Noah was jittery throughout all his classes. He couldn't concentrate and eventually decided to skip his afternoon lecture to go to the library instead. Leigh wouldn't arrive until three thirty but the comfort of the place made him feel slightly better.
He didn't know what to expect that afternoon. Maybe she wasn't the one who issued out the book. He'd checked to make sure it was there before he recommended it, but there was the chance that someone else had gotten to it before Leigh could.
When Leigh arrived, there wasn't anything different about her routine; she pulled out her earphones and textbook and started studying as she had been all year. She didn't look around or seem distracted, which made Noah feel surprisingly disappointed. The rejection was a soft pang in his chest, but he squashed it down. Noah knew his advance was untraditional, so it was more than fair that Leigh was not interested.
Noah picked up his pen and started summarising his notes. It took him two hours and a sandwich break to finally condense six pages into two. Noah sat back and admired his accomplishment; there was a sense of satisfaction knowing he had completed everything for the day. And although his writing was ineligible and his shorthand would probably make no sense to him once finals rolled around, he didn't care.
By the time he looked up, the afternoon sun was disappearing and it was nearing night. Leigh was packing up her things; zipping up pencil cases, shuffling papers, placing lids back on pens. Then she left.
Since his homework was done and Leigh was gone, Noah decided to head back to his dorm room. Two minute noodles sounded good to him at that moment and he was pretty sure he had a chocolate bar somewhere in his car. Noah was on a tight budget. Well, that was a lie. Noah chose to be on a tight budget. He was saving for something grand. He wasn't sure what it was yet; but he knew it would be spectacular.
Grabbing his backpack, he started heading towards the exit. But as he brushed passed Leigh's desk, something caught his eye. It was a note. A note. A ripped up piece of lined paper folded in half and sitting there just waiting to be opened.
Noah compressed the urge to fist pump and snatched up the note.
You knew my favourite story before I did, Noah.
Thank you.
- Leigh
P.S. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Noah was already striding towards the books before he finished reading the note. Once he found the book, he opened it to read the inside flap, but before his eyes could land on a single word, another piece of paper fluttered to the ground.
She's killing me, he thought, unable to stop the growing smile on his face.
"Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive."
This is my favourite quote from this book.
Tell me yours?
- Leigh
Noah, with a smile so wide it probably should have hurt, folded the note in half and slid it into his pocket before reading the summary of the book. The '80s, misfits and music references.
Noah almost got a speeding ticket in his haste to race home and read the book.