Andy's POV
“Perfect! Thanks, dad. You’re the best.” she said and a small smile tugged at my lips. Things were really better between them.
Jason chuckled, amused by her enthusiasm, and gave me a little nod. “Guess we have a library date, huh?”
I felt my cheeks warm at the way he phrased it, but I brushed it off with a laugh. “Guess so.”
Bree grinned from ear to ear, satisfied with the outcome. “Great! I don’t feel so bad about double planning for tomorrow anymore. You get to see the beautiful library and I get to go on my date.
Polina who was silent and now finally done with cooking, plated our food and set it in front of us. The aroma of the food alone had me salivating and my stomach growling.
Jason walked to the other side of the counter, took a seat and leaned forward. “You’ll enjoy the library,” he said. “It’s actually pretty impressive.”
I raised a surprised brow, surprised he knew anything about it. I didn't take him as the reading type.
“Have you gone there before?” I asked.
“Yeah, I have,” he said, his eyes lingering on my body.
“It’s… peaceful,” he added.
I felt there was something about the way he described the library and that it had another meaning but I shook my head and pushed that thought away as I focused on my food.
When we were finally done eating, Bree stood up before she spoke up.
“All right! I need to figure out what to wear for tomorrow.”
I gave her a mock serious nod. “Make sure it’s something fabulous.”
Bree let out a laugh while rolling her eyes.
“Of course, you know me.” she said and I smiled.
I did know her.
She walked away from the kitchen and headed back to her room and I shook my head slightly. I had almost forgotten Jason was still here until he spoke up.
“So are you looking forward to tomorrow?” He asked and I nodded while smiling at him. My heart skipped a bit as I saw the beautiful smile he shot back at me.
“Yeah. Should be fun.” I said.
“Good,” he said, his voice low and steady.
“I’ll make sure it is.” he added and I blinked in surprise.
I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like this library trip might turn out to be more complicated than I initially thought.
~~
It was already the next evening and I was sitting on Bree’s bed as she got ready for her date. From where I was sitting, I saw as she went through different shoes and clothes before she finally picked the one she thought was perfect.
“Is this dress beautiful enough?” She asked as she showed me a black dress.
I stifled a laugh. “It makes you look like a goddess. Dominic won’t know what hit him.”
She gave me a playful eye roll, but I could see her nerves creeping in. It wasn’t often Bree got excited about a date, and seeing her this way made me both happy and curious. Maybe Dominic was different, after all.
As she prepared, I couldn’t help but feel a bit restless. I was going on a library ‘date’ with Jason and I didn’t know how to feel about it. I could not wait to see the library but I was dreading having to be so close to Jason.
But, if the library was as beautiful as Bree had described, I was sure that I was going to enjoy myself. I mean, book galore.
“I hope you are ready for the big day ahead,” Bree said teasingly from the vanity desk as she applied her makeup.
“Big day? I’m just heading to the library,” I asked as I rolled my eyes, but I could not help the smile that made its way to my face.
“Dad better not make it boring,” Bree said with a smirk.
I laughed. “I think I can survive a few hours with him.”
Bree finished her makeup, then turned to me, looking radiant. “Okay, wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck. Just be yourself,” I told her.
She threw me a smile one last time after we separated from a hug as she made her way to the door. I heard the door shut and Dominic’s car drive away and I started feeling anxious immediately.
Jason appeared in the doorway a few minutes later, his presence commanding the space with quiet confidence. “Are you ready to go?”
I nodded at him as I reached for my purse. “Yes I am.”
We got to the car and when I was settled in, Jason started the car and we headed to our destination. The drive to the library was silent and suffocating. I tried to distract myself by looking out the window but I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by his presence beside me.
When we finally got to the library, I could not help but stare in amazement. The library was even more beautiful than Bree had described, it superseded my imagination. It was a tall building with the most breathtaking aesthetic.
The bookshelves inside it stretched from top to bottom with different books. Long glass windows greeted us and the ceiling was designed so beautifully.
I was so tongue tied and it was like I had stepped into another world.
Jason led me further inside and I had to force my mouth shut as I basically swallowed every inch of beauty of the world I had just entered.
He spoke to the librarian but I wasn't even listening.
“We are the only ones here,” Jason announced once we were lost in between some shelves.
“What do you mean?” I asked as I turned to look at him.
“I rented it out,” he replied with a small, almost shy smile. “Figured you’d like the quiet.”
I could not help but smile at his words, he was so thoughtful. “You really did not have-”
“I wanted to,” he said, cutting me off.
“Thank you” I said, a genuine smile making its way to my lips.
We kept walking into different parts of the library and I felt like a child that was given its favorite toy. There were more books that I could count- every book that was hard to buy or read online was there. I had never seen anything like it before.
I lost myself in the books as I kept going through different shelves filled with books. I was not able to choose the ones I wanted to read. Jason was just there, standing quietly and not saying anything. I knew he was looking at me because I could feel tingles everywhere his eyes landed on my body.
After going through so many books, I finally picked the ones I wanted to check out and we went to sit at a beautiful reading corner. The chairs were comfortable and I felt like I could live there forever. As I got lost in the books, Jason sat there silently.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” He asked, finally speaking up.
“More than I can say,” I replied, a smile making its way to my face.
He smiled back at me and we fell into a comfortable silence. I focused back on my book and got lost in it but I could still feel his eyes on my body and no matter how hard I tried to fully concentrate, I couldn’t.
“You really love reading, don't you?” Jason asked in a low husky voice.
“I really do. I live for books” I said in a soft voice.
Jason adjusted on the chair and leaned closer to me. I looked up and noticed his eyes had become darker and I immediately felt like the big room became smaller.
“I like seeing you like this- so focused and lost in your own world,” he said to me in a low voice.
“You seem… at peace. It's so intriguing” he said and I bit my lips in response.
My cheeks grew hot. He was so close to me. I could not breathe, it slowly felt like the walls were closing in on me as he captured my very essence. I could see the way his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, I could see how soft and rosy his lips were, I could feel how his eyes focused on me like I was the most important thing that had ever existed.
I tried to look away, to focus on the book in my hand or something else but I could not stop staring at him.
“T- thank you,” I finally managed to say, my voice barely audible.
He didn’t say anything, but instead he kept on looking at me.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look as beautiful as you do when you’re so focused or lost in your books.” he said, his voice low and husky.
It did things to me. My stomach somersaulted.
My breath got caught in my throat, his words and his eyes on me were too much. It was overwhelming and I wanted to run away but I was frozen. I didn’t look away from him. I just couldn’t.
We just sat there, staring at each other for what seemed like minutes on end. My body tingled in response to him. I wanted him, I wanted him so bad.
I could feel my body shaking and I just wanted to be in his arms and kiss his lips.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself.
“We should probably-” I started to say.
“I know,” he cut me off, his voice rough.
But neither of us moved.