petrichor

I Love You Too

Pandora

"Just some more to go and I'll be done after this." Pandora picked up a book from the book cart she was pushing and placed it back on the correct shelf. "Ugh, who has the audacity to spill spaghetti sauce on a book cover?" she muttered to herself when she noticed a red stain on the book cover of another book she was holding. "Some people are just gross."

Today was Tuesday, the day she signed up to help at the public library. She usually went there after school when she didn't have any homework to do, but sometimes she preferred to work on it there rather than at home because of the fast internet connection and the abundance of topic references to choose from.

Pandora enjoyed going to the library, to her it was like her safe space. She liked the distinct smell of books the place gave, the warm lighting that casted down from the lightbulbs on the ceiling, and the overall calm and peaceful atmosphere. Pandora sighed, it was also here, right where she stood right now, in the young adult book section, was where she first met Luke.

It was a cloudy day when she entered the library, trying to look for a book she could bring home to read. Pandora was so caught in finding the right novel when she accidentally tripped over someone who was busy carrying a stack of books, causing him to fall over. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Pandora exclaimed, immediately forgetting the rule that she was supposed to keep her voice low.

"Sssh!" said a few people near her who were obviously disturbed. "Here, let me help you up." Pandora offered him a hand and helped him get back on his feet. She also retrieved his glasses which had fallen to the floor, she picked it up carefully and handed it back to him. "I think this belongs to you too." Pandora said matter-of-factly, "Thanks." the person replied.

When the guy finally put his glasses back on, it was only then Pandora managed to get a good look of the person's face. The guy looked a few months older than her, he had messy dark blonde hair as if he didn't bother to brush his hair in the morning and he had a set of brown eyes behind the lenses of his brownie frame specs. If Pandora was in a fiction, this person looked like the soft-nerdy boy type.

"I'm really sorry." Pandora apologized again; she didn't know what else to say. Her tongue felt like it was tied. God damn it! Pandora thought when all they did was stare at each-other in silence. I need to get out of here. "Oh, uh, well, if you're okay then I guess I'll be going now." Pandora pulled out a random book without even looking at the title so she could get an excuse to leave.

The guy didn't have time to say anything before Pandora half sprinted to the librarian's desk to check out the book, and all the way back home she couldn't stop feeling shy for herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. she thought when her head played the scene repeatedly, refusing her to forget it.

Though Pandora managed to finish the book in three days, she felt so embarrassed that she didn't dare come back to the library until a week later. Are you scared to go back there? her mind asked her. No. she denied. Admit it, Penny.

Okay, okay, maybe I am.

Pandora could feel herself feeling disappointed in herself. Seriously? It's been a week. People already forgot about it.

Yeah well, what if he's still there?

Who's there? That guy you crashed into? Jeez, panini head, he won't.

Hey, you never know---

Are you kidding me right now? You refuse to go to someplace just because something minorly embarrassing happened? I can't believe you.

Finally, after she settled the conflict with her thoughts, she decided to wing it and head back to the library. Plus, she thought, it was only a small matter, why are you acting like this is such a big thing? Get a grip. When she walked in, the guy she met last week was nowhere in sight. See, her mind said, he's not there anymore.