Live and Breathe Words ~ Wessa

Part 4- A Dream, All A Dream

"A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it."

This chapter is a direct continuation of the previous scene in Chapter Three

A small sheet of paper, next to the chair Dorice had just vacated, fluttered to the ground, catching Tessa's attention. She got up from her chair, coming around the side of the front desk, and picked up the half-sheet laying face-down on the floor. In loopy, flowery script it read:

Tessa—

Will has the same shift as you. Cleaning supplies are in the back closet.

And then there, at the very bottom:

You get 'em girl.

Tessa rolled her eyes, crumpling the paper in her fist and throwing it into the trashcan to ensure Will wouldn't pick it up and read it. When she turned around to face him, she found him watching her, a soft smile on his lips. He was lounging in a chair he must have pulled up when she was reading Dorice's note, and he had positioned himself right next to the counter of the front desk. There was something about his expression that was so gentle and breakable, so fragile yet beautiful, almost as if he were made of glass. Then it was gone in a flash, replaced by a cocky, crooked grin. Her cheeks heated when she realized she had been staring. She went back to sit in her desk chair, talking to Will as she went, though intentionally ignoring his gaze.

"Dorice said we'll have the same shifts, which are Monday through Friday from six to eleven and then we have the weekends off." A beat passed, and Will looked at Tessa.

"Can I have your number?"

"I—um, what?"

"Can I have your number? For work purposes."

When Tessa gave him a dubious look, he continued.

"You know, so I can inquire about vital information such as our dress code, whether or not we should boycott work in order to honor Columbus Day—"

Tessa cut him off, "How do you even know what that is?"

Will simply shrugged. "It was the first stupid American holiday that came to mind."

Tessa snickered but raised her eyebrows at him. He read the expression on her face, quickly clarifying. "Your accent is a dead give-away."

Tessa groaned, "Is it that obvious?"

He gave her an apologetic smile, which made her laugh.

A middle-aged woman approached the front desk, interrupting their conversation, and Tessa quickly helped her—efficiently scanning the book and bidding her a good night. When she looked up from the desk, she realized the library had emptied, leaving her and Will alone.

Thoughts of Will vanished from her mind as she walked to the center of the library, an expression of wonder crossing her features as she tilted her head back and spun in a slow circle to take in the beauty and grandeur of her surroundings.

The spiraling staircase wound its way to the second level, the built in floor to ceiling bookcases housing every print imaginable, the smell of books coating every inch of the library. It felt like home to Tessa.

As she took in the view, inhaling deeply, she told Will, "I've never been in a library all alone before."

Will slowly walked over to her, still with her arms flung out to the side and head tilted skyward.

"You're forgetting about my radiant presence. So technically you're not completely alone."

She waved her hand, dismissing him "I chose to ignore you for a moment there."

She didn't look back and see his grin.

Tessa drifted up the spiral staircase, running her hand along the bookshelves lining it. Will followed her, brushing dust off the spines of books as they slowly walked. He recognized a title, his exclamation of excitement making Tessa jump and nearly fall down the stairs. She leaned against him to steady herself as they both doubled over laughing, Will bracing his hand on the bookshelf, the other arm casually draped around her shoulders as she leaned into him. With the invisible barrier of tension between them broken, the night truly began.

They talked and laughed and argued about books for hours, getting into heated discussions over who was the better love interest, whether the protagonist was a fearless hero or an insufferable idiot, which characters should have died a horrible death. Tessa had never opened up to someone so quickly and completely. Books had always been the part of herself that she never shared with others—they were sacred to her, and no one had quite understood that. Will Herondale did. As they talked, she began to see that he understood her in ways she didn't even understand herself.

As the gears in her mind turned, she was hit with the acute realization that this Will, contemplative and thoughtful—though still madly funny—was completely unlike the Will of smirks and half-grins she had met. He seemed to have an inexplicable amount of layers to him that sparked a curiosity in Tessa, but that she decided not to delve too deep into at the moment.

After what seemed like endless hours of floating through the library talking and laughing, they flopped onto two adjacent bean-bags, gazing upward into the night beyond the skylights.

A couple minutes of peaceful silence passed and Will propped his head up on an elbow, turning to face Tessa.

"Hey Tess?"

She shifted her body to look at him, his brilliant blue eyes locking with her stormy ones.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. I've never had anyone to talk to before, you know, about books. You get me." She was slightly shocked at the honesty and vulnerability in his voice. A genuine smile spread across her face as she realized his thoughts mirrored her's from earlier.

"That's what friends are for, right?"

He gave her a small smile, tinged with what almost seemed like an air of wistful sadness.

"Yeah. That's what friends are for."

Tessa's phone, forgotten by the front desk, made a quick series of beeping noises, signaling the end of their shift.

"Are you the sort of girl that sets alarms for everything?"

"Not for everything, that's absurd." A beat passed. "Only for a good majority of things."

She caught a glimpse of Will's lopsided grin as he turned away. As they settled into a comfortable silence, their soft breathing the only sound, Tessa became faintly aware of the fact that she wished this night would never end.

------

One Hour Later

Will Herondale breathed in the crisp night air, lost in fantasies as he swayed in the London breeze, a few blocks away from the library. The word 'friend' floated it's way through his thoughts, but the memory of Tessa's soft laugh drowned out all his worries in the world. He found himself smiling at the stars, the light making his eyes shine with the beautiful remnants of a dream long lost to time and pain. He laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair, and for just a moment, dreaming under the starlight, everything felt right in the world.

I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who's reading this book, you guys mean the world to me and I cannot express how grateful I am. I would love feedback and I hope you guys have a great day <3