Shelving Secrets

She held the book flat against her chest, furiously glancing left and right. Good, no one she knew in sight.

Walking up to the front desk, she held out her precious find to the old lady behind the counter while at the same time struggling to grab her library card out of her backpack. However, trying to do both at the same times proved to be less efficient than she previously thought.

The old woman just calmly sat with a smile. "Maka, nice to see you again this week!"

"Nice to see you too…Mrs. Barker," she mumbled, but Maka knew the elder heard her reply, anyways.

"What is it this time…oh, Andrew Clement's No Talking. An excellent choice, if I do say so myself."

"Yes, yes, now could you hurry before anyone comes..!"

Mrs. Barker checked out the book and shook her head. "Always panicking," she said wistfully as she gave it back.

Maka rushed her thanks and took off nearly instantly to the back of the library, towards the reference section that no one dared to go through. If anyone cared to look at her, all they would see is a thirteen year old girl scurrying off to the second story.

And yet, if they looked closer, they'd notice that it was all a guise, her pigtails and short skirt only there to hide the fact that she was a twenty one year old woman who enjoyed reading silly juvenile novels when the stress was too much.

Hence the secrecy.

But Maka couldn't find any other way to calm down! Her criminology major required hours and hours of work, and the books were her guilty pleasure. She found solace and comfort in those inked words on the page; it was like a blanket from one's childhood, safe and warm and always there…

If any of her friends knew…they'd just tell her to grow up. And Maka was grown up, thank you very much. Well, at least she felt that way most of the time.

Finally reaching her destination (a chair tucked inside an aisle filled with manuals) she sighed and dropped her bag to the floor.

Before she could completely relax, she scanned the shelves for something to use as a cover: a book to hide her book, in case someone ventured too close.

Her eyes locked onto a hefty tome on model airplanes. There!

Maka's fingertips reached for the book and pulled it out…

…And her eyes met someone else's.

Thunk.

Of their own accord, her fingers had slammed the book back in. Her heart thumped as she began to panic. Certainly, there couldn't be anyone actually here, right? Never, in all her visits to the public library closest to her university, had she come across someone her own age in the reference section. The occasional grandparent, perhaps, wanting to look at an old car guidebook…but never someone that young! And those eyes were young, definitely young and were they crimson red or was that her overactive imagination?

Maka took a deep breath to rationalize herself. Calm down. It wasn't like the other person was in the same aisle, right? All she had to do was give it a few minutes, and they would be long gone.

Teetering in her chair, she tried to listen to the other person. Between the bookcases, she could hear a shallow breath. Small wisps of music. Whoever this was, they were listening to their mp3 in a library. It struck Maka as kind of odd.

And then she heard it. A creaking sound, like something was moving on wheels for a few seconds. Then the sound stopped, only to be replaced by the soft plop thunk plop of books being put on the shelves.

She paled. This wasn't just a curious lurker! It was a library assistant. Maka had seen them before, wheeling their huge cart of books around, but she always tried to avoid them when she was handling Roald Dahl or Judy Blume or Gary Paulson.

But she was never there when they shelved in the Dewey-decimal laced Reference Section. Not many people stopped by to check out books, anyways.

What was she to do? Stay there and pursue her secret reading before she had to go off to meet her friend Tsubaki? She could try to leave, but that would mean having to go past the aisle the assistant was in, and for image's sake she didn't want to look strange to whoever it was.

Before she could decide a plan of action, the squealing of wheels alerted her to the library assistant turning into her hiding place.

She froze in place and stared at the intruder. He had a shock of white hair upon his head, which was crazy but for some reason looked natural. Also, a glance at his eyes confirmed that like she thought, they were as red as blood. She gazed at him as he gazed at her, and she wondered if he knew that it was her who slammed a book in his face (sort of). Maka had just noticed his skull earplugs when his eyes drifted to her book, her face, and back down to her book again…

…The No Talking book by Andrew Clements.

Caught.

Continuing to gauge his reaction, she prepared herself for the inevitable. The boy would soon start laughing, and the entire library would hear, and his hoodie had her University's logo on it which meant, wonderful, soon the entire campus would find out..!

