Chapter 107 No Need to Force Herself into Different Circles
The way Sebastian and Camilla talked was like they'd been on a million road trips together, maybe even shacking up.
Betty watched the car vanish, then turned to Darren and pinched his hand. "Darren, did I just see what I think I saw?"
Darren winced. "Betty, next time, pinch yourself, will ya?"
He thought, 'Why am I always the one getting hurt?'
Betty said, all self-righteous, "You're young, you'll bounce back. A little pinch won't kill ya."
Darren just sighed.
Hector chuckled, didn't say a word, and strolled home.
Doris looked pissed and drove off without waiting for Darren.
Darren lowered his eyes, trying to hide the disappointment. It was cool, he was used to it by now. He told himself, 'One day, Doris will see what I'm worth.'
Sebastian and Camilla didn't notice any of this. When they got to the apartment complex, they headed upstairs one after the other.
The sensor lights flicked on and off with their steps. Camilla watched Sebastian's tall figure, the light casting long, overlapping shadows, making it feel like they'd known each other forever.
"Thanks for today." Her voice echoed a bit in the quiet hallway.
Sebastian seemed in a good mood. Camilla couldn't see his face, but his voice was relaxed. "Is it 'cause I took you home? Or 'cause I bought you dinner?"
Camilla said, "Both. Thanks for dinner, for the ride, and for letting me use your lab."
She thought, 'And for what you said at dinner.'
On the seventh floor, Sebastian stopped. He turned to see Camilla, a bit out of breath, stepping onto the last step, then walking over to stand beside him.
Sebastian said, "I know what you're thinking, but a dusty pearl is just covered in dust. Once you wipe it off, it shines again."
Camilla's heart skipped a beat, and when she looked up, she met Sebastian's gaze.
Sebastian spoke slowly, "No one knows what the future holds, but we can control the present. It might be a bit late, but I still want to say, welcome to my lab."
Sebastian's eyes lit up with a smile as he extended his hand.
Camilla's eyes crinkled into a smile as she gently shook his hand. "Thanks. I don't think it's late at all."
She thought, 'Just in time.'
They agreed to hang out the next day and then went their separate ways.
Camilla took a shower, read some stuff, and then hit the sack.
The next morning, she made two sandwiches, hers with extra cream, and Sebastian's with less cream and more veggies.
At seven, Sebastian knocked on the door right on time.
After breakfast, they headed to the lab together.
When they got there, it was still early. Camilla and Sebastian changed into their lab coats and got busy at their workstations.
At eight, others started to show up.
Betty dropped her bag, changed, and came over to Camilla. "You're already halfway through your experiment? So efficient! What time did you get here?"
Camilla's hands didn't stop moving, her eyes still on the test tube while she recorded data. "Got here half an hour ago. Betty, can you check if this ratio is right?"
Hearing it was a pro question, Betty didn't hold back. After getting the gist of Camilla's experiment, she quickly threw out some adjustment tips.
When Doris showed up and saw Camilla all serious, she couldn't help but think, 'Just an undergrad, what does she know? So pretentious!'
Camilla worked all morning and only realized everyone had bailed for lunch when she finally looked up.
She checked the time, an hour and a half left, and figured she'd grab a quick bite outside before diving back in.But as soon as she stepped out, there was Sebastian with a takeout bag. "Just went downstairs to grab food and got you some too."
Seeing he only had one portion, Camilla guessed he’d already eaten. "Thanks."
She scarfed down the food in the break room and made herself a cup of coffee to stay sharp.
After taking Betty's advice in the morning, Camilla tweaked the reaction material ratio, but it still wasn't quite there.
If this was for a paper, the data would be enough to back up the conclusion, but Camilla felt it could be more precise, which meant redoing the whole thing.
She was super grateful to Sebastian for lending her the lab. With all the resources, she wasn't scared of redoing it as many times as needed.
Camilla quickly finished her coffee and headed back to her workstation.
As soon as she walked in, she saw a few people huddled together, chatting about something.
Camilla was about to say hi, but as soon as she got close, they scattered and went back to their spots. She was a bit taken aback but shrugged it off and got back to her experiment.She thought, 'I don't need to force myself into their circle. Not everyone thinks the same way. Like a hunter and a woodcutter, one looks for prey, the other for wood. Different goals, different paths. But if they meet and get along, they can travel together for a bit. If they part ways, no biggie, everyone has their own journey. Just let it be.'
Redoing the experiment left Camilla with barely any time. She had to handle basic sampling, data stats, and analysis, basically doing the work of an entire team by herself.
When she was busy, she spent at least sixteen hours a day in the lab.
Days flew by. Betty and Hector would occasionally drop by to chat.
Darren, whenever he had a moment, would go talk to Doris, so he didn't have much time for Camilla.
As for Doris, ever since that dinner, she hadn't spoken to Camilla on her own.
So, most of the time, Camilla was on her own.
After a week of nonstop work, Camilla finally had some downtime and noticed her clothes were all wrinkled.
Even though the lab had a rest room and shower, she hadn't expected to be so swamped and only brought two sets of clothes. With some free time, she decided to head home.
The succulents on the balcony were fine, but the orchid had withered.
Camilla added some feed to the fish tank, did a quick clean-up of the house, and packed her clean clothes, ready to head back to the lab.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Camilla exclaimed, "Oh no!"
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