Alexandra closed her laptop and stood up. Even though the reading room was about to close, around half of the long tables had at least one student still seated. Most were pecking away at keyboards, just as she had been.
She looked up at the vaulted ceiling. Years ago, this had been the University of Chicago's main library building. Now, Harper was mostly a reading room. Even the dark wood shelves lining all four walls of the room were empty of books, decorated only with knickknacks and periodicals rather than the heavy volumes of yesteryear.
Yet the room was still the best study space on campus, and there was no close second. Alexandra had spent significant parts of most of her first three years here, and it had always been a silent retreat and an efficient workspace.
Now it was a bit more. Tonight was Thursday, seven days after her prior visit here. Last time, she'd met - and subsequently slept with - the tall blonde woman working the front desk tonight.
Since then, they'd quickly paired off and were now officially in a relationship. Alexandra had already gotten into the habit of spending every night at Kira's North Side apartment. The last two nights, they'd slept naked, curled together under the thick blankets.
A lot can change in a week
, thought Alexandra, her mind cycling through the recent days.
Kira smiled at her when she emerged from the heavy double doors at the end of the room. It clearly had not been a busy night for Alexandra's girlfriend: she had her reading glasses on, a massive law textbook open in front of her, and a blue highlighter next to it on the wide desk.
"I see your employer is really demanding a lot of you tonight," said Alexandra, smiling back.
"Some nights I get lucky," said Kira. "Nobody in there talks too much, nothing breaks, it's not too busy...oh, well, a girl can always dream."
"Dream come true tonight?"
"Sure did," replied Kira. "Silent as an empty church in there."
Alexandra looked around her. They were alone in the entrance hall. She leaned across the wide desk and gave Kira a quick peck on the lips. Despite the steady diet of them lately, the softness of Kira's lips still surprised Alexandra. It was somehow not in keeping with the angular lines of her face, the sharpness of her voice, and her confident demeanor.
"I have to hit the ladies' room," said Alexandra, leaning back over the desk. How long 'til you're done?"
Kira turned her head to check the clock above the door. "Five minutes until closing, maybe five more to kick out the stragglers, another couple to lock up. So, maybe fifteen?"
"Sure thing. You want me to walk home and pick me up there, or just hang tight?"
"Whatever's easier for you," said the blonde, adjusting her glasses to go back to her reading.
"K," replied Alexandra, crossing the narrow lobby to the women's room.
A long day
, thought Alexandra.
Class, then far too much writing, but it's almost done
. She felt like checking over her calculations one more time to make sure they were right, but Alexandra knew she hadn't made a mistake.
The hunch behind her economic theory paper was right: a true balance of supply and demand in the Chicago ride-sharing economy was probably never possible beyond only the most theoretical level. The user and driver data she'd received from her friend (and at least one-time lover) Katy had shown clearly that the system was too dynamic, the demand and supply too unpredictable, for them to ever match on anything more than an instantaneous basis.
Alexandra looked at her reflection in the mirror before leaving. She realized she had noticeably changed her everyday look, even in just the last week. She had on more eyeliner than before, a delicate winged look that she now favored, having shamelessly copied it off her girlfriend. Her sandy brown hair, often braided before, was up in a tight bun.
The grey sweatsuit she had often worn to the library in years past was also absent tonight, replaced by a pair of jeans and a loose, heavy wool sweater.
Well, times change,
she thought, noticing the difference.
Even in Chicago in late fall, you don't quite need to look like a bum.
"Hey," said Kira, watching Alexandra step back across the room. "I have an idea you might enjoy."
"I like when you say things like that."
Kira laughed. Her broadening of Alexandra's sexual horizons had become somewhat of a joke between the couple.
"Not that much fun. Well, not for me at least," she said. She turned in her chair and rooted around in her purse for a moment, nodding when she came up with her target. "It's cold. If you're willing to go warm it up, you can drive home."
Alexandra snatched the keys up as soon as Kira slid them onto the desk. She liked many things about Kira, and the woman's ride, a ruggedly worn-in Jeep Wrangler, was definitely one item on the list. Ever since their first night together, when she'd ridden across the city alongside Kira, Alexandra had wanted to sit in the driver's seat and feel the rumble of the engine as she shifted into gear.
"I think I can manage to get it started sometime in ten minutes," said Alexandra. "Might not bring it back, but that's your fault for trusting me."
"Don't go ruining a good thing, honey," Kira said, shaking her finger teasingly, the smile lines next to her eyes showing behind her glasses.
Alexandra kissed her again lightly, but held the kiss for slightly longer. She let Kira's lips linger against hers, then the light touch from a slight distance at which their lips barely brushed. She loved kissing like this, the teasing, anticipatory exploration of a moment yet to come to full fruition.
Just as Alexandra broke her momentary spell and began to stand upright once more, the door to the reading room opened. A woman in a heavy jacket emerged, already staring down at her phone and apparently unaware of the moment she'd just failed to witness.
Alexandra felt a blush spread across her face, full and fast, and saw that Kira's emotions matched her own. She hunched over her textbook, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, and was giggling uncontrollably.
"Guess we need to be more careful!" she said, the laughter still evident in her voice.
"Oops," said Alexandra, her eyes following the patron as she exited into the stairwell to the outside.
"Well, um, time to start closing up shop," said Kira as she rose from her seat.
"Indeed. See you in a few minutes?"
The door to the main hall opened again just as Kira slipped past, so Alexandra's hope for another stolen kiss went dashed.
Ah, well, at least I have the sweet truck
, she thought, heading down the wide stone interior stairs.
Just a matter of sitting in a freezing car for a few minutes until it gets warmed up and Kira gets downstairs.
She waited until the last moment to don her heavy coat, wrap her scarf around her neck, and shoulder open the door. The night air was familiar, yet still chilly. She thought about the months to come, when mere chill would give way to the offensive, almost aggressive cold of the Midwestern winter. Alexandra shook her head at the thought alone.
Even though it was not late, the short walk to the off-street staff parking was quiet. Kira's Jeep sat nearly alone in the small lot, with only a silver sedan across the way to keep it company.
Alexandra unlocked the door on the removable hardtop and clambered in, wasting no time before starting the ignition and flipping the heater to full blast.
With nothing to occupy her time for the next few minutes, she stared out into the South Side night. A few students shuffled back and forth, heading either homeward or to parts unknown. With a start, she recognized one of them, her former teammate Samantha Reynolds, who had just exited the same building Alexandra herself had come from.
She was carrying what looked like a heavy backpack on the outside of her long coat. Her uncovered head of dark curls reflected the glow from a streetlight momentarily, contrasting with the drab outer layer but failing to overcome it.
She looks so beaten down,
thought Alexandra.
