I'm surprised to find Alex already waiting for me on Friday. He is sitting at one of the large tables of the library, and in the emptiness of the room, my eyes catch his figure immediately. The sun beaming through the plate glass windows is illuminating his perfect strong features, and the play of shadows and light makes him look like an angel of darkness.

His gaze is focused on his phone between his hands, and with the silence around, I almost hesitate to disturb this aery quietness.

"Hi," I say quietly, not daring to sit up yet.

When he hears me, he quickly pulls his phone away, and his eyes light up as he meets my gaze. I don't know if it's the sun reflecting in his tenebrous irises, or if they're outshining it, but anyway, I divert my gaze, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Hi, Miss Clumsy Cookie."

I take out my things as his intense eyes are still observing me; I don't need to look up to know it because I can feel it on my skin.

"So... Er... we go back to our researches like Wednesday?" I finally lift up my gaze, fidgeting with my pen.

"How about we switch: you search online and I go look for books?" He smiles.

"Er...yes, why not," I reply with a shy smile. It shouldn't surprise me by now, but he still takes me aback.

"Don't you want to take a break?" Alex suggests, stretching out his arms, 30 minutes later.

We've finished our researches, and we are now discussing and selecting what we've found. But it's Friday afternoon, and the sun is beating down through the plate glass windows, making the library feel like a steam room. All of this makes it hard to concentrate, and after barely half an hour our brains are close to overheating. Besides, being in his presence doesn't help either, since my cheeks are constantly burning.

We're both tired and sweaty, I feel a drop of sweat down my back, and I see him wipe his forehead with his arm.

"Yeah, if you want." I put down my pen and slouch slightly back on my chair.

"I'm gonna get something to eat at the vending machine, unless you still have some cookies?" he asks, his eyes sparkling. "Cuz I'm still dreaming about them." He bites his lip, shaking his head, and his expression only brings my face closer to the overheating point.

"Sorry, there isn't any left." I offer him a small smile.

"Another time maybe?" He grins with hopeful eyes that make me nod, and then he stands up. "Do you want something?"

"No, it's okay."

"You sure?" he insists, searching for my gaze, which is already back on the pile of documents we've gathered.

"Yeah."

I refocus on my work after a few breaths, my brain less bothered by the heat when I'm alone. But something cold on the back of my neck freezes all my thoughts. I jump, and a small yelp escapes my lips at the contrast of temperature that stops my heart for a second. I turn around, and I'm met by Alex chuckling.

"You're crazy! This is not fun!" I whine.

"You should have seen the jump you made!" He shakes his head, his laugh lightening up his whole face, and even if it's in a mischievous way, it is a contagious playfulness, so I can't help but laugh lightly with him.

"Ahem!" The librarian throws us a disapproving look.

We calm down our laughs, and Alex gives me a wink, the sparkle in his eyes making me shiver more than the cold bottle.

"I wanted to cool you down a little. It's hot here." He smiles deviously, offering me a fresh bottle of water and downing the other one.

I find myself staring at the plastic bottle in his hand, following the journey of the water to his lips, the drop running from there down his chin, and to the bobs of his Adam's apple. I shake my head before cooling down my dry throat.

I'm trying to focus my gaze on the paper in front of me when various colorful packets land on the table: packets of granola bars, chocolate, and snacks, which are sticking out in the middle of plain books and papers.

"Oh, Kinder Buenos! I love them!" I exclaim, but still whispering to not make too much noise.

"They're my fav too!" He takes one and opens it, holding out half of it for me. "Take some."

I widen my eyes out of surprise, yet also maybe also because my stomach is awakening at the sight of the milk chocolate curvy bar."Oh?! No, thanks, keep it for yourself..."

"Don't worry, there's enough. I've taken more cuz I guessed you'll want some." He smirks, still holding out the half of the Kinder Bueno, and even though there is a devilish aura coming from him, I can't resist, so I grab the bar.

"Thank you." I smile.

"It's not as good as your cookies, though..." He winks before biting in the other half of the Kinder Bueno.

***

I immediately recognize him, the next day, leaning against his motorbike. Even from behind, I can't mistake his strong back. He is not wearing his legendary black leather jacket, but only a dark grey T-shirt, tight on his strong shoulders, probably because it's sunny and warm today. Actually, the weather is pretty hot for the season, scorching, even. Alex has suggested that we meet up at the park, instead of the school library, since we've finished our researches yesterday, 'and we'll be better outside, in the open air, than confined in the steam room of the library', in his words.

