I feel my eyes getting heavy.
I know I'm falling asleep. I can feel the way my body relaxes into Beckett's side, the way my breathing slows, the way the bad day finally, fully dissolves.
I don't fight it.
Because this is Beckett, and this is exactly what Beckett is.
He’s my comfort, my safety net, and the shoulder I lean my head on when I’ve had a rough day.
And I let myself sleep.
Chapter 71: Adela
Codytakesmetothe Suzzallo and Allen Libraries on campus—the central library I've walked past dozens of times but never actually entered.
I look at him when he parks. "The library?"
He shrugs. "You like books."
That's the whole explanation.
That’s new. He’s always known that I liked books, and he’s bringing me here because… I raise my eyebrow at him, and he smiles like he can read my mind.
“Come on,” he says innocently. “I hear it’s really nice.”
The Reading Room takes my breath away with its high ceilings and gothic architecture. I pull books at random. He reads back covers and asks questions about what I like and actually listens to the answers.
I watch him listening.
This is new. He’s seeing me now. Finally.
“Do you want that one?” he asks about the book I’ve been holding for the past two minutes. He holds out his hand. “I’ll hold it for you.”
I pass it to him with a smile. “Okay.”
Then I walk past him and keep browsing.
At one point, we’re shoulder to shoulder and touch the spine of the same book. He looks at me, so I look at him. He leans in and pecks my lips. And suddenly my mind flashes back to the times we were at Puget Sound together. His hand comes up to brush my hair out of my face.
He whispers, “I’m still the same boy you fell in love with.”
I freeze, not quite sold on the idea. I blush, slightly shaking my head.
“You don’t think so?”
I pause, thinking. “It’s odd you would be willing to…” I trail off, not finishing my thought.
He leans in for only my ears to hear, “I didn’t know it would be so sexy to watch you enjoy yourself with someone else, but you’ll always be mine.”
I blush, looking at him.
“You get to have this if you want it, but in the end, it’ll always be you and me.”
My heart races as he stares into my eyes. The spell is broken when someone walks behind us. I take a step forward, peeking over at him one more time before continuing to browse the shelf.
When we're ready to leave, he checks out three books for me without making it a gesture. He hands them over with his library card.
"When did you get one of those?" I tease.
