Sam rushed into the university library while glancing at her watch. She hated to be late and she was cutting it very close today.
Breathing with relief as she finally arrived she made her way to the reference desk, catching the eye of Mark, the guy she was meeting, and giving him a shy wave before holding up a finger to him indicating that she would just be another minute. At the reference desk she smiled at Judy, the elderly librarian who approached her.
"Hi Judy! Happy birthday"
Samantha pulled one perfect chocolate cupcake decorated with gold sprinkles and a single candle out from behind her back and set it on the counter. Judy's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes glittered with happiness when she looked at Samantha. Reaching out to grasp both of Sam's hands in her own "Samantha, you are the sweetest thing. How on earth did you remember my birthday?" Leaning across the counter to kiss the soft cheek of the other woman Samantha informed her "I remember the birthdates of all of the important people in my life". She squeezed Judy's hands and gave her a little wave before heading over to where Mark had saved a table for them.
Mark stood as Sam approached and she once again saw the admiration in his gaze. She had been aware, since their very first session over a year ago, of the way that Mark looked at her but continued to pretend as though she didn't. She didn't want to encourage his interest in her to be anything more than that of a tutor and student or friend.
Sitting down across from him, Samantha smiled and set her books on the table in front of her. Today they were studying microbiology. Mark was a second year student, one of only a handful of men in the nursing program. He was actually very bright and she enjoyed working with him. He didn't really need a tutor, in her opinion, as he had a terrific grasp on the criteria but he was an overachiever. And he paid her.
Mark was a good looking guy. Tall and slender with a runner's build and he often arrived to their tutoring sessions with a "friend", some poor girl or another obviously crushing on him, so Samantha had to assume that he wasn't lacking for female companionship but she still noticed that hopeful gleam in his eye whenever they were together although he had never once made her feel uncomfortable with anything that he said or did and, aside from the admiring looks he occasionally gave her, she actually enjoyed his company.
The two of them made a bit of small talk before settling into their studies and before long Samantha realized that the hour had passed. She glanced at her watch and mentally reviewed Adam's schedule in her mind. He was still working for another few hours so she could offer Mark more time if he felt he needed it. On tutoring nights she didn't take shifts at the café and she was under strict instruction to call Kelsey for a ride home tonight when she was done. Finn was also working late on a big project, so Kelsey had told her that she was available at any time and not to rush.
"Our time's up" Samantha looked up from her watch and caught Mark watching her before he quickly averted his gaze, looking down for a moment before bringing it back to her with a smile. Instantly she felt horrible that she might have embarrassed him. It can't be easy to have a crush on someone that you see so often, if that's what this was. Maybe she should just come right out and ask him? Would that be obnoxious? She immediately decided against it. Maybe he was just shy and the odd looks had nothing to do with any attraction to Samantha on his part and then she would be the one who was embarrassed by imagining things that didn't exist.
"I have some more time tonight though, if you need it" she said kindly.
Mark looked relieved. "Maybe another half-hour if you don't mind? I'd like to go through the infectious diseases a bit more"
"Absolutely" Samantha said "Not a problem"
Samantha and Mark had their heads close together over several books when Adam and Jamie entered the library. Spotting Sam first, Jamie nudged Adam with his elbow and nodded his head in their direction. Seeing her made Adam smile and he asked Jamie to wait for him a minute and started to make his way toward her. He watched the guy with Samantha and couldn't help but notice the bare adoration on the other man's face when he watched her explaining something from the materials spread out in front of them.
I don't think so buddy.
As he was passing the reference desk he slowed his steps when he heard someone mention Samantha's name and glancing over saw an elderly woman sitting at the desk and talking animatedly on the phone. "Al, that sweetie Samantha Kincaid, brought me a cupcake for my birthday" she was gushing to the person on the other end and beaming from ear to ear. "And it's chocolate. My favourite". Adam felt his heart fill. Only his Samantha would remember the birthday of her librarian. He continued across the room toward her.
