It was the soft hiss of the door opening that made Zuko check his watch. On time as usual. He straightened his shirt before turning to greet his favorite card-carrying member.
"Just when I thought I would catch a break today." He said with a teasing grin, leaning forward onto the counter to get a better look at the visitor. She had forgone her usual braid today, her hair windswept and wild sticking out from under her knitted cap. Katara brushed the last remnants of snow from her coat and looked up to Zuko with a wide smile.
"If you think a little snow is going to keep me from reading the new Freida Lochlan book, you're sorely mistaken." She said breathlessly, taking her cap off and shaking her hair out. Zuko shook his head.
"Didn't you just tell me she was some whack job who didn't know her ass from a hole in the ground?" He asked, resting his chin in his hand. The darkening of her cheeks made him want to laugh. As it was he let out a small snort under his breath.
"That was before she got her act together. If you would just read 'Temptations in the Night'-"
"Pass."
"-then you would know she realized that the heroine doesn't need to be a homebody and a damsel in distress. The characters are more relatable and believable now."
Odd that he would choose to work in the library when he didn't care for personal reading. There were many times he considered handing in his resignation, but for some reason or another Zuko could listen to her go on and on about all these books and authors. Maybe it was how energetic she got when talking about them, hands constantly in motion and eyes dancing with excitement. Even now she was practically bouncing in place, her smile warm enough to ease the winter chill outside.
"Alright, so is it on the shelf already?" She asked, turning around to hunt down the book. Zuko quickly reached across the counter and caught her hand to stop her without thinking, his face growing warm when she whipped her head back around to look at him in surprise.
"I placed a reservation just in case you dropped by." He said, letting her go and moving to look at the trolley behind the desk quickly, feeling her eyes follow him closely. After thumbing through the stacks he pulled it out and returned to the counter, trying to act like nothing had happened. Dammit, all he did was take her hand. Why the hell was he acting like an idiot? He scanned the code and quickly input her information on the computer before handing the book out to her.
"Here you go." He said, his voice cracking some and making his fading blush flare up again. Katara looked up to him, chewing on her bottom lip in thought.
"Thanks… you know, you should give her a chance. Lochlan, I mean. She isn't half bad. Strong female character, brooding male counterpart, daring adventures… book four was my favorite." She said with a smile, pulling her hat back on and heading for the door. Zuko stared at the exit long after she was gone, brows furrowed in confusion at her parting words before he walked out from behind the counter and moved towards the aisles of books. After a moment he came to the shelf dedicated to Lochlan's work, reaching for the aforementioned book and laughed at the title.
"'Hungry for You'… geez, what a line."