She pauses in her reading, stuffing a bookmark in between the pages before her eyes flicker to his, a thin smile on her face. "... Say, do you have any music on that thing?"
He blinks, lowering the screen of his laptop while staring at her with an odd expression.
"It''s connected to the internet." He said, as if it more or less explained everything. She blinks, before letting out a wince, covering her face with a book while he chuckles at her expense. "... So, what do you want me to play?"
"No insults this time?"
"Trying to be better." He replies in a sing-song manner, before turning towards her with a more genial smile, "It it working yet?"
"No."
The answer makes him scowl. "Then no playing music here."
"You''re an ass."
"Hey, you insulted me first." He shot back, "Besides, this is government-issued. Or well, central library-issued, but it''s more or less the same thing. They can look through what I''m doing here, and I''m not sure they''ll be happy to find out that I''m playing songs over the internet while it''s supposed to be work hours."
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
She blinks. "You have a phone. Use it."
"How about you use your phone to play your own music?" He asked in return, "Or did you forget it to bring it with you again?"
"I don''t forget everything that I have on me." She scowled, fishing her phone out of her pockets and jangling it at him. "See? Brought it with me safe and sound, so you don''t need to bother me about it, dad."
"Pretty sure I''ll split if I actually have to take care of someone like you." He muttered, yelping in pain a second later as she kicks him in the shin. "Alright, alright! That''s uncalled for, I''m sorry."
"Good." She sniffs, crossing her arms on her chest before leaning away from him. "Don''t do it again."
He opens his mouth to speak, intending to ask a question... only for him to shake his head and turn back to his laptop, putting it out of his mind a minute later. It wasn''t his place to bring it up.
Maybe in the future, perhaps, but then again...
... His eyes glance around him, towards the near-deserted library. How long would it take before it would be quiet here once more?
12. Peeking
The small library in Dover Street was her personal island of peace and serenity. That place, crammed in between an apartment complex and a cafe, with its musty air and less-than-stellar company. Still, it wasn''t nearly as bad as the neighbors in her own apartment, or the professors at uni who kept on droning at their lecterns.
So long as she could spend a few hours in the library with nothing but absolue bliss, all was right with the world.
It was just another ordinary visit. She was just done with her classes for the day, and was about to spend the next few hours chilling in the library until half an hour before closing hours, until she stepped through the doors and well...
"Even as the stars fall down~"
... She could only wince at the sight, even as she continued on looking. The bell tinkled the moment she entered the library, though with the headphones that was all but glued to his head, she could reckon that he didn''t hear a damn thing.
''My ears.'' She inwardly wailed, ''My ears fucking hurt.''
Despite the wince that was all but etched onto her face, she still managed to look upon the scene with morbid curiosity, a hand rummaging around her pockets for her phone. It was all but impossible to look away from the sight now, as if it''s a wreck in slow motion that she couldn''t help but watch.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Eventually, she managed to find her phone, yanking it out of her pocket and quickly setting it to record... his ''singing''. If one could even call it that.
"And so I reach up my arm to you~!" He ''sang'' into the broom in their hand, doing a quick whirl and pointing up at the sky, "Pull you close and hold you tight and sweaaaar~"
He turns right back to sweeping, humming to himself for a moment before beginning to dance once more, turning around...
... And freezing in an instant, meeting her grin right after.
In an instant, he wrenches the headphones off his head, letting them dangle on his neck while he stalks his way towards her. "Delete that."
"Nope."
"Delete that." He frantically snaps, even as her grin grows even wider as she takes a step towards the aisles. "Oi. I said delete that!"
She doesn''t reply, instead laughing him off and snaking into the library''s aisles, forcing him to give chase a few seconds later.
13. Silence
The next time she came to visit, he was steadfastly ignoring her. With eyes locked onto the computer screen and clicking away on a mouse, he more or less looked like the perfect office drone.
It didn''t really stop him from glancing towards her when she entered, nor the faint embarrassment that shone on his cheeks right after. She grins, sliding onto a stool while staring at him with mischief dancing across her eyes.
A few seconds pass, only to be broken a few seconds later as she spoke.
"You know," she pipes up in a sing-song voice, "I''ve still got that video saved up in my phone."
He flinches, but nonetheless made to ignore her, clacking on the keyboard and moving their mouse around. With a hum, she leans over the counter to see what had taken up so much of his attention... only to snort at what she saw.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Didn''t know that you liked to draw squiggly lines on Paint." She pipes up, sighing a second later at his lack of a reaction before shaking her head. "... Well, you''re no fun."
"If you deleted that video, then sure. Why not." Came the sullen reply, his eyes still locked onto... whatever he was drawing on the computer. "Given you though, I doubt it."
She hums, letting out a shrug. "Got a spare cup of coffee."
He scoffed. "Delete that damn video first, then we''ll talk."
"No."
"Then discussion''s over." He huffs, turning back towards the screen. "That''s all."
14. Apologies
It had only been a few days since he did his best to ignore her, and the atmosphere in the library had changed. Not by a lot ¨C she still liked the silence and the books ¨C but enough that while she could tell that there was something off, she didn''t know enough to put a finger on what was bugging her.
Or well, she definitely knew, but chose to ignore it at the moment. There were more important things to focus on right now, like the fact that she was trying to drag out all of these reference books on a step-ladder.
Thank fuck that those damn books weren''t actually required to pass the damn class. She''d heard horror stories about other universities in the area that tacked it on to provide another ''revenue stream'', and it always made her cherish the spot that she got on the community college. On the other hand, her professors all but told her that some topics wouldn''t be covered during the lectures, and she''d have to crack open a copy of a damn book and read through those.
And of course, all the copies that she could get from the university''s library had already been taken by others. Swinging by the central library would also be a waste of funds or incredibly exhausting, which meant that she put that option out of mind. Here, however...
... Well, she could do with outdated editions. Updated editions were a scam anyway, or so she read online, but that was neither here nor there, no. At the moment, she was focusing on her exhaustion, and the subtle pain of her shoes digging into her heels.
"Reminder for next time, bring some fucking slippers." She hissed at herself, letting out a grunt before finally wrenching out a book that was as thick as her damn hand. "... And find the dumbass who decided that these things should be fucking heavy, and brain them over the head with this fucking thing."
"Not even an hour in, and you''re already cursing a poor book." He calls out, placidly gazing at the book that she was holding in her hand before continuing to stock the shelves. "Give it a break, will you?"
She doesn''t reply, instead rolling her eyes at him while waving the book in her hand. "I would, if these things weren''t so damn heavy. Who the fuck made these things to be so heavy?"
"Ask whoever arranged the entire thing." He shrugs, before freezing a second later and shaking his head once more, turning back to his work in order to ignore her once again.
She hums at his reply, glancing down towards the ground... before her breath hitches, a momentary feeling of vertigo crossing her mind. Her grip on the shelf wobbles, and she takes a deep breath before slowly making her way down the step-ladder.
"Fucking heights," She hissed, eyes wide as her grip on the book wobbles for a second. Behind the corner of her eye, she could see him turning around and raising a brow at her, which she immediately replies with a scoff. "What?"
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Afraid of heights?"
Her mouth dries up. "No¨C" She snorts, letting out a bark of laughter as she releases her grip on the shelf. "I mean, who would be?"
"I don''t know about you, but that''s pretty high up. Relatively speaking." He sighs, marching forward until he was at the foot of the step-ladder. "Come on, just toss the book to me and grab the steps while you make your way down."
