Librarian Blues❄Troy Barnes

do ya - chapter 2

"Hey, Maisy, your shipment is here. Where do you want me to bring it?" Connor, my library assistant, asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, can you bring them to my desk? I'll have to label them and put them in the system before putting them on the shelves," I asked.

"Sure thing, boss," Connor sighed, walking to get our packages. He was always super helpful. He was taller than me, so anytime I had issues reaching the top shelves of the bookcases, he would do it for me. He was also super sweet, really good at his job, and honestly not too bad to look at.

I waited until the students destroyed enough books to make a new order. Otherwise, I would be getting a new shipment every day. In an ideal world, my books wouldn't get coated in spray cheese or other various materials. But they do, and so I'm stuck ordering new ones until that problem is solved.

"Good morning, Miss James!" Troy's voice rang through the library as he walked up to my desk.

"Hello, Mr. Barnes! Remember, you can't yell in here," I laughed, looking up from my computer.

"Oh, sorry. Can I see the study room sign-out clipboard?" he asked, whispering. I nodded and handed it to him. He quickly jotted down their names and handed the clipboard back to me before asking, "How's your day been?"

"Eh, kind of boring. Just waiting on Connor to bring up the new books. More cheese spray stuck in pages, again," I laughed, "How about you?"

"Oh, the usual. Been busy being cool," he smiled before asking, "who's Connor?"

"The library assistant," I explained.

"Oh, I didn't know you had an assistant. Is he new?" he asked.

"He's normally in the back office trying to fix the damaged books. But he's worked here for about the same amount of time that I have. Speaking of," I said, noticing Connor walking in.

"Here ya' go, Maisy. Anything else you need before I head back?" Connor asked, placing some boxes next to my desk. He looked at Troy and smiled, Troy smiling back awkwardly.

"You're all set. Thanks!" I said. He nodded, patting me on the shoulder before going to the back office.

"Maisy? That's a pretty name," Troy said, watching Connor walk away.

"Thanks! I lucked out with it being both of my grandma's middle names! So, my parents didn't really have a choice," I laughed.

"Can I call you Maisy? If not, I understand," he asked.

"I don't see why you can't. Just try not to tell Mr. Winger, don't want him trying to compliment my name too," I winked. Troy laughed before lightly tapping my desk with his fist.

"I'm sure a lot of people would compliment your name. I guess I'll get going then, Maisy. Have a great day," he smiled, walking out of the office.

"He likes you, ya' know. He has good taste," Connor said, sitting down on the corner of my desk once Troy was gone.

"Is that so, Mr. Davison?" I laughed, looking up at him, "I thought you went to the back office?"

"I never made it all the way back, and he definitely does. Don't you remember the other day when he started to call you a beautiful day? Or has that escaped your memory?" he teased.

"You heard that? I thought you were in the back office," I said, my cheeks burning.

"And now you're blushing? Oh wow, I thought you thought I was cute. You must think he's even cuter," he laughed.

"Oh, shut up! Who I think is cute is none of your business," I stated, looking back down at my work. He reached down, using a finger to tilt my chin up, so I was looking at him again. He had one curl falling down in front of his eyes, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"You really shouldn't hide your face from me. Those eyes are too gorgeous not to be seen," he said, taking his hand back. I didn't look away this time. Instead, I locked my gaze with his. I was too stunned to speak, and I had a feeling he could tell. He reached down and brushed some of my hair behind my ear, leaning down, so he was within a few inches of my face.

"I'm just saying if he doesn't ask you out soon, I will," he whispered, smirking before getting up, "and from the looks of it, you won't be saying no. See you later, Maisy."

I felt my heart racing as he walked away. I couldn't find the words to respond to him, so I just nodded and stared down at my desk. I pulled my phone out, wanting to see how red my face was. It was still pretty red, but thankfully it seemed to be fading. I tried to fix my wavy hair but left the piece Connor tucked behind my ear there. The office light always made my hair look like a darker shade of brown than it was. I felt as frazzled as my hair, but that wasn't what I was worried about.

I didn't realize Connor or Troy had any interest in me. I also didn't even know I had any genuine interest in either of them until Connor said something. I wasn't even sure if I did or if Connor was just really good at playing mind games. I decided there was only one way to find out.

I waited for Troy and his study group to come in for their scheduled time, planning how I was going to ask him to hang out. I spent a large amount of the time debating with myself on if I even should. What if he doesn't like me? What if this is some game Connor is trying to play with me to alienate my shot at going out with the guy I might like?

"Hey, Maisy!" Troy said, smiling as the study group came in.

"Oh, T-Bone is on a first-name basis with the librarian, now?" Jeff Winger laughed. He judged Troy before stating, "Maybe you're better at scoring chicks than I thought."

"I'm not trying to score with a chick, Jeff. I only learned it because I heard her assistant say it. I was just trying to be nice since you're all such asses towards her," Troy said, scoffing.

"Uh, thanks, Mr. Barnes. Please call me Miss James from here on out. No need to just be nice," I stated, turning back to my work. I felt anger swelling in my chest, and I had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. I didn't look back up until I heard the study room door close. I pulled my phone out, texting Connor to come up to the front.

"Hey, boss. Is everything okay? What's the emergency?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Yeah, I just don't feel so well. I'm gonna leave a bit early. Can you handle the front desk until Ally gets here? She's going to come in an hour early, so it'll only be about 45 minutes until she comes in," I explained, gathering my stuff.

"Totally. But you gonna tell me what's really going on? I can tell you're pissed off. If spray cheese Bill said something again, I'll kick his ass," Connor said, laughing in an effort to cheer me up.

"It's not that, and I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you tomorrow," I stated, walking out from behind the desk. Connor reached out, grabbing my arm before I could get away.

"Hey, seriously. I'm a text away if you need anything," he said.

"Thanks, but I'm good," I said, smiling politely as I ripped my arm away from him and left the building.

I just wanted to go home and block everything about this day and this campus out of my mind.