HUGO - Chapter 3
Hugo
‘Hello, my big brother!’ Cooper exclaims cheerfully as he barges into my office.
‘Hi, Coop,’ I greet him, only a little surprised to see him. We don't have an appointment scheduled, but when Cooper is working near the office he drops by for a chat sometimes. I quickly minimize the UW Madison tab on my screen with Dr. Chastain’s email address on it. I’ve been staring at it all morning. ‘To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?’
‘I’m here to shamelessly exploit the fact that my big boss is also my big brother,’ Cooper smirks. He tosses a filled out equipment request form on my desk. He then grabs Barbara’s empty chair, rolls it up to my desk, and plops down on it. He puts his feet up on the corner of my desk and crosses his ankles. ‘We need a new pneumatic angle grinder. I need you to approve it today, so I can have it ordered this afternoon, and hopefully have it delivered on Monday.’
‘What, another one? What the hell are your guys doing with these things? Using them for hockey practice?’ I ask him suspiciously.
‘No, but they do make decent baseball bats,’ Cooper deadpans.
‘Didn’t you just get a new one last month?’
‘That was a circular saw,’ Cooper corrects me.
‘For crying out loud, Cooper. You guys go faster through machinery than any of my other crews!’ I complain to him.
‘Hard work wears out equipment,’ my brother shrugs, completely unfazed.
‘Yeah, well, your crew is costing me a fortune,’ I grumble, while I sign his request form on the dotted line and push the document back to him across my desk.
‘Don’t be a bitch about it. We also do twice the work in half the time the other crews do, so we make you a shit ton of money too,’ Cooper replies, arching his eyebrow while he cockily folds his arms behind his head.
‘That’s true,’ I concede. Cooper’s is by far my most profitable and efficient crew. He’s paid handsomely for it as well. I glance up when Barbara steps back inside the office, holding a bowl of fresh fruit in her arms.
‘Fresh vitamins, gentlemen,’ she declares, seemingly unfazed by Cooper sitting in her chair. She tosses me a banana and Cooper an apple. We both effortlessly catch them mid-air, exchange a glance, and silently swap our fruit.
‘Thank you,’ I nod appreciatively at my secretary before taking a bite of the apple.
‘Barbara, darling, when are you finally going to leave that husband of yours and run away with me?’ Cooper asks her over his shoulder, while he peels his banana. He pouts and bats his eyes at her.
‘You are lucky that you're the boss’s brother, Cooper Harmon,’ Barbara shakes her head at him sternly, ‘or I would have filed a sexual harassment claim against you years ago.’
‘What?’ Cooper pretends to gasp. ‘But what about our destined love story?’
‘You still can, you know,’ I inform Barbara. ‘I can hire a new foreman before the day is over, but I can't replace the irreplaceable.’ I give Cooper's feet a shove so they fall off my desk.
‘I see that I’ve already overstayed my welcome,’ Cooper sighs dramatically as he gets up. He pushes Barbara's chair back to her desk and offers it to her with a deep, exaggerated bow. ‘Your throne, milady.’
‘That’s better,’ Barbara says, without even blinking.
‘Could you please, if you have a moment, find it in your gentle heart to put in this order for me today?’ Cooper asks her in an overly polite, begging tone, as he offers her the form I just signed with another bow.
‘Since you asked so nicely, I will consider it,’ Barbara says haughtily. She sits down and turns her cheek to Cooper, tapping it twice with her index finger. ‘Now give us a kiss and get your lazy behind back to work.’
‘Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am,’ Cooper salutes and reverently presses a tiny kiss on her cheek.
‘Come on, idiot. I’ll walk you out,’ I say, grinning about their banter.
It’s always amusing to watch how effortlessly Cooper connects with people. He has this uncanny ability to put everyone at ease, and it’s something that can make me a little envious at times. People usually find me intimidating at first, and it often takes a while for them to warm up to me. But Cooper? He meets someone new and, within a minute, has them laughing and chatting as if they’ve been friends for years. I suppose that’s the result of being able to goof around and living without a care in the world, something I’ve never been able to afford. I push my chair back, shut down my computer, and grab my jacket from the back of my chair.
