Professor Elrond finished writing "Naid Yrmin -- Prestanneth" on the chalkboard and launched into his lesson on pluralizing nouns. Faramir glanced around anxiously, only partly paying attention to the professor.
<<Where is she?>> he wondered, glancing around the classroom. He then chastised himself, <<Stop obsessing about her! You can't constantly be thinking about her! It's creepy!>>
But he was worried. Eowyn had told him that she was supposed to have her team-deciding fencing bout yesterday, and what if it hadn't gone okay? That team meant everything to her, and if she had lost the bout....Faramir was afraid of what she might've done.
Faramir heard the door to the lecture hall open behind him, and he turned to see Eowyn walk in. He breathed a sigh of relief for her safety even as he slunk down in his seat, hoping that she wouldn't see him and come sit nearby. But after a moment of scanning the classroom, Eowyn caught sight of him and, waving, started towards him.
“Whew, that was a close one! I thought that I was going to be really late!” Eowyn said to Faramir in a hushed voice. Sitting down and quickly getting out her notebook, she looked towards the chalkboard. “So, what are we doing today?”
“Pluralizing nouns,” Faramir answered in an equally hushed voice. “Did you do the homework?”
“Yeah. Can you imagine NOT doing the homework for this class? I would be so lost!”
Faramir nodded in agreement, finding himself strangely distracted by the way Eowyn leaned in toward him when she talked. Maybe it was the smell of her hair....
Becoming alarmed at the direction of his thoughts, Faramir turned abruptly away and pretended to be involved in taking notes as Professor Elrond was saying “Min rach. Yrmin?”
“Raich!” Faramir called out along with several other students. He watched Professor Elrond write the singular and plural forms of the word "wagon" on the chalkboard before he trusted himself to look over at Eowyn.
“So…how did the fencing thing yesterday turn out?” Faramir asked quietly, trying for an offhand tone of voice.
“I’m on the team!” Eowyn replied, a huge grin lighting her face with warmth.
<<And I thought she was pretty before!>> Faramir thought, overcome by the intensity of her smile. And he noticed that her joyous expression wasn't limited only to her mouth, for her eyes sparkled and her cheeks glowed as well. For the first time he became aware of the dimple in her chin and pondered why he hadn't noticed it before. And the smell of her hair was definitely getting to him, for the rest of the room seemed to disappear as he became mesmerized by her animated story.
"...tied at 13 hits, and you have to get 15 to win, and he scored one and I thought for sure I'd lost but then I hit him in the face, which is totally legal in sabre, so we were tied again, and a moment later, before I knew it, I scored another point and won! Can you believe it?!"
"That's incredible," Faramir said, less impressed with her winning than her winsomeness.
Unfortunately, Eowyn's spirited tale had attracted the attention of Professor Elrond. "Eowyn," he called to her sternly, "min lang. Yrmin?"
Faramir held his breath, embarrassed on her behalf for having been called upon when she wasn't paying attention. But Eowyn turned towards the professor and breezily answered, "Leng."
"Maer, Eowyn," Elrond said, nodding at her before returning to his lecture.
Faramir couldn't believe it! <<All this, and she's smart, too!>>
But Eowyn turned to Faramir, laughter in her eyes. "As if I wouldn't know the plural for sword!"
As Eowyn turned her attention back to the class and began copying down notes, Faramir took a deep breath, trying to get his courage up. <<I’m going to ask her out,>> he thought, <<to hell with Merry!>>
“Well,” Faramir began in a hushed tone, stopping to clear his throat, “I think that we should celebrate. Would you meet me for a picnic lunch today?”
Time seemed to slow down as Faramir watched Eowyn lift her head and turn towards him. She had a slight frown of concentration on her face as she considered the question.
Just as Faramir was expecting her to say ‘no’, Eowyn gave a small smile and nodded her head ‘yes’. “Why not?” she whispered back to him. “We’re both free after bio until childhood development at two o’clock, right?”
