THIEF [S.M.]

seventeen

Champagne, suit and tie, and goodbyes. Weirdest combination.

Mrs. Acker, the librarian is retiring next week and moving New Jersey to be with her nephew.

I don't know whose idea it was to throw such an expensive goodbye party for her, but, being acquainted with her myself, I couldn't not go. In the ball room of the fancy, fancy Four Seasons Hotel not too far from my apartment, people chattered, all clad in classy suits and modest dresses. Bums who sat, drunk by the library every other day were all cleaned up with their hair lathered in gel and their allegedly tolerant wives clinging to their sides. For the sake of Missus Gardenia Acker, they decided to pace themselves on the alcohol. The local college students that visited her library weekly, always acting so superior with their academic scholarships and very own off campus studio apartments were present as well, bragging about how they are passing with strictly C's. To put it in short, everyone knew Mrs. Acker, and Mrs. Acker knew everyone, and that of course included her perfectly precise and only employee, Venus Midnight.

Venus wore all blue, with a skin tight gown that stopped right below her knee, with a carefully located slit up her left thigh. Matching thrift-store wedges followed, flattering her legs easily. She leaned against the minibar, her eyes exploring the jungle of strangers. She was looking for something. Someone. Was it me?

Arlo sat beside her on a barstool, facing the baby-faced bartender as he sipped on his drink, rolling the ice around in the glass musically. I should've expected him to show up, but for some reason, I didn't.

Her eyes stopped, fixed on what she'd been looking for. She pushed herself off the bar, tapping Arlo on his shoulder and whispering something in his ear. He nodded and kissed her cheek before she strode off in my direction, hips swaying and curls bouncing. I sat up quickly at my spot at the table, eyeing my reflection in a spoon and adjusting my hair, only to mess it up more than before. As she gained on me, I slapped a cheesy grin on my face, but when she passed by without glancing at me once, it minimized instantly.

She pulled Mrs. Acker, who was bearing a proud smile, into a hug. I watched gloomily, fumbling with my spoon. They spoke for a moment, inaudible to me but probably discussing how much they'll miss each other. The sweet old lady flicked a few white hairs away from her lovely blue eyes, bending over and picking up a butterknife that she'd then tap against her wine glass and the ding would echo through the room, turning everyone's attention to her.

"Thank you to everyone who came here tonight, I will miss you all. But unfortunately, I've seen my better days and it's time for me to retire. I know, I know, I'll miss the library too. It's been a big part of my life for the past twenty-two years. Let's not be so melancholy about this, though! Let's eat." she said, earning several jumbled claps and cheers before everyone settled at a table.

The table I sat at was shared with six other people, Mrs. Acker, Venus, Arlo, Frederick Miles the drunk, his pregnant wife Carie, and Lin, the neighborhood kid who never spoke a word. It was a strange group of people.

Seafood was served buffet-style, and all the adults in the room flocked around the long table like birds to a crumb. As seafood was my least favorite type of food, I stacked up on chicken tenders from the kids table.

Lin picked at his plate, Frederick stuffed his face with lobster and followed it with champagne, and Carie and Mrs. Acker were in mid conversation. Arlo ate slowly, although he was more occupied with dragging his hand along the inside of Venus' thigh. She giggled, blushing as she pinched at the table cloth. Watching was making me queasy.

I stared at my food, feeling immature and uncomfortable in my current environment. I couldn't help but glance back up at her, only to find that she had the same idea. Arlo's hand was still hidden, but her eyes were locked with mine. Out of nowhere I stood up too quickly, startling myself and making my chair to almost fall over. Frederick and Arlo glared at me, and I bit down hard against my tongue and started towards the bathroom.

I shoved into the door and it swung open, banging against the wall. Hands on either side of the sink, I closed my eyes and lowered my head as I heard the door squeal shut.

I held my breath for a brief moment, slowly releasing the air as I looked up, into my sunken reflection. The mirror was perfectly clean, not a scratch was visible. Dark bags hung like bruises under my eyes, and my skin was breaking out. I hadn't been getting much sleep lately. I've been up late thinking or reading to keep my mind off of things. I haven't even been reading much. That's unusual for me.

I stepped back, kicking an unoccupied stall door; noise to battle the silence. I leaned back against the cool wall, rubbing my temples as the door to the bathroom cracked opened.

One foot in the room, Venus stood, leaning her head on the doorway. "Shawn?" Her voice was low, in a whisper.

"Hm?" I hummed, not putting any effort to fix my hair or straighten out my suit. She stepped into the bathroom, gently closing the door, unlike me. She turned the lock on the door, stepping in front of me, but still far enough that if I reached out I couldn't touch her. The expression on her face was sweet, sympathetic.

It was quiet for a minute or two as we refused eye contact, and then she spoke. "I'm in love with him, you know,"

"I know," I said, not letting her finish her sentence.

She nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and looking back down at her shoes. She was so pretty, it made my chest hurt. That can't be normal. Light poured across her face at just the perfect angle so that you could see every freckle on her cheek. Her lips were painted red, a hot, intimidating hue that befriended her complexion, and of course I still radiated with the desire to touch them.

She shrugged, a strained gaze on her face. She cleared her throat. "So, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," I began with a bit of harshness in my voice, pushing my weight off of the wall and back upright. I took a few steps closer to her, and she backed away, cornering herself. She wasn't afraid of me; she just kind of watched me with wide, wondering eyes as a pit of rage evoked in my stomach. I settled it with a sigh.

We were close. Dangerously close, and she didn't signify that she wanted me to get away.

I leaned in, pushing her hair off of her neck as my lips grazed her ear."So you're telling me you don't feel anything for me?" I could feel her warm breaths on my skin as they began to hiccup. I whispered, "Nothing at all?"

Her breathing quickened and she shivered, pressing her palm on my ribcage without force. A gentle expression. She swallowed hard, her eyelids falling and she stuttered,"I--it doesn't matter if I... if I do. I--I have a boyfriend."

I instinctively bit my lip, fighting the aching urge to crash mine into hers. In the small, lust-filled space between us, I knew she was doing the same. Slowly, seductively, I lowered my face into the crook of her neck and her head tediously leaned to the side, allowing me access to leave a trail of tender kisses.

"I..." she breathed, moving her hand to my chest, now adding pressure. "No, stop I... Stop, I have to go,"

I pulled back and Venus stepped aside. She took a deep breath and nodded at me, and she didn't say a word while she left, fixing her hair back across her shoulders. I didn't stop her, I didn't want to stop her. All I could think was; I've finally done it. I've stolen her heart.