‘Hugo, don’t forget you have a meeting with Mr. Montgomery this afternoon,’ Barbara warns me.
‘I know. I have some other things to take care of first, and then I’m going to meet him at his office,’ I confirm. ‘I’ll see you on Monday.’
‘Have a good weekend,’ Barbara waves at me, already continuing with her work.
Cooper and I walk outside together, exchanging goodbyes before heading to our respective cars. A sense of anticipation builds in me as I drive toward the university campus in Madison. Finding Dr. Chastain’s email address on the university’s website was easy enough, and I know I could have simply emailed her to inquire about the presentation. But without a student email, I worry that it would tip her off to the fact that I’m not actually a student at UW Madison—and that she might not send me the materials. Or at least, that’s the excuse I’ve been telling myself all morning. The truth is that I kind of want to see her again.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I remember the surprise I felt when she walked into that lecture hall yesterday. Not only because it hadn’t even occurred to me that the professor could be a woman of my age–I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d automatically assumed Dr. Chastain was a man–but because her presence was magnetic. She commanded the room instantly. Sure, she’s tall and curvy, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice her lush figure. Her chestnut hair and flawless skin are undeniably striking. But it was the way she carried herself—graceful, confident—that really caught my attention. And it wasn’t just me. Every student in that room was completely engrossed in her lecture. Dr. Chastain is clearly not only brilliant but also passionate about her work. I’ll admit, half of what she discussed went over my head—there’s so much context and background I’m missing—but the way she taught made it impossible not to hang on to every word she said.
I pull into the parking lot and quickly swap my button-down shirt for the more casual beige one I tossed in the backseat this morning. Even without my jacket, I’d definitely stood out a little too much in a suit on campus yesterday. I’m still wearing my formal dress pants, but changing into a pair of jeans behind the wheel in a parking lot seems like overkill—especially since I’ll be switching back into my suit later for my meeting at Alex's law firm.
I get out of my car and head into the Psychology building. On the second floor, I move from door to door until I find the one with Dr. Chastain’s name on it. Apparently, she shares her office with two others, as there are three names listed. But when I knock on the slightly ajar door and peek inside, I find only two desks. Dr. Chastain is sitting behind one, her attention focused on the computer screen in front of her. A small frown is furrowing her forehead as she silently mouths along with whatever she’s reading, completely absorbed in her work.
‘Dr. Chastain?’ I ask politely, to catch her attention.
Her eyes glance in my direction and she lifts her perfectly shaped eyebrows. She seems surprised to see me, despite telling me that I could stop by.
‘Hugo, right?’ she asks, a flash of recognition crossing her face. ‘Come in. How can I help you?’
‘I came by for the slides from your first lecture,’ I reply. As I move closer, I pull out a brand-new USB drive from my pocket and place it carefully on her desk.
Dr. Chastain looks up at me, clearly surprised. She leans back in her chair, studying me intently. A slight nervousness creeps up on me, although I can’t tell if it’s from her piercing gaze or the sudden awareness of the deep, captivating chocolate brown of her eyes.
‘You did say I could come by to get those slides, right?’ I ask, my voice a little less certain than I’d intended.
She holds my gaze with an intense stare, but after a few seconds she suddenly smiles at me.
‘Yes, I did,’ Dr. Chastain confirms. ‘I just expected you to email me about them, I guess.’
‘Oh… I'm sorry,’ I mumble awkwardly.
‘No, don't be,’ she says, resolutely shaking her head at me. ‘I wish all my students were this dedicated!’ She takes my USB drive and plugs it in her computer. After a few clicks on her screen she pulls it out again and hands it back to me. ‘There you go. I put this week's and last week's slides for you on there.’
‘Thank you, I appreciate it,’ I say gratefully. I'm definitely going to go over them at home, as soon as I'm alone.
I put the USB drive back in my pocket, but then I hesitate and glance back at Dr. Chastain. This encounter lasted much shorter than I’d anticipated and I have some time to kill before I have to be at Alex’s law firm. I wonder if she would mind if I extended my visit. I would really like to learn more about psychosis, and she seems to be the perfect person to enlighten me. And to be honest, I wouldn't mind getting to know a little bit more about the intriguing Dr. Chastain herself either.
