Read the room-The Library Between

Dreary Weather

Her hands tug at and adjust the brown leather bag hung around her shoulder and she glances just beyond the double glass doors of the library. 

Droplets hit the pavement in front of the doors and she hangs her head with a sigh. 

At least I got in here okay.

She frowns and heads straight for the shelf she's visited twice before. The mold seemed to be growing bigger the second time she stopped by, so maybe she'd have to actually report it this time. 

Hopefully the book was even worth all this trouble anyway.

When she got to the row, her eyes search the whole shelf. She almost didn't recognize it! A victorious smile spreads on her face and she celebrates internally.

 However her celebration is cut short as she starts to realize the book is nowhere to be found. 

Shoot! It makes sense that they cleaned the shelf if someone wanted it!

Her early celebration turns into deep sigh. 

Of course it would be the one book I've been trying to get my hands on, too.

She rolls her eyes and drags her feet down the aisle to look for a few other books to read instead. The dreary weather and bad luck seemed to get to her while she walked around, looking worn out even though she just arrived.

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When she is done sulking and has picked out three other books, she finds a seat by a table and places her bags down next to the chair along with two of the books. She holds onto the third one and opens it to the first page.

As she starts to get comfortable, footsteps behind her draw closer. 

"Do you only come here once a week?" The low voice asks gently from behind her.

Gentle or not, she jumps and quickly covers her mouth to stop herself from making a sound. The book she was beginning to read fell to the floor.

She blinks at him with wide eyes, and watches as he waits for her response. She lets out a long sigh.

"Y-yes. Usually. What do you want?" She could tell she might've recognized him a little bit, but she wasn't sure why.

The angel walks around her chair to one directly across from the girl, and he removes a large, beige, backpack from his back and places it in front of him. The girl starts to relax slightly as he pulls out the book that was missing from the shelf.

As he outstretches his arm, it clicks in her mind. "Oh! You! I saw you two weeks ago!"

He nods silently with a completely unreadable expression. His face must've been made of stone. 

"Are you the one who told the librarian about the mold?" Her interest was piqued.

He nods again.

She eyes him up and down, from his dusty blonde hair beneath the halo and square, boxy shoulders. He looked like he was able to wrestle a bear, and it was kind of scary, in a way, that he kept popping up behind her randomly.

"...Do you always sneak up behind people and scare them half to death?"

He rubs the back of his neck, and she raises an eyebrow at the action. He winces just slightly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you."

She watches him without any words for a moment, then laughs quietly. "What's your name?"

He turns back to her, and the neutral expression returns. "Faust."

"Thanks for the book, Faust."

He stays silent for a second, but still doesn't change his expression. "I have to return that next week."

"...Right. You know, you could have just told me the mold was gone instead of checking out the book, too." She snickered.

"I want to read it when you're finished."

The girl grins and drops the book in her bag. Then she stands, lifting up her bag and pulling it over her shoulder. 

"Since I've got a new book to finish by the end of this week, I'm gonna head home so I can get through it quicker. Thank you again for the book," She glances at the drowsy, blue haired librarian and then looks back at Faust. "And for telling them about the mold. I'll be back Friday to return the book to you, is that okay?"

He nods and watches her turn to leave. As she heads towards the door, the angel glances down at the floor, where the book that fell from her hands earlier lay.

He thought about giving it back to her on Friday, since she was already leaving, but when he looks back up, she's standing in front of the glass doors watching the rain fall onto the pavement outside. 

He slowly gets up and makes his way over. Without realizing it, he was tapping on her shoulder and creeping up from behind yet again. She jumps and when she sees that it's him, she opens her mouth to speak,

"Wha-?!"

He holds out her book, and she quietly looks down from him to the book. She silently takes it from his hands.

"What's your name?" The gentleness of his low voice helps her calm down from her shock.

"Amber."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, then he pushes open one of the doors with one arm, reaching for something in his backpack at the same time.

"I'm going home too. You can take this home with you."

He pulls out an umbrella and opens it up in front of the door for her. 

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Evans sat up and propped his head in his hands while he watched the human girl step under the umbrella and take it from the angel. He began walking further from the doors on his own while the girl stood still for a moment, and then she ran beside him, holding the umbrella high enough for him, too. 

Evans drops his head to the desk, but his eyes stay open as he lay there silently.