Derek's Nerves

"Let me give you my number," Derek offered, extending his hand expectantly. He tried to appear casual, but the moment's weight wasn't lost on him. "We can chat over text and hash out the details later," he added, trying to keep his cool.

Derek silently observed Emma as she handed him her phone. 'She looks nervous,' he thought. 'And her hands are shaking, I thought she was calm and composed.' He wondered why Emma seemed so apprehensive. He glanced down at her phone screen; her hands had left a slight greasy smudge from sweat on the device.

As he was typing in his contact information, Derek felt a sense of unease. Emma had always been the student who outshined him academically. Her dedication to learning and research made her a formidable opponent. His competitive nature demanded that he not be outdone by someone less than an actual rival. And yet, his first interaction with her was of a shy, nervous woman who looked like she would rather be anywhere but here. Derek was perplexed by Emma's behavior, and his mind raced with questions. 'Why is she so apprehensive? Is it me? Is she not as confident as I thought? This feels wrong,' he mused.

His nature softened a bit, and he handed back the phone.

"Well, thanks," she said with a polite smile. I'll be in touch."

"Yep, no problem. Looking forward to it," Derek responded as Emma made her exit.

Derek stayed behind for a few minutes, watching Emma's gaze dart back and forth as she walked out of the lecture hall. 'What was that?' he thought to himself. 'That was weird.' Derek looked at her legs as she exited the room before shaking his head, bringing him back to reality.

Five minutes passed, and Derek thought it was safe to avoid an awkward walk home with his new partner. He hurriedly packed up his stuff and approached the door before Professor Harrington stopped him.

"Derek, my boy. May I have a word?" the Professor asked, his voice light yet intimidating. Derek reluctantly agreed and stood before the man who could make or break his academic career.

Professor Harrington placed his hands on Derek's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Yes sir, what is it?" Derek answered, nervously glancing towards the door.

"I saw you talking to your partner, Emma. Any thoughts?" Professor Harrington said, letting go of Derek's shoulders and returning to his desk.

Derek hesitated before answering. "I think she's a great student and we will make a great team."

"Really?" The Professor chuckled. "I'm sure you two will be more than just partners on this project," he mused.

"Respectfully, Sir. I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at," Derek said with a tinge of confusion.

Professor Harrington sighed and took a seat at his desk. He gestured for Derek to sit down in front of him.

"Derek, you've been an exemplary student in my class and your research skills are top notch. But I think we both know you have a... certain reputation. You tend to view everything as a competition and can be quite... how should I put this? Difficult."

Derek gulped and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He was unsure of how to respond.

"I don't mean to sound condescending, Derek." Professor Harrington smiled warmly. "But I want to help you understand what makes Emma such an excellent student. She's quiet and reserved, it's often difficult for her to overcome her doubts, but when she puts her mind to something, she gives it 110%. You on the other hand, can be very brash and easily become obsessed with winning at all costs. And that obsession leads you to take unnecessary risks. If you want risk and success, you need to think strategically. With that in mind, I wanted to assign you two as partners to see how you work together."

Derek let out a deep sigh. He was unsure what to say, "Just get to the point, Professor. What do you want from me?"

Professor Harrington stared directly into Derek's eyes and smirked, "I'm conducting my own experiment of sorts. She is shy and doubtful; you are confident and headstrong. She is calculated but thrives in chaos; you are spontaneous and carefree. By pairing you two together, I am looking to see if opposites attract or become more similar through partnership. I have assigned each student to their 'opposite' partner, so to speak. The reason why I'm telling you is because you're both my top students. If things become too intense, I'd rather avoid risking your academic futures for this experiment. However, if you're able to maintain a professional relationship with each other, then perhaps you can learn something from this experience."

Derek scoffed at the Professor's proposal. "This is all just for an experiment? To see if we get along?" Derek was outraged by the absurdity of it all.

Professor Harrington raised his hand to silence Derek. "As I said, this is also for your benefit as well as Emma's. I cannot **** you to do anything, but not once have I led you astray. I suggest you take full advantage of this opportunity. In my opinion, you both have a lot to learn from each other."

"Very well," Derek sighed, giving in. "I'll make it work." He couldn't bring himself to say anything else, his mind racing with questions and possibilities, "does Emma know this?"

"No, she doesn't," Harrington replied. "I can't lay out all my cards so easily, now can I? Now get going, I'm sure you've got lots to do for the project," Professor Harrington said with a grin.

Derek didn't even bother saying goodbye and hurriedly exited the room. As he was walking back, his phone vibrated.

Emma: Hey, It's Emma. Can we meet at your place to get an early start on the project? I went to the library and got some reference material.

"She's at the library already? Was she pretending to be nervous? Was she already trying to get ahead of me? God, I need to keep an eye on this girl," Derek muttered to himself as he walked towards his apartment, ignoring the message. When he got back, he pulled out every item from his backpack and meticulously arranged it on his desk, a habit he had been doing for nearly a decade. When he was set up, he pulled out his phone.

Derek: Sure, can you come over in an hour? My place work for you?

Emma: Yeah! That works send the address.

Derek: Here, see you soon. Happy to order us some dinner if you get hungry.

His mind bounced back and forth on what to make of Emma. 'She's either not confident at all or just putting up a front to get ahead of me.' Derek ruminated, 'Maybe she's just too shy to be alone with me?' The last thought felt like a knife twisting in his gut. Derek had spent little time pursuing women and even less time with them. The last thing he wanted was to be rejected by someone he already felt he was competing with. He then shook the thought out of his head, knowing it wouldn't help anything.

Derek threw on a pair of worn blue jeans and a red flannel shirt, adding a white t-shirt underneath for extra comfort. He contemplated whether or not he should shower and decided he didn't want to come across as too ****. Derek's apartment was a mostly barren one-bedroom, the majority of the space being taken up by labeled and organized boxes of scrap parts, electronics, and, most prominently, a workbench containing dozens of tools. The couch he bought secondhand from a student moving out was pressed against the far wall in the center, facing a small used TV. Derek watched almost no TV but enjoyed having the weather channel in the background as white noise.

Derek then walked over to a kitchen cabinet and pulled out a folder of takeout menus. Neatly lining them up on the counter, something he had learned from his Mom when she had guests over. As he thought of the memory of her, a slight panic welled up in his chest. 'This apartment is a mess, what if Emma thinks I'm a slob?' He rushed into action, pulling out a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle of generic cleaner. The room filled with the scent of artificial lemon as he dusted every surface in sight. When he lifted the paper towel, there was almost no discernible difference except for the residual wetness of the spray. 'No! Not good enough, I need something stronger-'

Knock Knock

"Fuck, she's here already!" Derek frantically glanced around, making sure nothing was out of place before opening the door. He could barely hear Emma's whisper behind the door as she said, "Hey Derek, it's Emma."

Derek threw open the door and quickly beckoned her inside, a gesture which he immediately regretted, realizing it could come off as too eager.

"So this is the place, make yourself comfortable," Derek offered.