VII

~Aoife~

Well, that didn’t go well. How could I expect good from the wrong person? How did I hope he would let me go quickly?

They plotted against me, and now they started being physical. Zareena pushed me hard, and I got scratches on my hand and elbow. But I was wondering why Xander behaved differently. He even said sorry, even when he knew he was behind all this chaos.

After my strange meeting with Xander, I came to my class, where Luka and Clara were waiting for me.

“Is everything alright? What did he say?” Clara jumped on her toes.

I pressed my lips. What should I say? 

I told them everything, and I could feel they struggled to believe what Xander did for me. It was surprising to me how he stopped Zareena and extended his hand for help.

“Well, I don’t know why it happened?” I rolled my eyes while conveying every detail.

“Change of heart?” Clara raised her brow.

“Xander? Change of heart?... NEVER,” Luka resisted.

“You are right.” I supported Luka’s words.

“I saw him putting that nasty picture on my locker,”

Luka supported me.

We talked a little more, but I could feel they wanted some time alone.

“Ok, I need to check out some books. Do you know where the library is? I forget, is this on the right side or left?” 

I took off, leaving these new love birds alone in the classroom.

The college was over, and most students were out or headed home. I walked myself to my favorite place; The Library.

Standing outside the library door, I felt like I was home. With a peak, I saw row after row of neatly lined up books with their spines facing outward, color-coded with dots, fiction section arranged in alphabetical order, young adults section, and biographies of ancient people. Comfortable leather armchairs. Tables for quiet study, muffled stillness, librarian at the help desk, coarse cheap carpet on the floor, computers for doing book searches, computers for surfing the web.

As vampires can sniff the blood from far away, book lovers like me can inhale the fragrance of books from miles away.

I entered and found myself surrounded by thousands of books. 

Suddenly, my eyes landed on a poster saying.

I do believe something magical can happen when you read a good book- J. K. Rowling.

Now that’s the energy I was talking about that wanted me to wake up in the morning. I

“The library is closed.” The voice was old and breathy.

I walked towards the source and found an old lady standing on the ladder, trying to arrange some books.

“Hello, mam, I am new here.” Composing my excitement, I answered.

She coughed with her eyes scanning me.

“So, I can’t help you now. Can’t you see I am trying to arrange these books? Come tomorrow.” 

Well, that wasn’t nice. But I let it go; looking at her age, she felt annoyed by a student like me.

She grabbed another book. But I didn’t come here to give up.

I looked at her; without a second thought, I said,

“Can I help you? I would love to arrange all these books for you.” With an ear-to-ear smile, I conveyed my message.

Her angry look and piercing eyes changed into a soft glaze as she chuckled.

“Thank you. My husband is out, and there is no one to help me.”

She rolled her eyes as she told me about the students who didn’t care about the books; they left the books here and there. It was a demanding job for her.

“You don’t have a helper?” I asked while arranging the books from the trolly.

“Nope, but we told the management we need a young helper.” She passed her last book.

“Can I help you till the time you get a new helper? I love to spend time in the library. And I can stay for a long time as I lived in the campus dorm.” 

She could feel the excitement in my voice.

Her wrinkled smile gave me her agreement.

“Sure, I would be happy to give this job to a book lover. So tell me, what is the name of this beautiful girl?” She patted my back.

“I am Aoife Marshall. I am a freshman. And you are?”

“I am Mrs. Agnes. The caretaker of these books. The librarian of this college and keeper of this beautiful place.” Her smile widened when she introduced herself.

Within a few moments, we understood we were book lovers.

“So can I call you Aunt Agnes? Or Agnes Mam?” I said.

“Call me, Aunt Agnes. You will be the second person from this college to whom I allowed this.”

She said,

“Second? Who is first?” I asked excitedly.

“It’s Matt who can call this beautiful woman Aunt Agnes.” 

An unknown voice echoed in this silent place.

We turned and found out a handsome man had walked toward us. He was tall with a cute smile. His hair was blond, which compliments his personality. He came over and hugged Aunt Agnes.

I looked stunned; he changed the aura of this place; it’s more lively now.

He said hello to me, and my hand flowed towards the gesture without my knowledge.

“Hi, I am Matt Donovan. And you are?” He asked.

“I am Aoife Marshall,” I answered with a blushed smile.

He furrowed his brow as he was trying to recall something.

“Are you a freshman?” He said.

“Yes, are you my senior?” I shot another question.