"Nah, it''s fine. I can do¨C FUCK!" She hisses, quickly glaring at her left shoe and raising it up for her to see. With a scoff, she pulls off the shoe, sighing at her inflamed heel. "... Yeah, screw these. Next time I''ll be going to work, I''ll just wear some sneakers¨C"
Her balance shifts. She squawks, before it turns into a horrified shriek as she falls towards the ground... Only for her to slam into something meaty, a thud of pain coursing through her body from the collision before she''s sprawled out on the ground. A groan escapes her lips, her eyes moving about in a daze, even as she tries to get the spots out of her vision.
Slowly, the fog clears, and she pushes herself upwards, only to hear him hissing in pain from below. She blinks, glancing down to see if it really was him, then quickly scrambling off once he glares at her.
"Told you." He hisses into the floorboards, "You should''ve tossed the damn book."
"Sorry?" She pipes up, only to wilt at his glare intensifies, "... Alright, how can I make it up to you?"
"Get that..." He groans, plucking off the reference book off the back of his head and sliding it over towards her with a gasp, "Get that video deleted and we''ll call it quits."
She sighs, digging into her pockets and pulling out her phone. It takes her a few seconds for her to find the video, playing it on a loud volume just to ensure that he hears it. Both wince at the sound of his ah, ''singing'', and she quickly tosses her phone towards him as if it were a cursed object.
"There." She breathes, eyes glancing back down to the book before she begins inspecting it for damages. "You can delete it."
He nods, having pulled himself into a slouched seat as he quickly deletes the video, letting out a sigh of relief as the sound of his ''singing'' cuts off. A second passes before he gives her phone back, and she quickly snatches it out of his hands before he could rifle through her other files.
"Even now?" She asks with a raised brow, and he nods in response before pulling himself up.
"Even." He responds, before aiming a shit-eating grin in her direction. "... Though, you could certainly lay off with the teddy bear collection. I''m not an expert, but I''m pretty sure that''s unhealthy."
She smiles at him, a serene expression on her face that contrasts the heavy book that she hefted in her hands.
"I''ll conk you over the head with this."
15. Discussion
"So. ''Kendra''s Bow''." He pipes up, snatching a fry from her plate and biting into it with a crisp crunch, "How''d you find it?"
"She didn''t use a bow for three quarters of the book." She huffs, taking a few fries of her own before taking a sip of her coffee. "Unbelievable. Immersion-breaking in fact. I give it two stars out of five."
"No, no, I''m looking for an honest opinion." He replies, scratching his cheek while drumming his fingers on the counter. "I¨C Look, my friend''s birthday is coming up, and I just want to know if it''ll make a good gift. I''ll probably just swing by a bookstore and have them wrap it up or something like that."
"Honest opinion?" She echoed, "It''s a good book. Awfully vanilla, but a good way to waste some time while you''re waiting for a meal or something like that. Though uh, if your friend likes to give a damn about story and whatnot, then you should probably give them something else."
"Nah, they aren''t that kind of person."
She leans back on her stool, scooping up another handful of fries before munching them down. "Then I guess that works. When''s their birthday anyway?"
"About..." His brows furrow, quickly glancing towards his computer before turning back towards her, "Around sometime this week."
"That''s cutting it close." She muses, downing the rest of her coffee before sliding the empty mug towards him, finger raised for a refill. "I thought that you''d be the type to get things done days ago or something."
"With the work I do? You''d be surprised how much free time I have." He drawls, nonetheless taking her mug and sliding off towards his office.
"We''re having coffee and fries right now." She calls out, her brow raised and an incredulous expression on her face. "Isn''t this like, some kind of free time?"
"Work hours are fluid, but still need to put in actual work somewhere." He replies, just as the sound of flowing water echoes through the office door, "You do a job like this, you more or less learn to multitask. As of the moment, I''m just waiting for the confirmation of an incoming shipment, but well..."
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
He leans out, wagging a pitcher full of coffee at her. "Coffee break. Then I''ll probably get to check this library''s database to see if there''s any books that are overdue."
She hums, munching on more fries while he slides out of the office and back onto the front desk, setting down her mug and the pitcher right beside it.
"These fries are great, by the way." He mumbles, grabbing a handful of fries and absentmindedly munching on them while he turns towards the computer. "Where''d you get these from?"
"The cafe." She replies, waving a fry at him before quickly popping it into her mouth. "Took an order before I left, and they gave me a discount."
His brows furrow. "... You''d think that it''d be free, what with you working there and what not."
"Are you kidding? The fries are good." She responds, taking a sip from her coffee and letting out a happy sigh, "We always run out of available stocks when the rush hour hits, so you should be lucky that I even got this in the first place."
He pauses, turning towards her a few moments later with a long-suffering stare. "... How much do I need to pay?"
She hums. Thinks about it. She leans back with a hand cupped against her cheek, head tilted to the side he watched. She held that pose for only a few seconds, before she turns towards him with a smile.
"No need to pay." She waives, cutting herself off with a sniff, "Just worshiping the ground I walk on is more than enough."
"Well someone''s got a high and mighty opinion of themselves." He drawls, taking a sip of their coffee. "Too bad for you, I''ve got work to do."
He motions towards his computer, which was already booting up with spreadsheets that made her wince. With a shake of her head and a snort, she slides off the stool and pops the last of the fries into her mouth.
"I''m off to get some reading material. " She pipes up, sending an ashen-faced salute in his direction. "You do uh... Yeah, you get some eye strain, yeah?"
"Oh fuck off."
16. Birthday
He walks along the sidewalk with an ashen expression on his face, all but looking like he was being mugged by the person who had wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Not an incorrect assumption, since he was being robbed. From the coffee brewing machine back in the library.
"You know," He pipes up, "You could''ve just brought takeout and I would''ve turned the sign on the library."
"No can do, chief." His friend replies, shaking his head. "You my friend, need some goddamn sunlight. Any more weeks spent inside that damn library and you''ll look like a fucking vampire."
"I''m fine." He snaps back, wrenching free of his friend''s grip before scratching the back of his head. "I go out from time to time. Stock up on food, go to the laundromat, treat myself to a buffet or something. I''m not just holed up in that building, alright?"
"Wait, you went to a buffet? Without me?"
He rolls his eyes. "Last month. You said you were busy."
"Fuck." His friend hissed, biting his thumb before glancing towards him. "... Know any buffet places close by?"
"No." He rolled his eyes again, "And those things are kinda expensive. Like, ''holy shit I''m going to have to budget my food expenses for the week'' expensive. You sure you can treat me to that place?"
His friend hums, before glancing towards him with a grin. "... How about we split the bill?"
"Ass."
He punches his friend in the shoulder, and he yelps in pain as his knuckles meet something akin to a brick wall. His friend laughs at the attempts, shaking their head before shoving their hands into their pockets, taking a quick look around them.
"Ooh." His friend pipes up, causing him to perk up and glance towards them, "Well, since I wouldn''t want to keep you away from your workaholic tendencies ¨C best friend of the year, by the way ¨C let''s just go somewhere nearby."
"Uh..." Frankly, he didn''t like where this was going, "Where?"
"That cafe over there." His friend juts out his chin, and his spirits fall as he spots a familiar storefront. He jolts up a second later as his friend lays a hand on his shoulder. "Uh-oh, someone''s got you spooked. Not a fun of cafes?"
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Nah, they''re fine." He quickly babbled out, brows crossed as he tried to find a way to slowly steer his friend away from that place. While he didn''t know if she''s currently working there, he''d rather not find out. "It''s just that..."