Adam trusted Samantha completely so his reaction to her tutoring partner was purely that of a caveman. Possession. He knew that Samantha tutored this particular student a couple of times a week so he felt justified in marking his territory.
"There she is" he said huskily when he got to the table and pulled a startled Samantha up and into his arms. He saw her eyes light up at the sight of him before he swooped down to catch her mouth with his. She kissed him, as she always did, never holding back and he reluctantly pulled away when she ran her hand up to caress his jaw.
"Hey" she whispered. "I'm happy to see you"
Her scent washed over him, distinctly Samantha, cocoa butter and exotic flowers. Her hair was back in a messy bun and she had put on a bit of eye makeup, making those gorgeous eyes appear even more dramatic. Her mouth was untouched by colour, covered only with the cherry chap-stick that she used religiously and he had become obsessed with.
Stepping back but keeping his arms loosely around her waist he grinned. "Obviously, I'm happy to see you too" she laughed before remembering that she was in the library in the middle of a tutoring session.
"I'm so sorry, Mark" her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. "This is Adam. Adam, this is Mark Charles. We're working together"
Mark stood reluctantly and held out a hand to Adam "Boyfriend?"
Adam immediately took pity on the guy and returned the handshake deciding that he could afford to be kind. "Yep. You've got yourself a good tutor here".
Mark nodded and glanced at Samantha.
"I'm just going to steal her from you for a minute, if you don't mind"
"Oh" Samantha startled. "Okay".
"I'll be right back, Mark. Sorry for the interruption".
Adam grabbed Samantha by the hand and pulled her toward the door where Jamie still waited, looking over the room. Smiling at Samantha as she and Adam approached, Jamie reached out to give her a quick hug, giving Adam a glare and daring him to say something about it, which made Adam shake his head and grin.
"We just wanted to let you know that Moore apparently hasn't been back to his friend's place in a few days. Nobody knows where he has been staying" Adam rubbed his hand down her back and watched for her reaction. "So, I want you to be extra careful when you're alone on your breaks and between classes. Make sure that you keep asking someone to walk with you, please".
Shoulders slumping briefly before she stood tall once again, Samantha looked at them both before leaning into Adam. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you guys stopping and I know that people are trying to find him" she fixed a cheery smile on her face.
Samantha tried not to let the fear in, tried to keep its nasty tentacles from creeping into her body, her nerves, her blood. She knew that she needed to stay strong and keep trying to live her life as normally as possible but a part of her, a big part of her if she were honest, wanted just to curl up and pull the blankets over her head until they caught him.
"You okay, honey?" asked Jamie. She nodded and stretched up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek before turning to Adam and catching his face with both hands "And thank you, wonderful boyfriend, for making my day with a personal visit" she kissed him gently on the lips and whispered into his ear "Be careful out there".
"I'd better get back to Mark if that's okay?" She fell back flat on her feet. When they both nodded she turned. "See you later then" she said over her shoulder, making her way back to the table where poor Mark sat, dejectedly waiting.
Adam waited until she was re-seated before turning to Jamie "Ready?"
"Yeah, but first, take a look around this place" Hearing the apprehension in his partner's voice and trusting Jamie's instincts entirely, Adam took a minute to look around the room to see if he could notice what Jamie had.
Reading carols formed a ring around the upper level, which was open to view save for a waist high railing. Behind the carols were ceiling-height stacks with books.
On the main floor were more stacks, tables and computer stations all around the outside of the room with the reference desks and librarians in the centre. There was a fire exit at two ends of the room, both doors currently being propped open in accommodation of the unseasonably warm weather. For a library it was an excellent set-up. Unfortunately, for someone wanting to stay hidden it was also an excellent set-up.
Samantha and Mark had a table pretty close to one of the exits and a couple of students from the next table kept going in and out.
Sighing, Adam looked to Jamie "I guess that's the last time she meets here to tutor until we find Moore. One more thing though" Jamie nodded in agreement, although Adam hadn't completed his thought out loud. The two of them went outside, both wanting to check around the building and grounds before they went back to work.