The Girl Before Eve by Lisa J Hobman (3)

Unwilling to be apart from each other, Adam and Lily had applied to the same universities and when they had both been accepted at Edinburgh—Journalism for Lily and English for Adam—they had been overjoyed and had gotten a little drunk to celebrate. It was just a continuation of life as they knew it. Always together, never apart.

Edinburgh University had been the first choice for both Adam and Lily for several reasons. First, it wasn’t a million miles away from home in the Scottish Borders. Second, it was the most amazingly bright and culturally varied place, making it exciting to spend time there. The atmosphere was electric and the history was enough to keep even the most enquiring minds sated. The multi-coloured buildings of Grassmarket’s curved street brought a smile even on a dull day, and the multitude of bars and restaurants meant that even a student’s meagre purse was not negated.

Another attraction for the pair was The Fringe Festival that took place annually in the month of August right in the city centre. It was such a blast with comedians and street performers taking over every available inch of the Royal Mile and every venue with a room to spare. The place came alive with laughter, fancy costumes, and vivid colours. Myriad aromas wafted through the air from vending carts, tantalising the taste buds, and a wide variety of music vied for the attention of each person’s auditory senses. You could walk down the street and be accosted by all manner of characters, wielding leaflets and free tickets, trying to entice you in to see their shows. Both Adam and Lily made the trip up to the capital every year, together of course. When they were younger they would travel to the festival with their parents, but once they got older, they would travel by themselves, feeling very grown up and independent.

Although they had spent many Christmas shopping trips in Scotland’s capital, both Lily and Adam never failed to be overwhelmed by the stunning stonework as they gazed upward. The Scott monument stood in its proud position overlooking the main shopping thoroughfare of Princes Street. The imposing castle, high on its rocky precipice, peered out over the city below. History and hidden stories from days past oozed from the very mortar of the churches and tenements in the Old Town area. Edinburgh truly was a spectacular city and the decision to study there had been made with very little trepidation.

Their first day on campus had the butterflies on edge for every new student. Lily and Adam were no different. First day nerves were a certainty. But the excitement was what got the adrenalin pumping. This was the start of life as an adult; the first day of the rest of their lives.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here, Adders!” Lily twirled around, arms spread, and head back with her long chocolate waves flowing like streamers, as they took in the centre quadrangle of the Old College. They had been taking the self-guided tour of the campus and had stopped on the grass to take a break and grab a quick drink of water. The sun was surprisingly warm for the time of year, and its presence, hung low in the autumn sky, cast a golden glow over everything, giving an ethereal quality to the old architecture.

Adam watched Lily with an expression of incredulity as she collapsed dizzily in a heap next to him. “Yup, it’s pretty spectacular, eh? Bit of a change from high school that’s for sure.”

Lily stood again. “You’re not kidding. I’m looking forward to being treated like an adult,” she stated as she began to spin around again with her eyes closed.

He burst out laughing. “Yeah…because that’s what you are, eh? An adult!”

Lily stuck her tongue out at him and plopped herself down beside him again. “Durrr, I’m officially over eighteen, so yes. Are you happy you decided to live in halls for the first year?” They had several options, from renting a place, to driving in every day, to living in halls. They had both chosen the latter.

Adam replied, “Yeah. I think it will be much better to get the whole university experience,” as he pulled at blades of grass and threw them at her.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yeah right, that’s the reason. I think what you mean is that we’re out from under our parents scrutinising gaze, and what they don’t know can’t hurt them.” She pulled a huge chunk of grass, and threw it back at Adam in retaliation.

He laughed heartily and wagged his finger at her. “Oh yeah, that’s what I meant.” He brushed the grass from his shirt. “Seriously though, I think it’ll be cool.”

Lily grinned. “I reckon so. And we’re close enough by so that if you need me for anything—”

“If I need you for anything? Don’t you mean that the other way around? You’re the one who’s always forgetting shit. I can see it now. Ooh Adders, I’ve run out of coffee…ooh Adders, I can’t find my textbook on the Principals and Practises of Investigative Journalism… Oooh Adders, my boyfriend has dumped me because I’m still in love with Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. If I need you, pah!”

