Locked In A Library

Chapter Three

5:01

"The thing is," I started, "well... Justin can't pick us up until the morning. I'm sorry." I made a sour face.

"It's alright," Bradley reached over the table and grabbed my hand through the dimming light that broke through the window next to us. "It'll give us more time to get to know each other." He flashed his perfect smile, then quickly looked down, trying to hide it.

"I love your smile," I whispered. His smile grew, and I knew that this night might not actually be a complete and total nightmare after all.

XXX

5:21

"I texted my mom. I forgot that she went out of town for the weekend. She flew to New York and can't get back before the morning, so we're definitely trapped here... together... alone..." Bradley looked over to me and I returned the action.

Suddenly, before I knew it, his mouth was pressed against mine and my eyes clamped shut. This had never happened to me before, so I was quite awkward. My trembling hands traced their way up his muscular back and around his neck. His right hand held my face steady and his left hand was pressed lightly against the small of my back. Since we had started standing, Bradley gently led me against the wall and pressed me there, but gently.

How long could I go without breathing? I took a deep breath of air when our mouths parted for a short moment.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" I asked him, pulling away slightly.

"One hundred percent sure," his eyes glimmered.

"Agreed."

XXX

5:54

"That was..." I breathed as I slunk down into a bean bag chair.

"Amazing." Bradley completed my sentence, and I couldn't have said it better.

I turned to Bradley and he flashed his supermodel smile. "Would you stop?"

"What?" He did it again.

"Dazzling me with your smile. It's getting old, you know?" Sarcasm laced my voice, but he clamped his mouth shut. I leaned over and placed a light kiss on his forehead and stood up, walking over to my cell phone that was placed on top of my bag.

Three missed calls?

"What's wrong?" Bradley asked, jumping to his feet and rushing to my side.

"Ummm... I'm not sure. I bet it's just my dad asking where I am. I'll go call this number back."

XXX

I locked the door of the one stall private bathroom in the library and clicked on the unrecognizable number. It rang three times before a random voice answered. "Hello?" The callers voice was deep and raspy, like they'd smoked a pack a day since they were 8 years old.

"Hello?" I called through the phone.

"Leslie?"

Tears rushed to my eyes, stinging them and blurring my vision.

"Who is this?" I pressed.

"You'll know... sooner or later," they coughed through the phone.

"What do you want?" I thought I heard someone screaming as they spoke, but then I realized it was me. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

The phone call cut off and I heard a loud clank come from outside.