"That...?"
Ah, fuck it. He couldn''t lie to save his own ass, anyway. "Well, there''s someone there that I really don''t wanna see."
His friend frowns. "You got into a fight with them?"
"No." Oh hell to the fuck no. "So don''t just barge in there and chokeslam them, alright?"
"No promises are made." His friend mutters, just loud enough for him to hear it, "So, who is this someone that you''re so skittish about? Could be anyone, as far as I can tell."
"She''s¨C?"
"She?" His mouth zips shut in an instant, just as his friend grows an unsettling grin. "Well alright, then. Why don''t we pay her a visit, yeah?"
This son of a bi¨C "Not that way, you dumbfuck." He hissed, slapping a hand over his face before dragging it down with a groan. "She works there, part-time. Don''t wanna disturb her while she''s working."
"Why not?"
"... Duh?" His face scrunches up in confusion. "Like, would you like it if I just burst into your warehouse and tried asking for you?"
His friend pauses for a second. "Okay yeah, you got a point", He agrees, "But think of it like dropping by and stopping for a quick chat. Or you know, needle her a little bit."
... Well, his everything still hurt from a few days ago. Why she thought that it was a good idea to try and get the books herself he didn''t know, since she could''ve just asked him and he''d have done it no problem. Hard to have any fear of heights when you''re working in a library, after all... and he would''ve just pulled out the step-ladder with the safety railing on the side.
"You know what?" He mused, "... Alright. Let''s go."
"Sucker..."
"What?"
"Nothing." His friend replies back with a grin, "Come on, chief. Let''s go!"
He sighs at his friend''s enthusiasm. "You''re paying for what I get."
"Sure!"
17. Work
The tinkling of the bell causes her to jolt, and she quickly turns towards her... now a friend, not exactly a great conversation partner either... "Yeah, be right back. Customers just sent for me."
"Alright." Her co-worker replies, giving her an understanding smile while glancing towards the lines of coffee makers behind her, "You know, you still have two hours to go before the end of your shift. If you like, we could go for a drink or two¨C"
She was already gone, snatching up a circular tray all while inwardly bemoaning about the heels digging into her feet. Two hours left to go before she could check out, and two hours left before she could change into something more comfortable. Like sneakers.
With a sharp intake of breath, she stops at a table located by the window, pulling out a pen and pad before beaming a smile at the cafe''s latest customer. He was a large man, with close-cropped hair and a beard that reached down to a plaid button-up, and he begins to rattle out orders fit for four people instead of two.
Still, she wrote it down. Almost absentmindedly, in fact. At the moment, all she could do was stare at the other man beside the fellow that almost looked like a bear, who sheepishly waved a hand as if to say hello.
... Yeah, it''s him alright. She could recognize his ugly mug by sight at this point.
"Two orders of fries¨C" She raises a brow in his direction for that, "A salad, and... a mocha, a cappuccino, and a black."
She coolly glares at him over her pad, watching him all but wilt under her stare. "I''m on shift right now. You know that, right?"
"Now, now¨C"
"Jay." He sighs, causing the bear of a man to glance towards him, only to huff a second later and mumble a few choice words to himself. With a sigh, he turns to meet her gaze, only for him to shift his eyes out the window a second later. "... Add two slices of cake. Chocolate."
"Oi!"
She sighs and shakes her head, jotting down the additional orders before nodding once and heading off towards the counter.
"Here." She mutters, ripping the paper and sliding it over towards the woman at the cashier. "Orders for table seven."
"Friends of yours?" The cashier replies with a thin smile, and she lets out a scoff before shaking her head.
"One of them, sure. The other guy, I don''t know." She replies back, jabbing a thumb in the pair''s direction. "Then again, he did told me that his friend''s birthday was coming up, so that might be him."
"Who''s who?"
"I''m guessing the bear of a man''s his friend." She drawls, "Never seen him before in the library. Also doesn''t seem the type to read books, but that just might be me."
"Agree." The cashier nods, "Normally you''d see men like him at a bar or something like that."
"Probably."
She wasn''t too sure, though. Hard to coincide the fact that he was all but wilting when she glared at him just a few moments ago, but was now all but arguing with his friend about... something. Not like she could hear them. Nor would she want to, honestly. They seem to be having fun, even if his friend just ripped apart that book that he got for them and started waving it around...
"Order''s done." She freezes, turning around a second later to see a tray stacked with steaming fries, a two slices of cake, and three cups of coffee. "Go. You can go chat up your friends, by the way. Not a lot of people right now."
"Uh..."
"Go." The cashier huffs, "Pay me back later when it''s rush hour and you have to pound the register like it''s owing you money. It''s only just two in the afternoon or so ¨C there''s still two hours left before we need to prepare for rush hour."
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A quick check on her phone corroborate''s the cashier''s statement, and she quickly ushers a ''thank you'' to them before snatching the tray and making her way towards him and his friend. She had questions that needed to be answered, and she was sure that at least one of them would give her some answers.
"Two orders of fries, two slices of chocolate cake..." She mutters, carefully setting down the tray and handing off the food to each of them. "... And three cups of coffee. I''m assuming that the black''s for me."
"No."
"Yep."
She glares at him. So does his friend in fact, and under both of his stares, he quickly retracts his statement. "Yeah, that''s for you. Sorry about that."
With a grumble, she takes the open seat beside him and cups the coffee in her hands, letting the warmth course through her body while she lets the fumes waft up her nose.
"So." She begins, eyes narrowed as they slide over towards him. "Why are you guys here?"
"He started it." He immediately replied, pointing towards the bear of a man almost too quickly.
"True." His friend allowed with a nod, "But he jumped in at the last second."
"I didn''t."
"Sure you didn''t."
The back and forth was making her head hurt. Or at least, making her exasperated. It''s as if she had been put into a table with two children, and there was nothing that she could do to stymie that... Oh wait. She had coffee.
She blocked out the world around her for a moment with a sip, indulged in the bitter taste. It only took a second for the rest of the coffee to be drained away, and she stared at the dregs of her cup with a forlorn expression.
"Well shit." She observed. "It''s all gone."
"Great, she''s back in the land of the living." She blinks owlishly, quickly whirling back towards him with a frown on her face.
"You done with... whatever you''re supposed to be arguing about?" She asks, raising a brow at the... well, she wouldn''t go so far as to call them imbeciles, but ''idiots'' fit just fine. "Because honestly, I tuned out whatever the fuck you guys are saying."
He scowls, but his friend laughs it off, cutting through their cake slice with a fork before popping it into their mouth.
"Can''t blame you there." His friend grins, twirling the fork in his hand before chowing down once more. "We''re just discussing what he got me, is all. He doesn''t ordinarily look like it, but chief here can be good at keeping his mouth shut."
She stares at him, and he gives her a glare in return, as if daring her to contradict his friend''s statement. With a sigh, she turns back towards his friend, an idea coming to her mind.
"Maybe." She agrees, before she grins. "... He''s gonna give you a book, by the way."
"Oi!"
"Dude." His friend stares. "What the fuck?"
"Look man, I¨C"
"This is like the third time you gifted me a book for my birthday." His friend grumbles, rubbing a hand over his face. "You know I give it to Maggy so she has something to do, but¨C Oh. I see where you''re going now. Gonna try and be the cool uncle, huh? Bribe her into becoming a mini-you?"
"That''s not¨C"
And they were off to bicker again. She shakes her head with a thin smile gracing her face, placing her cup of coffee down on the table and leaving the pair to their own devices.
Idiots, both of them.
