Page 8 of Let's Talk About Love
“If my mom did that, I wouldn’t be complaining,” Ryan said.
“Well, it’s not your mom. So…,” Alice muttered. “And you’re not the one she’s forcing into law school. Free education or not, I’m not trying to be there, no way.”
“Hear, hear!” Feenie raised her can. “Fuck parental expectations.”
Ryan laughed. “What do you want to do instead?”
“Can I major in TV? I’ll get my bachelor’s in Netflix-ities and my master’s in Hulu-ology.” Alice grabbed the remote and pressed Play.
CHAPTER
4
Being on time pleased Alice past the point of reason. It put an extra bounce in her step, a song in her heart, as she entered the library.
Unlike the fancy college library that aimed for a sterilized, industrious,all studying all the timesort of feel, this one was run by the county and made its patrons feel at home. The automatic sliding glass doors opened to a large space with multiple high-arched windows that almost eliminated the need for artificial lighting. Books were housed on row after row of black metal bookcases and the carpet, originally installed long before she’d been born, had slowly transformed from its initial deep red to a dark purple, but managed to appear as if the color had been purposely selected.
To the left, the children’s section was filled with bright colors and characters from books painted on the walls by local artists. All the furniture had recently been reorganized (by none other than Alice) to maximize the floor space for groups and create quiet nooks for solitary readers. The media center began on the right side. Row upon rowof computers bordered the beginning of the massive fiction section and digital media available for checkout.
She waved at Cara Sanchez, the head librarian. At five feet even, she took home the award for World’s Most Adorable Boss. Round and cheerful with a pixie haircut, she topped off her look with flawless makeup and a bold red lip. She made you want to pick her up, put her in your pocket, and then run because abduction was illegal.
Cara waved back before pointing toward the table closest to the elevator.
Alice looked—her Cutie Code™ immediately shot up to Red.
(That hadn’t happened at first sight since the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last year and never in the wild.)
She stopped in front of the elevator, facing forward, and pressed the button. A curious, nervous sensation wriggled and rooted itself down inside her chest. Alice looked over her shoulder again, blinking rapidly at the person reading on his phone, completely oblivious.
Only his profile was visible. Tanned skin. Dark eyebrows. Strong chin. And a tiny curl of hair brushing against his forehead. He held his thumbnail in between his teeth, his index finger curving over his top lip, the rest of his hand curled into a loose fist. Most likely to hide his smile—whatever he was reading was making him adorably happy.
Her Cutie Code™ ticked upward until it strained against the top.
The elevator pinged. Alice shrugged off the sensation and walked inside. Turning around, she pressed the button for the fifth floor.
Just as the doors began to close, the Cutie Code: Red person in question lifted his head, looking right at Alice. She staggered backward, clutching the banister as the elevator began to ascend.
Kill Billsirens blared in Alice’s head.
The elevator hummed and whirred, the floors illuminated and darkened as they were passed, and the air inside wrapped her in its warm, fake-pine smelling embrace. Same as always. Nothing had changed,magically making today the day she became moments away from suffering a massive heart attack.
Sure, she hadn’t worked out for a while (see: ever) and her diet primarily consisted of ramen noodles during lean times (see: all the time), but this was a bit overkill. Her body had, at least, a minimum of fifteen years before she had to worry about that kind of thing.
Out of the elevator and in the hall, she took a moment to catch her breath. It was a hop, skip, and a jump to the break room and she wasn’t sure if it was empty. The library didn’t have many employees, but the last thing she needed was someone to spot her and ask if she was okay.
(In her mind, she was sure she had that wholedeer about to die in the headlightslook going on.)
Luckily, it was empty, giving her a few more moments to calm all the way down.
The designated break room also held all the employee badges and the time clock. It wasn’t much to look at, nor could anything be done about it (Alice had already tried). A rectangular room with three tables in the center, lined on either side with chairs. The walls were covered with clichéinspirational wall art, government-required labor posters, and employee notices. It had built-in lights, but Alice turned them off, opting to use the natural bit of light that came in through the tinted window.
Essie had taped a Post-it to Alice’s badge. Alice blew out a huff of breath. Right, then. Time for work. The continued cute analysis would have to wait.
(Maybe he would still be downstairs.…)
(FOCUS, WOMAN!)
(Right!)
