Business As Usual

Snow covers the ground as I walk toward the double doors. Peering through the windows, I smile at the amount of snow that is falling and still covers the ground. Tugging my jacket tighter and glancing at my white sneakers, I sigh mixing with a groan. My brother’s voice echoes in my head.

“You know it’s going to snow. Those sneakers won’t protect your pretty feet from the chill.”

I rolled my eyes at him before leaving the house. The library had been a welcome distraction from the emptiness of home. It was getting harder to consider that house a home. The only people that share genuine love are my brother and I. I open the door stepping out into the evening chill.

I hate Boston during the winter. It is more than a little annoying dealing with snow when all you want is to be on an island in the heat. I shiver in the doorway considering walking back inside for another hour. It isn’t like I need to go home now at this hour since it isn’t exactly a school night. Suddenly, something or someone plows into my back. I manage to catch myself before I fall, but my bag topples from my shoulder. Groaning, my knees scream at me from the ground, they broke my fall.

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry,” says a male voice behind me.

I sigh lowering myself to my knees on the concrete. “Don’t worry about it.” I shiver as I grab my books and papers fallen from my bag.

A hand reaches for the last tablet as my hand reaches for it. A slight shock hits my fingers and I jump back allowing the other hand to pick it up.

“I’m really sorry. I was on my phone as usual. Wasn’t paying attention,” he says as I look up to his face.

The first thing I notice are the glasses on his face which cover dark chocolate eyes. Disheveled dark black hair in a cute sort of way. His height and features give me the impression that he’s most likely closer to my brother’s age than mine. I would take a guess of around twenty three or twenty four since my brother is already twenty five. Unlike me, he’s dressed for the cold in a thick brown jacket over a dark hoodie with finger-less gloves on his hands.

I smile though I’m sure my bottom lip is shaking. Nervous habit I have that needs to disappear. Holding my hand out for the tablet, I shake my head. “I said don’t worry about it. I’m fine, nothing serious happened.” I slide the notebook into my messenger back, completely aware of his gaze.

He flushes for a moment tugging his backpack higher. “Well, I still feel bad. You could have been seriously hurt.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, and I could get hurt walking home, but it doesn’t happen. Anything and everything we do has a risk, getting in a car is a risk every time. I wasn’t hurt so don’t worry about me.”

He smirks with a chuckle. “You certainly are a firecracker.”

Like I haven’t heard that before. “You sound like my father and brother.”

“Smart people,” he says with that same smirk. That smirk and his laugh do funny things to my insides. Something about him makes me more confident.

“Well, it was nice to meet you,” he says after a few minutes realizing he doesn’t have my name.

I giggle before throwing out my hand. “Rose,” I say with a genuine smile. I’m curious about his name as well. When he takes my hand, I get a tingle but gone is the electric shock which took me by surprise in the first place. Instead of shaking my hand, he presses a kiss to my knuckles bringing a shiver through me. This shiver is not caused by the drop in temperature.

“It was nice meeting you, Rose,” he says when he pulls up. He turns toward the row of stairs at the front of the building.

“Wait!” I shout. “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” My legs carry me down the stairs of the library, almost tripping on a couple steps trying to follow him.

He chuckles pulling his hood over his head. “Next time. That way I know we’ll meet again!”

I groan watching him jog away down the sidewalk and out of sight.