she felt a little awkward lingering on the side like that, her backpack slung over her shoulder and her phone in hand to help pass the time ( and make it seem like she was actually busy doing something instead of just waiting around ). in truth, leah was getting a little antsy waiting for her turn to catch emily after the talk, a small group of chatty students and professors seemingly holding the doctorâs attention for much longer than leah had anticipated.Â
     just when she thought it was a lost cause, an opening presented itself as emily dismissed herself from the group to head for the door, and it was then did leah perk up, her voice calling out to the other before she realized it. âdr. rowe!â wellâ now what? she hadnât exactly figured out what she wanted to say, but she supposed she had to figure out something now. closing the distance between them, leah clutches the book bearing emilyâs name to her chest, a bashfulness suddenly becoming apparent as she begins, âsorry, that was a lot louder than i thought itâd be.â god, she hoped people werenât giving her weird looks.Â
     âi was just, uhm â i wanted to say that i really enjoyed your talk. a lot of what you said really resonated with me, and iâm really glad i came out to hear you speak.â a beat, and then, âdo you think â sorry if youâre about to head out or this is kind of a lot to ask, but if you have a few minutes, iâd love to ask you a few more questions. maybe over some coffee? iâll pay!â she did have some extra money in her student account to cover the cost, after all. âitâd also, uhm, would be really cool if you could sign my copy of your book. only if you want to, though!âÂ