Faramir continued nodding, a foolish smile spreading over his face. “That would be great! I know the perfect spot – over by the Anth building there’s a sculpture garden on the hill!”
“Faramir!” Professor Elrond’s voice rang out clearly in the suddenly silent room. “This is NOT the Green Dragon. And we are NOT here to pick up dates. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Faramir replied, sure that his face was crimson in embarrassment. It was rare for the professor to speak in the Common Tongue in class, and Faramir wanted to disappear into his chair as everyone stared at him.
“Min fair. Yrmin?”
Faramir had to think a moment. “Fir?” Elrond nodded once in acknowledgement and turned back to the chalkboard.
Exhaling heavily in relief, Faramir looked down at his notebook, unsure of what to say to Eowyn. Just then, Eowyn surreptitiously slid a note onto his desk.
Faramir unfolded the half-sheet of notebook paper and read, "I'm really glad you asked me out today. I need to talk to you about something."
Faramir's heart skipped a beat as he reread the last sentence several times. <<Don't get your hopes up,>> he scolded himself, but he couldn't help it. She wanted to TALK to him about something!
<<Maybe it's about something bad,>> he reminded himself. <<Maybe she saw me watching her the other night during the fire alarm -- maybe she KNOWS I'm a crazy stalker type and she wants me to cool it.>>
<<But why wouldn't she have said something about it in class on Monday? Or Tuesday? Why wait until today to confront me? Eowyn doesn't seem the type to avoid a confrontation.>>
<<But maybe she wanted to wait until she could confront me ALONE, not in front of other students. Alone, in the sculpture garden, where she can hand over the restraining order in private and....>>
Desperate to know, Faramir jotted down, "What'd you want to talk about?" on the note, folded it, and slid it back onto her laptop desk.
He watched as she opened the note and a shy smile crossed her lips. <<That's a good sign,>> Faramir thought. <<She looks happy but almost embarrassed -- not how you'd expect someone to feel about a confrontation. More like how you'd expect someone to feel if she was about to confess something. Like maybe that she likes someone?>>
Faramir felt his breathing grow shallow with excitement as Eowyn passed the note back to him. He opened it and read, "You're a guy...."
It was like a record scratched in his head. <<Duh, you idiot,>> he chastised himself. <<She doesn't like YOU -- she likes Merry. She probably wants advice on her love life.>>
Faramir took a deep breath and continued to read the rest of the page, his worst fears confirmed. "You're a guy. I need to talk to you about Merry. I need your..." Faramir turned the note over and finished reading, "...advice. I think I've been leading him on, and I need you to help me figure out how to let him down easy."
Faramir's heart was having a hard time dealing with this rollercoaster of emotions. He reread the last sentence several times until he was sure it really said what it said.
Nervously, not sure he really wanted to know the answer, he wrote simply, "Why?" and handed the note back to her. Eowyn blushed, and that same shy smile returned as she wrote her answer.
"Because I like someone else."
<<YES!!!>> Faramir said. He couldn't believe it! She liked him! And she was willing to give up her boyfriend for him! It was like a dream come true.
<<Maybe she's just been too shy to say anything before,>> he thought. <<And we've never really spent any time alone together -- we're always in class. I'm so glad I got up the courage to ask her out -- she might've never told me if I hadn't.>>
<<But what if she's afraid to tell me to my face? I mean, I'VE certainly been afraid to say anything to her. Maybe she'd feel more comfortable writing it to me -- she sure seems willing to bare all on paper. And maybe if we get that awkward part over with now, we can just enjoy our lunchdate.>>
<<Oh my gosh, a lunchDATE! An actual date! This is turning out to be the best day EVER.>>
<<But we'd best get the rest of this out in the open BEFORE our date.>> So he wrote, "Whom do you like?" and passed the note back to her.
Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she turned to him and was about to speak. But she was interrupted by Professor Elrond stepping up to the podium and clearing his throat sternly. He swept the lecture hall with a glaring frown before speaking.
“Tomorrow there will be a quiz on the vocabulary list from page 23. Anyone who does not pass this quiz will receive an F on this section, so I suggest that you study.” Professor Elrond paused for a moment and frowned in particular at Faramir and Eowyn before continuing. “Also, I would like to remind all of you that interruptions will NOT be tolerated in my Elvish classes. In the future, those students who do interrupt or distract from the lesson…will be asked to leave. I hope that I’ve made myself clear. Now, open your books to page 25, 'The Fall of Gil-galad'. Everyone will read two lines to practice their pronunciation. We will start with you, Sam.”
Faramir and Eowyn reached for their Sindarin textbooks along with the rest of the class and flipped to page 25. Once the page shuffling had died down, Sam began.
As Sam made his way ponderously through the first two lines of the poem, Eowyn quickly wrote on the note and passed it back to Faramir’s waiting hand.
“His name is Strider. I don’t know very much about him yet, but I can’t stop thinking about him!” the note read.
Faramir slumped in his seat, unconsciously crumpling the note into a tight ball. The last feelings of elation disappeared, leaving him drained and exhausted. He remembered to keep his eye on the poem as a new reader took over. He found himself focusing on the poem in an effort to appear normal. But inside he felt like screaming and throwing his textbook as far as it would go. <<She loves someone else and it’s not you, you fool,>> was all that he could think.
The clock slowly ticked onward to 8:50. Faramir breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally excused from class. He stood up quickly, just wanting to get outside into the fresh air and have time to collect himself before biology. Eowyn stood up with him, blocking the narrow aisle between the desks while she gathered her things into her bookbag.
“Hey, what’s the hold up?” a man on the other side of Faramir called out, as the row of students waited for Eowyn to clear the way.
The man, a rugby player by the look of him, shoved against Faramir, catching him off guard and causing him to bump hard into Eowyn.
In a sudden rush of anger and adrenaline Faramir turned and punched the rugby player right in the solar plexus. The man fell back down into his seat, his mouth gaping open as he tried to catch his breath.
“Pardon you,” Faramir spoke in a strangely calm voice. “Next time you might try using some manners.”
Obviously surprised at the whole incident, Eowyn gaped at Faramir for a moment. Rubbing her head where Faramir’s shoulder had rammed into it, she suddenly appeared to remember her surroundings, and grabbing her bag she headed for the door.
Once outside she cast a sidelong look at Faramir. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Faramir nodded. "I'm...fine," he answered, knowing it was the furthest thing from the truth. His head reeled, his hand still stung from the punch, and he felt as if someone had taken out his heart and stomped it into the ground. He was anything but fine. Mostly he was just ashamed -- resorting to violence was the sort of thing his brother did, not him. So Faramir avoided Eowyn's eyes, not wanting to see the disapproval he knew was there, and instead concentrated on his own pangs of remorse.
But as he slowly began to isolate the pain in his shoulder, he suddenly remembered that Eowyn had been on the receiving end of that boy's shove. He quickly asked, "I didn't hurt YOU, did I?"
Eowyn shook her head warily. "No," she said. "I'm okay."
"I didn't mean to bump into you...it was just...." Faramir sighed, frustrated that he couldn't repair the damage. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say -- he just wished he could take back the entire incident. "I'm sorry," he finally mumbled, staring down at his feet.
"It wasn't your fault," Eowyn said. She looked around uncomfortably before adding, "Um...I gotta go. I'll see you in biology."
She hurried off, leaving Faramir to regret ever having gotten out of bed this morning.
****
When she got back to her dorm room, Eowyn had planned to work on her article about the fencing team for The Palantir, but instead she began to reflect upon what had happened in class. The entire shoving incident and subsequent punching had reminded her of Eomer -- her brother's quick temper was always getting him into trouble. <<Though it's often because he's trying to protect me,>> she realized. <<And wasn't Faramir just doing the same thing?>> she thought, absently rubbing her head where Faramir had been shoved into her.
