? Is she feeling any better?” Trish peered closely at the bottom of a well.
    He pipetted cells into the Eppendorf tube. “Sort of.”
    “What do you mean, sort of?”
    “You ever taken Chinese medicine?”
    “No, but my cousins are half Chinese, and their parents do.” Trish passed him another plate.
    “Mom says, ‘If bad taste means strong medicine, you’re cured.’ ”
    Trish snickered. “What’s she taking?”
    “Some new root that she boils on the stove. I walked into her kitchen and thought the cat had died.”
    Trish erupted into laughter.
    He didn’t expect the dazzling smile that made the laboratory lights seem dim. She turned the full force of that smile at him, making him blink in surprise. He felt like someone punched him in the stomach. He had never seen a smile that could make a guy grin back like an idiot.
    “So does it work?”
    It took him a moment to realize she’d asked a question. “She says it does, but when she drinks it, she looks like she’s in pain.”
    Trish hooted. “That’s what my cousin’s mom looks like, too.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and applied herself to her work, a smile still hovering on her mouth.
    He’d never really noticed her features before, how pretty she was. And she was fun to be around.
    She handed him the last plate. “I need more coffee.”
    “You had three cups this morning already.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Nag, nag, nag. I’m going to get something from the cafeteria.” Her face lit up at the prospect of something nuclear-strength and venti-sized from the espresso bar.
    He looked her in the eye. “Your coffee addiction is scary.”
    She laughed and left the lab.
    The lab seemed darker without her in it.

    She’d be a fun date.
    In his office, Spenser studied Trish as she stared at her calendar, as if daring it to defy her careful planning. Her arched brows scrunched under a smooth forehead, already a bit shiny by mid-morning and framed by the straight dark hair that fell from her middle part, with wisps softening her face. She was always well dressed, but usually untidy by noon.
    Spenser tended to prefer tiny, delicate girls. Trish was short, but not delicate. However, her jeans showed off nicely curved hips that weren’t unattractive. She didn’t walk — she bounced with confidence and energy. While she wasn’t as trendy as his other girlfriends had been, she didn’t dress like a slob, either. He wouldn’t mind being seen with her on his arm.
    So why not? He wasn’t proposing marriage or anything. A date would be a casual way to get to know her better. If it didn’t work out, he knew it wouldn’t faze her efficient work ethic.
    She didn’t bother to look up at him. She frowned at her calendar. “Spenser, do you think we’ll see any alkaline phosphatase on day three? Should we collect samples on day five instead?” Her head tilted, as if she still thought about her question even as she waited for him to answer.
    Spenser heard a voice that sounded like his own. “Are you doing anything tonight? Let’s go out to dinner.”

SEVEN

    N o. Way.
    Did six-feet-of-gorgeous just ask her out? She must be hearing things. Was he asking out someone else?
    No, he was looking right at her. Aside from the fact there were only the two of them in the room, guys generally didn’t make direct eye contact with one girl while asking out another.
    When the shock wave receded, her heart started to pound. Six-feet-of-gorgeous had asked her out! He hadn’t even asked that Hong Kong intern to go out to dinner! (She knew because she’d rather slyly asked.)
    Wait a minute, why had he asked her