And yet nothing happened. His face gave a slight twitch, the corner of his eyebrow quirked just a little, but not a chuckle escaped.

Turning back to the library cart, he began to shelve books again.

For a moment, her brain couldn't believe it. Did he really just not care? Or, she thought, looking grimly down at her attire, did she really have her disguise as a child perfected?

Her phone abruptly buzzed in her bag. Picking it up, she glanced at the Caller ID and gasped. Tsubaki at 2 for coffee! She'd nearly forgotten.

Quickly gathering her items, she found her path stopped by the stranger and his cart. She made asked him if he could move, but the music blocked his ears until she nervously tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sorry," He gruffed, taking out an earphone and moving the books.

"T-thanks…" Their eyes connected for a moment as she passed.

Then, for one moment of insanity, her words tumbled out.

"What's your name?"

He blinked and slowly tapped a nametag that she hadn't noticed before.

'SOUL' it said, scrawled in big, proud letters.

"That's interesting," she commented sincerely. Then she realized he was waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Oh, ah, my name's…"a flash of raven hair passed her eyes, "…Tsubaki."

She hoped her best friend wouldn't mind her borrowing her name, but at that moment it seemed like if she gave up her real name it would be some sort of link that he could trace back to her. However, that didn't really make any logical sense, now that she thought about it, and she cursed herself for panicking and coming up with another name.

A strange curious spark overcame this Soul's eyes. Maka was instantly afraid he would call her bluff, but he just shrugged and returned to shelving books.

Tucking the secret book into her bag, she quickly left the library, feeling ashamed for a reason she could not name.

…

Skirt Replaced: Check. Hair Down: Check.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Maka was once again amazed with how a few details could really change her own appearance.

She stuffed her rumpled skirt a little bit deeper into her tote, just in case, and rushed out of the bathroom to meet Tsubaki at the campus coffee shop.

When she arrived, out of breath from the fast pace she set for herself, she found her best friend sitting at their usual table looking anxious.

Maka sighed. Her best friend could easily be the kindest person on campus, and yet she constantly worried for everyone and anyone. She went over and sat down.

"Ah! Maka!" Tsubaki's blue eyes immediately brightened.

"Good Afternoon, Tsubaki. Why the long face, though?"

"Uh, well, you see…"

They were interrupted by a waiter who brought them their orders. Maka thanked Tsubaki for getting her a black coffee ahead of time.

Tsubaki stirred her espresso nervously as Maka added three packets of sugar to her drink.

"So what did Black Star do this time, huh?"

"He didn't do anything!" Tsubaki squeaked, and Maka fought back a chuckle at her protective outburst. It was sadly true that her best friend's boyfriend did a lot to Tsubaki's fragile nerves, as he was always giving random speeches in the courtyard or posting flyers on memo boards that all seemed to go back to how awesome and godly he was. He had gotten his fair share of warnings, and had even managed to make a few enemies, but when it came to it he was a good person.

Most of the time, anyways.

"It's just…"Maka snapped up from her mind rant and glanced at Tsubaki, "…in two weeks I'm going to meet Black Star's best friend."

"That's great, Tsubaki!"

"Yes, but..!" She fidgeted some more, "…But what if he doesn't like me? Black Star and his best friend are really, really close, and if I make a bad impression then what if he tells Black Star to break up with me and all I know is his name, and, and…"
"Stop freaking out!" Maka placed her hand on Tsubaki's shoulder in a hopefully comforting manner. "I'm sure Black Star's best friend, whoever he is, will simply love you..."

"L-love me?"

"Not literally, calm down. Anyways, you guys will be fine, and if he doesn't like you Liz and Patty and I can all make sure he pays." She cracked a grin at her best friend, and Tsubaki returned it with a growing smile.

"Thanks, Maka. You always know the right things to say."

"Anytime."

"Would you…"the raven haired girl scrunched up her face, "…never mind."

"What? What is it?"

