CHOICES (Completed)

ALIVE

I walk in the now empty hallways, silently following his lead and he stops when we reach the-

“Seriously, Trevor? Library’s locked. Day’s over, if you didn’t hear me the first time.”

“Hush. Why do you talk so much?” He leaves my hand and fishes out a small key from his denim pocket. What?!

He unlocks it and ushers me inside stealthily closing the door behind him, while I giggle. The library is dark and it gives out that fragrance of paper that I love.

“How do you have the key?”

“Well you’re chairperson for a reason.”

“You didn’t-“

“Steal it, no. I just had a copy made, without anyone knowing.” He breaks into a fit of suppressed laughs towards the end of his words and I stare at him with my jaw dropped.

“Yeah, that pretty much qualifies as stealing.”

“It’s where I come most of the times. I love it here.”

“Agreed.”

Trevor walks me to the far end of the library up to the last shelf and turns on just one of the shelf display lights and sits down against the stack of books.

I sit beside him bringing my knees up to my chin and he casually throws one arm around my shoulder.

He has a book in his free hand that he whisper reads to me while I examine his face closely.

A messy tuft of hair fall over his temple and I breathe in his divine aftershave as I rest both of my hands on his shoulders lightly. The closeness is so exhilarating. So intimate yet so comfortable.

He has always been, every time I wanted someone to be. Always protected, always cared. In ways I never thought anyone does for anyone anymore. Never complaining. Never demanding.

“…He had casually conferred on me the freedom of the neighborhood-“

His face is bathed in the sole dim yellow light and his lips move lazily, enjoying every word. I hear his voice, gazing at him.

The Great Gatsby. I had read it. And not really adored it, yet somehow this time it feels more. Just plain old… more. A single word, so heavy with depth.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees-“

I lean my head against his upper chest close to his neck, snuggling in and rest my knees on his lap. I close my eyes, partially thrilled by the consuming effect of the proximity and partially because of the peaceful silence that carried just his voice.

Trevor pulls me further in with his hand around me and leans his cheek upon my head. And I just feel his chest vibrate gently as he spoke words that had never felt so real.

“… just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer. There was so much to rea-“

Our beautiful little bubble of peace bursts regretfully as the security guard comes bustling in with his flashlight.

Trevor stands up with lightning speed pulling me up with him. He flicks off the light and in a swift move, swirls around to rest against the shelf facing the previous one, actively shielding us from the guard’s view.