So, now, I follow the path that leads to the park, feeling the coolness of the plants engulfs me nicely. There is green everything around, contrasting with the perfectly-blue sky, and some touches of colors are adding here and there: red, pink, yellow, white... brought by the late flowers. I must admit, that he's had a great idea. The place is peaceful, soothing. Everything is so quiet in the calm of the late morning. The only sound is the melody of the birds' chirps, and it stretches naturally a smile on my lips.

I inhale a deep breath of fresh air just as Alex's figure appears a few feet away, and it's wise because he quickly turns around, hearing my steps on the gravel.

"Hi," I say, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder.

"Hi, Elena." His eyes travel down my body, and all the calm I've felt seconds ago is vanishing.

Is he checking me out?! I'm wearing a blue T-shirt and denim shorts, something I usually only wear on vacation at the beach; however, I've decided to make an exception today because of the hot weather. I don't know if it's because of my increasing heartbeat, but his gaze seems to wander longer than necessary along my silhouette, heating my skin on its way more than the blazing sun. I shift on my feet, not knowing what to do or what to say, though I might be speechless. I'm not used to people looking at me, even less this way; it makes me feel self-conscious.

"Er... so... where do we sit?" I finally find my unsteady voice.

His gaze comes back to my eyes, and he licks his lip."Um... yes... there's this picnic table over there in the shade." He points with one hand, while scratching his neck with the other.

I follow him, and we have just sat down, when a family shows up with picnic baskets on the other side of the park. They look around for a table, but the only ones left are in full sun. I take pity, seeing them struggle with their strollers and bags, the kids starting to cry and whine. So I suggest to Alex that we leave them the table and go sit on the grass.

We find a nice spot at the back of the park, in the shade. It looks like a little wonderland, with tiny bushes scattered here and there, a big old tree whose foliage forms a roof that protects us of the heat, and a waterfall of greenery in a corner. Different shades of green are mixing with just a few flowers, red and pink, remaining in this September heat. This corner is different; it probably isn't the most popular spot of the park, but it's beautiful and unique. It's like we're cut off from the rest of the world. We only hear the sounds of the children playing in the distance, mixing with the birds' chirps. It's calm and peaceful. It's really nice to work in these conditions, seated on the soft grass.

"Aah!!!" I cry out when my peacefulness is interrupted by an enormous spider with hairy legs on the book I've just grabbed. It is so close to my hand, and the daring insect keeps climbing in my direction. Though I don't keep watching it for more than a second; I throw the book away and move away, almost jumping. In the process, I push Alex, making him fall on his back, once again, and I end up on him, once again.

"It's becoming a habit of yours to end up on me! Is it the Law of Attraction?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

My heart does another jump. "S-sorry, I..." I stutter, straightening up.

"I'm not complaining," he adds, with a smug smile.

"I-I'm really scared of spiders," I explain, looking down at my hands, which keep trembling from the fear.

I feel his hand stroke my arm softly. The light contact of his skin creates goosebumps all over my arm, yet at the same time, it regulates smoothly my heart rate – at least, until I realize I'm still on his lap. I immediately move away, though still looking around to be sure the spider isn't there anymore.

He grabs the book and shows it to me. "Don't worry, it isn't there anymore."

After another glance around to be completely sure the sneaky bug is really gone, I finally breathe again as I still feel the loud thumps of my heart and the rush in my veins of what is surely adrenaline out of fear, I think.

"You must think I'm ridiculous to be so scared of a spider." I nibble on my lips. Now that the survival instinct is gone, the embarrassment is rising up.

"Everyone has ridiculous fears that make them act stupidly." He offers me a kind smile. I have been expecting him to laugh at me, and this once more surprising answer also warms up my cheeks, yet in a sweet way.

I gain some confidence to look up at him. "And you, what is your ridiculous fear?"

He leans back on his hands and gazes up, thinking deeply. "Um... I can't think of any..."

I giggle. Of course, I should have expected this! It's true that I can't picture him scared for anything.

He chuckles. "But I'm an exception. I'm the baddest bad boy!" He puts his chin up, smiling smugly, and I forget totally the abominable spider.

I smile and bite my lip, shaking my head as a light feeling replaces the dread in my veins.

Aren't they so cute? :)

And the 'baddest bad boy' without a fear, what do you think of him? ;)

Please please let me know what you think in the comments, vote, add to your library...

I'm new here, so your help and feedbacks are more than welcome! :)