Under the Blue Moon

Chapter 2

It's been about two and a half hours since you started working on your paper. And you are more than halfway done with your first draft. You are delighted because you may be able to, not only finish the first draft, but maybe even get the revision started tonight. When you look up at the clock above the double doors that lead out to the lobby of the library, it reads 11:45 PM. You decide to take a little break from your paper and stretch your legs a bit. You did not realize it, but while you were working on your paper, someone had snuck into the library. You can see the person sitting at a desk closest to the window that stretches from floor to ceiling.

Since you started working here last year, you've seen him come into the library every couple of weeks. He would stroll in around nine or 10 PM, sit himself down at a corner desk and work for about 2 hours or so. Often, he would take a break and be back for another hour before leaving. There were no discernable patterns to his schedule. Sometimes he would come in once or twice a week, and then he'd disappear for 2 to 3 weeks. Of course, you weren't keeping track or anything. But when you sit at a library help desk with no one to help, you just start to notice these things.

He has never asked you for your help and has never even acknowledged your presence, which was fine with you. You've seen him around the campus a couple of times in the past year. He always seems to be surrounded by a group of girls who, you can only assume, are vying for his attention. You do have to admit that he probably is the prettiest human you've ever seen in person. When you first saw him in the library, he reminded you of a well-drawn character from an anime you used to watch when you were in high school. He is tall, long limbed, slender, with broad shoulders and long bangs that hangs down over his eyes which is perfectly mussed. He also has clear and intelligent eyes and lips so full and red that they remind you of those wax-lips candy. You could understand why all of those girls were always around him. You thought, "I guess, if I had the time to go and lose my head over a boy, I probably would try and stay in his orbit too." Other than him showing up to the library occasionally, your paths never cross. You are not sure what he is majoring in, but for sure it isn't Poli-sci.

You come out from the back of the help desk and decide to take a walk around the library, perhaps go say hello to Jasmine and Renaud. When you get out to the lobby, the security desk is empty. You think, "That's unusual and walk about the lobby and go into the staff lounge. You don't usually drink coffee this late at night in fear of being plagued by insomnia, but tonight, you are feeling sleepier than usual and really want to get as much of this paper done as you possibly can. So, you indulge in a cup of coffee that is light and sweet. Once you have the coffee in hand, you decide to return to the help desk, lest that one handsome patron require your assistance. That has never happened before, but you never know.

By the time you get back to the help desk, the man is no longer there. Once you return to the main part of the library, you situate yourself behind the help desk and you take a long pull on your coffee. Taking a big sigh, you sit back down in front of your computer and get back to working on your paper. Picking up where you left off, you start to type feverishly. You think, "If I can put in another hour or two, I should be done with the first draft."

About 30 minutes into working on your paper, you hear someone softly clear their throat to get your attention. You stop what you are doing and look up with a smile. There, standing in front of you, is the same man that was sitting at the corner desk earlier tonight. You have never had the chance to be this close to him before and you are momentarily taken aback by how handsome he is. Without realizing, you take a hard swallow and just stare at his face with a blank expression.

After several moments of awkward silence, the man finally says, "Um... Hey."

His voice snaps you out of your trance. You shake your head and say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I must be half asleep. Sorry about that. How can I help you?"