18. Hangover
"I''m beat."
That made both of them, if he were to be honest. With a sigh, he shakes his head, and his headache finally rearing its head a second later. He sniffles, a tiny whimper escaping his lips, right before he brings up an arm to cover his eyes. Why did the light have to be so damn bright...?
She stares at him over the counter, part of her cheek smushed against the wood. "Actually, never mind." She mutters. "I don''t know how you look so shit right now, but you do. Which is amazing, since last I checked, you''re not the one in college."
He whimpers even harder, the sound of her voice echoing against his skull.
"Please don''t speak." He rasps, to no avail.
"No, I think I will." She mutters back in response, propping herself up so that her chin rested against her palms. "Pretty sure you looked fine yesterday afternoon. What with you barging into my workplace with your friend and all."
"Mhm..." He nods, only to trail off. She rolls her eyes, letting out a haggard sigh as she begins to poke his head.
"So, what happened after you were done eating at the cafe?" She asks, "I went straight home to sleep the rest of the day off, but it looks like you went through the wringer."
With a grumble, he manages to pull his face off his desk, and he stares at her with bloodshot eyes. It didn''t stop her from continuing to poke him, which only seemed to tick him off even further. "... Went out drinking with Jay. Stop poking me."
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
She continued to poke him. "Huh. Didn''t take you''d be the type to drink."
"Not my idea." She hums. From what she knew of him, yeah ¨C he''d be more likely to protest his friend dragging him along to a bar. "Fucking idiot told me that I need to up my tolerance, but guess what? All I have is a fucking headache."
"How many did you drink?"
"Two. Three? Maybe five, I dunno..."
She withdraws her arm and stops poking his forehead, right before she shoots him an incredulous look. "What did you get?"
"I¨C" His eyes cross. "I dunno. Something about balls and bocchi."
With a sigh, she quickly searches whatever drink he had on her phone, only to blink once more at the result. Really? Well... damn.
"... Bocce Ball''s 16 proof, if my google-fu''s correct." She sighs, "Since I''m so gracious and all that, I''ll assume that you got five drinks. You''re still a goddamn lightweight."
"Oh fuck off." He grumbles, mushing his face against the desk once more. "Like you''re any better."
She shrugs, conceding the point. He whimpers once more, a hand covering up his eyes, and she glances towards him with a fond smile. "Well, I''ll just be reading. You sleep off that hangover of yours, but I''ll wake you up when I leave so you know to close shop. Got it?"
He grumbles back in response, and she more or less takes it as a ''yes'', sliding off the stool before going off to the shelves in search of something to read.
There was still a few hours left before closing hours. Might as well spend it reading something new.
19. Walk
She came across him locking up the library, his face scrunched in that little bout of concentration that never failed to make her smile. With a shake of her head, she walks up to him and bumps his shoulder, causing him to squawk in surprise.
"What the¨C?" He begins, before spotting her a second later and letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh, it''s you. Uh, can I suggest that you come in tomorrow or something? I''ve got something that I need to do."
"Can I ask?" She replies, eyes locking onto the heavy-looking bag he had slung around his back. "I''ve still got some time to kill before I need to get back home."
"Shouldn''t it be like... I don''t know, a busy day of classes at your uni or something?" He mumbles back, letting out a grunt before something metallic snaps into place, and he takes a few steps back to look at the library''s front door. A little smile forms on his face, quickly coupled by a smooth little hum. "Have a feeling that you''re going to need the extra hours instead of using that time to doze off."
"Well, I was supposed to check out some of the reference books in the library, but..." She motions towards the doors, which were now locked with a thick sturdy chain. He yanks on it twice, before nodding at his handiwork and adjusting the straps on his bag. "... Well, someone saw it fit to close the library up, so I''m asking why."
"Fair enough." He replies with a shrug, pulling his phone out of his pockets and glancing at it for a second. "I need to deliver something to the central library. Important files that we can''t just send over the mail or through other channels since the handlers might screw it up."
She stares, keeping pace with him as he begins walking towards the bus stop. "You think that mailmen and delivery drivers would bother looking at a library''s confidential paperwork."
"Hey, regulations are put there for a reason." He defends, though the frown on his face certainly told her everything that she needed to know. "But yeah, it''s not like I can do anything about it."
"Sucks to be you, then."
He could only reply with a shrug as the pair arrive at the bus stop, finding it relatively deserted for this time of the afternoon. With a light hum on his lips, he shuffles over towards the vending machine, quickly tapping on the buttons and producing two cans of coffee. He tosses one towards her, and she quickly the can with a surprised blink.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"... Thanks." She mumbles, popping open the tab and beginning to sip at the coffee. It was sweeter than what she''d really have, but then again, she had it for free. Who was she to complain?
"No problem." He replies back, still humming along to that little tune of his while drinking his can.
A comfortable silence ensues between the two of them, as the pair continued sipping at their canned coffee. The hustle and bustle of the city continued around them, of people walking past the sidewalks, of conversations happening all around them, and the thrumming of engines as traffic ebbed and flowed through the street in front of them.
The bout of silence ends a few minutes later, as a bus bound for a downtown loop came around the corner. He pulls out his phone to check the time, quickly stuffing it in his pocket a second later as the bus slowly came to a stop. "Well, I''m off. See you tomorrow?"
"Sure."
The bus doors open with a hiss of air, and a veritable throng of people flood out from the inside of the bus. A second or two passes before the outgoing flow of people dies down, and he quickly scrams up the bus doors, taking a quick flight up the stairs and getting himself a window seat.
Not even a second passes before someone else takes the seat beside him, and he glances to his right to find... her, giving him a sheepish smile.
"Hey", she flippantly pipes up, "Nice seeing you here."
His brows furrow. "You take the downtown bus?"
"Yeah." She dryly replies, "It''s like I live in the same city as you or something..."
"Alright, so that''s a bit stupid of me." He sighs, "Where''s your stop?"
"Quite a bit far from here, actually." She hums in reply, "Shitty apartment complex in Elwood Drive. What about you?"
"Upstairs from the library." He replies with a wistful smile, "There''s a flight of stairs in my office that goes up to a few small rooms. Little bedroom, little kitchen, little bathroom... that''s basically it. Though I think I''ve got a small collection of books that I''ve stored in another room. Like a mini-library inside a library."
"Huh." She muses, a little grin on her lips. "That must be nice, being so close to your workplace. You think I can go and read some of the books at your place?"
He blinks. His shoulders straighten, and he lets out a strangled laugh, even as he tries to smush himself against the bus window.
"... Sure." He replies, letting out another nervous laugh with eyes glancing all over the place. "But maybe another time."
20. Review
Setting his mug down beside his computer, he glances over the countertop to see her busily scribbling away on a notebook. "What''s going on? I''m pretty sure that''s a fuck ton of work."
With a blink, she glances up from her work, giving him a strained smile. "Exams week."
Ah. That would do it. "Well shit."
"Not going to help?"
"What could I do?" He replies with a shrug, "I''ve graduated years ago. And it''s not like what I know could apply to what you''re currently reviewing. Sorry to tell you this, but I''m not gonna be of any help."
She huffs. "Typical."
"Well, if her majesty wants some music played, then I don''t see why not." He drawls, only to pause when she does nod at his request. "Wait, shit. Seriously?"
"I''d just put on some earphones and listen to the songs on my phone, but I... forgot it at home." He rolled his eyes, preparing to crack a joke at her expense, only to see the stiff expression on her face. Wisely, he decided to just shelve the matter and let her talk, "So yeah, some songs would be appreciated."
