archives

chapter 2

Nagito's POV

    I start with aisles A-F, F-L and so on until I reach aisle W. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a brown-haired person, slouching against the aisle holding what seems to be a book about punctuation.
"Excuse me sir" I say clearly, unphased. Once in a blue moon, we get a homeless person or an overworked college student sleeping in the aisle. It's nothing new however I always remember to be cautious. It is new york city after all.

He doesn't seem to hear me, maybe he has some type of headphones in? I slowly walk up to him and kneel down, although he's still completely oblivious to my presence. I sit down and glance at what he was precisely reading and I unknowingly start reading with him. He quickly turns the page but I haven't finished reading it yet. I slowly turn it back, and he stares at my hand with a puzzled look. He finally realizes that someone is beside him and quickly moves away, shutting the book with both of his hands creating an echoing sound throughout the library. His ears start to get red and his hair covers his face.

"I apologize if I startled you, you seemed quite indulged in this book so I decided to see for myself. However the library has closed 20 minutes ago, I think you should get going" I say as I pull myself up and dust off my apron.

"Oh.. I'm so sorry, I'll get going now!" the boy replies, gathering his books together and shoving them frantically into a cloth bag. Without another word he gets up and rushes out of the aisle. As I hear the front door shut, I slowly find my mouth turning into a smile.

"Interactions like those is what keeps me working here" I say aloud to myself as I finish clearing out the aisles, occasionally picking up bookmarks and papers. I walk back to the reception desk and throw all of my findings in the trash. I take off my apron and shove it into a drawer.

"Did you find someone again? You took way longer than 10 minutes" Lisa says as she gets up and yawns, jingling the keys in her hands in the process.
"Just some college kid that lost track of time, nothing new" I reply back without a hint of interest in my voice.

"Alright then, see you Wednesday Nagito" she says as I put in my jacket and start heading towards the door. I hear the desk click as I step out into the night fall wind.

Hajime's POV

   I've always been a pretty average kid my whole life. I never got into fights or went to exotic parties, Ive had one or two girlfriends through my high school years and I never experimented with drugs or alcohol. I try my hardest to study well and stay focused, but it's difficult when every time you're focused your mind switches to different things. Throughout my entire school years i've always been struggling with learning. I'm either easily distracted when studying or I just never have the motivation to keep up. But the one thing that I've always been able to clearly focus on is books. Since I was a little kid, I've loved to read and make up my own stories. It's the one time that my brain isn't overdrive and the only moment in which i'm able to focus clearly.

As a college student in their first year, I've been overwhelmed with tasks and projects and trying to keep myself organized. Throughout all of this chaos in my mind, I'm able to find a serene place to relax and stop thinking. Being in my own company comforts me even though I'm able to talk to people and I love making friends, sometimes being by yourself is the best therapy.

I come to the library whenever I have spare time, just to find a new read or pick up a recommendation I received from one of my friends. I lose track of time easily so I only go on my free days when I don't have class. Luckily for me, today is a free day. And I spend it all trying to find books and new material.

      I end up taking 4 books, two for enjoyment and two for classes. A little catching up could never hurt anyone.

I sit down at a large table, in the center of the library and start reading for about an hour or two. After a while, my eyes start to ache so I pack my things and head to a new location. Mind you, this library is one of the biggest in new york and it is quite empty on Monday's. 

I sit in a random aisle, all the way in the back and pick a random book nearest to me. "Punctuation and tips for writers" this could help me somewhat, I thought as I opened it up and started reading. The book itself did help me and made me think about my writing, as an aspiring author and writer I take any tips I can get.

As I get more into the book, I slouch more and more until i'm practically laying on the floor. I reposition myself and continue reading. I notice the sun setting and less noise, but as always I forgot my phone so I decide to read until my head hurts.

Only mid-way through, I finish reading page 116 and turn to the next. But as I finish turning the page a pale, boney hand flips back. 'Wait. That's not my hand' I think as my eyebrows curl into a confused look. I finally focus out of the book and realize someone sitting next to me. Shocked and surprised, I quickly scoot back, shutting the book creating a loud echo and pushing it back to the shelf. Embarrassed, I feel my ears and cheeks burning up and look down in order to hide my face.

The assumed employee clearly spoke, "I apologize if I startled you, you seemed quite indulged in this book so I decided to see for myself. However the library has closed 20 minutes ago, I think you should get going". His voice was clear and somewhat feminine, however it was different from what i've ever heard before. The employee got up and dusted himself off.

I frantically pushed all my books back into my bag and apologized, "Oh.. I'm so sorry, I'll get going now!". I rushingly got up and practically ran towards the door. My face still felt hot and I was so incredibly embarrassed. 'How could've I stayed after closing hours, I really need to take my phone with me next time' I think to myself as I feel the cold wind blow against my hot face. I decide to make my way back to my apartment.

a/n: hi!! this chapter is a bit longer than the first one and i hope you enjoyed it! i'm basing this story off of how i imagine me and my closest online friend meeting for the first time so i hope it makes sense ^^. i want this entire book to be at least 30 chapters  & my updates will be whenever i have stuff written. i really hope you all enjoy reading this!! ( ◡‿◡ ♡)