It’s a good question, I suppose, and I stop to think about it, though it only really takes me a second.
“The library.”
No way do I want to go back to the dorm if I don’t have to. Besides, I’d only had enough time to glance around the library during his tour, and if I was going to pass all these classes, the library and I needed a much closer relationship.
“Awesome, I’ll walk you over.”
“You don’t have—”
He gives me a look that has me snapping my mouth shut and huffing because I know he will anyway.
“I can’t stay, as I have fencing practice, but no reason not to drop you off. I wouldn’t want you to get lost.” He gives me a shit-eating grin, and I purse my lips.
I got lost on my way to my second class and had to text him to come save me. Thankfully, he didn’t have a class at the time.
I would have just wandered around forever if I had known he was going to tease me about it.
“Besides, it's on the way.” He slings his arm over my shoulder and pulls me into his side, and as much as I don’t want it to, this is becoming increasingly familiar.
“No, it’s not,” Titus says from behind us, making Julez groan, and I can’t fight the smile that pulls at my lips.
Titus might be an ass 99.9% of the time, but he’s nothing if not honest.
The very first turn proves that I need to shut my mouth and let him direct me because I would have turned the wrong way.
Maybe I can get him to draw me a map? I hate needing him to take me everywhere like this.
“Here we are, a big, beautiful room full of books for my Pookie to devour. Go enjoy big-brain things so you can keep Gavin onhis toes.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek before he all but pushes me into the library and leaves.
Julian is a lot; there’s no other way to say it, but as much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s growing on me.
Titus and Julez are gone as fast as they arrived, and I take a moment to bask in the feel of the library.
I’ve always loved reading, not just studying. Actually, I hate studying. I’m good at it because I have to be.
The thought makes me shiver, and I push it away. Thoughts of the past are never a good idea.
Not many people are here, and I’m not sure if that’s the norm or if I just happened to come at a good time. The only people I see are two girls who sit close to the door, though they seem more interested in their phones than any book, the librarian at the counter, and a guy who disappeared behind one of the many stacks when we walked in.
I move further in, and one of the girls looks up before her lips pull down in a frown, and she turns her attention back to her phone.
Hiding in the stacks it is.
Everyone knows that every good library has hidden sections where people who don’t want to be bothered go. I just need to find that.
The library is huge, two stories with the upstairs overlooking the main floor. Everything is made of deep brown wood that looks hand-carved and probably a few hundred years old. Massive wooden pillars, crossing support beams, and arches are everywhere you look, and through it all are rows and rows of books.
It takes a while, but I enjoy my time exploring, finding a few books that catch my eye along the way. But now I’m about to give up and turn around. I’m wasting time, and my arms are starting to hurt, but as I turn the last corner, I stop dead in my tracks.
“Wow…”
The space isn’t too different from the rest of the library, but it's upstairs on the second floor, tucked away from the railing where the rest of the tables are. The table has eight chairs total and a fireplace in the corner, giving the whole space a cozy vibe.
It feels like it was pulled out of a fantasy, but then again, I’m not sure how many normal nineteen-year-olds dream of libraries.
I can hardly contain my excitement as I move to the table, pulling out my books and laptop and settling in.
This is perfect, and for the first time since coming to Meadow Ridge, I feel like I have a place I can belong and be myself without everyone hating me.
