Spinning Gold

Chapter Five

He'd never been a liar—well, apart from the white kind. However when he'd met Jessica at his annual Christmas work shindig last night, he might've let one slip. One that wasn't easily covered up. One that required a bit of help to pull off. He'd found her contact in his phone, set on telling her the date was off. He wasn't feeling good, his oven was broke, or the truth. His grandma was dead.

His finger had hovered over the green button but he never followed through with the act. He had typed a letter apologizing to her, but had deleted it just as quick. Pacing around the apartment had been useless. Other than burning some calories, there'd been no work done there.

Eventually, he went to the kitchen to chug a glass of water and that's when he saw it. The card. He weighed his options. It was insane to even consider. It had all been a bluff. Still, he felt his mind picking at him, urging him to go. So, here he was standing in front of the Riverview Public Library, deciding if he really wanted to go through with it.

The image of Jessica popped into his head. Short blond hair, big blue eyes, plump lips covered in a scarlet shade of lipstick, and curves that he wanted to caress. That thought alone was enough to have him marching up the steps and pushing the glass door open. He ignored the front desk, and the man lounging behind it watched Calvin as he went but didn't say a word.

He headed straight to the elevator, passing the countless bookshelves, and pushed the arrow that pointed down. "Come on, come on," he whispered harshly, bouncing impatiently on his heels as the numbers above illuminated one by one.

Finally, there was a beep, and the door slid open. He hopped in, turning hastily to the floor numbers and located the G for ground floor. Calvin punched the button with his index finger and stepped back.

"You know there isn't a ground floor," a light voice said beside him. He jumped, his head snapping in the direction of the sound.

There stood a woman, probably in her mid-twenties, about his age. She wore a sweatshirt and jeans, and clutched a handful of books tightly to her chest. Her green eyes observant behind her black-framed glasses as she took him in.

"I, uh, I know that. I meant to hit the first floor," he blurted, reaching forward and pushing the number one.

"We're on the first floor," she stated.

He grimaced, hitting the number three. "Right, I meant the third floor," he replied shaking his head. Like he said, not a liar.

"Uh huh, sure."

The elevator came to a stop, and the screen at the top showed a white two. "That's me." She flitted past him, giving him a side glance and a smirk before disappearing around the corner.

The door closed again, and his breath came out in a rush. The car descended and passed the floors briskly. He reached the ground floor and traipsed across the threshold. This time he did stop at the front desk. He dove into his pocket and pulled out the plain card.

The man behind the counter examined him but eventually took the object. As he bent forward to swipe the card through a gray machine, Calvin noticed the thinning of the man's hair though he tried hiding it with some brown spray. He huffed from the small exertion. The man's nametag glinted off the lights and Calvin's eyes skimmed over it.

In case this is a trap, he thought. Fred, he read, seems normal enough.

After a quick beep, Fred grunted and handed it back, gesturing towards the metal door beside the desk. Calvin heard the click of the locks sliding back, and grasped the silver knob, pulling it towards him. There, he was met by another person behind a counter. This one hid behind a book, her manicured nails held onto a battered copy of Pride and Prejudice.