CHAPTER FIVE

THE ESCAPE

EMILIA WOKE UP with an aching back and something heavy around her waist.

Her eyelids felt heavy and the crusties in the corner of her eyes acted like superglue. She squinted and let the sunbeams graze her face. She tried to lift her left leg, but it felt trapped. She squinted her eyes more.

Emilia's chest rose and fell, and she felt her hand curl around something soft. She gripped it tighter and moved closer to the warm object, trying to stretch out her leg. She inhaled deeply and felt her chest touch up against the soft, cotton pillow. Finally, her eyes adjusted and a small noise escaped her lips.

Her legs were tangled with his. Her arm was wrapped around his body and her hand gripped his t-shirt, while his hand lay over her waist. Her head was tucked into his chest. Her eyes widened and she felt her muscles clench, her hand releasing the cloth, and she tried to wiggle free without waking him up.

He began to move, rolling onto his other side. He dragged her along with him as if she were a doll despite her being his weight, if not heavier. She began to inhale deeply, the breaths getting shorter and faster until, finally, his eyes cracked open.

His brown eyes connected with her green ones and there was a moment of silence between the two, frozen in their position. Then, as if an alarm sounded, the pair immediately disassembled from their entangled positions, unhooking knees and unraveling limbs.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how that happened," he began, his voice even raspier in the morning.

"I don't either." Emilia sucked in her stomach and pulled down her shirt. She was careful not to direct her face towards him at all while speaking, since she could only imagine what her breath smelled like. "I was wondering why I wasn't cold at all last night."

She felt her face flush and she bit the inside of her cheeks.

"So I wasn't just dreaming," he muttered. She glanced at him from the side of her eyes. "About the whole library thing, I mean."

"I guess not."

Emilia began to stand, her bones sore, and walked over to her backpack, starting to pack up her things. They must've grabbed each other after they fell asleep in the midst of their existential conversation. She didn't even remember consciously doing it. She couldn't look him in the eyes.

"You're already packing up?" he asked. She saw him peek at the clock to their left. "We still have, like, ten minutes until the library opens."

"I'm aware."

She didn't mean to sound snippetty. A combination of being locked in a library overnight, little food, barely any sleep, and accidentally hugging a stranger really did that to a person.

His floppy hair sprung in all different directions, and he'd yet to smooth it down. She couldn't even imagine what hers looked like - a frizzy pile of curls resting on a girl with sinking eyebags.

She made her way up the spiral staircase. Emilia heard his heavy footsteps following closely behind her as she made her way up to the main floor.

The sun gleamed through the windows, outlines of the yellowing leaves on the trees tinting the glass. She could make out a woman in a floor-length dress with grey heels walking towards the wooden doors, books in her arm. Emilia felt her heart twitch inside her chest and, in a flurry of panic, she dashed for the closest hiding spot.

She slid into the nearest bathroom, her heart pounding. Emilia rested her forehead against the door, trying to catch her breath. Suddenly, a knock on the bathroom door caused her heart to leap. She bit her bottom lip and said a quick prayer in hopes that it wasn't the librarian she'd just seen.

Emilia slowly and noiselessly turned the handle to see Nick's eyes glancing back at her.

"Quick, let me in!" he whispered, slipping his body between the empty space. His breathing matched hers, both of their chests rising with each gasp of air. Emilia slid down the tiled wall of the bathroom and sat, her legs out and her feet crossed. Nick joined her and slid down the wall, his arm brushing up against hers on the way to the ground. Her adrenaline rushed to her toes and she felt like she was being electrocuted.

"This is insane. This is so dumb. I don't know why I hid, and now it looks like I'm doing something wrong. I'm so stupid, this is so stupid," Emilia muttered to herself, closing her eyes.

"You're not stupid," he said. "If she saw us, she probably would've freaked. It was for the better. We'll just have to wait until we can make a run for it."

The pipes above them creaked. Her chest rose and fell, and her heartbeat fell into synchrony with her breathing. She felt his chest expand next to her.

"What's your full name?" she whispered, turning her face slightly towards him.

"Nicholas."

Her eyes fluttered closed once more. "No, no. I mean, like, full name. I don't even know your last name yet."

"Right. Okay. Nicholas Andrew Thomas."

"You have three first names?"

"I mean, I guess. Never really thought about that." Nick crossed his arms. "What about you, Library Girl?"

"Emilia Hope Robinson."

"That's cute," he said, nudging her in the shoulder. "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson."

She nudged him back. "Very original."

Nick sighed and began to stand, holding out a hand to help her get up. "Alright, Ms. Robinson, do you want to try to get the hell out of here?"

"And how do you expect to pull that off?" Emilia asked

"How about this," he responded, standing up. "We sneak out of the bathroom and just walk out of the door as if nothing happened."

"She's definitely going to notice something's up, though. I mean, no one's come into the library, so seeing two people leave is going to be pretty obvious."

"I can't stay here any longer, Emilia. I'm losing my mind. Who gives a shit if the librarian sees us, I say let's just book it."

"Was that a pun? Book it, library?"
"Haha, funny. Let's just get out of here."

Emilia stood up and stretched out her arms, twisting her back around. She hoisted her backpack on her shoulder and cowered behind him.

"On the count of three, I'm going to open the door, alright?"

"Alright."

"One, two, three."

Nick turned the handle and the door creaked open. Emilia peered to his side to see the librarian behind her desk just twenty feet away from them. They tiptoed out and hid behind the wall separating them from the librarian. Nick tipped his hat further down his forehead, hiding his eyes. Emilia flushly trotted alongside him as they ventured out of their hiding spot. Nick led the way and nodded at the librarian as they passed. Emilia glanced backwards at the woman once they reached the door handle and saw the woman's forehead crinkle and her eyebrows furrow.

They burst out into the fresh air and Emilia inhaled deeply. The fresh fall air hit her body like a refreshing shower, goosebumps rising on her arms. The pair stood on the front steps of the library in silence for a few minutes, just letting the sun absorb into their skin. She glanced at Nick, who just looked straight ahead at the campus in front of him. Suddenly, he craned his neck and gazed back at her. Emilia felt giggles bubble in the pit of her stomach, and soon, fits of laughter came from the two of them. She blinked tears out of her eyes and inhaled deeply. She needed to sleep.

"I guess this is goodbye," Emilia whispered, shifting her eyes to the brick building directly across from them.

He didn't reply right away, but she peripherally saw him look away. "I guess so."

Emilia shuffled her feet and slowly descended the steps. She dipped her toe to the ground but suddenly retracted it, standing on the edge of the last step. Looking back at him, her mouth ran dry. "I had a good time last night."

He cracked a small smile, a shadow separating half his face because of the brim of his baseball cap. "Me too. See you around, Library Girl."

a/n
i actually like this chapter!! what are your thoughts? how will this "see you around" go...? hmm. leave your predictions and thoughts in the comments, and vote if you liked it!!

i'm so looking forward to halloween, give me suggestions as to what i should dress up as!

this chapter is dedicated to @patriciawaters for their sweet comment!! see you guys next friday. i hope you're liking the book so far :)

stay safe
-sc