Ilena

Fix your face

The scent of coffee fills my senses as take my first sip, the hot liquid making me wince when it touches my tongue. Giving up for the third time in the past minute I put my mug back on the table allowing the beverage to cool, my attention falling back on the spreadsheet of data tormenting me on my computer screen. My lab PI's advice playing again in my mind as I start normalizing my data.

Punching in the equations, a sense of relief falls over me when it finally begins to show the trend I was hoping for. Internally cheering at the fact I don't have to run yet another qPCR on my tissue samples.

My attention is pulled from my laptop when Zeke settles across from me. Leave it to him to find me tucked away in the corner of the library.

"You don't have to look surprised that I found you," he chuckles as he too pulls out his laptop.

"You sit in this area every time you study in the library."

He's not wrong, tucked away in the corner of the building is a larger group work table that for some unknown reason continuously goes unclaimed. My peers preferring to reserve a study rooms instead. Though more times than not they simply reserve the room to sit with their laptops open and- instead of studying- have massive mukbangs with friends.

But my reason for choosing this table isn't because it's tucked away nor the fact that it's always available. It's because in this dreary, huge and depressing building, it's the best place to get sunlight during the day and a perfect view of the moon on my many all-nighters.

But if you ask any of my friends, I only like it here because no one comes over here.

"What are you working on?" I ask, deciding I deserve a much needed break after chipping away at my to do list since early this morning.

At my questions, Zeke's head falls back as he lets out the most dramatic whine he can muster up.

"I have to write a paper about this film from class and it's significance to deviant behavior. Which would be a cake walk if the film wasn't the stupidest thing I've ever seen." He grumbles

As much as I may complain about the mounds of work that I have as a STEM major. I take solace in the fact that I haven't had to write a proper paper in the past three years. And any paper I did write consisted mostly of graphs and a small blurb about the results.

Half the time it was barely grammatically correct, but so long as the results were significant my professors hardly cared.

I pat his arm in sympathy as my gaze drifts around the slowly filling library. My scanning is cut short when it lands on none other than Noel. My heart stuttering at the sight of him. Our last conversation replaying in my mind. His expression that night forever etched into my psyche.

He hasn't noticed us, which isn't surprising seeing as that's part of why I like sitting here, as he scans the crowded atrium for a spot. His head slightly bopping to the song playing from his Beats. He was clad in a plain Black t-shirt with his teams wind breaker on top, grey Nike sweat pants slouching and somehow managing to make him look taller than his six three frame.

As if he could feel my gaze, his eyes connect with mine and a small smile graces his face. Before I could stop myself my hand raises giving him a tiny wave, an action that makes him chuckle.

I was expecting him to join us over here, especially considering there were two empty seats at our table. But to my surprise he gave me a quick nod before making his way up to the second level to find a seat up there.

Turning back to my laptop, the corner of my lip finds itself between my teeth. My ears burning from embarrassment.

I shouldn't be embarrassed. I wouldn't choose to sit with my friends if I had a lot I needed to get done either. Plus a few encounters, one of which being when I almost beat him with a bat in his own room, doesn't mean we're friends.