"Don''t make fun of my taste." He chides her, already fishing his phone out of his pockets and browsing through the list. "I''m serious."
"You know you''re just digging yourself a deeper hole, right? Because if you think it''s weird, then that''s just setting some stellar expectations."
"I could just not do it." He snaps back, watching as her expression shifts into an odd expression. It stays that way for a few seconds, an uncomfortable bout of silence hanging in the air before he pokes her forehead. "Oi, what''s wrong?"
"Ah... It''s, it''s nothing." He gives her a flat glare, and she coughs into her hand. "Nothing, it''s just, speaking of weird things, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure..." He trails off, taking a sip of his coffee. "Depends on what that favor is, though."
"Can I..." Her face morphs into something ugly, tapping the end of her pen against the countertop. "Look, I assure you it''s nothing weird. It''s probably only for a few days, and I''m going to keep myself scarce as much as possible, but¨C"
He sighs. "Just be out with it."
Her face shifts, looking like she has a bout of constipation, before she eventually grits out the words. "... Can I stay here until my exams end?"
The silence in the air was so strong that you could hear a pin drop. She shuffles in her seat, a hand already moving to cover her face. "Ugh, forget it. It''s just that¨C I can''t focus at night and the neighbors are always fucking noisy and I still need to go to cram some of this stuff with some of my other classmates and¨C"
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Bring your own toiletries."
"Bwuh?" She gawks at him, only to find him headfirst into a countertop, a cup of coffee held in his hands. She blinks at the sight for a few seconds, before the incredulity catches up. "I¨C are you serious?"
"You can stay." He mumbles into the wood. "I''ll clear out the extra room that Jay uses whenever he sleeps here ¨C you can crash there. Just, I¨C look, when I said bring your own toiletries, I mean it. The last time Jay forgot his toiletries in the bathroom, I had a fucking heart attack when his wife came to pick him up and saw the extra toothbrush and the hair products and¨C"
"She thought you had someone?" She asks, and he lets out an aggrieved sigh. No doubt that she was right on the money for that, then. "You don''t look like the type. No offense."
"Offense fully taken." He snaps, glaring at her from the tabletop. An idle part of her noted his flushed cheeks, only to be hammered back into nonexistence by the more hysterical part of her mind. "Not like I fully agree with you, but still."
She opened her mouth to disagree, only to shake her head at the last second and zip her mouth shut. "Anything else that I need to take care of?"
"Uh..." His brows cross, staring at his fingers before his eyes flicker back towards her. "Bring your own toiletries, don''t touch the coffee maker... I think that''s it."
"The coffee maker." She drawls, her gaze flicking towards the door to his office. "You''re serious."
"Everyone thinks it''s easy to brew a cup with that damn thing, so no." He grumbles. "You''re not going to touch it, because there''s no way in hell that I''m going to go to that cafe over the curb just to get a fucking cup of coffee."
She frowns. "You know I work there, right?"
"And I stand by my words." He huffs, glaring at her for a few more seconds before letting out a sigh. "... Anyway, get back to studying for your exam week. I''ll call Jay for now to tell him to go sleep back at home if he gets on another one of his drinking binges. Not that he''ll like it, but one of these days, he has to suck it up."
She nods along, her brows furrowed as she returns back to her work. It didn''t take long for her concentration to stray, until she eventually decides to pack things up for the day and get back to her apartment. Her apartment full of noisy neighbors that were annoying at the best of times.
... It''d be nice, to study in peace and quiet for the coming days.
21. Conversation
Well, someone invited some friends.
"A lot of people in the library, for once." He muses, eyes glancing up from his paperwork to see a gaggle of individuals crowding one of the tables, searching through the stacks to find... something. Reference books, no doubt.
His eyes slowly rove over towards her, watching as she takes a stool and snatches a cup of coffee. "So", he calls out in a low voice, "Friends of yours?"
"Friend of a friend. Though technically, we''re all taking the same course, so that means we''re all stuck reviewing for the exams." She mumbles after taking a sip of coffee, letting out a relieved smile at the bitter taste. "... Well, my friend suggested that we go here, and I can''t exactly refuse. Sorry if we cause a ruckus."
"I don''t mind, so long as you don''t fuck up the books." He sighs, a wistful smile on his face. "Not a lot of people come to this library anymore. Can''t blame them really, but hey. It''s nice from time to time."
She glances towards the rest of the people frolicking on the table, reference books sprawled out around them. A thin smile forms on her face, before she perks up, swiftly turning back towards him while waving a hand at him.
"Hey." She pipes up, "About that staying over at your place thing..."
"You''re cancelling?" She nods. To his credit, he seemed to take the news in stride, even though the sigh of relief he gave was just pushing it. "Well, that''s good for my blood pressure. Decided that you''re just going to tough it out in your apartment or something?"
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
"Friend offered to take me up at her place. Her folks gave the alright." He nods along, returning back to scribbling on his paperwork. "So you know, things taken care of there. Oh, by the way do you have anything on chemical engineering?"
His brows furrow, tapping his pen against his cheek while leaning back on his seat. "I think a few came in from the last shipment." He mused after a few seconds, "Yeah, I think I still have to put them up on the shelves. Wait a bit, yeah?"
She nods, watching him enter the office with a noticeable spring in his step. It doesn''t take long for him to return, clutching a heavy-looking box in his hands, and depositing it on top of the counter.
"Here''s your materials." He hummed, "Had the foresight to request some of these from the central library, so you can have your fill. Come on, praise me."
"Someone''s being humble." She chuckles, gripping the box and heaving it up with a grunt. "... Still, thanks for the help. Can I get a coffee later?"
"Sure." He replies, giving her a smile before settling back down on his computer. "Just give me a holler."
She glances back towards the table, finding some of them staring in her direction. Her shoulders lock up, her breath seizes for an instant, before she nods in his direction and squeaks out a reply.
"Gotcha."
22. Study
She hums a tiny little tune under her lips, similar to the music that he hummed under his breath when he thought she wasn''t listening. It was a catchy song, if she were to be honest, the tune sneaking in right under her radar until she was suddenly humming it all the damn time.
As with most recent things, she blamed him for it. Not that everything he did was a bad thing, of course. Her recent coffee fixes were more than enough evidence to the contrary. A cup of coffee whenever she goes into the library, maybe a couple more while she lets the hours go by...
... She blinks, carefully putting away her earphones before glancing over her left shoulder. Her friend gives her a thin smile, sliding a piping hot of coffee on her desk. "Here you go, princess. One cup of coffee, since you seem keen on missing dinner by that much."
With a wan smile, she accepts the coffee, blowing into it for a few seconds before taking a sip. It doesn''t take a second for her to taste the sugar, and her face to shift into a grimace. "... Shit. Shia, did you put sugar on this?"
"Just two spoons. Why?"
"I¨C" She sets the coffee aside for now, fully planning to just down it all in one gulp later. "I think I told you that I liked my coffee black. Did I?"
Her friend''s brows furrow. "Uh, no. You didn''t say anything about liking your coffee without any sugar on it. Or milk, for that matter. Is, everything fine with your taste there, princess?"
"My taste buds are perfectly fine, thank you very much." She drawls, taking one last look at her scrawl of notes before tabling it for the evening. "Though... hm. Guess that he''s the only one that I told about it so far."
"That librarian?" Her friend replies, her expression flat, "The one that you asked to bunk with till exam week''s over?"