<<Why is it that all the guys I know are so violently protective of me?>> she wondered. <<It's not like I can't take care of myself.>> She thought about her fencing abilities, which led to thoughts of the team, with led to thoughts of....
<<Strider.>> She pictured him, walking away after their bout yesterday, and smiled, sighing. Although he'd carried his sabre with him as he left, he somehow didn't strike Eowyn as the violent type. <<He doesn't seem to be quick-tempered,>> she thought. <<Instead he has an air of deep calmness about him, as if he meditates on all his actions before executing them. And he seems to execute them with such style....>>
Eowyn smiled, wondering how she could portray that quiet strength in her article.
****
Eowyn was so absorbed in her writing that she lost track of the time and had to run across campus to get to biology in time. She entered the lecture hall winded, scanning the room for Faramir. Last week they'd sat in the same seats for every class, but ever since Monday Faramir had been moving around, and it took her a moment to find where he was sitting. Hurrying over to him, she dropped down into her seat right as Professor White and Grima entered the room.
Faramir gave her a questioning look, as if he was going to ask her something, and then quickly glanced away. But Eowyn didn't seem to notice, for she was still riding high on her thoughts of Strider. But thoughts of Strider quickly dissolved into thoughts of Merry, and she realized that she really did need to get Faramir's advice at lunch. So she got out her spiral notebook and loudly ripped a page from it, jotting down, "We're still on for lunch after class, right?" before passing it to Faramir.
Faramir read the note and sighed, his shoulders hunching as he stared at the piece of paper from Eowyn’s notebook.
Eowyn prodded Faramir in the arm and gave a slight shrug, her eyebrows raised in question, waiting for his reply. Faramir looked over at her and gave her a strange, rather sad smile before nodding in the affirmative. Satisfied with his answer, she turned her attention back to the class.
Professor White seemed to be scolding Grima at the front of the lecture hall by the chalkboard. Eowyn couldn’t understand what he was saying over the babble of coed voices in the large room. As she was straining to catch some of the Professor’s words, Grima suddenly looked right up at her, his eyes finding hers. The Professor turned away abruptly and stepped up to the podium, tapping his pointer several times until the noise in the room died down. Grima held her gaze for a moment longer, then smiled knowingly at her before he turned away and sat down in a seat in the front row.
“Today’s lecture will begin with the cell,” Professor White’s deep voice carried easily throughout the room. “Open your books to page 16.”
Eowyn was still staring at the place where Grima had been. The image of his smirking smile wouldn’t leave her mind. What was she going to do about him? And why did she let him get to her like this? There was something about him that definitely wasn’t right…in fact, something about him was just plain creepy. While Eowyn was lost in these thoughts, a hand suddenly touched her arm. She was so startled that she jumped in her seat and gasped, leaning away from the hand as she did so.
Eowyn found herself staring at Faramir who looked both embarrassed and appalled at her reaction. He had pulled his hand away from her arm as if he’d been burned. Unable to think of anything to say, and not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, Eowyn looked down at her book and pretended to be busy finding the page with the diagram of a cell on it.
After a few minutes, a note was pushed onto her desk. Eowyn kept her eyes down as she read, “Why are you afraid of that guy?”
<<Am I that transparent?>> Eowyn wondered, knowing the answer. Faramir wasn't blind -- he'd seen how she'd reacted to Grima the first day of class, and he'd clearly put two and two together.
<But what should I tell him? That Grima creeps me out? That I'm almost certain that he left that message for me during the firedrill? That I haven't been able to sleep the last few nights, knowing that he has a key to my room?>>
But she'd seen that morning how overprotective Faramir was of her. And Grima was HER battle, to be fought and won by herself, without overprotective brothers or friends stepping in. So she merely scribbled down, "What guy?" and handed the note back.
