Freefalling

3

He brought her coffee this morning. It was her favorite kind of coffee; black with two tablespoons of sugar.

She greeted him with a smile. This smile was warmer than most of the smiles she shows. This one was a genuine smile. Those are rare in her world. His smile was equally as warm. He could tell hers was genuine.

She stood up and grabbed her coffee. The cup was still hot so she set it down. He was staring at her. It wasn't news. In a flash, she spun around and gave him a bear hug. She held him tight. He couldn't hug back; his arms were pressed to his sides.

People walking by were giving the two weird looks. They didn't even notice. They were stuck in time. He finally backed out when her septum piercing started to dig into his collarbone. She hasn't realized it yet, but she was falling in love. 

She picked up her cup of Joe and they walked into the library. This was only her second time in the public library. The last time was ten years ago. This was magical. The countless books lining the shelves, the silence, the coziness, she loved it all. She was a kid in a candy store.

She sped over to the YA section, pleasantly surprised with the selection. A quick glance into his chocolate eyes and she set off. Her hands touched each binding, each title sending off a different vibe. The books were beginning to pile up in her arms. She couldn't hold her coffee anymore, so she let him finish it off. There was no time for water infused with ground up beans, they were at a library!

When she was finished browsing, everyone watched the short girl try to balance twenty-three books as she inched over to the elderly woman behind the counter. As amused as he was, he was next to her ready to catch a book that may end up falling off of the massive stack.

"I see you children found what you were looking for, am I correct?"

"Most definitely, ma'am. This place is incredible!" The woman chuckled as she continued to scan the books.

"These are all due three weeks from now. If you need to you can renew them."

"Ah, thank you so much! Come on, let's go." She picked up eleven books and made him carry the rest. With confidence radiating from her soul she strode towards the ice cream shop. He followed with a slight smile present on his face.

He wasn't watching his step and tripped over a rock. The books flew out of his hands and ended up sprawled over the whole sidewalk. He landed face first. She heard the commotion and spun around to see him laying on the sidewalk. His body implied that he was simply done exsiting at the moment.

When she appeared at his side he told her that the rock jumped out and tripped him. The false story was so absurd in her mind; she had never heard anything so ridiculous before. She just giggled it off as she gathered the scattered literature.

She got back to him only to discover that blood was oozing from his nose. He insisted that he was fine and that a tissue would be great. She went back into the library, which was only two blocks away, and grabbed him a few tissues.

When she reported back, he was on his feet and very dirty. She extended the hand with the tissues and he put them under his nostril. She grabbed most of the books and decided that they should just go home.