Once Upon a Time

I paced around the vast place, appreciating the fact that we had a decent library in town. There were some new books that I wanted to borrow but I wasn't sure where they were. I could ask the librarian but I found that boring. There was something about looking for the book yourself that intrigued me, increased my interest. There was the new mystery book that everyone in the book club at school were talking about. That seemed good. I decided to look for that.
"Gotcha." I thought to myself as I reached for it. "That's funny." I muttered. It seemed stuck. It was budging but I couldn't remove it from the shelf. I flushed when I realized the cause. I pulled my hand back immediately, letting the person on the other side get the book then, peaked through the opening to apologize. The apology lodged in my throat as I saw who stood there. Grayson or whatever his name was, the new student at my school.

"I'm sorry." He said before I got the words out. "You can have it."

"No, no." I said quickly. "It's fine. You take it. I don't need it right away."

"Are you sure?" He asked, sounding uncertain.

"Positive."

He smiled. "Thanks." He walked around the structure supporting the books and stood a few feet from me. He was even more beautiful up close. He wore a black V-neck that showed more of him than was absolutely needed. But, he didn't seem visibly thrilled about that fact. Flames, the jock at my high school would puff out his chest whenever conversing. Grayson was taller than I had estimated. Probably 6"2', I decided. My 5"5' was unsatisfactory. His brown eyes were indescribably gentle. I struggled to maintain an acceptable level of composure. I racked my brain for common, predictable questions to ask a stranger.

"Haven't I seen you around Jackson High?"

"Yeah. I just enrolled a couple weeks ago. I just moved here actually. Name's Grayson Brents."

"Savannah. Mills." I replied.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. And if I may be so blunt, you're very beautiful."

My cheeks and ears grew hot. I looked everywhere but at him.

"I think we're in French together." He said, turning around to face the desk he was sitting at a while ago. He pulled out his class schedule that he had wedged in between two books. "Yup. French and Algebra."

"Oh, that's cool. I hate Algebra though. Still a little behind on that one." I was under-exaggerating. By little, I meant getting Ds.

He smiled. "That's easy. French is the real monster out of those two."

"parlez-vous français?"

"Um... You too." He muttered.

I bit my lip and looked away, trying to keep from laughing. "You do suck."

"Okay. That's not fair."

I suppressed a smile.

"How about this: I tutor you in Algebra and you help me with French."

"What? Like exchanging archery lessons with trident lessons?"

He looked confused.

"Catching Fire?"

Still nothing.

"The Hunger Games!" I almost screamed. Somebody shushed me.

He grinned. "Right."

"You've never read the books?"

"Never seen the movies either, really."

"Interesting." I muttered, studying him openly now. I looked him up and down like how a carver might eye a block of material before creating a pattern or sculpture.

He raised an eyebrow. "So was that a yes or a no?"

"Sure." I agreed too quickly. My cheeks colored.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. "So, you're sure you don't need this?" He held up the book.

"No. I don't need it."

"I was thinking... I should at least make up for taking it then. Can I buy you a drink? There's a coffee place a few blocks from here, I think."

I thought about it.

He misread my wary expression. "I'm not going to stuff you in my trunk and dismember you in my barn if that's what you're worried about." He smiled.

I laughed aloud and someone shushed me yet again. "Oh no. I'm sure you don't have a barn."

"That's the piece of information that stuck?"

I shrugged. "That was the only part that I was sure about."

He smiled wider now. "So how about it, Savannah?" I liked how he said my name. His husky tone made it more beautiful somehow.

I glanced at my watch. It was 2 in the afternoon. I wasn't due home until 5. I thought about all the romance novels I had read before. Then I looked back to Grayson. His eyes seemed to play with my train of thought. Do fairytale stories ever begin in libraries? Only one way to find out, I thought.
"Meet you at the entrance in 5 minutes." I told him.