“Every half a block along the way, there are signs showing the direction to the library,” Paul explained as they walked. “The north campus forms a large loop. If you go left, you’ll reach Solaris Hall. The library is to the right.”

Lionel listened carefully, nodding as he tried to picture the route in his mind.

Unexpectedly, as they spoke, Miranda appeared on the staircase. The two groups met face-to-face.

“Mom? Dad? Are you going out? It’s about to rain outside…” Then she noticed Paul was there too. “Dr. Jefferson, what are you doing here?”

Mindy quickly explained the situation. After hearing the story, Miranda immediately thanked Paul.

The man simply waved it off. “No need for thanks, glad you’re back safe.”

The four of them began walking back home together.

“Thanks again, Paul,” Lionel said warmly. “You should come over for dinner sometime. I’ll cook, and you can try my specialty dishes!”

Mindy nodded in agreement.

In their family, inviting people over for dinner was practically second nature. But their motivations differed slightly. Lionel wanted to show off his cooking skills, while Mindy was purely being hospitable. After all, she didn’t have to do the cooking; she just played hostess.

Miranda, on the other hand, loved to cook and enjoyed feeding others. If she made too much, having extra guests to share with was ideal!

Paul glanced subtly at Miranda. Not being one to stand on ceremony, he nodded in acceptance of the invitation.

Back at home, Mindy teased Lionel, “Look at you, practically begging him to come over. Afraid he won’t know how good your cooking is, huh?”

Lionel chuckled sheepishly. “Good cooking needs to be shown off! If I don’t display my skills, how will anyone know?”

“What a show-off!”

As Miranda slipped off her outdoor shoes and headed inside, she casually asked, “Dad, when did you and Dr. Jefferson get so chummy? You’re actually calling him Paul already?”

Lionel responded proudly, “You just don’t get it, do you? Relationships develop over time. Paul and I both studied physics, and we love chess. After a few rounds of conversation, we just clicked!”

Mindy mercilessly exposed the truth, “Don’t listen to him, your dad just wants someone to talk about those theses with.” Mindy didn’t understand the complexities of physics, so she couldn’t engage with him on those topics. Lionel’s students were even less capable. As they were high schoolers, they only learned basic physics concepts and had never been exposed to the more advanced fields of physics, let alone the intricate thesis discussions involved in complex research.

When Miranda was in high school, at least he could express his thoughts in a one-sided manner, even if it wasn’t a real discussion. At least he could get his ideas out. But after she left for college, he could only bury himself in thesis papers, with no one to understand his academic loneliness.

That was, until… he met Paul!

“Paul really is something.”

This was the second time in just a few days Miranda had heard that phrase.

Mindy chimed in, “You two get along so well. Why not make him your academic junior? That way, you can exchange ideas more easily.”

Lionel rubbed his chin, seriously considering the feasibility of that suggestion.

Two days later, Lionel suddenly brought up the dinner. “Mimi, did you invite Paul yet?”

“Huh?” Miranda was caught off guard. “Weren’t you just being polite?”

“Who said it was just politeness? We’ve already extended the invitation, so we can’t go back on our word,” he said with a stern face.

Then, turning to Mindy, his expression softened immediately into a smile. “Right, honey?”

Miranda stood there speechless. His ability to switch expressions was like a masterful performance straight out of the opera.

Lionel continued, “Sweetie, this glorious task is yours now. Call or text, whichever works. Just make sure you extend the invitation properly. Whether Paul comes or not is up to him. Your mom and I will head to the market to get groceries.”