Lottie's whole face is alight with laughter, and it causes something within me to tighten.
"It seems as if I've gained the enmity of the librarian," I muse.
"If you're not careful, you're going to end up banned."
"It wouldn't be the first time." I grin and lean against the wall beside her.
"That you've been banned from somewhere, or specifically a library?" she asks curiously.
"Would you believe me if I said both?"
"Considering I barely know you, I don't see why I wouldn't believe you," she counters. "Maybe if I knew more..."
"That can be arranged." I reach for one of the spare chairs and pull it up to sit beside her.
"Don't you have better things to do than sit in the library and talk to me?" There's a genuine hesitance in her voice, like she doesn't believe that I want to.
"I'm enjoying your company," I promise. "And I did come into the library."
“Then threatened to burn the place down."
"I do not burn books," I say firmly. "I like books."
She raises an eyebrow.
"You don't believe me."
"I still don't know anything about you," she points out. "Do you really like to read?"
"Yes. I like books about art history," I admit. "We have a good collection of paintings at the palace, and I was always asking my older brother about them. At some point, he got annoyed with me and gave me a book about it. After that, he showed me the palace library and told me to ask my questions there."
She laughs, making her antennae bounce in a way that makes her look cuter than she already did. "That's true brother energy."
"Oh yeah. But I don't mind. I was able to find out a lot of information I wouldn't have otherwise known to look for."
"Huh, so you're good at art history?"
"I'd like to think so."
"I suck at it," she admits. "I'm taking it this term, and I'm dreading it."
"Why are you taking it if it isn't your subject?" I lean forward, only to remind myself that I need to make sure to leave enough distance between us. There's a part of me that wants to pull her close enough to kiss her, but I know that I can't. Or at least, that doing so will end up ruining my chances with her.
She sighs, an unhappy expression on her face. "My parents aren't happy that I've come to Rosewood. So I'm here on a scholarship."
I raise an eyebrow. "There isn't a better academy out there."
"I know that. But they didn't want me to do further education at all."
"Oh. Wow."
"So, yeah. I've got a partial scholarship, so I have to focus on my grades." She tapped the book in front of her. "And Art History is a lesser evil."
I snort. "It's not that bad."
"Easy for you to say, you like the subject."
"True." I pause for a moment. "I'm sorry that your parents aren't being supportive."
