“Abs like mine don’t come for free, babe.” I knew that she loved my body. She checked me out thoroughly every time I saw her, but I knew better than to say it.
Besides, I worked hard for it. It deserved to be appreciated. There was also the fact that I did the exact same thing to her, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Babe? I thought we’d talked about that.” She hated the term. I liked using it, so she was going to have to learn to deal with it.
“We did. We agreed to disagree.” Not really. She’d hung up on me, but she’d texted me later anyway.
I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “I don’t remember the conversation going down like that. If fact, I’m quite sure no agreements had been reached. And I’d know. I’m studying the law of contracts as we speak.”
“Well, then I think you need to study harder.” I respected that she’d been studying, even though she hadn’t made a final decision about taking the bar. She wanted to be ready in case she decided to do it. I liked that. “If I’m not mistaken, ours was what is known as a tacit agreement.”
She groaned at the other end of the line. “Don’t even say those words to me right now, but no, it wasn’t.”
“Implied?” I tried again. That was about the extent of my rudimentary knowledge of contractual law.
“Nope, not an implied agreement either. Trust me; there was no agreement to my being okay with being called babe. I have a name. Use it.”
“Fine, Gabrielle. You at another study group?” I doubted it since she wouldn’t have been talking to me if she was, but I wanted to check. I needed a pick me up, and Gabrielle was about to be it. Hanging out with her was fun.
Unless she was studying. I wasn’t enough of an asshole to get in the way of that. If she was, I would wait until she was able to take a break.
“Not really, I’m at the library reading over some stuff, but I’m nearly done. For now, anyway.” She stifled a yawn.
“I’m coming down there. Sit tight.” I took a quick shower, slung my gym bag over my shoulder, and made the short drive to the public library.
My mom had tried to get me into reading as a kid, but it never quite stuck. I had always preferred to throw a ball around outside or play touch football with the other kids from the neighborhood in the park. When it was raining, I found other shit to do.
I’d done my assigned reading, of course. I’d read the classics, and more recently, I’d read a ton of children’s books to Harper, but I wasn’t one to spend much time in the library.
It was a surprise to find it so empty.
The musty scent of old paper hit my nostrils as I pushed my way through the double doors. Dust particles floated in the rays of sunlight that shone through the stained glass windows. It was like stepping into a quieter, forgotten world.
A gray-haired, bespectacled lady hunched over a desk that housed a computer that looked like it had been outdated before I was born, but that was it. There were no other people that I could see. The stacks were empty, and the rows of tables with rounded lamps on them sat unused.
The librarian took no notice of me as I took the stairs to the second story two at a time. I made my way past row upon empty row, following yellowed paper signs that read ‘LEGAL’ to the back corner of the library.
Gabrielle was seated at a table just off the darkened rows of books that must have been the stacks that housed the law books. Her golden curls were piled on top of her head, held in place by a pencil. Earbuds dangled from her ears as her head nodded in time to whatever it was that she was listening to.
She wore faded light blue jeans and a loose-fitting shirt that slid off one shoulder, revealing a bright red bra strap. My cock stirred.
Engrossed as she was in her reading, she didn’t notice me until my shadow fell across the desk that she’d taken over. It was piled high with books that were thicker than my biceps and had titles that threatened to bore me to death.
She smiled as she looked up to find me standing over her and tugged her earbuds from her ears, letting them fall to the desk. The faint sounds of alternative rock filled the air.
“Hey, stranger,” she greeted me without rising.
“How am I a stranger? We’ve been talking on the phone practically every day.” I strode over to her seat. “Don’t I even get a hug for driving down here to save you from having to spend your break poring over more books?”
“Who said I was taking a break?” She stood and walked into my arms. Her vanilla scent was slowly becoming familiar. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug but released her quickly.
“You did, actually. You said that you were nearly done for now.” I repeated her earlier words back to her.
“I me
ant that I was nearly done for today, not that I was just taking a break. I’ll carry on tomorrow. I have so many Latin terms swirling around in my head that I’m just about ready to pass out.” She sank back into her seat.
“How’s the studying going?” I took the seat opposite hers and made myself comfortable.