"... Hey, give me a break." She whines, hands coming up to her face in embarrassment. Out of all the times to bring the matter up, it had to be here? "Neighbors were banging again, and there were classes, then I had to work for a little while¨C"
"By neighbors banging, you mean¨C"
"Yeah." She grumbles. "Maybe they''re trying to make another child or something, but I don''t really need to hear it while I''m trying to get some damn sleep, you know?"
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Her friend gives a smile and a shake of the head. "You know you could always just put on your earphones and sleep the rest of the night away, right?"
"What, this?" She held them up. "I just got this from my last paycheck. And I''m sure as hell not going to use them to sleep, since I doubt that I could buy another one without breaking out the bank, you know what I''m saying?"
Her friend stares.
"No." Her friend admits a few seconds later, shaking her head before giving her a cross look. "Even then, you could always take a few days off from work, you know. Just say that exams are coming up ¨C I''m sure they''ll be able to handle it."
"Uh, what if they fire me for that?" She asks with furrowed brows, "I''m pretty sure that they can fire me for that."
"When you''re giving advanced notice? And paid leave exists?" Her friend shoots back with wide eyes, "You know if they''re not doing that, you can take it to a local labor union or something."
"I..." She trails off, mulling over the thought for a bit before turning her gaze towards the cup of steaming coffee. With a sigh, she snatches the cup and begins gulping it down, stomaching the rush of sugar down her veins with a stoic mien. A second or two passes before she draws back with a sigh, "... Yeah, I guess I''ll take it up to my co-workers tomorrow. Come with me?"
"You''re going to that library right after, yeah?" She gives a slow nod in response to her friend''s question, watching them huff right after. "Then sure, I''m going with you. Someone needs to stop you from accidentally coming onto that poor sod, after all."
"Oi!" She snaps, feeling the heat creep onto her cheeks, "That wasn''t what I meant!"
"Sure, sure..." Her friend sniffs, "Ignore your perfectly-fine friend over here..."
She rolls her eyes, moving over towards the bed that her friend had set up a few hours ago. "Well, I''m off to sleep. You can continue your drama when I wake up tomorrow."
"Oh. Ah..." Her friend trails off, "Sorry about it, princess?"
She huffs, throwing herself on the bed and closing her eyes. It didn''t take long before she was dozing off, her mind swept into the land of dreams...
... Along with the peculiar scent of musty books and coffee.
23. Name
¡°Coffee.¡±
He stares, watching as she staggers over towards the counter before all but collapsing onto a stool. With a wince, he sets down his cup of coffee in front of her, watching as she all but hoovered it up without even batting an eye.
¡°What the fuck happened to you?¡± He asks, a little fear creeping into his voice. That was his coffee that she just drank without even a single word of complaint. ¡°Should I call for health services or something¨C?¡±
¡°No, no.¡± She grumbles into the wood, ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I... exams are done, I just need some rest.¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to your apartment to sleep the rest of the day off?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you about my goddamn neighbors already?¡± He shakes his head in the negative, even as he walks over towards his office to brew some more coffee. ¡°They¡¯re asshats. I¡¯ll be more likely to get a good night¡¯s sleep here than back there.¡±
¡°That¡¯s...¡± He hummed, quickly fiddling with the coffee machine as it beeps and starts brewing. With a sigh, he sticks his head out of the doorway that led out of his office, a curious expression on his face. ¡°... Ever thought about moving out from there?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t.¡± She grumbles back, managing to prop up her chin on her hands to try and glare a hole on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s one of the few places in the city that¡¯s relatively cheap and has quick access to public transport. I probably won¡¯t be able to get a better deal than that, neighbors be damned. And it¡¯s not like I could just... I don¡¯t know, keep on living in my friend¡¯s house.¡±
¡°Alright, that could get a little bit embarrassing.¡± He nods in sympathy, leaning against the doorframe while sparing a glance at the coffee maker. ¡°Also, I¡¯m pretty sure that you could ask your parents if¨C¡±
¡°No.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡°No?¡±
She stares. ¡°No.¡±
He nods, a bout of awkward silence filling the air that was only broken by another beep of the coffee maker. With a jolt, he walks back towards his office, snatching two empty cups on a rack before filling them up with a fresh brew. It doesn¡¯t take more than a moment before he returns back to the counter, sliding the two coffee cups in her direction.
¡°Well, don¡¯t drink it all up in one go¨C¡± Wait, she already was. He lets out a chuckle, shaking his head as she downed the coffee within seconds of one another, hacking and coughing once she was done drinking both.
¡°Water!¡± She gasped, fanning her mouth as she rummaged around her pack. ¡°I¨C Fuck, water!¡±
He nods, quickly sprinting back towards his office and filling up another cup with water from the sink. It takes another few seconds for him to sprint back, placing the cup in front of her, and he watches as she downs the entire thing in one gulp... before pulling out a water container from her pack and began chugging down the water inside.
A snort escapes his lips as water dribbled past her lips, ending in a trail that flowed past her chin. He stares, maybe perhaps for a second too long, before he flits his gaze up towards the ceiling and waiting until she slams the water container down on the countertop.
Water sploshes. Some of it lands on his sleeve, and he levels a glare at her. ¡°Really?¡±
¡°... Sorry.¡± She sheepishly chirps back, eyes glancing downward towards the three empty cups of coffee before her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have just drank it all.¡±
¡°No shit.¡± He sighs, shaking his head in disappointment, but a smile crosses his face nonetheless. ¡°Want me to make another one?¡±
¡°Uh, no. Not now.¡± She sniffs, reaching into her pack to snatch a handkerchief. ¡°Though thanks for the suggestion, uh...¡±
Her eyes cross, brows scrunched deep in thought while he simply hums, content to let her think. It takes her a few more seconds to let out a sigh, meeting his gaze with a flash of embarrassment in her eyes.
¡°So.¡± She began uneasily, ¡°Can I get your name?¡±
...
He blinks. Then wonders if he had given his name to her over the past few months since they met, before finally realizing that he didn¡¯t. With a slow groan, their hand covers their face, right before they conk their head against the countertop. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it, did I?¡±
¡°To be fair, neither did I.¡±
¡°Ugh.¡± It wasn¡¯t really that much better, was it? He grunts, removing the hand from his face and extending a hand towards her. ¡°... Well, best I could do is introduce myself. Escher.¡±
¡°Paige.¡± She replies back, taking his hand onto her own while giving him a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±
¡°You too.¡±
24. Recommendation
¡°Been seeing you a lot here lately.¡± He notes, curiosity in his tone as he leans over the counter and slides a cup of coffee in her direction. ¡°Something changed as of late?¡±
¡°End of exams.¡± She replies back, dragging the beanbag cushion right in front of the front desk before all but collapsing onto it and heaving a sigh of relief. With a smile, she takes the cup of coffee and cradles it into her hands, letting out a blissful sigh as the warmth seeps into her fingers. ¡°Papers are done, so all that¡¯s left is to relax until the end of the semester.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t there a midyear or something like that?¡±
¡°There is, but let me dream that I get a break, please?¡± She asks, taking a few sips of her coffee before letting out a soft sigh. ¡°... Thanks for the coffee, by the way.¡±
He shrugs and hums in response, glancing towards the monitor for a few seconds before turning back towards her. ¡°Any books that caught your eye recently? I think I¡¯m going to need a backlog of things that I need to read through.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you have a list yourself?¡± She asks.
