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“Koz,” she starts, but her words are drowned out by another tinny, muffled announcement. Deciding this conversation is going nowhere, I stand and head toward another bank of chairs.
But just then, the lights flicker off. I hear Ashley gasp and there’s a thump that I can only assume is her big-ass textbook falling to the floor.
“Don’t stress, Ash, I’m sure the power went out.”
“Um, I’m not so sure about that. It’s 9:01. I think the library just closed.
Shit.
“No worries, there’s gotta be a way out.”
“Really? The stairwell is pitch black.”
“I know, but I saw an Exit sign.” I turn on the flashlight on my phone. “C’mon, grab your stuff and let’s see if we can get out of here.” I hold out my hand and she takes it. I studiously ignore the electricity of her touch. “Right here, see the red sign? That’s probably an emergency exit.”
I push on the bar, but the door doesn’t budge. “Dammit.”
“What about this one?” Ash says, unclasping our hands and moving toward an adjacent door. She turns the knob, and the door opens, so she steps inside.
“Don’t go in there, Ash. I think it’s just a storage closet,” I say, following her inside. Sure enough, I’m right, I think as I shine my flashlight around the room.
“Yea, maybe, but this might be another door,” she says, walking further into the room. “Ow! ShitDamnFuck,” she curses, and I take three steps in as many seconds to crouch down next to her.
“You ok?”
“Yea, I just banged my foot on that filing cabinet, and it hurt like a—”
Her words are cut off by the loud snick of a door shutting. I look toward the door and there’s a sinking feeling in my gut.
“Koz?”
“Hold on, I’m sure we’re fine,” I lie as I walk back over to the door and turn the handle. Nothing. The knob won’t turn at all. “Shit. Apparently, this door locks from the outside.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Her voice is panicked.
“Uh, yea. I love messing with you, Ash, but I wouldn’t joke about this. We’re stuck.”
“There’s no way. There has to be another door, another way out.”
I scan the room once again with my flashlight, my gaze landing on a panel by the locked door. I flick a bunch of buttons, and a dim overhead light flickers to life. It’s not much, but it illuminates a graveyard of shelving units, filing cabinets, and overhead projectors. There’s enough microfiche here to satisfy an aging librarian’s heart, but there’s not another damn door in sight.
“I’ve got good news and bad news, Ash.”
“Pretty sure I know the bad news, Koz. What’s the good news?”
“You get to spend the night with me.”
And at my declaration, Ashley Randall promptly bursts into tears.
Chapter 4
Ashley
I’m stuck in the library. All night. With Koz.
But that’s not why I’m crying.
“Uh…Ouch? I know I’m not your favorite person, Ash, but don’t look quite distraught at the prospect of sharing an enclosed space with me for the next several hours.”
