It took about thirty seconds, but Scott eventually looked up. He pulled his headphones off immediately, blinking as though he’d just woken from a trance.
“Oh.” Scott looked around, taking in the darkened library and the total lack of other patrons at the desks further along the row. “You’re closing up, huh?”
“I already closed up,” Charlie said, keeping his tone gentle. He didn’t want to kick Scott out. “But it’s okay. I just didn’t notice you down here.”
“I didn’t notice the lights going off,” Scott sat back. “I’m sorry. I got caught up in this assignment. The due date got moved to a week earlier, and now I gotta get it finished, printed, and over to the college before midnight or I’ll lose ten percent of the grade.”
“Oh.” Charlie paused. “I’m guessing you don’t have a printer at home?”
Scott shook his head. “No. I only have, like, two more things to do and then I just need to proofread it and stuff. Maybe one of the computer labs at the college is still open. Maybe I just need to take a ten percent hit this time and call it a lesson learned.”
“It’s not your fault that they moved the date,” Charlie said. He was tired, and hungry, but he couldn’t just leave Scott to worry about his grades over something like this. He looked so defeated, and there was no way Charlie could let him go home like that.
“Hey, do you think you could eat half a pizza and garlic bread? I never order it because I never get through it all, and then I forget about the leftovers and I feel guilty, but if I had someone to help me… I mean, if you want to stay here and finish up while we wait for the delivery. I’m a good proofreader, too.”
Charlie wasn’t sure how much sense he’d been making just then, but he hoped Scott got the idea. The thought of getting to spend the evening with him was so exciting that Charlie could barely think straight right now.
“Seriously?” Scott asked, his whole face lighting up. All the worry melted away, replaced with innocent, genuine hope.
How could Charlie possibly say no to that?
“Seriously. I’ll order, you keep working. I’ll turn some of the lights and the heating back on so we don’t go blind or freeze to death. Is there anything you won’t eat on a pizza?”
“I’m super allergic to shellfish,” Scott said. “But otherwise, anything’s fine.”
“That works for me.” Charlie stood, getting his phone out of his pocket to order. “I’ll be back in a second, and then I’ll sign you in on the staff printer to save you the three cents a page.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Scott said.
Charlie shrugged. “I want to. You look stressed. I don’t want you having to turn out your pockets for loose change.”
Scott’s shoulders relaxed, his whole posture changing as he sat back comfortably in the desk chair. “Thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver.”
“I’m a librarian. Basically the same thing.” Charlie winked, ducking out of the row of shelves to switch some of the lights on and turn the thermostat back up to a comfortable temperature. At this time on a Friday night, pizza would take a while to come.
That gave him plenty of time to enjoy Scott’s company while they waited.
Chapter Eight
Scott breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Charlie coming back from the staff printer, carrying his freshly-printed essay.
“Is it weird that I like handling paper that’s just come out of a laser printer? It’s so warm,” Charlie said as he handed it over. The paper had cooled significantly, but there was still a little heat left in it.
Secretly, Scott liked that, too. “Maybe we’re both weird,” he said. “Because I totally get what you mean.”
Charlie opened his mouth to respond, but then his phone beeped and, at the same moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Pizza!” Charlie enthused, grinning like a little boy. “I’ll be back in one second.”
Scott listened to the sound of Charlie’s footsteps, finally closing his laptop and shoving it aside before sitting back to relax.
An empty library might have been creepy under other circumstances, but with Charlie around, it felt peaceful. Italwaysfelt peaceful, but Scott was still processing the fact that Charlie had helped him out so much.
It was good to have someone in his corner. Especially someone who was actually helpful.
“That smells amazing,” Scott said as Charlie came back, pizza, garlic bread, and bottled beer in hand.
“Right?” Charlie smiled as he sat down at the table, passing Scott a beer as he did. “I probably should have asked whether or not you drink.”