But Faramir didn't like her response. He turned and gave her a look somewhere between annoyed and concerned.
<<I should've known he wouldn't fall for it,>> she thought, taking the note back and writing more on it: "He's my R.A. & he gives me the creeps."
Faramir responded with a questioning look and a scribbled, "Is that all?"
<<Is it?>> Eowyn wondered. <<Is Grima just a creep, or is he a dangerous stalker? If he DID break into my room, that goes beyond mere creepiness. And Faramir's offering to help -- am I a fool not to take it?>>
"That's all," Eowyn wrote. After another minute, and another questioning glance from Faramir, she added, "Because I see him both in class AND in my dorm, he acts like he knows me. It..." <<...makes me put a chair under my door every night...>> "...creeps me out."
Faramir nodded, concerned, as he wrote back, "Do you think he's dangerous?"
Luckily, Eowyn was saved by the professor: "And what is the purpose of the nucleus? Eowyn?"
Thankful to be answering any question other than Faramir's, Eowyn glanced down at her diagram before saying, "The nucleus is kinda the brains of the cell, right? Where all the DNA is?"
“Correct.” Professor White said. “And can someone explain meiosis to the class? Damrod?”
As Damrod began speaking, Eowyn quickly wrote a few lines and passed the note back to Faramir.
“Speaking of dividing eggs,” the note read, “what are we having for our picnic? :)”
Eowyn turned her attention back to the class as Faramir was writing a reply. Her stomach suddenly growled audibly, causing her to glance, embarrassed, at Faramir to see if he’d heard. The look on his face, though, almost made her laugh out loud.
“Sorry. I guess I’m getting a little hungry,” she whispered.
“I guess,” he whispered back. “Remind me never to take you on an ambush before lunchtime. You’d certainly give away our position to the enemy.”
Eowyn began to laugh before she could stop herself and had to quickly turn the noise into a cough. By the time she’d caught her breath again, she saw that Faramir had slipped the note back onto her desk.
It read, “We could either grab some snacks out of the machines in the anth building or there’s a little coffee and sandwich shop just past the sculpture garden. If you’re starving, though, we could just go to the main cafeteria.”
Eowyn thought about these choices for a minute while she took down some notes from the board. <<Geez,>> she thought, <<a test next week, and a paper the week after that? I don’t remember Eomer saying that this class was so hard!>> Evidently the other students in the class agreed with her because Eowyn heard several start grumbling about the extra work that was being written on the board.
“And if anyone has a problem with the assignments, you are welcome to bring your concerns to my attention,” Professor White added as he put down the chalk and returned to the lecture podium. Something about his manner seemed so distant and almost cruel that Eowyn thought anyone stupid enough to take their concerns to him would probably be in for a rude surprise.
“Now that I have your full attention,” Professor White began as he looked around the room, “I have some news for the class. An urgent matter has come up to which I need to attend. In my absence, my assistant Mr. Wormtongue will be acting in my stead. I am sure that I do not need to stress the importance of the fact that he must be treated with the utmost respect as he will have the full weight of my authority during my absence.”
Eowyn could hear the startled comments and snide remarks from students all around Faramir and herself as the room absorbed the professor’s news. Grima was surveying the room with a disgusting, proprietary air, and Eowyn fought to control her breathing as she stared at Grima, hoping Faramir wouldn't notice her anxiety.
But luckily Faramir had his own worries to occupy his mind. Leaning over to Eowyn, he whispered, "Do you think he'll be grading our tests? Because I get the sinking suspicion that he might be less than fair."
Eowyn certainly couldn't argue with that.
****
Faramir noticed Eowyn starting to pack up her books before the lecture was over. He gave her a questioning look, and she merely smiled and whispered, "I'm hungry."
