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The first time you laid eyes on him you could feel the darkness around him. It left you feeling slightly terrified, but at the same time, you were intrigued. He hadn't said a word, but you'd felt his dark eyes on you as you sat at a table in the library, your favorite book cracked open before you. You crossed your ankles beneath the chair, pushing your hair behind your ear as your eyes moved back to the slightly yellowed and weathered page before you.
The library was quiet and mostly empty, and you tried to ignore the sound of his voice speaking in quick Spanish to the librarian, the timbre of it sending a chill down your spine. His footsteps seemed so loud as he walked down the main row and disappeared around a corner, as you let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding.
You'd been living in this small town, just south of the Mexican border, for a few months. You weren't hiding, not really. You'd just decided to get away for awhile, but you'd fallen in love with the sleepy place, the people, the food, and this library. It held many books in both Spanish and English, but it was rarely used by the townspeople. You'd always thrived best when you were alone, and this was the perfect place to spend the day getting lost, especially when the sun was blazing hot outside.
The footfalls of the mystery man grew loud again as he came back towards the desk, a thick book clutched between his large fingers. He sat a few tables away from you, your eyes flitting down to his black boots, his lean legs in a pair of dark jeans. A dark t-shirt stretched across his broad chest, bulging muscles peeking out of the sleeves. His hair was disheveled, a five o'clock shadow spread along his sharp jaw, pink lips in a permanent hard line.
His eyes found yours and you looked away quickly, settling back into the book in front of you. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up straight, his stare causing you to shiver slightly with fear and arousal. After a while you stood, walking your book back to its spot in the stacks. You strode past the man, and over to the desk to bid the librarian farewell.
"Adiós, hasta manaña."
Goodbye, see you tomorrow
But she wasn't even looking at you, her eyes glued to the strange man at the table. "¿Puedes verlo? Él irradia oscuridad."
Can you sense it? He radiates darkness.
Your breath caught in your throat as you followed her gaze. "Si."
Yes
"Se cuidadosa, cariño. Sé cómo ha estado mirándote."
Be careful, my dear. I've seen how he's been staring at you.
You simply nodded, backing away from the desk and turning to walk as calmly as you could out of the library.
----
He came back again the next day, and the day after that. Every time he was silent, his eyes raking over your form as he walked by, returning and sitting at the same table. You kept quiet, returning his gaze before going back to your book. The librarian watched him with a wary eye, and you saw her mimic the sign of the cross whenever he disappeared down the stacks to retrieve his book, muttering a prayer under her breath.
