Stolen Voices ✓

February 9th

Love me the way

the horizon

loves the sun.

- Meenal Azad

February 9th:

Elias stalks through the carpeted isles, trailing the tan metal cart filled with books behind him. His fingers stroke over every gap in the sectioned-off wooden bookshelves, filling them with returned books. Dust surges in a cloud above his head, trailing him as he weaves in and out of the library.

It is quiet, except for the humming of the radiator pushing heat into the modest building. It isn't a large public library, ever sound being chorused off of the walls. The outside groans as the wind whips against the old structure of the building. Nails type on keyboards, fingers swipe through new book pages, people talk in hushed whispers.

Like a bomb has been set off, the front door slams open, startling Elias who drops the books he is holding. His eyes dart around the room as he looks for a viable place to hide, his heart rate picking up speed, panic taking him over.

"Don't worry, it's just me," Mara's tumultuous voice chimes through the open quarters, instantly settling Elias's breathing. He shakes his head, grunting unimpressed as he leans down to pick up the book that slipped from his grasp. The small ghost of a smile plays over his downturned features.

"Hey friend," she smiles, skipping towards Elias, finding him only after searching the many isles. She instantly reaches towards the cart, like a kid with sticky fingers, grabbing onto one of the chapter books and flipping it in her palm. Her fingers flip through the pages, skimming a sentence before moving on the next. Breathing in the new book smell.

She smiles at him, her blue eyes dazzling with happiness as her lips stretch wide across her sharp features. Elias slowly nods hello, extending his open palm towards her, asking silently for the book back. She sighs, tutting as she returns it back to him, her fingertips brush against his.

He doesn't flinch away from the touch, which surprises both of them. Easily, Mara brushes it off, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. On the inside, though, she's ecstatic. Her heart leaps in her chest, her mind carrying out a rhythmic dance.

"I have come to rescue you," she declares, her hand placed on her jutted-out hip. She's wearing the same white jacket as the first night they met, a new red stain on the sleeve.

He twists his head to look her in the eye, boring into their wide gaze as his eyebrow quirked. He gapes at her, pinching his face together into a questioning grimace. His fingers grazing over his jawline, scratching at the skin. His eyes convey his wariness. 

 "You, my friend, need an adventure. And I have just the place," she smirks, walking away from him, her scent of pine pursuing her. She knows he will follow her, that despite his apprehension, the offer is too intriguing to pass up.

And she is right. After a second's skepticism, Elias is trailing right on her heels. Mara is tall, her eyes level with his nose, so he has to stand on his tiptoes to see over her. Especially as they walk into the blizzard that hits Elias in the gut. Pushing through the wind that burns their faces, leaving their cheeks chapped red.

It wasn't snowing when he got to the library.

Elias's eyes burn, struggling to keep them open, he ducks behind Mara's strutting frame for protection. Neither of them talk about the way he fists her jacket in his hand, making sure he doesn't lose her as she guides him down the narrow sidewalks.