"Would you mind coming with me when I meet Black Star and his best friend? Please? I would feel so much better if you were there with me, I just know it!"

"Of course. Just tell me when." Both the girls smiled and then they began to sip their coffee, talking idly for the rest of the time.

…

Every. Single. Day.

She had a lot of free time lately, so she'd go to the Reference Section in the public library to read snippets of the book she'd checked out. She couldn't read in the University's library: with her luck, a guy she knew from her Statistics class named Ox Ford would recognize her.

Maka found it odd that he actually read the hefty stuff in the reference section. Of course, where did that put her?

It was just like any of the other times she read there…except now, everyday, she had come to expect a certain library assistant.

Soul. And odd name for an odd person.

All she had to do was sit down for a few minutes, and surely enough, he'd come tumbling by. Sometimes, he was a few aisles away. Other times, he was directly there in her sacred aisle, and she'd feel so distracted that her eyes would glaze over the same paragraph over and over and over…

It was either really annoying or really intriguing.

Another strange thing was that Soul only ever wore one earphone now. Maybe so that people could get past him if they needed to.

One day, he was shelving right next to her spot on the chair. Maybe it was the proximity or the fact that she gave up on reading whenever he was in sight, but she struck up a conversation.

"So, Soul…"

He gave a glance in her direction and continued his work. "Yes?"

"What are you studying in DWMA?"

She pointed meekly at his hoodie, and he glanced down at the black and white school colors.

"Business."

"Really?" She was surprised. For some reason, he didn't seem like the type to go into such a…boring, for lack of better words, major.

"Yeah. I wanted to go into Music, but...my dad wouldn't let me. Said he was the one paying for it, so he would choose what I do."

"That's harsh."

"I…guess." His eyes looked far away and did not look at her. "What about you?"

"Me?" she panicked and remembered her cover. "Um, I'm about to be fourteen, but I'm planning on going to DWMA when I grow up. Oh, but I know some people who go there. Relatives."

She tried not to squirm under his steady gaze as he looked her once over again. She could almost see the motions in his head: the short height, childish hair, clothing…the lack of breasts that she inherited from her mother (and had at one point, agonized over).

He shook his head slowly and returned once more to shelving the books. She let out a breath. Her lie had held up.

"Hey, Tsubaki?"

Maka sat up, startled as she remembered that she had used her friend's name as an alias.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning at the way her voice pitch heightened at the end.

"Do you…never mind."

They both stayed still in uncomfortable silence before she heard the inevitable thunk of paper and bindings being placed in the right spot.

She was surprised when he spoke up again. "Is that a good book?"

"It is. It's about this entire school grade that decides to keep silent as part of a competition…boys against girls and the like. At the end…oh sorry, am I boring you?"

"Nah, you can tell me 'bout it. It's not like I'm going anywhere soon." He snorted as he showed her a book in his hands as he added it to the shelves.

It was funny, but she found herself smiling just a little bit. Soul was rather easy to talk to, and the rest of that afternoon was full of smiles and sunshine and the crisp scent of inked pages.

…

After a week, she found out more about him.

His odd-colored hair and eyes were indeed natural. He was okay with studying business like his father wanted him too, but he really hoped to focus on the music industry. Soul even confessed that he had a dream of owning his own studio.

But he hated studying. And when he did study, his music would follow him. Other than that, he also enjoyed basketball and just looking up at the stars every once in a while.

He was so different from Maka in every sense, that she almost felt like they were made like yin and yang, her being all studious and book smart and trying to outdo her chief of police father, and him just barely attempting to make his father happy.

And yet their conversations just…clicked. It was like a connection had been made out of the little snippets of words that were exchanged, the few stolen minutes in the library each day.

At the end of that week, Maka started to realize that she may be starting to like this mysterious stranger, which scared her to death because she was really the stranger for him.

Shaking her head to clear her guilty conscience, she watched as Tsubaki held up one dress, and then another, and then the original again. That evening was when they were at long last to meet Black Star's best friend, and it had been decided by the guys that they would meet at a club.