She hit him playfully with her satchel. “Bloody cheek. The only part of that likely to come true is the last part. I only have eyes for Chris Cornell. God, he’s so sexy.” She threw herself backwards onto the grass swooning and feigning a blackout.

He smirked. “Yeah, well you ain’t likely to bump into him here, so get over it…Cheesy.”

At that, she sat bolt upright and pursed her lips. He readied himself in case she decided to launch another attack, but instead she stood up, huffed and stormed off.

“Oy! Lil! Come back, you muppet!” He ran after her. And so was laid the foundation of their time at university…

The first two years at university had Lily and Adam forging many new friendships and making the most of the social aspects of the wonderful city of Edinburgh. Both found part-time jobs in local bars and still managed to spend time together in between. Summers and Christmas holidays were spent at home with their families, and two years on, halfway through their respective courses, things were going well. The summer of 2000 had seen a group holiday to the Spanish resort of Magaluf, where they had overindulged in alcohol and raised hell like normal twenty-year-olds. But, as always, the time was coming around for uni to be back in session again.

The two friends moved into a shared house after their first year in halls, and they arrived back just before their next term was due to start. The first week of lectures came around quickly. They met up to walk in together, and made plans to meet for lunch so they could regale each other with tales of their first encounters with new lecturers. Lily talked non-stop about the fact that one of her lecturers for this year had worked all over the world for The Times and she was so excited to meet him.

The refectory was buzzing with the hum of myriad conversations going on simultaneously. Adam arrived first and grabbed himself a BLT sandwich and a coffee. He bought a coffee for Lily, knowing she would no doubt be too excited to eat—as was usually the case when she was enthusiastic about something. He found an empty table, and whilst he waited, he went over his notes from his first lecture of the day.

He had thoroughly enjoyed listening to Marcus Foreman, his knowledgeable tutor, and knew from the start this was going to be his favourite lesson of the academic year. He glanced up just as Lily approached his table. A big, mischievous grin spread over her face. He knew that look all too well. She was closely followed by someone he couldn’t quite see, as whomever it was hung back.

Lily was finding something very amusing. “Adders! You’re not going to believe this!” She pulled her mystery companion around to her side. “Adam…this is Eve! Ha ha! Adam and Eve.” She playfully gestured back and forth between the two.

He smirked as his gaze moved up to meet the person in question. He swallowed hard and stared. Just stared. Eventually when he snapped out of his stupor he realised the girl, whom he had been informed was called Eve, was blushing profusely.

He stood, wiped his hand down his jeans, and held it toward her “Sorry…sorry…I…I was just eating my sandwich.” Smooth, Adam, very smooth. The whole situation had seemed to take forever, and he felt very, very stupid. “Ahem…I’m Adam… Oh, but Lil already said that.” His cheeks heated as the girl took his hand to shake it.

“Hi, Adam. I’m Eve…obviously.” She giggled. “For some reason that’s a sentence I never thought I’d be saying.”

He decided then and there that she had the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. Her hair was long, thick, and golden blonde, and her eyes were a vivid sky blue. She had a lovely figure, curvy like a girl should be, not skinny. Her skin was flawless. He lost the ability to speak again and had reverted back to staring.

Lily snorted derisively. “Good grief, Adders, put your tongue away.”

Realising he had been staring again, he sat. “Are you girls going to join me? Lil, I got you a coffee.”

Eve nodded and sat in the seat next to him. “Thanks Adam, that’d be great. I’ve only just transferred in, and it’s all a bit strange right now. Lily is the first person I’ve really spoken to.”

Lily grabbed her coffee from him. “Cheers, Adders.” She slumped into the seat next to Eve.

“It’s a nice friendly place, so you should find you settle in quickly,” Adam assured Eve. She smiled warmly and nodded. Intrigued, he continued. “So, what brings you to Forrest Hill?”

“Oh, I was studying down in England, but my dad has been ill, and so I applied for a transfer nearer to home. I can get back easier from here…not easy…but easier, at least.”

