The next hour passed quickly, Ian moved through the lecture like he always did — smoothly, with just enough sarcasm to keep people awake, and just enough knowledge to keep them interested. He walked them through Napoleon's campaigns, the continental system, the Russian disaster, Waterloo, all of it. He answered questions as well.
By the time he was done, the projector screen showed a timeline cluttered with wars, treaties, and exile.
Ian leaned back on the desk again, folding his arms.
"Alright," he said. "That's your history snack for the day."
A few students chuckled. One of the girls up front sighed and closed her notebook with a soft clap.
Ian pointed lazily toward the screen. "Assessment's posted on the portal already. It's short. Well… shortish. Three pages, max. Just walk me through what you think was Napoleon's biggest screw-up. Or his biggest win. I don't care which. Convince me."
"When's it due?" someone asked from the back.
"Next week. Thursday night, midnight. Don't email me asking for an extension at 11:59. I'll ignore it out of spite."
That got a few real laughs.
He grabbed his now-empty bag, shoved it into the bin, and slung his worn-out backpack over one shoulder.
"Alright. You're free. Unless you wanna stay and argue about Napoleon's ego."
No one did.
The shuffle of bags and chairs followed as everyone started to leave. A couple girls lingered a bit near the door, smiling at him on their way out. He smiled back, but only out of politeness.
He had other things on his mind. He quickly left for his home.
His place was quiet. He laid on the couch, bare chested, a necklace with a diamond like object was on his neck. It was a gift from his grandmother. He was researching on his laptop...fingers tapping away.
He'd pulled up two tabs on Napoleon, nothing for class, just curiosity. Something one of the students asked earlier had stuck in his head. He made a few notes, leaned back, stretched his arms, and shut the lid.
Later that night, he fell asleep without realizing it. Light still on. Laptop still open. He never made it to bed, just passed out on the couch.
Next Morning which was Friday.
No classes. No alarms. Ian yawned, rolled off the couch like a guy falling out of a bunker, and wandered into the kitchen. Made some toast. Burned the first slice. Ate it anyway.
Around noon, Tessa texted.
"Still on for tomorrow? Also...wanna grab stuff today?"
Ian stared at the screen for a second, ran a hand through his hair, then typed back:
"Yeah. Where are we meeting?"
By two, they were out together. Nothing fancy, just a couple of stores near campus. A hiking bag, water bottles, granola bars, sunscreen. Tessa spent too long choosing socks, which she claimed were "mission critical."
"You realize it's just a walk in the woods, right?" Ian teased, holding up a flashlight. "Not a trek through Mordor."
She smirked. "Comfort matters."
They grabbed smoothies afterward. Talked about random things. Work. Students. Weird dreams. She laughed a lot, and Ian kept noticing the way her nose scrunched when she smiled too wide.
He walked her back to her place before the sun dipped too low.
"Tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ian nodded. "Text me when you're ready."
She gave him a small wave before she disappeared out of sight.
The next morning came with that kind of light that made everything look cleaner than it really was.
Ian stood in his bedroom, half-awake, staring at the backpack on his bed like it had personally offended him.
He wasn't really a hike guy. The idea of walking for hours through trees and rocks and bugs wasn't exactly his dream weekend. But… it was Tessa's idea. She'd been excited about it. And honestly? He liked the idea of spending a whole day with her without anyone else around. Just the two of them and whatever trails she dragged them down.
He pulled open the zipper and started tossing stuff in.
Water filled bottle. First aid kit. Extra shirt. Protein bars. The sunscreen she made a big deal about. Bug spray. A power bank. Then, with a short pause, he reached for the small solar charger he'd bought on a whim last year and never used.
"Just in case we get stuck in the woods and need to charge our phones to tweet our last words," he muttered.
The last thing he added — a hunting rifle, carefully wrapped and strapped to the side of the pack. It wasn't loaded, and he didn't plan to use it. But the world was weird. And deep woods could be worse than just snakes and bears. Precaution. Always. He packed a few spare rounds, just in case.
He checked his phone battery...still full, and slipped it into his jacket. Tossed in the rechargeable flashlight too. He knew they were coming back the same day. Probably by evening. Still… didn't hurt to be prepared. One of the few perks of being a history nut was knowing how easily things went to hell when people got too confident.
Once everything was packed, he gave the bag one last look.
It wasn't light. But it'd do.
He swung it over one shoulder, locked up his apartment behind him, and headed downstairs.
The city was already stretching its arms. Cars honking in the distance. A few joggers. An old lady watering plants on a balcony two floors up. Ian zipped up his jacket and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked toward their meeting point — a small bench near a pub.
Tessa would be there soon and then they'd be off.
He wasn't exactly looking forward to the hike. But the company? Yeah, that made it worth it.
He leaned against the wooden bench, bag at his feet, fingers tapping out a rhythm on his thigh while he waited. The morning was still cool.
Tessa arrived shortly later, she walked up with a small smile and a backpack slung over one shoulder. She was dressed for the trail — simple tee, hiking boots, old blue cap she always wore when she was outdoors. Hair tied back in the loose, effortless way that somehow still looked better than most people's best effort.
"Hey," she said, a little out of breath but grinning.
"Hey," he replied, straightening up.
She didn't hesitate. Stepped right in and gave him a hug. Warm. Quick. Comfortable. The kind that said, yeah, this is normal now.
He hugged her back, maybe held on a second longer than he meant to.
"You ready for this?" she asked, pulling back just enough to look up at him.
"Absolutely not," he said flatly.
She laughed, nudged him with her elbow. "Come on. You'll survive."
"No promises," he muttered, grabbing his pack off the ground.
They started walking, they made their way out of the city and toward the woods beyond.
The sun was rising higher, the sky turning a soft blue. To them both, everything felt… simple, but special at the same time.