(mine all mine) 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

the library boy

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ *ೃ༄

in a world where whispers of turning pages mingled with the scent of old parchment, you found comfort amidst these shelves lined with knowledge and imagination. while other peoples sanctuary may lie somewhere like a shopping mall or a party, your sanctuary lay within the walls of the library- a haven where time seemed to halt.

the soft shuffle of your steps echoed through the aisles, a gentle rhythm that resonated with the quiet rustle of pages. your eyes were trained on the spines of the books, speed-reading through the titles to find that one book that pique your interest. the scent of dust and someone's perfume lingered in your senses, and you felt calm in this environment. your day had started pretty overwhelming, and on this rainy day you had deemed it a good decision to spend your afternoon in the library; browsing the aisles and shelves for your next set of books to take home. so with a coffee in one hand, and two books in the other, you walked through the racks of stories to continuously add to the pile of your next reads.

your heart nearly skipped a beat when you saw him. he was wearing white jeans, and a grey sweater with some writing that you couldn't quite make out what it said. his coffee-coloured hair was a little more grown out than you last saw him, you noticed it covered his eyes a bit more, but it suited him well. a hint of facial hair dotted his jawline, and you wondered to yourself if it would feel scratchy underneath your touch. he looked pretty, not that he never looked pretty when you've seen him before. he always looks good.

now you didn't know who this boy was, but almost every time you came to the library you saw him. sometimes he'd be with other people, but most of the time he was alone. you caught yourself going to the library just as an excuse to see him. when you did see him, you'd always hope he would say something to you- maybe ask for your number or something, or even for your name, but he never did. one day, he was sitting in a chair, reading what looked like to be stephen king's 'it'. you had finally found it somewhere inside you- you somehow mustered up the courage to ask him for his name, but when you went to go ask him, he had left. you hadn't even noticed he left, but he did, and then your chance to talk to him was gone. that was three weeks ago, and you hadn't seen him since. but now, here he was, in the flesh.

    today, he was strolling through the shelves as well. he was a few aisles down, and when you realized you were still staring at him your face flushed pink. to your luck, he hadn't noticed that you had been looking at him. you looked back at the books with a smile on your face. today was the day. you were saying something to him today.

but what do i say? so i ask for his name. what then? what if he's not interested in me like i am? what if he thinks i'm creepy? but what if it worked out? what if this is my future husband? why am i already planning out my wedding with some guy i don't even know the name of?

your mind spiralled into the abyss; your heart was racing and beating and thumping against your chest, it was so audible you could hear each heartbeat in your ears. you wouldn't have been surprised if he had heard your heartbeat too, even from three rows down. your saliva tasted metallic in your mouth, and now you were so nervous you were just considering leaving without saying anything to him. and maybe that choice had been made for you because when you looked up, the boy was gone. again. nowhere to be seen. why does he always disappear?

you walked up and down the aisles, searching for this mysterious library boy that always seems to disappear at the most important times. your eyes were trained on the shelves, looking through them in hopes of catching a glimpse of him. and clearly you were not paying any attention to what was in front of you, because that's exactly when you ran into someone- you dropped your book and nearly spilt your coffee on impact. you gasped and looked to apologize quickly, so you could get back to searching for your library boy, but you didn't need to anymore. he was the one you had ran into.