“Oh right… Sorry, I must seem really nosey.” His cheeks warmed again.

“No, no that’s fine.” She smiled.

They chatted through lunch about their respective courses and the lecturers they had all experienced that morning. It turned out they were all free for the rest of the afternoon, which pleased Adam to no end.

“Hey, Lil, seeing as she missed it, we could take Eve on the tour that we did when we started here,” Adam suggested eagerly.

Lily shook her head. “Oh, I can’t…I have to…go…and get some books… Yes, there’s a book I need, and I need to go get it today.”

Eve turned to Lily. “Isn’t there a book shop on campus? I’m sure I saw a sign—”

“Oh yes,” Lily interrupted. “I’ve tried there. I really need to go into town to Blackwell’s. You two go on the tour though.”

Adam shook his head. “Nah, we’ll go when you get back. It’s fine.”

“No, don’t be daft. You should go. Show Eve the delights of Forrest Hill.” Lily smiled.

Adam knew there was no way Lily could have missed his reaction to their new friend. She appeared to be giving him an opportunity to get to know Eve alone. He’d have to thank her later.

Seriously, he owed her one for this. “Okay, great. What do you say, Eve?”

A blush spread from Eve’s neck up to her cheeks, and she nodded shyly. “Thanks, Adam. That would be great.”

His heart swelled in his chest. She was so sweet.

After waving Lily off, Adam and Eve set out on their tour. Adam thought Lily had seemed distracted by something. Perhaps her concerns about not finding the right book were playing on her mind. He would make a point of chatting to her about it later.

“So, where are you from, Eve?” he asked as they strolled around the large campus, weaving in and out of the other students.

“I’m from Skye. I was born and brought up in a village north of Portree.”

“Oh it’s a beautiful place, Skye. I went there on holiday with my parents and my brother when I was little.”

“Yes it’s stunning. It’s completely different to here though. I’ve been living down in England for two academic years, but even after all this time living away from home, I still feel a little like a fish out of water when I come back to uni…a country girl in the big city and all that.” A wistful expression washed over her face. “The views from home are stunning. I can see the tops of the Old Man of Storr from my bedroom if I stand on my tiptoes. I kind of miss that.”

“Oh yes, I remember that place. It’s quite spectacular. Out of interest, why is it called the Old Man of Storr?”

She smiled. “It’s simply because people think that the rock formation looks like an old man.” She giggled.

“Really? Oh, I’d never really thought about that to be honest. I’ll have to look it up and see.”

She looked down to her feet. “I feel quite homesick… Well, I did until I met Lily and you.” She tucked a golden strand of hair behind her ear and the pink hue rose in her cheeks again.

He completely understood how she felt. “I think it’s hard moving away from home as it is, but…well, if your dad is ill it must be compounded for you. I only moved up from Jedburgh, but even now, a couple of years on, I still miss my mum’s cooking, right from the first week back after summer.” He chuckled.

“I’ve never been to Jedburgh. What’s it like?”

“It’s not a huge place. But we do get a bit of tourism. Mainly people stopping off on their way to the Highlands though. There’s an abbey and an old jail. Oh, and it’s where Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed too. Lots of history for a wee town.”

She smiled as he spoke. “I’d like to visit, maybe one day.”

“Yeah, well one day is probably all you’d need.” He laughed. “Nah, it’s a lovely town. I lived there all my life until I moved here in to halls.”

A comfortable silence settled on the pair as they strolled the campus. She glanced up and around as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

He turned so that he was walking backwards right in front of the gorgeous blonde girl. “So, Eve, what’s your ambition for when we’re done at this place?”

Eve pursed her lips and glanced skyward again. “Hmm, I’d like to maybe go into reporting. You know interviews with celebs, reporting on all the gossip. Maybe have my own column one day.”

He cringed. “Wow…my ambition kind of pales into insignificance against that.”

She scrunched her brow. “Oh, I doubt that. What do you want to do?”

He grinned. “You’ll probably think I’m mad.”

She stopped in her tracks. “Go on?”

