Noah and Leigh

17: Noah

17: Noah

            There was nothing better than going out for wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce right after an exam. Since starting university, Noah had been eating anything and everything that was microwavable or only required a kettle. So having something other than two minute noodles was a true blessing.

            As Noah ate, he read one of the books Leigh mentioned. He had purchased each and every recommendation he didn't already own and his to-be-read pile was now an extremely tall pile stacked dangerously in the corner of his dorm room.

            Once Noah swiped the last bit of sweet chilli sauce from his plate and dropped the last piece of potato into his mouth, he checked his watch. If he left then, he would have arrived around the same time as Leigh. So, he folded the corner of the page he was on, grabbed his jacket and his keys and headed towards the front to pay.

            While Noah handed up his ten dollars fifty, he wondered if Leigh folded the pages of her books so that she'd remember where she was up to. He didn't think so. She seemed more like a bookmark kind of girl; someone who would preserve the pages and keep her books in perfect condition. Noah, on the other hand, appreciated his books in a more visual manner. His favourite passages were often highlighted with sticky notes jutting out from closed pages, corners were permanently creased and the spines were cracked.

            As Noah drove, he thought more about her reading habits. Did she underline her favourite quotes? Did she run her fingers across the pages as she read? Did she smell her books before reading them? Noah was admittedly guilty of the last one and he wondered if she was too.

            When he arrived at the library with his study in his backpack, he saw Leigh already sitting there, quietly tapping her pen on her page as she thought. She did that a lot. Noah smiled as he took his seat and took out his books. He wasn't intending on studying. He had a rule that after every exam, he'd allow himself the afternoon. Well, with the exception of having another test the following morning. But Noah was free and he decided to continue reading while he waited for her note.

            Every ten or so pages, Noah would look up and check if Leigh was still there or not. About a hundred pages in, she started packing up her things. He sat patiently and waited, trying to read the last paragraph of the page he was on, but he was too distracted by her movements and the anticipation of reading her note.

            As usual, Noah waited a little longer before he stood and retrieved the slip of paper she left on her table, keeping a close eye on her desk in case someone else came along and swiped it. Once he was sure he had waited long enough, he got up and in three long strides, reached the note.

            Thank you for the, book, Noah.
            It was so beautifully written—I'm speechless.
            My ideal date would be visiting the wonderful land of Oz.
            But I'm no Dorothy and I'm pretty sure my ruby slippers aren't magical.
            So this is close enough:
            The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
             - Leigh

            Noah grinned. He remembered watching the film with his family every year and rereading the novel as a child. But it had been a long time since he had done either, so he instantly headed towards where it was usually located at the library.

            It took some searching because he wasn't familiar with those particular aisles of books. But, with some effort, he was finally able to find and pull out. Noah sat on the ground while he opened it, just in case anything fell out.

            A note lightly fell into his lap.

            Starts 7 p.m.
            Next week, Friday
            Follow the yellow brick road.
            - Leigh

            At first, Noah was confused, but once he properly opened the book, a couple of other things fell out. The first was a ticket. It was for an outside screening of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—the classic 1939 adaptation. The second was a map of the town, a yellow brick road drawn on with markers.

            With his heart in a twist of absolute pleasure and dreaded nervousness, he returned back to her note.

            P.S. You don't have to physically introduce yourself.
            Let's go together but not together for our first unofficial date.

            Noah's smile remained for the entire week.