C2 Two

The smell of dusty books tickles my nose as I shelve the ones lucky enough to have been recently Viewed.

I’m the library assistant at my university, and I could never have dreamed I'd be so lucky. I take care of books all day and they give me money for it.

Suckers!

I make my way back to the rental counter and start scanning in new returns. I've barely dug into my work before I hear a familiar feminine voice clear its throat.

"Excuse me miss, where is the porn section? I have some research to do."

My head shoots right up and an involuntary sigh flies from my lips. Standing there looking completely innocent is my best friend, Fiona Reese. She's got a cheesy grin on her face and she's slumped over onto the counter, her abnormally large bosoms resting on a poor unsuspecting stack of fiction novels.

"Haven't you any shame?" I ask even though I already know the answer.

"Nope," Fiona replies, popping the P. She heaves herself off of my workstation and starts looking around with curious blue eyes, her thick black waves dusted with snow.

"When do you get off, Soph?" She asks without looking my way. She may give me crap about "wasting my time in a library" but I can tell she thinks this is the most beautiful place she's ever seen.

The shelves seem to go on for miles and the ceiling is decorated with intricately painted panels. The floors are reflective so they make it seem like the library is twice as big, and that it could swallow you whole if it so desired.

"I get off at eight," I reply, wondering what she has planned. Fiona's gaze finally falls back to me and she has a mischievous smile plastered on her full red lips.

"Well seeing as how it's our last weekend homework free before classes start I thought we could go out. Paint the town beige. You can throw on your sexiest sweater and everything."

I scoff, looking aghast. "I own plenty of sexy clothes and BEIGE?"

My voice gets louder as my sentence goes on, but Fiona already knows what my answer will be.

"So What do you say?" She asks me eagerly.

"I can't," I reply with an awkward mumble.

"Are you gonna blow me off so you can keep catfishing Dr. Dreamy?"

I don‘t reply, avoiding eye contact entirely, so she throws her arms in the air.

"Seriously?" I can tell she's mad at me. I spend every night like a hermit locked up in my apartment with my face in my computer.

She'd be a bit more proud of me though if she knew What kind of things we've begun talking about lately.

"It's not cat-fishing." I defend. "I‘m not pretending to be someone else." Fiona gives a short fake laugh at that.

"No, you're just pretending to be no one."

I roll my eyes in defense but honestly, that's accurate.

Both of my hands run through my loose red tinged curls, and I sigh deep and heavy.

"Come on Sophie, have drinks with me. What is the point of being 21 if you're just gonna drink coffee and stay home?" Fiona sticks her bottom lip out and pouts.

I scrunch up my nose in uncomfortable thought. Fiona is right, and I do feel bad for practically blowing her off all winter. I suppose one night away from my computer couldn't hurt.

"Fine. Fine. I'll go." I say with a shrug, trying to play it down. "Why the hell not?"

Fiona's face lights up. "Holy Freck are you serious?"

I nod and can't help but laugh. "Awesome! I'm gonna go pack some stuff for tonight then meet you at your apartment when you get off." Fiona scurries away like a jubilant little girl and I can't help but laugh. What a dork.

***

"Put your hands behind your head and step away from the computer!" Fiona's voice shrieks in my ear as she lunges to snatch my laptop out of my hands.

"I just want to let him know that I won't be able to talk tonight!" I say defensively. "Is that so crazy?"

Fiona looks at me with absolute disgust. "Are you new to this? Honestly? How can you be so naive? This is a grown ass man you're dealing with, Sophia.

A beautiful one to boot. He may not know who the hell you are but there's one thing he does know: you stay home every night and talk to him and wait for him" Fiona puts my computer in her overnight bag "you can have this back once you've learned your lesson."

"And what lesson is that exactly?" I reply with complete and utter annoyance, my patience worn to nubs.

"That you wait for no man. And that you are desirable by many, not just him. Now, go put this on."

Fiona hands me a dress that has a plunging neckline and stops well above my knees. "Okaaay, but you know it's like 10 degrees outside right?" I complain but Fiona just shrugs me off

"That's what coats are for isn't it?"

I go to my bedroom to figure out Fiona's outfit of choice. It's a lovely army green sort of color that I do suppose compliments my skin well. The dress is stretchy but not the cheap costume kind. It's very simple by design but unbelievably flattering. I stare at myself for several moments before a bitter feeling fills my stomach.

Guilt pulls at my subconscious as I think of Professor Crane waiting eagerly for me to talk with him. I'll just have to explain later and hope he doesn't get too upset.

I try very hard to not let the powerful introverted side of my personality hold me back. However, knowing I'll have to deal with pervs and jerks trying to hit on me makes me want to bail on this idea entirely.

Fiona and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, both of us easily classed as weirdos, but she's got one thousand times more courage than I'll ever have. Her extroverted shenanigans always land me in uncomfortable situations.

"Holy crap, look at you!" Fiona coos as she walks in. I instantly blush and notice she's got her own outf1t on as well. Bold and red, with her huge chest on full display, Fiona looks like every mans twisted fantasy.

The starts off good and then she eats your soul kind.

"I'm so proud of you for doing this," she assures me, and I feel my chest tighten. "I know you're probably one second away from ripping that dress off, putting on some footie pajamas, and watching The Food N etwork, but I'm just proud you've come this far." She laughs and it helps to settle my anxiety.

"I'm not gonna change my mind," I assure her. "That being said, let's go before I do." We both share a giggle and bundle up for the cold. Thank goodness Fiona has a car.

