"Hey, Miles!" MJ waves as she spots him by the bookshelves.
"Hey!" he responds with a grin, adjusting his belongings to make space for hers.
"Did you get here okay?" he asks, his sketchbook open as he works on a drawing of the Brooklyn skyline.
"Yeah, the walk here was fine. Nice drawing, by the way," she compliments, laying out her textbooks.
"Thanks. It's still a work in progress, just doing some shading," he explains, glancing at her with a lingering gaze. MJ has noticed his tendency to stare, which always makes her feel self-conscious, wondering if she has toothpaste on the side of her mouth or food stuck in her teeth.
"Well, you won't find any shading on my face," she jokes, tapping the page of his sketchbook.
"Right. Sorry," he laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck before refocusing on his drawing. They work in silence for a while, the quiet murmur of the library and the rustling of pages filling the air. Suddenly, Miles checks his phone and hastily rises from his seat, casting MJ an apologetic and urgent look.
"Um, you don't mind if I step out for a bit, do you? It's kind of an emergency," he gestures awkwardly.
MJ blinks, caught off guard, before managing to respond. "Oh, yeah, sure. Do what you need to do."
With a quick "sorry," Miles hurries off.
MJ briefly wonders about the emergency but knows it isn't her place to pry.
•
Ignoring the situation is not easy, especially when an hour and a half passes without any sign of Miles.
It's getting late, and MJ grows increasingly worried as her texts to him remain unanswered.
She feels stuck; leaving would make her feel like a bad friend, but her mother's warnings about being out late start to nag at her, making her anxious. She bites her bottom lip and checks the time repeatedly, her concern mounting.
Finally, as the librarian, Ms. Shaw, begins to usher students out because of closing time, Miles suddenly appears, panting and out of breath. He nearly crashes into their table, his hands grasping the wooden surface as he catches his breath. With one eye closed and bruises on his face, he looks like he's been in a fight.
"Whoa! Did you get jumped?" MJ stands up, her eyes wide as she takes in his disheveled appearance.
"Huh? Oh, this?" he laughs awkwardly, gesturing to the marks on his face. "Uh, ran into a bit of trouble with a stray cat."
His words set off alarm bells in MJ's mind.
He's lying.
MJ isn't one to push people to be honest, especially if it doesn't directly involve her. The most important thing now is to return to her dorm before nine o'clock.
"Alright," she says slowly, packing her textbooks into her bag. "I was just about to head out, so..." she trails off as Miles, looking guilty and somewhat embarrassed, finally speaks up.
"MJ, I'm really sorry," he says, his eyes full of remorse. "It's just..." he begins, but then stops himself.
"Miles, it's cool, honestly. I'm just glad you're okay. But, I really need to get going now; my mother hates it when I'm out too late," she explains, pulling her bag's straps over her shoulders as she heads towards the library doors.
Miles quickly gathers his sketchbook before hurrying after her.
"Wanna walk together? The girls' dorm is right across the street from the guys', right?" he asks, matching her brisk pace.
