Page 27 of Guys Can't Write Romance
Just then, Chad’s phone vibrated loudly against the wooden table. Before she could stop him, he had grabbed it and answered.
“Yo, Rhino! What’s up, man?” he said at full volume, apparently forgetting every library norm that had ever existed.
The reaction was immediate and overwhelming. A chorus of ’SHHH!’ erupted from all corners, and Mrs. Finch rose from her desk like an avenging angel, her sensible shoes clicking ominously against the marble floor as she approached.
Daisy slid down in her seat, mortification washing over her as Chad continued his conversation, oblivious to the impending doom.
“No, I can’t surf this afternoon. I’m at the library with — what? No, I’m not kidding. The actual library. With books and everything.”
Mrs. Finch arrived at their table just as Daisy was contemplating whether it was possible to physically melt into the floor from embarrassment.
“Sir,” the librarian said, her voice quiet but sharp as a razor. “Cell phones are not permitted in the library. There are signs posted at every entrance.”
Chad looked up, seeming genuinely surprised to find a stern-faced woman in her seventies looming over him. “Oh, sorry about that. Rhino, gotta go. The library police just showed up.”
He hung up and offered Mrs. Finch his most charming smile — the one that Daisy had noticed usually got him out of troublewith the barista at the cafe when he forgot his wallet. “My bad. Won’t happen again.”
Mrs. Finch was not impressed. “This is your second warning, sir. We’ve already had complaints about your volume.”
“Got it. Library voice activated,” Chad assured her.
The librarian’s eyes narrowed, but she returned to her post, her posture suggesting she would be watching them closely.
“See?” Daisy hissed once Mrs. Finch was out of earshot. “This is why I said quiet.”
“I was quiet,” Chad protested. “For almost four whole minutes. That’s practically a personal record.”
Daisy checked her watch again. “Twenty-seven more seconds and you would have made it.”
“So close,” Chad sighed, then brightened. “Want to try again? I bet I can do it this time.”
Before Daisy could respond, her timer went off, a soft, discreet chime she’d set to mark the end of the five-minute challenge. It was barely audible, but to Chad, it apparently sounded like the bell at the end of a boxing match.
He shot up from his chair, arms raised in victory, and shouted: “VICTORY!”
The entire library fell into stunned silence for approximately two seconds, followed by a cacophony of outraged exclamations and aggressive shushing. Mrs. Finch moved toward them with the speed and determination of someone half her age, her face set in what could only be described as murderous librarian fury.
“Oh crap,” Daisy whispered, sinking further into her chair and covering her face with her hands. “This isn’t happening.”
“I think we’re in trouble,” Chad stage-whispered, his expression caught between amusement and genuine concern as he watched Mrs. Finch’s approach.
“We?” Daisy repeated incredulously. “There is no ‘we’ in this situation. This is all you.”
Mrs. Finch arrived at their table, her lips pressed into such a thin line they had nearly disappeared. Without a word, she removed a cell phone from her cardigan pocket, held it up, and proceeded to take their pictures — first Chad, who actually posed with a peace sign, and then Daisy, who tried to hide behind her notebook but was too slow.
Minutes later…
Daisy stood outside the library entrance, staring in horror at the flyer taped to the inside of the library’s glass door. It had the photos of her and Chad printed on it, with the word ‘BANNED’ in bold letters across the top.
“Banned?” she muttered in disbelief. “You got me banned from the library.”
Chad leaned in for a closer look. “You should try to smile next time.”
She shot him a murderous scowl. “You think this is funny?”
“Don’t you?”
“No!”