But Faramir could tell it was more than that -- no doubt she didn't want to be caught after class by Grima. <<And I don't blame her,>> he thought, packing up his own books. He wondered if he should tell her about seeing Grima Saturday night at the firedrill, but he didn't want to give her MORE reason to find him creepy. Besides, telling her would involve explaining why HE was standing outside her dorm that night, and that was the last thing he wanted to discuss.
Except for, perhaps, this fencing guy that she was now in love with. Faramir sighed. <<This lunch is gonna suck.>>
The instant the lecture was over, the two of them grabbed up their backpacks and practically ran out of the lecture hall, not stopping until Orthanc Tower was far behind them.
It was Eowyn who eventually slowed down the pace, and Faramir followed her lead.
"So," he began tentatively, "you never answered me about where you want to eat."
"Oh, right," Eowyn said, crinkling her forehead, no doubt trying to remember her choices. "Didn't you say something about snack machines?"
Faramir nodded. "But are you sure that'll be enough? The way your stomach was growling in class, I'd imagine you'd want real food."
"Dorito's are real food," she said, grinning. "Besides, it's too beautiful out to be stuck inside -- a picnic of junk food under the autumn trees seems perfect to me."
<<YOU seem perfect to me,>> Faramir thought, sighing. <<If only you weren't in love with someone else.>>
Faramir led Eowyn over to the Anthropology building as she retold her story of the fencing team, this time complete with lively demonstrations using her pen as a sword.
"...And I can't believe that I hit him in the face," she said as they walked up to the vending machines. "But he didn't seem to be mad about it. Instead, it was like he was more impressed or something. Isn't that incredible? HE'S so incredible! Oh, Faramir," she said, her tone suddenly changing as she dramatically grabbed his arm right as he pushed the button for Pepsi. "What am I gonna do about Merry?" she asked as the can slammed loudly into the bottom tray. "I've got to figure out a way to let him down easy, but it's gonna be so hard, especially after we had SUCH a good time at the dance the other night."
“So you WERE at the dance!” Faramir blurted out without thinking.
“Huh?” Eowyn gave him a blank look, her mind intent on Merry.
“Uh, never mind,” Faramir said quickly. “Do you want Pepsi or diet Dr. Pepper? I think the other flavors are sold out.”
“Pepsi is fine,” Eowyn replied absently, seeming somewhat confused by the rapid changes of subject. “So…do you have any suggestions?”
Faramir didn’t answer right away. Stalling for time, he pretended to consider her question as he quickly got them some chips and other snacks out of the food machine.
“Well, how long have the two of you been...seeing each other?” he finally asked as they headed out of the building and into the sculpture garden. He gave Eowyn a small sideways glance to see if she’d noticed his hesitation over the phrase ‘seeing each other’. The effort of picturing Eowyn with Merry -- the two of them holding hands, eating together, sharing a private joke, … or kissing -- made Faramir feel sick at heart.
“Since the day before classes began,” Eowyn answered. “At least, that’s the day we met.”
Faramir gave her a strange look which Eowyn didn’t have too much trouble deciphering. “Yeah, I know,” she replied as if he’d spoken. “It doesn’t seem like a very long time. But we hardly spent any time out of each other’s sight the whole first week of school because of the Palantir. Speaking of which, I owe Merry for even being a PART of the paper. What if he gets angry and wants me off the paper? He carries a lot of influence with Professor Brown. Oh, what am I going to do?”
As Eowyn was talking, Faramir led them through the garden, following a winding path that worked its way up a hill. Even though it wasn’t a long climb, the hill gave a beautiful view of the campus, as the ground sloped away from its summit on all sides. Benches and sculptures, all of which were students’ work, were placed artfully around the serene space.
“Come on and sit down,” Faramir said, indicating a bench. “I wouldn’t worry about Professor Brown. No matter how much he likes Merry, he’s going to make his own decisions about you.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Eowyn agreed, sitting down and ripping open a bag of chips.
