75 AMAZING PICK UP LINES

Library

A/N: YAY, IT'S EVERYONE'S FAVORITE AU! Actually, I feel like coffee shop AU's are everyone's favorite. But don't worry, that's coming up later! You know what...what's your actual favorite AU? Comment and I'll make it happen. Anyway, enjoy! :)

"I'm gonna need a library card, because I'm checking you out...I don't know if libraries still exist."

"Picture books, Uncle Scotty?" Scott felt like his arm was being pulled out of his socket as his four-year-old niece, Lauren, tugged him forward with all her might into the main area of the warm, cozy library.

"Yeah, sure! What kind of book do you wanna check out today?"

Lauren quit yanking on his arm (which Scott was thankful for) and started skipping at his side instead, her tiny hand clinging onto his fingers. "Unicorn book!"

Scott smiled to himself as they made their way to the childrens' section. Lauren was his oldest sister's daughter and the sweetest little girl he'd ever met. Whenever he came over, she would always make him sing songs for her, and he would try to teach her some basic harmonies (singing wasn't her forte yet, but that was okay). She was a little whirlwind of energy; inquisitive, good-natured, and altogether adorable, with blonde hair and blue eyes that matched Scott's. Sometimes, he even considered her to be his own daughter. He wanted kids so bad, but so far, he hadn't been able to find the right guy yet, so he had to do his practicing on Lauren.

The Arlington Public Library was one of Scott's all-time favorite places to pick out a good book, put his headphones in, and just relax. He'd curl up in the giant chair right by the second-floor window that overlooked Gene Allen Park and watch the joggers run by with their dogs and the kids dash around on the playground. Plus, it didn't hurt that the head librarian, Mitch Grassi, was totally hot. He always worked the checkout desk, and their interactions consisted of reading recommendations and cleverly-hidden innuendos, most of them about books. Scott lived for it, so he crossed his fingers that he would be working today.

The childrens' section, with its short, kid-sized shelves and brightly colored mats on the floor, was Scott and Lauren's home for the next hour. Lauren immediately made a beeline for the horse books, of course. She was only four, but she could sit on one of the tiny beanbag chairs and read those colorfully illustrated nonfiction books about different types of animals all day. Today, however, she simply grabbed every book that caught her eye. By the time she and Scott were ready to check out, Lauren's little stick-thin arms were nearly overflowing with books as they approached the circulation desk. And much to Scott's excitement, who else was working the desk but Mitch?

"Hey, stranger!" he said cheerfully, giving Scott that traffic-stopping smile that had Scott drooling over him the first time they met. Mitch's greeting was more than an understatement; Scott came in here to check out books (and talk to Mitch) all the time. Hardcore flirting, to boot. It never advanced outside the library, but oh God, did Scott wish it would.

"Hey!" he replied, plopping their books down on the counter. "I brought a friend with me today. This is my niece."

"Oh, fun!" Mitch exclaimed, his voice sweet and child-like as he leaned over the counter to grin down at Lauren. Scott swore his heart almost melted. "Who's this cutie?"

"Tell Mr. Grassi your name, sweetheart," Scott whispered to Lauren as he hoisted her up into his arms. Lauren threw her arms around Scott's neck and hid her face from Mitch.

"Ouch, rejected!" Mitch laughed as he picked up his scanner and started checking out the books. "Kids don't like me."

"It's okay," Scott consoled as he put Lauren down, who immediately grabbed his hand right after. "Lauren's just shy. Right, honey?" Lauren nodded her head furiously, her pigtails swinging every which way. "See?"

Mitch laughed a little, stacking the scanned books back onto the counter. "She's adorable. I can totally see that she gets it from your side of the family," he remarked, throwing a wink at Scott so slight that he almost missed it. But he definitely saw it.

"Well, that's very nice of you, Mr. Grassi," Scott replied in that official parent voice you use when kids are around, but he couldn't keep himself from smiling ear to ear. It felt sort of wrong to be shamelessly flirting around a preschooler, but she didn't understand yet. Probably.

"Mhm," Mitch hummed, finishing scanning the last book and pushing the stack towards Scott. "My pleasure. Receipt?" Scott nodded, and Mitch pressed a button on the tiny printer next to his computer that spit out a little piece of paper. Scott held out his hand, but before Mitch gave it to him, he grabbed a pen from the cup on his desk and scrawled something on the bottom of the receipt. "Call me later, okay? We can get coffee."

Scott tried not to freak out in the middle of the public library but oh my God Mitch just gave me his number. "Yeah! Yeah, okay...yeah, that would be awesome. Yeah," he stammered, taking the receipt. Damn, he was a stuttering mess, but Mitch just smiled, so he must have found it endearing somehow. Thank God. "I'll call you later," he managed to get out as he pocketed the receipt and handed a couple books to Lauren, taking the rest in both hands. "When do you get off?"

"4:30," Mitch replied slowly, putting the pen back in the cup, "but for you, any time you want."

Scott just stared at Mitch, who sat back down at his computer as if he did not just say that. Jesus, they were in public! Thank God Lauren was only four. Mitch's eyes were on the screen, but Scott could see he was smiling, biting his lip. He opened his mouth to reply, but decided against it as he motioned Lauren to follow him out of the library.

The Texas sun beat down on them as they made their way through the parking lot to Scott's car. "Did you have fun picking out books today, Lauren?" he asked as he unlocked the car and opened the backseat door.

"Yeah!" his niece exclaimed, waving her books around. "Got lots of books."

Scott held up the large stack of books before putting them in the backseat next to Lauren's car seat. "Yeah, you did. Let's get you home to Mommy, okay?" Lauren nodded as Scott picked her up and placed her in her car seat, buckling her in and shutting the door.

Once he took his own place in the driver's seat and started the car, Lauren piped up from the backseat. "You like Mr. Grassi." She said it very matter-of-factly, holding her books in her lap like a ringbearer holds the bands.

"Yeah, I do. He's a nice man."

"You looooooooove him!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down in her car seat.

Scott laughed despite the bright pink creeping up in his cheeks. Damn, this kid was smart. "I, uh...maybe. I'm not sure, Lauren. You're right, though, I like him a lot."

"He loves you!" Lauren insisted. "He's happy when you talk."

"That doesn't mean he loves me, silly goose."

"Yeah-huh!" Scott glanced at Lauren in the rearview mirror, who looked so intent on being Scott and Mitch's matchmaker that she could be Yente in Fiddler on the Roof.

He finally gave up. "Okay. Yeah. I like him a lot. Maybe I love him. I don't know yet. But I promise, next time I come over, I'll know if I love Mr. Grassi or not and I'll tell you. Okay?"

"Yeah." She seemed satisfied, so Scott dropped it.

He sighed as they continued cruising down Front Street. Four-year-olds were the best sometimes.