He took a deep breath before he admitted his seemingly small dreams. “I really want to teach English at high school level.” His words came out in a rush.

She laughed. “Why do you think that pales? I think teaching is a wonderful and very noble thing. I just couldn’t cope with someone else’s kids all day.”

He loved the musical sound of her laughter. “Well, yeah…I understand that.”

“What made you decide on that career path, then?”

He shrugged. “I helped out during my last summer at the high school I used to attend. They were doing a summer school and I was working with some of the younger kids. I was helping some of the kids with learning difficulties and some of the kids who are…how do I put it? A little disaffected. They responded well to how I taught them and I just loved it. The feeling of…oh I don’t know…pride I guess…was immense…It pretty much cemented in my mind what I wanted to do. Does that sound pathetic and corny?”

She shook her head vigorously. “No…no, not at all... Wow, when you put it like that it sounds really fulfilling. I’m full of admiration for anyone who chooses teaching. I’m sure it’s very hard work.”

“I’m sure it will be, too, but rewarding all the same.”

The pair talked easily as they walked around the impressive campus, with its arched windows and chiselled stonework. The multitude of windows, set into the aged buildings, glistened as the autumn sun bounced from their surfaces. The imposing domed foyer of the old college appeared almost cathedral-like in its austerity, giving an appearance of old world grandeur to the place where so many learned scholars had studied in years past.

Every so often, Adam pointed out the features he and Lily had noticed when they’d done the same tour, the ornate balustrades, the carvings above the entrances, the slate placards with faded inscriptions.

The afternoon flew by and in no time at all they arrived back at the block where Eve was staying. She had been allocated a room in halls until she found a place to share.

She smiled warmly at him and blushed. “Well, thank you, Adam, for a lovely afternoon. It feels good to actually have a couple of friends now.”

He gazed into her vivid blue irises and was lost. He could’ve fallen into her eyes and drowned. Realising he was staring for the millionth time he shook his head to dislodge the errant thought.

Too soon, Adam. You’ll scare the poor girl off! “Yeah, it has been lovely. It was really good to spend some time getting to know you.” He took a deep breath to muster up a little courage. “I…I don’t suppose you fancy going out with me sometime?”

That pink glow that was a bit of a trademark on her cheeks made an appearance again and Adam’s heart flipped and fluttered.

She averted her gaze and he found her shyness very sweet. “You mean like…a date?”

He nodded. “Yeah…like a date.” He felt heat rise in his own cheeks, too.

She nibbled her lower lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That…that would be… I would like that, yes… Thank you,” she stuttered.

Adam wanted to thrust a triumphant fist into the air but reined himself in. “Great…great. That’s really great. How about Friday? We could go into town to this great place I know called The Jekyll and Hyde bar. It’s really good… They sometimes have live music and the drinks aren’t too expensive…not that it would matter… I’m not saying I’m broke… I just…well—”

She shrugged. “Adam, we’re students. We’re all broke.”

“Yeah…I suppose that’s true. So Friday? Half seven? I’ll pick you up here?”

She smiled. “Lovely. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Me too, me too. But of course I’ll see you before then.”

“I’m sure you will. Bye for now, Adam.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. His hand came up to touch where she had kissed and a huge grin spread across his face.

“Bye, Eve,” he whispered. As he backed away, he stumbled and nearly fell over the edging stones that surrounded the borders outside her building. She covered her mouth as she laughed and his cheeks burned with embarrassment. He waved, turned, and jogged away, trying his best to remain upright.

Lily lay on her back in bed…wide awake. Checking her watch, she sighed when she realised it was seven o’clock, and she had been awake almost all night. Ditching Adam and Eve yesterday had been a pretty cowardly thing to do. She could admit that, as she lay there alone. Just seeing Adam gawping at Eve had made her chest hurt. She regretted introducing them the minute she saw the expression on his face. And of course Eve was everything she wasn’t. She was pretty, blonde, and demure. Lily saw herself as gawky, plain, crass, and a bit clumsy, not to mention brash, opinionated, and well…the very antithesis of Eve. Okay, she had only just met Eve, so she couldn’t tell exactly what she was like, but…well, it was obvious.

