*All characters are fictional and 18 or over in age.*
I wasn't like the other Sorority girls in college. They all went out nightly; fraternity parties, socials, philanthropy events, always ending in bar hopping. An ongoing joke, "Husband Hunting" was fair game to fuck anything that moved. Being a nerdy girl, I was initiated to help keep the grade point average at safe levels, all in order to keep nationals off our backs.
Every Sister had their jobs, some were for looks our "Aphrodites". These Goddesses kept the men crawling to our beck and call. "Party girls". Ensured invitations to everything. Who didn't want a Tau sister at their party? "Muscle", these girls were tough. They took care of complaints, those boys that got too handsy when "No means NO". Then, my category, "nerds". Us girls were swept into the embraces of the sexiest women on campus, and transformed into every man's fantasy. Glasses were switched for contacts, we were crimped, plucked and dressed. You've seen "She's all That"?... You know that scene when they transform Laney Boggs? Take that and make it R rated and this is what I underwent. Which in all honesty? Thank Fucking god for them and their instruction... I will admit these talents were waisted until after college but we will get to that.
Cellphones were still a hot commodity my junior and senior year. I am glad this is the case for it granted me the ability to focus on my work and writing my thesis. English being my focus I was constantly reading, writing, sleeping. Repeat. With no way of reaching me, or being notorious for letting my cell battery die. Sisters would visit me at the library, being a creature of habit I was known to work on the 3rd floor. Tucked into a corner of the building with no windows, no distractions. By Junior year I started traveling to the 5th floor, it had become predictable where to locate me and I needed to remedy this issue. I found a lovely spot on the West side of the building.
The Library was set up like a square cube. Each floor was exactly the same, the perimeter was set up with desks lining the huge floor to ceiling windows. In the middle of each floor stood long bookcases that spanned every usable inch of the space. This is where I met the boy.
I found the 5th floor the first week of school. Nobody was using the library and it was the perfect time to explore and mark my territory. It was a hot August day and I was sweating by the time the elevator dropped me at the 5th floor. The air was stale and warmer than it had been downstairs. The smell of musty books greeted my senses. Smiling, I looked around me, listening closely and biting my lip at the silence. Relishing in the leisure of being totally alone with my favorite things. Pristine pages, crisp lines, the soft swoosh as you flip a page in a quiet room. Walking up and down the stacks of books I let my fingers brush along the bindings as I stroll. Stopping randomly to pull a book and inspect it.
Eventually, I reach the end of the room. A wall of windows, large desks span against the wall. Through the glass the late afternoon sunshine beams in. The heat from the sun prompts me to remove my sweatshirt, dressed in jean cut off shorts and a white cotton sports bra, I Sit at the desk in front of me. Pulling out my book and reading. Glancing up, watching the sun mark time passing, I am lost in the words on the page. Colors begin to change, looking up, I ponder the scene quietly, book in my lap. My feet, having removed the shoes sit tucked underneath me.
Stretching my toned and tanned body, I lift off the chair. On my knees perched, I stretch my arms above my head. The light reflecting on my body, I am lost in the incandescence of the moment. In the silence I heard him. As if the air sparked a change in the room, a new flow, the smell of pine. Goosebumps form on my neck as I look up to see him. He sat quietly and unmoving, his eyes not on the sunset before us, but on me. Swallowing slowly, I turn back to the cynosure in front of me. My back to him. I sit still as stone. Holding my pose, on my knees...3 minutes?...5 minutes? Heart pounding in my chest I turn slowly. Feeling a dulcet calm wash over me. When I finally turned a few minutes later, he was gone.
Everyday I could, I went to the 5th floor. Occasionally I would get up and wander, desperate for movement, needing the space from my work to clear my head. This is when I discovered the Boy, who also appeared to come every day to the 5th floor as well. But, he was careful to keep a distance from me. He chose a desk that faced a brick wall, deep in a corner with bad lighting, the only spot with no windows, no distractions.
I hadn't been paying attention, overwhelmed in my studies. Head down and reading quietly. My iPod in my back pocket, the cords hanging from my ears. Walking quickly, and with my head down, lost in the song I allowed my eyes to close, Death Cab for Cutie pumping through my ears. Smelling pine trees suddenly, I cock my head in thought.
My next moments are jarring. Slamming into something firm and soft. Falling, my eyes flying open to the Boy catching me. Except he didn't catch me. He fell with me. His hand ripping the cords from my ears as he grabs at anything to break the fall. A muffled grunt and growl emitted from him as I landed across his chest.
"I am so sorry, oh my gosh are you okay?" Faltering over my words. Flailing, trying to get off of him but also get away, he moved so quickly I didn't have time to process what happened. Just as quickly as we had fallen, he had me flipped over on my back, his body looming over me. Hovering over my lips as if he is going to kiss me, then standing gracefully. Running his hands through his hair, turning his back to me.
"Do you always walk quietly around with your eyes closed?" There was annoyance in his voice which was breathy from the fall. Straightening his shoulders, pivoting, grasping my hand and pulling me up to him. Being 5'3" I was already petite, but next to this Boy, I was tiny. He was much taller than I expected. His red hair was shaggy and in desperate need of a haircut. My terrible guesstimate would be he was 6'4"...measuring was never my forte. I reached his chest, looking up as I regained my balance. Stepping back slowly, he glares down at me, a deep frown on his mouth. Looking to his mouth then his eyes, I lick my lips, his eyes narrowing and glancing at my mouth. Biting my lip, his green eyes becoming annoyed.
He broke away and briskly walked away before another word, another glance, another breath could be had. His sudden movements leaving the air unsettled all around me. I stood rooted, facing his desk, all of his things out, all over. It was a hot mess, nothing was organized. My palms itched wanting to tidy his space, curling my palms I dig my nails into the skin preventing the task. Feeling suddenly calm from the pain I was causing. I regain some control.