Julie eyed me with a curious gaze the next morning. She looked at me up and down, as if assessing me like a specimen under the microscope.

"Are you sure you haven't had enough sleep last night? You look more..."

"Haggard?" 

"No... in fact, you look more rejuvenated than I've seen you in days. Or maybe it's the skincare? You gotta tell me your secret! Now!"

I smiled hesitantly and continued my walk to class. Julie had classes in social sciences, their building only a few blocks away from mine. I highly suspect she waited for me at the gate, but Julie brushed it off and called it a 'coincidence'. I know my cousin. This is her way of checking up on me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I yawned. "And you know I barely have time to do skincare with the amount of assignments I have everyday."

Julie rolled her eyes as if I said something offensive. "And yet you still look presentable without even trying. I'm a bit jealous."  

I smiled, knowing it was far from the truth. Ever since I moved to Eastwood, I admit I became less conscious about my appearance. Part of me just didn't put in much effort these days, especially since I'm still healing from the breakup. I know some girls have this post-breakup glow-up and all, but I just... didn't care much at all. Maybe because I was too focused on picking up my broken pieces to care about what they look like now, or because I don't see it necessary now that I'm single again.

It's hard to explain, and sometimes I think the heartache altered my brain chemistry altogether.

I don't know.

"...two weeks from now. They're holding the festival earlier this year, which I think is a lot better."

I blinked, realizing Julie had been talking to me. "I'm sorry, what?"

She turned to me and gaped, couldn't believe that I wasn't listening again. I lowered my head in embarrassment, blaming it on the lack of sleep.

"Seriously, Ebony? I'm getting worried you'll doze off like that in your classes too," Julie sighed and offered me a concerned look. "I was talking about the upcoming Ghost Festival in ECU. It's an annual event that happens every August."

"August? If it's a Ghost Fest, why don't they just do it on Holloween or something?"

"Because August is the ghost month, and let me tell you, the townsfolks take these celebrations seriously. Eastwood is a place that adores anything beyond the norm. Sometimes I think this town is a paranormal hotspot with all the stories and myths going around."

As Julie explained the festival and the beliefs surrounding it, my mind drifted off to my unexpected adventure last night. For a month, I was tempted to tell Julie that the popular Library Ghost people have been crazy about turns out to be just a weird guy who likes to play dress up, even building a little kingdom of books inside the public library as if isolating himself from the world.

However, no words left my mouth.

'Tell her? Do you think she'll believe you? It's best to keep it a secret,' my rational side convinced me to keep it under lock and key.

But I know that I am just greedy. It's less about gatekeeping Ronan's existence and more about wanting to have a secret of my own.

*

"So, what's your favorite genre?"

"I... don't know."

The Library Ghost lifted his gaze from the clipboard, looking more like a psychiatrist who couldn't believe what his patient told him rather than a stranger that is figuring out what book to recommend.

"Romance?"

A pause. Yes?

"No."

"Mystery?"

"No. My brain hurts from thinking too much about mysteries. Too stressful."

"Okay, then. What about fantasy?"

"The books are too thick and the paragraphs are too wordy."

He laughed and nodded, "Point taken. Then what about some paranormal novels?"

Tempting but...

"I'm not into paranormal."

"But you just hunted a ghost inside the public library?" Ronan countered, the teasing tone in his voice was unmistakable.

I huffed and looked away, knowing he was right. We were seated on white blankets in his little kingdom inside The Eastwood Archives. The fairy lights provided a warm glow around us as Ronan tried to narrow down the long list of what he's gonna recommend for my book review. Beside him lay the half-empty packet of chocolate chip cookies I bought from the nearby convenience store earlier.

After a while of crossing down and writing something on his clipboard, Ronan looked up and did a thumbs up.

"What about a classic?"

I frowned, remembering all the classic literature I tried to read not long ago. I never even got past the first ten pages before putting them down. "I don't think that's gonna work..."

"And why is that?"

"Because I barely got the patience to read the other books. What more with a classic one?"

"Well, you know what they say... a person who doesn't read just hasn't found the right book yet," he gently replied and stood up, making a beeline for the shelves on the North wing of his territory. Confused, I followed him around, my eyes scanning the spines of leatherbound titles. When Ronan finally reached the end of the shelf, he reached out a hand from under his blanket and felt the book spines.

It was dimly lit in this area, and yet I couldn't help but notice his hand. I've seen a lot of male hands in the past, but I don't think I've seen one as delicate as his. My eyes unconsciously followed his slender fingers brush across the books as if caressing a lover in a passionate encounter.

'What the hell, Ebony?'

I immediately looked away, ashamed of the unnecessary thoughts.

"Ah, found it."

Ronan then pulled out one of the books from the top shelf and handed it to me excitedly.

I've heard about this one from a few colleagues, but I never found it interesting, to say the least. When I raised my eyes, I saw Ronan patiently waiting for my response. It wasn't the pressuring kind of thing, rather it was a silent inquiry of "well, what do you think?" paired with the warmth of his brown eyes. I lowered my gaze, not used to anyone asking me what I liked or my opinion on things. If I were to be honest with myself, I guess I just didn't have the opportunity to make decisions on my own.

Meanwhile, Ronan looks so passionate about literature and I can't help but wonder...

What was that saying again? To never judge a book by its cover?

Maybe this is a start. Finally, I nodded.

"Let's give it a go."

"Excellent," Ronan replied. "And in case you get bored or want to change the story in the middle of our reading, just feel free to let me know."

"But won't that be an inconvenience for you? You'll be the one reading every word of it?"

"Nonsense. Your preferences are a priority, Ebony. I don't mind reading you a hundred books until you find a story you like. I'm serious."

I stared at him for a moment too long before a smile broke my lips.

"Thank you, Ronan."

And that was how we found the book the Library Ghost was gonna read me for my book review.

---