Sighing, she clenched her fists and punched back onto the mattress, kicking her legs and growling at herself like an errant child. Why couldn’t she just effing get over him? He was out of bounds. He was her bestie. Her BFF. Her bro. Her buddy. Her pal. Except that wasn’t all he was. He was tall and broad and muscular and strong and handsome and intelligent and funny and sweet and sexy and… Shitty shitty shit! This is doing me no bloody good.

She sat up and took in a deep breath. An inner conflict sprang to the forefront of her mind. Maybe I should talk to him….and say what though? Adam…you know that you and I used to climb trees together and play cops and robbers in your back garden? And you remember that time you punched Stewart whatshisname because he pinched my snack? Oh and you remember when I drew flowers all over your cast when you broke your arm and you sulked because I couldn’t draw dragons instead? Well the thing is, I’ve been in love with you for a while now, and I’d like you to forget about Eve and be my boyfriend, and maybe one day marry me so I can have your babies. Is that all alright with you? She laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of her train of thought.

She trudged down to the shower and tried to scrub anything other than platonic thoughts of Adam away. Her first lecture wasn’t until ten, and Adam hadn’t called in last night to arrange breakfast, so she decided she would study. That would take her mind off him.

She had been back in her room for ten minutes when there was a knock on the door. Reluctantly, she opened it.

“Bloody hell, Adders, you’re up early. Did you pee in your bed or something?”

He pursed his lips and frowned at her. “I fucking regret telling you that story, you know. I was twelve and I’d had a nightmare, for fuck’s sake.”

Lily shook her head. “Actually, I had totally forgot—”

“Anyway, you can’t spoil my mood today.”

“Oh damn, and I make it my life’s work to do so.” She smirked as he pushed past her and plopped down on her bed. “Come in, why don’t you?” She snorted sarcastically.

He flung himself back on the bed with his arms behind his head. “Get the kettle on, Lil. I’m parched.”

With a perturbed sigh, she went over to the tiny table where her travel kettle, mugs, coffee, and little cartons of UHT milk—discreetly pinched from every café they went to—sat in a pyramid. “So what’s making you so chipper at this early hour?” she asked turning around to face him, her arms folded across her chest.

He sat bolt upright with a grin on his face. “I owe you a huge thank you.”

Feeling a tad confused, she scrunched her nose. “For what?”

“For yesterday, silly. I know what you did.” He grinned as he pointed a finger at her. “You could tell I was into Eve, and so you made excuses and left so that I could get to know her a little better.”

Realisation dawned on her and a nervous giggle escaped. “Oh…yes, busted.” Wrong!

“Yeah…well, we had a lovely afternoon just chatting and walking. She’s a great girl, Lil… Anyway, I asked her out on Friday and she said yes.” He beamed and punched the air with both fists.

Her heart sank. It was what she’d expected but maybe not this quickly. “Oh…that’s…that’s great, Adam…great… I’m happy for you.”

“Bloody hell, you must be really shocked that a girl like her could fancy me! You called me Adam! That’s only reserved for when I’ve pissed you off or…” He looked to the ceiling as he contemplated. “Well, mainly when I’ve pissed you off.” He laughed.

She forced a laugh, too. “Yeah, shocked is about right.” The kettle clicked off, making her jump. “Oh shit, Adders, I’ve just remembered I need to…erm…nip out. Can we do coffee later, maybe?”

He frowned. “You have to go out at eight o’clock on a Tuesday morning with wet hair?”

Thinking on her feet, she nodded emphatically. “Hmm…yes, women’s things.” She cringed. She knew that would make him leave without asking.

His cheeks coloured and he stood quickly. “Oh right, right. I’ll be off then. Catch you at lunch?” She nodded. “Okay, see you at the refectory then. Bye.” He ducked out of the door as fast as his legs would carry him.

Amazing how quickly the hint of the feminine monthly cycle could relieve a woman of an unwanted male presence.

As soon as the door slammed shut, she walked over to her bed and slumped down.

With her head in her hands, she began to sob.