‘Is there anything else?’ Dr. Chastain asks me, her tone not unfriendly.
‘Actually, I know you must be very busy, but I was wondering if you had time to answer some of my questions about schizophrenia,’ I admit, sending her a hopeful look.
To my relief, Dr. Chastain gives me a breathtaking smile, one that could have come straight from a toothpaste commercial.
‘Tell you what. You can walk with me to the coffee cart outside, and I’ll answer any questions you have, until we get back to my office,’ Dr. Chastain offers with a friendly tone. She pushes herself away from her desk. ‘I didn’t get a lunch break today and I haven’t been outside yet, except for the walk to and from my car. I’m dying for some fresh air.’
‘I’ve heard the academic world was tough, but I didn't know you were even denied lunch breaks,’ I say, raising my eyebrows at her as we start walking down the hallway.
‘It’s my own fault,’ Dr. Chastain readily admits. ‘Mondays and Tuesdays are reserved for my clinical work, so I only have three days for all my research and teaching duties. My Fridays are mostly for supervising the work of my graduate students. I often get so focused that I lose track of time. You have no idea how many times I’ve glanced at the clock because I’m hungry, only to realize it’s already three or four in the afternoon and I’ve skipped lunch again.’
‘It sounds like you’re in desperate need of an alarm system. Or an assistant who reminds you to eat,’ I smile. The same would probably happen to me if I didn't have Barbara forcing me to take a lunch break every day.
‘From your lips to my boss’s ears,’ Dr. Chastain laughs. The sound is like music to my ears. We head outside through a side door and she steers me to the left, where I already spot the coffee cart. There’s only one person in front of us, so we stand behind him to wait for our turn.
‘I guess I’ll go have a word with your boss then,’ I offer jokingly.
‘It's mostly just an issue on Fridays,’ Dr. Chastain says with a slight chuckle. ‘On Wednesdays and Thursdays I share the office with a colleague, so we generally remind each other to take breaks. And at the clinic where I work on Mondays and Tuesdays we have scheduled mandatory lunch breaks.’
‘Fair enough then,’ I concede. The guy in front of us has paid, so it’s our turn.
‘Hi Vince,’ Dr. Chastain greets the guy behind the coffee cart as she steps forward. She offers him a smile. ‘I’ll have a large caramel macchiato, please. And hit me with some extra caramel, would you?’
‘Ah, is it one of those days again, Josie?’ he winks at her.
Josie. Somehow that seems way too informal a name for someone like her, but I like it. Josie. It sounds warm. Approachable. Sweet.
‘You know it, Vince,’ she laughs before she turns to me. ‘What’s your poison?’
‘A small cappuccino, please,’ I order politely.
The coffee guy nods and gets to work, while he and Dr. Chastain continue to chat casually. It sounds like they do this all the time, judging by their friendly interaction. When Vince puts two to-go cups in front of us I reach inside my pocket for my wallet, but Dr. Chastain beats me to it and hands Vince a twenty.
‘Let me get that,’ I protest.
‘No need, I’ve got it,’ Dr. Chastain replies confidently.
‘I should pay,’ I insist.
‘No, you shouldn’t,’ she says matter-of-factly. ‘We can’t have anyone thinking I accept favors from students, can we?’
Vince hands Dr. Chastain back her change, and I can’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable letting her pay for our coffees—it just doesn’t sit right with me. But that feeling is soon overshadowed by something else, because as Dr. Chastain reaches out to take her change, I notice the wedding ring on her finger. Somehow, I hadn’t spotted it before. A pang of disappointment hits me, and I inwardly shake my head, almost laughing at myself. Of course she’s married. There’s no way a woman like her wouldn’t have someone smart enough to lock her down. Looks like I’ll just have to focus on the original reason I came to see her.
‘So, how does it work exactly, once you become psychotic?’ I ask as we slowly walk back towards Dr. Chastain’s office. ‘Is it something that starts and keeps getting worse throughout your life, or is it something that can actually be cured?’
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