The Librarians and The Collection of Casekiel Short Stories

The Librarians And the Unexpected Confessions

Ezekiel POV

Cassandra and I are in the weather station, waiting to give Stone and Jenkins, and Flynn and Eve the signal to open the doors so we can dissipate the storm. I can feel her panic growing as we stand there in silence.

Moving closer to Cassandra, I slide my arm around her waist in an attempt to calm her nerves, and reassure her that everything would be okay. "We're in position." Eve's voice breaks the sombre silence that had settled over us. Cassandra lifts the radio and whispers "Open the doors now. We need to do it now, before the storm gets too big for this to work." She sets it down on the table in front of us and turns to bury her face in the crook of my neck. "I can't watch." Her voice trembled as she spoke, caused by the fear of what could possibly happen if we don't succeed.

I say nothing, all I do is stroke her hair and hold her, glad that if this is doesn't work, I'm spending my last moments holding Cassandra. In this moment, nothing matters but her. She's changed me, for the better, and I know that if this does work, and we all survive; having saved New York in the process, she will continue to change me.

Cassandra POV

All these years, I thought that the tumour would my downfall. I guess I was wrong. Any miniscule miscalculation on my behalf will result on the entirety of New York being destroyed in a magic storm. If this doesn't work, not only will New York be destroyed, but Flynn, Eve and Ezekiel will all die too. This is why I can't watch the monitor of the sonar equipment after I've told Eve and Flynn, and Stone and Jenkins to open the doors.

I bury my head in Ezekiel's neck, thankful for his comforting embrace, as tears begin to fall. "Hey," he says softly "Don't cry, I'm here. This is going to work, have some faith in yourself. Even if it doesn't, at least we're together." He kisses my head and holds me until we hear Eve celebrating over the radio. "It worked!" Ezekiel spins me around in his arms and grins ecstatically. "We're not dead." He rejoices. "We're not dead..." I repeat in disbelief.

Before I've really thought it through, I kiss Ezekiel. It was one of those spontaneous, intensely lustful kisses that you read about in books, but never imagine you could ever experience. At first he seemed taken aback by the pure, burning passion I knew we could both feel. Once he realised what was happening he eased in to the kiss and began to take control. He locked me in his grasp by pressing one hand on my lower back and tangling the other in my hair. I softly draped my arms around his neck and leaned into him. The kiss slowed down, until we finally broke apart, both of us gasping for air. "We should get back to the Library. You know, make sure Stone and Jenkins weren't burned to death, and Eve and Flynn didn't fall off Lady Liberty." Ezekiel joked, still short of breath.

"Yeah, back to the Library." I murmur, as I trail kisses down to Ezekiel's neck.

"My God, I love you, Cassandra." I stopped dead I my tracks. Did he just say that?

Ezekiel POV

Shit. What did I just do. Ezekiel Jones, does not just blurt out his feelings. I do not do that. Ever. I'm wasn't ready for Cassandra to know that. She just had to go and find that spot on my neck. The one place that causes me to lose control from pleasure. Cassandra stopped still. I'd clearly shocked her by proclaiming my love for her. She lifts her head and stares straight in my eyes. She looks so confused, and it pains me to see the girl I love, the girl who understands everything, struggling to understand something so simple. "You love me?" Her voice is barely a whisper. She sounds so puzzled, as if the idea of someone loving her is unimaginable. "Yes." I reply, since there's no escaping this now. "How could I not? You're beautiful, and kind, and smart, and one of the bravest people I've ever met. You're living with a ticking bomb inside your head, but you don't let it slow you down.

"I love the way your face lights up when you solve a problem, and seeing you get lost in the maths. I love all your little quirks and unique mannerisms. I love you, Cassandra Cillian."

Cassandra POV

I am so overwhelmed. Ezekiel loves me? The confident, witty, smart, handsome Ezekiel Jones loves me? Cassandra Cillian, the giant nerd with a grape bomb in her head. He's Ezekiel Jones, world-class thief and international man of mystery. I cannot believe he thinks that of me. "But, I'm just a nobody with a death sentence. You are one of the most amazing people I have ever met. You're incredibly talented, even if it is illegal, and you're handsome, and funny, and incredibly kind. I've been failing at not falling in love with you, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. I thought it was hopeless."

Tears begin to fall again, and Ezekiel lifts a hand to wipe away the tears. "I've felt this way – knowingly at least – since the day I kissed you, after you saved all those kids at that STEM fair. All the stolen glances, the faint whisper of a touch, the quiet knowing smiles. Each day, I fell more in love, as I saw you change and grow, as you began to believe you deserve to be a librarian. I've watched you from a distance, trying not to get too close, because I thought this would end in heartbreak. If I'm completely honest, I thought you were falling for Stone."

"It's always been you, Ezekiel. There's only ever been you." I sigh.