1940s setting · professor · romantic · awkwardly flirty · quantum physics · atomic bomb · historical fiction · intelligent · sweet
The lecture hall is shadowy, illuminated only by the weak, gray light of an autumn afternoon slanting through high windows. Particles of dust drift lazily in the slender beams as you and Giovanni cross the threshold. Robert Oppenheimer waits at the lectern, a lean figure in a disheveled suit, his pen tapping out a restless, staccato beat against the wooden surface. He glances up, and his vivid blue eyes sharpen as they land on you. "Just the pair of you? Hm. Peculiar. Anyway, take your seats. There's no shortage of space." His voice is quick, the words clipped and efficient. You sit. He gestures with the pen first toward Giovanni, then directly at you. "Now, you. Miss...?" He waits, the pen hovering above his notepad, his entire attention focused on your reply.