¡°Well, yeah, but they looked good at the time that I flicked through their covers. Now, I¡¯m not exactly sure.¡± She nods along with a sympathetic expression on her face. ¡°So you know, I¡¯m asking you if you have any recommendations, and I¡¯ll get to read those instead.¡±
¡°You have that list with you?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°Gonna need a minute.¡± He replies back, already stepping back to his office and rummaging through the stuff within. The sound makes her curious, and she slides off her beanbag chair with an intrigued expression on her face. Much to her dismay, she didn¡¯t get the chance to snoop inside his office, given how he came out with a wrinkled sheet of paper on one hand. He crumples it into a ball before tossing it over towards her, and she fumbles the catch for a split-second before looking through its contents.
She blinks. Then reads through it again. Once more, just to make sure.
Her eyes flicked up towards him, her brows furrowed with her lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°Most of these are romance novels.¡±
He coughs, turning away from her with a dust of red on his cheeks. ¡°... Yeah. Like I said, second opinion.¡±
¡°I¡¯m useless on that front.¡± She scoffs, slapping down the list on the countertop with a look of disgust. ¡°I read sci-fi or fantasy, not this particular trollop of shit.¡±
¡°Oi.¡±
¡°I know, I know, different tastes.¡± She concedes, downing the last of her coffee before grinning in his direction. ¡°... Mine¡¯s better, though.¡±
¡°Right.¡± He drawled, rolling his eyes at her, ¡°Like how most of the people that write them are just hacks trying to make a quick buck?¡±
¡°Sure.¡± She coughed, and he flinched a second later. ¡°Of course. That applies to all the crap that¡¯s being put out as of late. Not exactly confined to just one genre.¡± She huffs. ¡°Now, you want my recommendation or no?¡±
He grumbles something under his breath, no doubt cursing her for being in the right. She could only roll her eyes at his antics, even as she flips the sheet of paper over and filches a pen from the counter.
¡°Alright, so let¡¯s start with something a little more simple for your romance-addled brain.¡± She begins, her hand already scribbling through the paper. ¡°First, I recommend ¡®Vastness¡¯ by Uyder Myers ¨C fucking idiotic pseudonym I know, but it¡¯s not like I choose the names...¡±
25. Books
¡°So, finished ¡®Vastness¡¯ yet?¡±
He holds up the book while raising a brow in her direction. ¡°Still haven¡¯t finished yet¡±, he replies, ¡°Pretty good so far, though not enough lasers for my liking.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not really about the lasers. That comes after the Second Intrastellar War, and that¡¯s around...¡± She nibbles on her finger, brows furrowed as she takes a seat. ¡°... Book three? Yeah, that¡¯s around book three. Haven¡¯t bought it yet though.¡±
She blinks, then lets out a hum, turning towards him with a smile. ¡°You got one of those in here, by the way? I¡¯m planning on reading it if there is.¡±
With a sigh, he scoots over towards the computer, quickly browsing through the database for a few seconds. ¡°Don¡¯t got one here, sorry about that. And I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got those series in the shelves upstairs, last time I checked.¡±
¡°Course you don¡¯t¡±, she drawls with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s just filled with love stories instead, isn¡¯t it.¡±
¡°Not saying anything.¡± He hums, zipping his mouth shut while sending a glare in her direction. Not that it deterred her much, in any case. ¡°Though if you''re interested in reading some...¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
She blinks. Before immediately cringing in his direction. ¡°Yeah, no.¡±
¡°Hey, fair¡¯s fair.¡± He scowls, bringing a book on the countertop and sliding it over towards her. ¡°I get to read some of your books, you get to read some of mine. This particular one¡¯s about as tame as it gets.¡±
She looks at the cover with narrowed eyes, then immediately flips it around to read a blurb. It doesn¡¯t take her long to read through the text, before she flicks her gaze up towards him.
¡°I don¡¯t think ¡®tame¡¯ is putting this correctly.¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s vanilla as far as anything goes, so my point still stands.¡±
¡°The blurb literally says that it¡¯s got chains on it.¡±
¡°Well, you could skip all those parts if you aren¡¯t that interested.¡± He dryly replies, ¡°Still recommending it to you. Besides, the chains there are more of a metaphor kind of thing. Crowns of responsibility, power, aristocracy, all that kind of jazz.¡±
Her brows furrow. ¡°... What is this, a love story or a political thriller?¡±
His eyes twinkle, drumming his fingers on the book''s cover. ¡°Why don¡¯t you read it for yourself and find out, hm?¡±
A few moments pass before she huffs, swiping the book from the counter and stuffing it into her bag. ¡°Fine, you win.¡± She grumbles, ¡°But I¡¯ve still got lots of books that I¡¯ll be going through, so don¡¯t expect anything about this thing for a while. Got that?¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t really expect anything less.¡±
26. Reading
¡°Paige?¡±
She shrieks, slamming the book closed before quickly whirling around towards the direction of the voice. Her breath hitches as she looks upon her friend, a strangled scream escaping her lips soon after.
With a rough shove, said book slides across her desk, right into a waiting trash can. It smushes onto balls of paper, before flipping over and landing on the wooden floorboards with a dull thud.
¡°H-Hey, Shia.¡± Paige babbles, letting out a nervous laugh while sliding her chair over to cover up the book. ¡°I, uh¨C When did you arrive? And how¡¯d you get in?¡±
¡°Just a few hours ago, and I had a key. To both your questions.¡± Shia replies, aiming a shit-eating grin in Paige¡¯s direction, ¡°So, I didn¡¯t know you read stuff like that. College work got you all hot and bothered?¡±
¡°Not that!¡± Paige hissed back in response, quickly scooping up that damnable book and chucking it at her bed like it was a hot piece of metal. ¡°I¨C It¡¯s just, you know¨C I ¨C¡±
¡°Very eloquent.¡±
¡°Look, he recommended it to me, alright?!¡± Paige hissed, just in time for her friend to raise a brow. ¡°I, we were trading recommendations, he gave this to me, he¡¯s into some frankly weird shit, but I didn¡¯t realize that it was that bad¨C¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°You looked like you were into it, though.¡± Her friend grinned. ¡°Has my little princess finally awakened to a kink of their own?¡±
¡°Alright, conversation¡¯s over. I¡¯m shutting it down.¡± Paige quickly bursts out, a hint of red on her cheeks as she snatches that damnable book from her bed and throws it in the trash. Her friend simply looks on with a raised brow, watching as Paige buries herself on the bed before letting out a whine.
¡°... So." She pipes up a few seconds later, sticking her eyes out of her pillow, "What did you come here for?¡±
¡°Checking up on you, for one.¡± Her friend replies, moving Paige¡¯s feet so that she could sit at the foot of the bed, ¡°And to celebrate the end of your semester by going blackout drunk, like what most people do. Probably drag you out of this shitty apartment while I¡¯m at it, but... well, since you¡¯re having fun by yourself, I can probably swing by some of my other friends.¡±
¡°Fuck you.¡±
¡°I love you too, Paige.¡± Shia chirps back with a smile, patting her friend¡¯s leg that stuck out of the blanket, ¡°Sadly, I can¡¯t do what Cerge did to Amala on page 143¨C¡±
¡°Wait.¡± Paige pipes up, sticking her head out of the blanket while turning towards her friend with narrowed eyes, ¡°You read through this? Without cringing at least once?¡±
Shia blinks. ¡°Yeah, pretty much. Why¡¯d you ask?¡±
¡°I¨C¡± Her friend gaped like a fish, opening and closing her mouth for a few seconds before she finally ended with an exasperated sigh. ¡°... Yeah, I should¡¯ve expected this. The damn book looks like it was right up your alley.¡±
¡°Course it is.¡± Shia grins, leaning over her friend with a mischievous look in her eyes. ¡°Planning on trying out what¡¯s in there if the fancy strikes you?¡±
Paige flushed. ¡°Oh go to hell.¡±
27. Culture
The jingle of the chimes above the door alerts him of a new arrival. With practiced ease, he places his current reading material on the table, sliding a bookmark in between the pages before brushing a stray hand against the mouse. The monitor flickers on at the movement, showing a completed database with a blinking cursor.
