A LITTLE INSANE. Rowan Laslow

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A LITTLE INSANE.
Chapter eight

A couple of days passed. Naturally, classes took time out of every Nevermore student's day, leaving them worn out—drowsy, and everything in between.

The scent of bibliosmia and sandalwood clouded the enclosure. Alice and Rowan were both in the library, just not together.

Rowan was seated at a table, he was reading a book. Alice couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that he could purposely continue to cram his mind with scholastic knowledge after the amount of classwork given out today.

It certainly had a stressful effect on her.

Ms. Thornhill instructed Alice to search through the library for a piece of literature that could help her with the Study of Herbs. That is the precise reason why she was skimming through bookshelves.

Yet, she found that to be completely impossible as her eyes kept glancing through the many gaps in the bookshelves and onto the face of Rowan Laslow.

Ever since the kissing incident, the conversations between the two were—brief. They mostly consisted of questions about the weather and whether Alice did her hair differently.

She didn't.

Rowan flipped through a page of his book. Alice, who thought he was turning her way, attempted to hide. Sadly, the space between her head and the bookshelf was too small, making her hit her cranium.

"Fuck-" She said, rubbing the pain away.

This made Rowan glimpse her way. She quickly took a book from the shelf and hid behind it.

Rowan lifted a brow in confusion. "Hello?"

She didn't reply.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, digging her head deeper into the book. She suddenly felt her hands become empty. She opened her eyes.

Rowan had the book in his hand. "Alice—are you alright?"

Her cheeks warmed. She positioned her thumb and pointer finger on the bridge of her nose and exhaled. "Yup, I'm fine. I was just reading."

He glimpsed at the cover of the book. "The guide to knitting."

"That's right," she mumbled timidly, leaning against the side of the table, her hands on each ending corner. "I was thinking of knitting my roommate a sweater. "It's getting very cold outside."

He furrowed his brows. "You don't even like your roommate."

"I was thinking this could help us bond." Her roommate wanted nothing to do with her. The help of a carelessly knit sweater wouldn't change her mind.

Alice motioned to the seat across from him and he nodded inviting her to sit down.

Once she was seated she pulled her bag onto her lap. Rowan watched as she opened her bag and pulled out a pack of Sour Patch Kids.

He looked around anxiously. "You know you can't eat in here, right?"

She looked around with him. "But I'm hungry. Plus, other than those two vampires sucking each other's faces, it's empty in here."

He didn't say anything else about it, letting her peacefully eat.

No words were exchanged as the minutes passed.
The library was almost empty now, the only two people being Alice and Rowan.

Alice's leg kept constantly brushing on Rowan's, it caused him to feel choked up and agitated, although it was accidental. She found it amusing though, a smile dressing her face like a circus clown.

"Rowan?" She spoke in almost a whisper.

He glanced up from the book, his eyes instantly meeting hers. They fell to her lips for a short second, yet it wasn't observable.

"Were you going to do it?" She asked.

His head tilted slightly in confusion. "Do what?"

"Were you going to kiss me on Saturday?" She replied looking at his now very rosed face.

He looked down, it was a very fast movement. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. If he told her that he was going to kiss her, she'd know he liked her. If he told her the opposite, she'd probably take offense to that.

He played with his fingers.

He didn't understand women, but he knew for certain he didn't want Alice to think he was nauseated by the thought of kissing her. Confessing was the adequate option, even though he was scared of rejection.

"I might have wanted to." He answered back. He still was looking anywhere but her face.

It took Alice a few seconds to apprehend what he just told her but when she did, a smile tugged the sides of her lips. "You should have."

He froze.

He could feel the face he was making. He truly hoped it didn't look as ridiculous as it felt.

Rowan didn't say anything. Alice didn't blame him, she knew how upfront she was being at the moment. Perhaps that was the only to get Rowan to open up about Saturday. "Do you still want to kiss me?"

She placed her hand on his, hoping he'd look at her. "I hope you still want to kiss me.." She added.

He of course wanted to kiss her. However, he couldn't do it. So, Rowan stood up, gently closing his book and pushing the seat to the table. "I'm sorry. I can't."

He started to walk away.

She got up from her seat following him. "Rowan?"

He turned around, meeting her soil-like eyes once again. She was standing in front of him now. A pompous smile rested on her features. They were looking at each other the same way they did in the bathroom on Saturday. Rowan could feel his heart beating in his chest once again.

He sighed deeply. "I still want to kiss you."

Then their lips touched, it was clumsy at first but they caught the hang of it quickly. Alice's hands wrapped around his neck like pearls as his hand snaked around her waist like a belt.

He could smell the same floral perfume he smelt when they first met, it coated him. He could taste the Sour Patch Kids on her lips and tongue as the kiss matured. It was faint, yet still honeyed. Rowan always rejected her when she offered to share, but as it surrounded his mouth, he knew that he'd never say no again.

Alice was kissing him hard. She didn't feel herself pushing him into the nearest bookshelf until a few dropped to the ground. Her fingers skimmed through his hair, it was soft and thin. This was her first kiss, she was certain it was his as well, but she wouldn't wish for anything more or anything less.

She knew no one could deliver as much urge or craving as Rowan did now.

He was the perfect person,
he was perfect for her.