Maka pushed back a strand of her messy bun and checked her own appearance in Tsubaki's floor mirror. It was just her only pair of denim shorts with black tights underneath, and her torso was covered in a modest shirt that covered her chest but revealed her shoulders. The outfit made her feel mature.

And it was plain, simple. This was not really her night, anyways.

She was only going as Tsubaki's emotional support, and so she finally helped her frantic friend make a decision by pointing at the blue number she held in her right hand.

"That one will do. Leave the strapless red for when Black Star gets enough money to take you to a fancy restaurant, okay?"

Her friend smiled sheepishly and thanked Maka for her input.

They were ready within an hour, and the duo headed out just when the sun began to sink. Maka was driving, and occasionally she would glance to the side to see her friend nervously wringing her hands together.

She didn't see what the big deal was about. It was just Black Star's likely moronic friend, if they had anything in common.

When they arrived, Maka stretched out her legs and winced when she put pressure on her low heels. Despite being far from stilettos, the shoes were still rough and would likely leave a blister if she danced excessively that night. And with her being the designated driver, she probably would just sit at the bar nursing a soda or something.

Honestly, Maka would've rather been at home, secretly reading Matilda, a new book she'd picked up from the library that morning. But this was something for her friend since freshman year, and Tsubaki had stayed with her for way more complicated and time consuming events than this one.

They walked into the club with Tsubaki's hand clamped onto Maka's bare shoulder. The pounding of the bass made her flinch, but she knew she'd adjust.

After looking for just a moment, Maka located Black Star's crazy blue hair. She made her way towards him, and somewhere in the crowd she felt Tsubaki disappear.

"Hey..!"

She whipped around to see her friend in blue run away. Maka sighed. This wouldn't be the first time she ran away due to embarrassment.

She continued her journey across the dance floor nonetheless until she reached her destination.

"Hey!" smiled Black Star. His face quickly changed to one of confusion. "Where is she?" he frantically asked in Maka's ear.

"Back there," she replied, hooking a thumb towards the table where poor Tsubaki was burying her face in her arms.

"Okay! I'll be right back, will you be okay with hanging out with Soul?"

"Sure, I'll be…" her throat choked.

Soul?

She turned, but the Black Star was already running past couples to reach his girlfriend.

Slowly turning around, she faced her doom.

And there he was, different without his earphones but exactly how she knew him; dressed in casual clothing that only he could look good in and his shocking white hair.

But his red eyes were lifted high in surprise and confusion.

Maka couldn't hide anymore. She wasn't that thirteen year old she pretended to be in the library!

Her little secret was out.

Unless…

Cogs worked against each other in her brain as her sharp mind concocted a plan.

"Hi, I'm Maka!" she smiled and put out her hand for him to shake.

His expression was laced with disbelief but he took her hand anyways and they shook briefly.

"I'm Soul." He stated plainly. His face was a mask again and revealed nothing more.

"Oh, really? The one that works at the library?"
"Yes..." He glared at her tensely, and she gulped but continued.

"My little sister Tsubaki is always there. She says that you're a nice guy."

It was then that he started laughing. And her heart sank, because she knew then that she couldn't pull it off. He knew. Soul knew that she was a full grown woman who read silly children's books.

Soul composed himself quickly, but he still had a crazed glint in his eyes. "Where'd Black Star go?"

"He, uh…" Went to console his girlfriend because she was afraid you would reject her. "…he saw a friend he knew and went to go see her."

"Uh huh."

"Yeah."

They stared at one another and an uneasy silence set in. Without a word, they strolled up to the bar and each ordered a drink. When her virgin piña colada arrived, she slowly sipped it as she watched the bartender mix something highly alcoholic for Soul.

Absentmindedly, she pondered on how nice it was for him to be able to drink something that would be able to put this whole ordeal to the back of one's mind, because she was sure a little alcohol would help her crazy nerves.

The entire situation was messed up. Maka glanced at Soul downing his drink and decided then and there that she was going to have one last memory with him…

Because she was sure she could never go to the library ever again.

"Wanna dance?"

