A Debt Unpaid (Original)

Walter

I walked out of the coffee house, constantly checking my walking speed so that I remain a few feet away from Angeline. Too fast, and I might over take her, too slow and she might outrun me.

I looked at her. Her dark brownish hair was held into place with a pink headband, holding her bangs up. As the wind blew, it softly made her hair sway a bit. Her face, though, was a different story. Her lips were pursed, her eyes arched, as if something was on her mind.

Wait...does she think I was mad at her for being late?

I loo at her, wondering if I was right. Opened my mouth, hoping to tell her there's nothing to worry about.

But, what if that wasn't the problem? Or, what if there was something else on her mind and it might just add to the chaos going on in there?

Hanging on to this thought, and closed my mouth again. Silence loomed in the space between us. I dug my hands in my pockets, trying to think of a starter for a conversation.

Nice weather today, huh?

Why were you late?

You have any plans later?

What's on your mind?

My mind gave a few choices. A hard pick, they are. Choosing the wrong one might lead to an uncomfortable conversation. But, the right one might also lead it there.

I look at her again. Still, her face shows worry. Again, I opened my mouth, mentally choosing a starter.

"Ahm...Nice...were....any plans...mind...?" I mumbled softly.

My mind felt like falling apart at the seams.

Why couldn't I get these stupid words out!?

Its just a sentence! Say it!

I opened my mouth again, but the words seemed to get stuck up in my throat. Shamefully, I just shut my lips.

What's wrong with me???

In frustration, I threw a punching by a nearby tree trunk in frustration.

I wasn't sure if Angeline saw that.

I really hope she didn't.

~

Soon, we made it to the library.

Lines upon lines of bookshelves filled the library in two straight lines on both floors, each with a line of tables in between the two. On the right, just as we entered, was the librarian's desk, but it was empty, nothing but a monitor and a golden bell.

My right hand got a bit sore at this point, and started to swell a bit. I dug it into my pocket, hiding it from her. I glanced her way again. Still the same expression from before.

"So...what were we supposed to do here again?" That surprised me, how those words just so easily slipped out.

Even Angeline seemed to share that, turning to face me. "Ahm, we're here to look for a reference for our story, remember?"

"Yes, reference. Right..." I slumped my shoulders, letting out a sigh. "Ah, so where are we going to look for them?"

Angeline didn't reply. She simply pointed at the librarians desk, and walked there. I followed behind, watching her as she rings the bell on the desk.