The librarian carried on as she walked towards the woman across them. The growing tension and dangerously thick atmosphere between the two people with her remained unnoticed.
"I'm so glad you two were around when you were. I'm really swamped with work for despite the semester break just starting. If I had worked on these on my own, I fear I'd finish just the day before class are back in session." The librarian said as she took the two books from the girl's hands. Those purple eyes still bore on to Adelai even after the librarian began to walk away.
"If you both don't mind, could you two work on this aisle? After that, meet me at the counter, I have something else for the both of you to work on," The librarian said, now carrying two thick books twoce the size of her arms.
"Adelai, this is Senia. She's from the Criminology course." The librarian introduced, "And Senia, this is Adelai. He's planning to be an architect,"
Senia seemed to scoff at that, "An architect, huh? I wonder what inspired that."
Adelai so badly wanted to retort then and there. Yet no words could find his lips from the shock of the entire situation.
The librarian herself failed to note the sarcastic tone laced in Senia's voice and merely shrugged it off as playful conversation starters. And just like that, the librarian walked away, leaving the two people alone on that secluded aisle.
Adelai stood completely frozen. What should he do? It'd be awkward to back out now, specially when what remained was just the two of them here alone.
For the longest time, Adelai had worked hard to avoid ever meeting her again. But sooner or later, he was bound to come across her eventually. He had just not expected it to be right now.
At the start of the year, Adelai thought he had finally escaped the past that haunted him so much after he entered college. But his hopes came to an abrupt end when he saw a glimpse of that white lotus hair near the Criminology course building.
He had desperately prayed that he was wrong, or that it was just someone who looked alike at that time. Still, he stayed far away from the Criminology course building. With how big the campus was with so many buildings, he assumed the chances of meeting her would be slim.
But his worse fears had been realized that day at the cafe on the first day of the semester break. And the person he had dreaded to meet was finally in front of him.
Senia didn't acknowledge his presence as soon as the librarian disappeared, and just a little bit, Adelai was thankful for that as Senia continued to place and organize books on the bottom shelf.
The faster I finish this, the sooner I can get out of here. Adelai thought. Alright, me, you can do this!
From the cart he had pushed around, Adelai picked up the book on top of the others. It was an old science book with yellow pages and faded words. Nimble fingers flipped the book to find the numbers etched on the spine.
657.
Adelai began to scope through the other spines of the books on the shelf, only to find out the spot on 657 had to be at the top shelves. He sighed. Why did he have to pick up this book out of the other choices on the cart?
Lake green eyes wandered around the aisle before spotting a ladder on the corner. It seemed attached to the shelves with small wheels on them for easy access, so Adelai thought it should be fine to use.
With one hand held on to the ladder and the other holding on to the book, he began to climb his way up the top, successfully placing the book within the gap in the shelves.
That was easy enough. Now to repeat this process until he finishes the entire cart.
At the beginning of this task, Adelai had feared it would take a dreadfully long and awkward time before they finish this entire aisle but much to his fortune, Senia never once spoken a word to him, much less spared him a glance. And Adelai on the other hand had never needed to worry about it. His mind had become too preoccupied with the simple task at hand.
With only one book left from the cart, Adelai silently rejoiced the completion of this task, then he'd be free to go back to his mundane routine.
As he shoved the book between the gaps on the shelf, Adelai found that the book refused to slide through. Confused, he began to push the book further with increasing strength.
Why won't it go in? Now he was getting frustrated. In fits of silent tantrum, the book finally slipped through the cracks, and Adelai quietly rejoiced when all of the sudden, he felt the support disappear beneath his feet.
Oh crap. In the midst of his push of the book, he had lost his balance momentarily, and he began to fall off the height.
Panic coursed through his veins as his skin grew cold from anxiety. The top shelves which were once in front of him now grew rapidly small by each second which passed in his fall. Adelai shut his eyes as he braced himself for the impact of the floor.
He might survive this but not without a few bruises and a broken bone. Oh hell! The semester break just started, why did I have to be so unlucky! He cried.
But soon he noticed a few seconds had passed without the impact of his body colliding with the floor, and he slowly, cautiously, opened his eyes.
In his panic and terror, he hadn't noticed he had stopped falling just before he hit the ground.
Arms that he failed to feel in his disheveled state began to tighten their hold on his knees and back. And Adelai found himself face to face with Senia.
The dust which settled on tol of shelves and were left unbothered for months fell off in the midst of the chaos in the aisle. The specks of light sneaking through window casted a warm glow to those purple eyes.
This was a scene Adelai had seen before. The specks of dust that danced around her hair mimicked a memory of flecks of ice as the harsh light followed her every move on the ice rink. For a righteous moment, Adelai was sent back to the time Senia and him had first met.