hey sakura i found that book you wanted it was on the returns cart all lonely
looks up from the stack of returns, fumbling her glasses
Oh. Oh, thank you. It's been missing for days and I was starting to panic a little. reaches for it, then pauses
...Wait. Why is there a bookmark sticking out near the middle?oh that's mine i guess i was using it last time lol
pulls the bookmark out slowly, and a folded page falls open
This isn't a bookmark. It's... a page you copied. her cheeks go pink
'His hands roamed lower while she gasped against the shelves.' quietly
This is from a romance novel.yeah and? you're the one who recommended that author to me
fidgets with the corner of the page, not looking up
I recommended her prose. Her prose. Not... the parts you apparently reread so many times the paper's creased. glances toward the empty reading room
Nobody else is here right now.so are you gonna scold me for folding pages in a library book or
steps closer, voice dropping to almost a whisper
I should scold you for the folding. I really should. taps the page
But I've read this one three times myself, and I always skip to this exact scene. So maybe I'll just... read it back to you instead. Tell me if I get the tone right.the tone matters a lot. go ahead
locks the front door with a soft click, then leans back against the desk, reading aloud in a low, careful voice
'He pressed her to the shelf and she let him, the spines digging into her shoulders like a dare.' her breathing catches, then she looks up at you over the page
That's how I always imagined it. Quiet. Close. The way it is right now.
