A few days later...

Thomas sighed as he pulled the leather strap of his chestnut brown satchel over his head and let it rest on his shoulder. As he checked his appearance in the mirror, he managed to give a small smile before he looked out the window and sighed again when he realized that it had begun to rain for the third time that week.

"You're going to need a bumbershoot if you're planning to go outside in this weather, mate," Charles said from his spot on the sofa. "You might also want to take a sweater into consideration."

"I'm beginning to realize that, yes," Thomas replied as he stepped over to their coat rack and took off his usual black hoodie, quickly removing his satchel. He slipped his arms into the sleeves of the sweatshirt before he zipped it up, then lifted up his bag again, swinging the strap onto his shoulder. "Are you coming to the dining hall, mate?"

"I can't, unfortunately. I don't have the time," Charles replied with a heavy sigh.

"Well, you can't go without lunch. I'll bring you back some fish and chips and a cuppa. Give me a bell if you need anything else," Thomas nodded, stepping out of the dorm. As he did so, he slipped his phone into the left pocket of his sweatshirt, then hurried off toward the dining hall. He ran out of the building, wanting to be in the pouring rain for as short a time as possible, and quickly made his way into the adjacent building, the smell of the many different meals currently being prepared hitting him as soon as he stepped inside.

It only took moments for him to see the girl sitting at a table two windows away from the front door, and he immediately gave a smile and walked over. "Emily, hello," he said softly, nervously tapping his fingers against his thigh. "Can I sit?"

"Yeah, of course," the brunette replied with a nod as she slipped her book into her bag, transferring her fork back to her dominant hand.

Thomas nodded and quickly took a seat, tossing his satchel onto the chair beside him. He began to fiddle nervously with the left sleeve of his sweatshirt as he flashed Emily a small, nervous smile. "Did you receive the flowers I had sent to your dorm?" he asked softly.

"I did, yes," Emily nodded. "It's really not necessary, as much as I appreciate the gesture. Really, all I did was let you borrow a book. I don't even like To Kill a Mockingbird that much, anyway, so it really wasn't a huge deal."

Thomas couldn't help but give a shy smile, something about hearing her Canadian accent making his heart flutter and his pulse quicken. "I suppose you're right, mate," he said softly, shifting his gaze down to his lap but still smiling slightly. "I just wanted you to know how grateful I am."

"And I really do appreciate that," Emily said kindly. "Truly, I do appreciate it. I just...I don't want you to have to feel like you need to send me flowers for every little thing. Or at all, really."

"I understand," Thomas replied. "Just...you're not saying this because I ordered the wrong flowers, are you? I heard tiger lilies were your favorite, but perhaps I heard wrong."

"No, tiger lilies are my favorite, you were right," the Canadian replied, sighing as she tried to formulate her response. "I'm just really not comfortable with men buying me flowers when I'm not in any sort of romantic relationship with them. That's all."

"I see," Thomas replied softly, biting his lip slightly before he looked up toward the food. "I'm going to fetch something to eat. Can I interest you in a coffee?"

"No, but thank you. I have a weird caffeine intolerance, and if I drink coffee, my hands will shake for the next two hours," Emily said with a quiet laugh as she took a bite of her shepherd's pie.

"In that case, I'll get you decaf. Pardon me." Thomas gave her a smile, his cobalt blue eyes sparkling as he got to his feet and pulled out his wallet.

"Oh, you don't..." Emily began, only to stop and sigh when the Englishman had already walked away. "Well, so much for letting him down easy."

—————

Later that day...

"Hey, Charles," Emily said with a smile as she sat down on a park bench beside the tall, light brown-haired student. "How's it going?"

"I'm well," Charles replied, though there was worry written plainly in his eyes. He glanced up at the girl, but quickly looked down at his lap again, not sure if he should confide in her. "How are you?"

"I'm good too," Emily nodded, setting a hand on Charles'. "Is everything alright? It seems like you have something on your mind."

"I just worry about Thomas, that's all. He's doing better than he has been this past week, but I still worry," Charles admitted, sighing quietly. "I fret too much, I know. I just don't want his mental illness to get to be too much for him and cause him to do something that...that I don't want to happen. After all, nothing kills a man faster than his own head."

Emily nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I worry about him too, quite honestly. He's such a fragile person at times. But he's very sweet," she said softly. "I feel like a terrible person for wishing that he...that he would stop being so clingy with me."

"There's nothing wrong with feeling that way," Charles replied with a kind smile.

"I know, I know. I just...what can I do to get him to leave me alone? I don't want to hurt him," Emily said with a sigh as she lifted her head, looking up at the handsome, green-eyed student. "Do you think you could try to gently talk to him? Perhaps it would be better coming from you."

"I promise that I will try my best to discuss it with him tomorrow," Charles nodded, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I have to get to a lecture. Give me a bell if you need anything."

"That's all I ask of you. Have a nice time at your lecture." Emily nodded and smiled at him as he left, then pulled her book out of her bag. With another small smile, she flipped to the place she had left off at and began to read, allowing the story to envelope her once more.