"What?" Maka didn't give him any time to react as she pulled him onto the dance floor.

They moved around awkwardly until she giggled and pulled him closer. Dancing wasn't really her scene, but one last night, one last memory…it sounded like she was Cinderella or something.

Somehow she was turning when she stumbled, and she heard him call out a "Hey, watch out!" before she was falling…

…and she felt strong, hefty hands hold her up and close.

"Soul..?" she asked, and then she looked up.

His eyes were suddenly dark from the dim lighting, intent on hers, and neither said a word.

Her hands were hanging around his broad back, and his hands, by their own accord, traveled upwards and were tangled in her hair.

He breathed out and it shuddered throughout both their bodies, and Maka's eyes fluttered as their mouths drifted closer...

Abruptly, Soul's hands pushed her back.

"We can't do this."

Disappointment flooded her brain. "Why…why not?"

"The books…the library…Tsubaki," he spat. She winced. "Isn't it obvious why?"

Her mind only processed half of his words.

The books.

So that was it. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

She pushed him away this time. "Sorry."

Running away, she stumbled a few more times but didn't care. It was all her fault. What sort of guy would Soul be, anyways, dating some stupid little immature girl stuck in an adult's body?

Maka went past where Black Star and Tsubaki were sitting, ignoring their concerned looks as she wiped at her eyes. She got into her car and drove home after letting a few heaved sobs escape her chest.

…

She finished the book in her apartment living room. Her roommates gave her funny looks, but she knew it was more because of all the crumpled tissues lying around and the empty gallon of ice cream than the book.

After mulling about it for a few days, she realized it was all her fault. She just should've gone somewhere else to complete her secret reading. Better yet, she should've never started relying on her childhood memories to make her feel less stressed anyways.

As she read the last page, she closed the book and tried to etch the last line in her brain forever.

Goodbye, childhood.

Going to the library was not joyful with anticipation like it always was. Her hairstyle was in her favorite pigtails; her favorite plaid skirt was paired with a smart looking sweater vest.

This was the last time she was going to wear those silly girlish things as well.

Opening the glass doors, she took a deep breath and glanced around the large room, one last time.

Returning the book, Maka walked over to Mrs. Barker.

"Hello, dear. What will it be today?" the old lady smiled.

"Nothing, I think."

A sad frown appeared on the old lady's face. "Oh. A pity, then."

They chatted for a little while before Maka made her goodbyes. She tried to make it seem less final than it really was, but Mrs. Barker could sense the change.

Turning around with a sigh, she walked her usual pathway to the back, but slowly, like she was retracing steps from countless visits before.

Before she completely turned into the reference section, she listened for the telltale creaking of wheels. Nothing.

Plopping down onto her soon-to-be-old chair, she closed her eyes for a moment. Wasn't it here, only two weeks ago, that she had met Soul for the first time? Oh yes, it was.

She propped an eye open and saw the heavy book on model airplanes, right where she had last seen it.

As if she was in a trance, she stood up slowly and her fingers brushed the book.

Maybe, maybe, if she took it away…

Taking it out, the emptiness just showed the next aisle.

…Soul would be there.

Her mouth twitched into a bittersweet smile. Of course. She felt her eyes prickle again with tears.

Before the first one fell, warm arms ensnared her waist.

"Hey." A warm, familiar voice tickled her ear.

"Soul! What, what are you doing here?" Shocked, she spun around and found herself pinned against the book shelf.

"Maka." He nuzzled her neck.

"H-huh?"

"Maka." He looked up to meet her eyes. "I didn't know it was you."

"What do you mean?" her breath hitched.

"I thought…your name was Tsubaki. And that you were dating my best friend."

He smirked, and Maka's face turned into one of apprehension.

Oh. Oh.

The puzzle pieces all fit together so nicely.

"So…so I can read my books? Even if they're immature and childish?"

His crimson eyes trailed to her hair and he tugged on one of her pigtails.

"Silly. I like you better this way, anyways."

She leapt into his arms.

A/N: For all my patient readers of Princess Charming. Love you all.