Thick smoke fills my lungs as we walk into a little downtown dive bar not too far from campus. The air is thick with mostly fruity scents because everyone has decided vaping is much cooler than cigarettes. I fallow Fiona to a little corner booth where we shed our coats and purses. I may he a little paranoid, but it's almost like I can already feel dozens of little eyes watching out every move.

"Let's get some drinks," Fiona suggests as she digs her wallet out. I walk with her up to the bar and watch as she shamelessly flirts with the bartender. "I'll take a vodka cranberry, and my girl here will take a sex on the beach." The moderately handsome barkeep can't keep his eyes off of Fiona's eye-grabbing cleavage not that it's his fault. They didn't call her "booby trap" in high school for nothing.

I internally scold her lackadaisical actions, but in the end, it works in our favor.

"First rounds on me,1adies," he tells us with a flirtatious wink. I do my best to not be awkward. I smile back and grab my drink making sure not to fall on my face, drop the drink, or die. Once it's in my hand I rush it to my lips, desperate for a taste of that liquid courage.

I take frantic gulps out of desperation, the berry flavors tickling my tongue as the alcohol works it's magic.

Holy crap this is delicious.

"Wow What is this?" I ask Fiona. "It tastes like juice."

"It pretty much is, but watch it. That juice bites." She smirks and pats my back, moving us to our table.

After the second round of adult fruit punch, I can feel the nerves wearing off. It really pathetic that it takes a substantial amount of rum to turn me into a normal person, but I suppose it is what it is.

Fiona and I somehow end up talking to a couple of guys at our booth when out of the corner of my eye he walks in.

My breath hitches, and I nearly choke on my last sip, the alcohol burning my lungs as I watch the most beautiful man I've ever seen make a beeline for the bar.

I shamelessly watch as the bartender hands him a very full glass of amber liquor and my skin erupts in chills.

He didn't order a beer like some men do after a long day, and he didn‘t order shots so he isn't just here to get shit faced.

No, he ordered a whiskey. I would recognize that color anywhere, my father favoring the kind when I was younger.

The alcohol that means I'm here to drown my sorrows, but I want to feel them suffocate as I do. The kind that says I've got nothing else to lose.

He's sitting all alone on a bar stool while I'm watching him tell a story that no one else seems to hear.

Fiona finally notices I've checked out of the conversation with our two table mates, and she follows my misty stare to the bar. Her jaw practically falls to the floor once she sees him, but her quick mind immediately springs into action.

"Alrighty guys, I think I'm ready to be alone with my friend now." Fiona's usually cheerful voice is cold and Iinite as she glares at the men.

"What's wrong, I thought we were having fun?" One of the men questions.

"We were darling but it's girl time now so bye bye." Fiona's 'get lost' stare has the men quickly scurrying away, but I can't take my eyes off of him.

Thomas Crane.

"What are the odds he'd choose this dingy little bar, honestly. I can't escape him, Pi!" I ruff up my hair in obvious aggravation.

Not that I wanted to escape him, but it almost seems like the universe is torturing me for what I've done.

"Go talk to him," Fiona says, glaring at me with her arms crossed. She‘s definitely tired of my crap.

"Talk to him? Are you crazy? You know that I can't talk to him! I can type sure, and I can plan conversations in my head but talking Fiona?! That's hilarious! I can form sentences about as well as Helen Keller and you know that!" I glare at my best friend who isn't the least bit amused by my outburst.

Fiona eventually sighs and leans over the table, throwing her hands on my shoulders. "Look at me," she orders.

"I am," I say, staring her in her stupid face.

"Even if you mess this up you can still hide behind your username later, but sitting over there is the man you're crazy about and he's obviously got something on his mind. This is your chance, Soph." Fiona leans back and takes a quick sip of her drink, her eyes watching me carefully.

"Now, are you gonna be a little bitch about it or are you going to put on your big girl panties and go seduce your English Professor?"

I stare blankly at Fiona for a count of One. Two. Three.

"You know what?" I say as I grab my drink, downing the remains in one big gulp. "I'm gonna do both."

Awkward Sophia is dead. She's been replaced by cool, sexy, tipsy Sophia instead, and I'm about to make this man fall!

I rise to my feet, and I Can see the slow clap building in Fiona’s eyes.

She better not.

I internally scream as I walk towards Thomas, the man I've been pining for all year. The man I've been talking to for four months. The only man who's ever made me feel like this.

In my head, I have an amazing pickup line planned. There's literally no way I can mess this up. I know I look amazing so there's really nothing to worry about.

I'm right behind him now, I can see the back of his head. His tightly groomed brown hair that messes up handsomely in the front. I can see that his white dress shirt is unbuttoned and the sleeves are rolled up. I bite my tongue, ready to use my attention getter but something completely different comes out.

"You know I think it was Ralph Waldo Emerson Who said "as a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey,"

Damn.

Why, Sophia? What are you, eighty? I bite my bottom lip to suppress a groan of self-disappointment, but I don't get to live in my self-deprecating shame for very long.

Thomas shoots his head in my direction like a bolt of lighting, and I'm almost knocked back by the beautiful blue eyes now piercing my soul. They're wrought with dark circles and his jawline has the most delectable amount of stubble peppering it. He's unlike I've ever seen him before, and it's honestly enough to make my mouth water.

"Sophia."

Thomas says my name. That's it for a moment, he just says it. I can see he's thinking and there are Wheels churning in his mind behind his azure stare.

And for a moment it looks like he's looking at a long lost lover.

Oh no. Does he know?