I emerged from my bedroom the next morning to find Gwen sitting in the living room eating a ridiculously large bowl of cereal. I plopped down next to her on the couch.
“Got enough cereal, Jerry Seinfeld?” I asked. She just looked at me and shoveled a large bite into her mouth.
“There is no such thing,” she replied, her mouth full of Frosted Flakes.
“What are you watching?” I asked, watching as a couple was awkwardly making out while another girl was sitting there watching.
“Some new dating show on MTV. It’s pretty trashy.”
“Just the way we like it,” I laughed, settling in. We sat there in silence for several minutes, watching as the guy eventually chose the girl who had made out with him earlier in the show.
“So, are you going to the library today?” she asked.
“Yeah, probably. I have to do some research for my history paper.”
“Sure. That’s why you’re going,” she smiled, standing to take her now empty bowl to the kitchen.
I chose to ignore her comment and went to take a shower and get ready. I really did go to the library on most days because I seemed to get a lot more work done there than in our apartment, but the fact that Zac and I had now conversed was making the idea of doing homework there even more enticing. I had broken that first barrier and that was a pretty big deal. Maybe I was a bit old fashioned, but I was always a fan of having the guy make the first move. Unfortunately, it didn’t always work like that now.
After I had finished putting on my makeup, I pulled on a hooded sweatshirt bearing our school’s name before grabbing my bag and heading out the door. I shouted a goodbye to Gwen before the door closed and started to make my way towards the library. I had a few hours before my only class of the day, which provided me with time to get some research done. I had chosen to write my paper on the how much the stock market crash really contributed to the Great Depression. Not exactly an original topic, but I knew that there would at least be a lot of information to be found. History was definitely not my subject and I needed all the help I could get.
The walk to campus wasn’t bad. Harper is located in a nice Chicago suburb called Jonesburg. It has become it’s own little community within the city surrounded by a wide variety of fast food restaurants and stores. The walk took us through several neighborhoods, mostly other student rented houses and apartment buildings. The library was located right in the center of campus, a four-story building built in the early 1900s that quickly became my favorite building at Harper. I loved the comfortable chairs that were by the large windows, the tall floorboards and ceilings, and the little nooks that formed in between the stacks and the desks; nooks like the one Zac and I frequented.
After looking up several books on my topic, I headed to the third floor to my typical spot. I knew that no one would be in my seat because in my four years, no one ever had been. I really had gone with every intention of doing research, but stopped short when I turned the corner.
A small traffic cone was situated over the same floor outlet that I had tripped over the previous day. I looked from it to the desk by the window. Zac was smiling and staring down at his notebook, obviously aware of my presence. I just walked to my chair and placed my books next to it on the floor before walking over to Zac’s desk. I cleared my throat to get his attention.
“Yes?” he asked, looking up at me with a grin on his face.
“Are you serious?” I laughed, gesturing towards the pylon.
“I just want you to be safe,” he stated. For a moment, I got scared. Was he making fun of me? Was that what all of this was about?
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, I figured it was the least I could do. My name is Zac, by the way,” he said, extending his hand towards me. There was that smile again. I had the feeling that that smile could get me into a lot of trouble. I shook his hand firmly enjoying this first chance to touch him.
“I’m Esme.”
“Esme. I’ve never heard that name before. It’s really pretty.”
“Thanks. There aren’t many of us out there.” I was finally starting to feel comfortable, like myself. “And thank you for taking my safety into consideration. I’m a little clumsy sometimes.”
“Me too. So, Esme, what are you working on today?”
“Research for my history class and I’m not looking forward to it at all.”
“Not a big history buff?”
“Oh, I like it, it just doesn’t like me.”
“Well, I’m a history major, so if you need any help, just let me know,” he said.
“I definitely will,” I said before turning and heading for my chair. My heart was racing fast, faster than it had in a very long time. I was finally piecing it together. He had planned this. I didn’t know what it meant yet, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. I got very little research done that morning because I was distracted by Zac and the bright orange plastic that separated us.