After eating in silence for a few minutes, Eowyn looked up at Faramir where he sat beside her on the bench. “You never answered me. Do you have any suggestions on what I can say to Merry?”
Faramir looked into Eowyn’s eyes and forgot for a moment what they’d been talking about. Her gaze was so penetrating and direct that he felt captured and held in place by it. He suddenly wondered why he didn’t just tell her how he really felt about her. Hiding his feelings under this cloak of friendship was dishonest and deceitful. Even though being honest had never been to his benefit, especially in dealing with his father, Faramir knew that he couldn’t keep up this pretense much longer. Tearing his eyes away from Eowyn’s gaze, Faramir let out a breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“I don’t know what you should say to Merry,” he began, “But, --“
“Eowyn!!” the voice startled both Eowyn and Faramir, and they turned to see Eomer storming up to their bench.
Eowyn jumped up with a guilty start that caused Faramir to feel instantly protective of her. He stood as well, his attention focused on the man he mistakenly thought was Merry.
“I thought you were meeting me for lunch!” Eomer spoke to Eowyn in a tone that seemed accusatory.
“I’m so sorry!” Eowyn said, looking rather distressed. “I can’t believe that I forgot!”
“Well, I wasted so much time looking for you, that now I don’t have time to eat! Polo practice starts in a half hour and I have to help get the ponies ready!” Eomer's annoyance practically radiated from him, and Faramir wondered if it was more than just hunger that was gnawing at him.
"Polo practice? This early?" Eowyn looked confused. "I thought practice was usually later in the afternoon."
"It usually is. But Theoden decided to hold an extra practice for the newbies, so I have to go. And on an empty stomach, thanks to you."
“It’s not her fault,” Faramir cut in, wondering if Merry always treated Eowyn like this. “I asked Eowyn to help me with some classwork. We’re both education majors,” Faramir explained calmly. He hoped that if he gave Merry a chance to calm down, he’d see what an overbearing jerk he was being.
“And I said I was sorry,” Eowyn repeated, letting the frustration show in her voice. “I don't know why you're making such a big deal.”
“It IS a big deal!” Eomer replied heatedly. “I never see you anymore! And the one time I'm SUPPOSED to see you, you forget. You know, I bet you’d never accidentally forget a fencing practice.”
“Well you’re the same way with the polo team!” Eowyn shot right back at him. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Why am *I* acting like that?" Eomer fumed. "Why are YOU acting like such a brat?”
Faramir cleared his throat quickly, and stood up beside Eowyn, feeling very defensive of her. “It’s really not her fault," he tried to explain calmly. "I'M the one who asked her to lunch."
Eomer paused while he looked Faramir over. There were several moments of silence, then Eomer spoke coldly, “And you are?”
Before Faramir could reply, Eowyn cut in, rolling her eyes in exasperation, “This is Faramir. Remember? I told you about him? Anyway, he asked me to lunch today, and I said yes because I really needed to talk to him about....“ Eowyn suddenly clamped her mouth shut, a blush spreading rapidly over her face. “I mean...I...uh....”
“Yeah…she needed to talk to me about one of our classes,” Faramir said, jumping to her rescue. "We’re both education majors, and...and we have a test coming up in Early Childhood Development."
During the awkward silence that followed, Faramir gulped nervously as Eomer stared first at him and then at Eowyn's red face. Finally he said simply, “I see.” Glancing down at his watch, he added, “Damn, I have to go. I guess I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll call you,” Eowyn said, getting her embarrassment under control. "Talk to you later."
“Well THAT was just great!" Eowyn sighed melodramatically as soon as Eomer was out of earshot. "Just what I needed right now, especially when all I can think about is Strider." Eowyn turned to Faramir, adding, "Oh Faramir, what in middle earth am I going to do about all this?”
Faramir just shook his head mutely as he sat back down on the bench. He was thinking the exact same thing.
***
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