“Yes,” He answered immediately.

Once I heard his answer, I lowered my peer and greeted him.

“I am sorry, sir. I didn’t know that.” All the excitement in my voice vanished suddenly.

Matt looked at Aunt Agnes, and they laughed together.

“Hey, Aoife. Chill. I am not like those who wanted you to follow these stupid rules. And I am not sir to you; call me Matt.”

He extended his hand again.

A smile sprinkled on my cheeks. It was a significant relief for me; at least someone is there amongst the seniors who treat their juniors like humans.

I saw Aunt Agnes was smiling too. She adores him.

“He is my kind-hearted boy. And another bookworm,” 

That’s cute.

“Do you guys want some coffee?” she patted his back.

We nodded, and there she went to make coffee for us.

We took another trolly to place the books on the shelves.

I climbed the ladder as Matt helped to pass through the books.

“So, you are the one everyone was talking about?” He said.

I looked at him with an upset face.

“Lucky me,” I answered in a lower voice.

Suddenly, he got a call. He moved towards the window.

“Hello,” 

“I am in the library.”

“I am not coming. I am helping someone.”

“No, not Aunt Agnes”

“I will tell you,”

“Don’t wait, bye,”

He hung up the call and walked towards me, passing another book.

Unintentionally, it touched my elbow.

“Ahh...,” a painful voice came out.

“Are you OK?” he said.

I pulled my sleeves up and saw the scratch filled with droplets of blood.

“Come down.” He pulled me immediately from the ladder.

“How did you get hurt? We need to clean this.”

“Aunt, where is the first aid box?” He said all this in one breath.

I was standing next to the chair when he held my hand.

He looked at my scratch with an intense gaze.

He seemed caring to me.

Hastily, he took out the cotton and dipped it in Dettol.

“This is going to hurt,” he said.

I squinted, knowing it would make me scream as I used to in childhood.

He pressed my wound with the cotton dipped in the Dettol.

A painful moan escaped my mouth as tears rolled through my eyes.

I cringed the chair hard as I could feel my nails inserted in, channelizing all my screams towards the flinched chair.

My big tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Are you ok?” My eyes were closed as I heard a voice.

I thought it was Matt who questioned me, but when I opened my eyes, Matt was blowing air on my wound.

I felt another presence beside me when I saw my hand had not flinched on the chair. My nails were pierced in somebody’s hand. From the corner of my eyes, I saw something unexpected.

“You,”

 “I am sorry. Sir,” out of the blue, what was he doing here?

It was Xander. But when did he come here?

And why was he standing next to me? Why does my hand flinch at his wrist?

Lots of questions boomed in my mind. I jerked my hand from my wrist. “What are you doing here?” Matt questioned.

He didn’t answer them because he was busy looking at my nervous, flushed face. I gulped my lump and backed myself and lowered my peers immediately.

“Xan, what?” Matt asked again.

Looking at his wrist, I somehow felt he would punish me for this. Why am I the only one who used to get trapped in these situations?

“Nothing came to see you,” Xander answered, his eyes pasted on me.

Miss Agnes offered the coffee to Matt and me. To fix the damages I have done, I extended mine towards Xander.

“I will make one for you,” Matt answered.

The environment was a bit suffocating for me. 

Aunt Agnes walked inside to help Matt, leaving me with the man I feared presently.

Xander and I were left alone in this prominent place.

“Are you ok?” He questioned in a husky voice.

I nodded as I took the moisturizer from my bag and asked for his hand, keeping my eyes down.

“I am sorry. I didn’t know about your hand.”

“I can put in some moisturizer,” I signaled towards his hand.

He darkened me with his shadow and pulled up his sleeves as I applied the moisturizer to the affected areas.

It must have hurt him.

And somehow, I felt he deserved that for humiliating me.

But I am not an evil person. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I tried my best to caress the cream with my finger pads.

I could feel warm air brushing my forehead and goosebumps on his hand. Whatever was happening between us was awkward. He made my life hell, and what am I doing to him? 

He kept the stinky bucket for me, wrote nasty comments on my locker, and what am I doing here? 

I am putting moisturizer on his wounds.

I was battling inside from good to bad.

And he was looking at me quietly.

I backed myself up. Without looking at him, I picked up my bag.

“Hey, your coffee,” Matt’s voice comes from the back.

I didn’t look back. I couldn’t handle his presence near me. 

“Next time,” These words I left behind before I walked out of the door.