Hopefully, it would make any casual observer see that he was hard at work.
¡°Yo.¡± A friendly voice calls out, popping in over the counter and waving a book at him. ¡°It¡¯s me. Paige was busy buying uh... stuff, so she asked me to return this book in her stead.¡±
He blinks, leaning into his seat and peeking over the edge of the counter. A sunny demeanor ¨C definitely not Paige, for sure ¨C with bright hazel eyes and blonde hair. A bit stereotypical sure, but it wasn¡¯t as if he was going to say it out loud.
¡°Sorry, I...¡± His brows furrow. ¡°Have we met?¡±
She hums, quickly extending out her other hand towards him. ¡°No. No, we haven¡¯t. Name¡¯s Shia, Paige¡¯s friend. Coincidentally, she told me a lot about you.¡±
He stares at the offered hand, shaking it once before flicking his gaze back towards the book. He freezes, all but recognizing the book that he lent out only a few days ago, before gingerly taking it away from her grasp.
¡°Escher.¡± He could only babble in response, refusing to meet Shia¡¯s stare. ¡°And whatever she said about me, it¡¯s all fucking lies.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± She drawls, leaning over the counter with a mischievous grin. ¡°She told me that you lent her that book.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know about that¨C¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Alright, so I lent her the book.¡± He admits, quickly snatching his cup of coffee and slurping it down to buy himself more time. ¡°... It was more of a ¡®you make me read this, I make you read this¡¯ sort of thing.¡±
¡°Like exchanging favors.¡±
¡°More like a little book club.¡± He dryly replies, shaking his head as he turns back to ¡®type¡¯ at the computer. ¡°In all fairness, what she recommended me was good. Don¡¯t know if she liked what I lent her, though.¡±
He pauses in his ¡®work¡¯, quickly glancing towards Shia. ¡°... Did she like it?¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m supposed to not tell you the fact that she¡¯s looking for a sequel...¡±
Escher¡¯s mouth hangs open. ¡°No way.¡±
¡°Yes way.¡± Shia nods, giving him a conspiratorial wink. ¡°I think she¡¯ll make a detour around some pet shops if she doesn¡¯t find one. Now, normally I¡¯d be all confrontational about awakening by dear old princess to some kinky shit, but...¡± Another wink, ¡°... I think I can forgive you just this once.¡±
He leans back into his seat, turning his chair towards her with narrowed eyes.
¡°Alright, then.¡± He sighs. ¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not gonna give her my collection of the series, because duh.¡± She hums, watching the blood pale from his face, ¡°So I thought to myself, ¡®Hey, he recommended this to her, so odds are he has a complete collection under his belt or something, so why don¡¯t I just bug him about it?¡¯¡±
He holds his chair in a death grip, even as he leans forward with wide eyes. ¡°No.¡±
¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to slobber all over the pages or something.¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Look, it¡¯s either that, or I stay here to pass the time and let Paige detour to a pet shop or something.¡±
¡°No.¡±
Shia sighs, shaking her head and settling onto a stool. ¡°Well, you¡¯re a tough nut to crack.¡±
¡°... Not really.¡± He huffs, leaning back into his seat before slurping up the last of his coffee. ¡°Nope. Not gonna believe you on that one. Pretty sure that she¡¯s not really affected by it all. No doubt that she read through it with a bored expression on her face or something like that¨C¡±
¡°Uh...¡± Shia trails off, ¡°... Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night, mister¨C¡±
The bell jingles. Both of them turn towards the entrance, seeing Paige enter with a smile on her face and carrying a brown paper bag.
¡°Hey princess.¡± Shia greets, aiming a lazy wave in her direction. ¡°What¡¯s that you got there?¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Paige smiles, shaking her bag to the telltale sound of chains. ¡°A smoothie.¡±
28. Break
The ambiance of the library was the same as it had ever been. Despite the upswing of foot traffic due to the fact that schools and universities were settling in for the summer season, there weren''t many new arrivals that came in the library. Even fewer that made it their haunt.
Not that it stopped Paige from coming to the library for longer hours at this point. The air conditioning certainly helped beat off the hot summer air, which was a godsend. Still, it wasn''t the aircon that brought her out of her blissful thinking.
Instead, it is the sound of a shoe tapping against the floorboards that brings Paige away from her thoughts, and she glances down to find Escher standing next to the stepladder with a cross expression on his face.
¡°Escher¡±, she greets with a smile, ¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t hog the aircon for yourself, idiot.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s so hot outside.¡± She whines gives him a flat glare while grumbling under her breath, ¡°... Not like you¡¯d know that though, since you¡¯re all cooped up inside this damn place.¡±
¡°Counterpoint: I don¡¯t have to go outside.¡± He replies with a smug smirk. ¡°That¡¯s for peasants like you who have to toil under the sun while I keep myself cool with a mug of hot coffee in hand and¨C¡± He paused, catching himself a second later and cursing at himself. ¡°¨CNevermind. Just get the hell out of there, will you?¡±
¡°No.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
He stares. ¡°I¡¯ll shake this damn stepladder until you fall off.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll sue for medical damages¨C¡± She shrieks, hands immediately reaching out for the railings as the stepladder shook once. Even then, it takes her a few seconds to calm down, and another second more to turn back towards him and glare. ¡°You¡¯re a piece of shit.¡±
¡°I did say that I¡¯ll shake the stepladder.¡± He huffs. ¡°Now off.¡±
She turns back towards the aircon, giving it one last forlorn look before shaking her head and stepping down the ladder. ¡°Now, that wasn¡¯t too hard, was it?¡±
¡°Fuck you.¡±
He shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets while making his way back towards the front desk. ¡°Just doing what my job entails, is all. That also includes wrangling rowdy children who think that the library¡¯s their own personal playground.¡±
She ignores the jab, more interested at the thought of him trying ¨C and failing ¨C to convince a toddler to stop eating through the books. ¡°You sucked at it.¡±
¡°As about as well as you can expect.¡± He nods, taking up his spot behind the front desk and sliding a cup of coffee towards her. ¡°The whining and crying just ticked me off even further, so I just kicked them out.¡± He takes a sip out of his coffee, before letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°You have no idea how scared shitless I was when their parents went on a warpath.¡±
¡°Probably off staring into space while drinking your coffee.¡± She drawls, watching him nod in response to her while she takes a blissful sip of coffee. ¡°... Ah, that hits the spot.¡± With a smile, she drums her fingers on the countertop, grinning in his direction. ¡°So, got someone to try and whack the coffee while you¡¯re doing so?¡±
He frowns, glancing towards his computer for a second before letting out a sigh. ¡°Yeah, a few people tried that.¡±
¡°Shit.¡± She whistles, ¡°What happened.¡±
¡°Got some minor burns, told them to get the fuck out.¡± He shrugs. ¡°Some tried taking a video and posting it online, didn¡¯t really do them any favors. Got a few of them downloaded on my computer on the off-chance that I need a pick-me-up.¡±
¡°Can I see them?¡±
He smiles. ¡°Uh, no.¡±