After the first week of running to the library for privacy, Jess bought bread, peanut butter, jelly, and other foods she could keep in the dorm, so she could make herself dinner in the morning and stuff it into her backpack for later. Total junk food diets would only take her so far.
Much to her surprise, every time she went to the library, her scholar was there. Luckily, she noticed that his clothes changed from day to day, otherwise she would have started doubting that he ever left.
She totally looked forward to the weekends. With all the study time she got during the week, she ended up pretty much free for the two days, and with her roommates as companions and the lack of a schedule by which anyone might attempt to intercept her movements and cause her grief, she almost felt free.
By the end of the second week it got to the point she couldn't take the same route twice to the library. She now wore running shoes every day, so she could take off the moment the bell rang, and a dark hat was folded in her backpack, with which to hide her telltale wavy blonde hair.
Little gifts kept being left in the dorm mailbox – flowers, chocolates, signed pictures of Roger. Despite her repeated requests, Shirl wouldn't throw them away when she found them, but would bring them to the room and set them on Jess' bed. Whenever she got home, Jess would just grab them and toss them in the trash. She didn't know why the redhead bothered. She doubted she and Shirl had spoken much at all since the argument. Not that coming in late every night gave them much of a chance. By weird silent agreement they both tried to pretend every thing was fine whenever Becky was around, which was most of the time.
Jess was getting very tired of the whole thing. She just possessed no idea what to do about it.
She tossed her backpack into the extra chair at her usual spot at the library and plopped down into hers. As had become habit, she glanced down the way to see if her scholar was there. It was rather sad how it perked up her day to see him there.
But who was he? Why was he down here every day? Was he that ugly? Totally socially inept? An ubber geek hermit?
It was none of her affair. She had enough problems of her own right now. But though she took out her books and opened them to her assignments, today she couldn't concentrate. More and more, she found her gaze straying across the long distance to the man sitting down the way.
Before she could really think about what she was doing, Jess set her book aside and rose to her feet. Surely getting a closer look at him wouldn't hurt, would it? Then maybe she could focus properly again.
She took the usual route toward the room's exit but didn't go out the door. Instead she went on down toward the other end of the stacks. She went around the last bookshelf junction before the wall and pretended to browse at the titles as she came close to the last set. Pulling out a book from the final stand of shelves, she half turned and took a peek past the black shelving.
The first thing that struck her was that his legs were long. The table and chairs seemed way too short for him. At the moment, he was leaning forward, taking notes on something he was reading. He seemed very intent, his long dark brown bangs hiding much of his face.
Jess bit her lip, leaning out a little more, trying to get a better look. She noticed him go suddenly still, and felt her own heart leap to her throat. Though she couldn't explain it, she was suddenly sure he knew she was there. Pulling quickly back, she shoved the book into the shelf and made a quick retreat.
She left the room entirely and made a pit stop, then came back as normally as possible and returned to her usual seat. Glancing his way, everything seemed the same as always. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Curiosity slightly satisfied, she made herself go back to her studies.
Over the next few days, despite her quick glimpse, her curiosity about the scholar grew and grew until it drove her half mad. But she was loath to do anything about it. As she lay awake that night, trying to go to sleep, she tore the need apart until she could understand it.
It wasn't that she really cared to find out anything one way or the other about this guy, but more of a case of her being lonely. In the dark, her roommates deep asleep, she fought to resist the urge to laugh. It was so pathetic, really. She was using her scholar as fodder for her imagination due to boredom and stress. She truly hadn't realized how outgoing and people oriented she really was until it was pretty much denied her. If it weren't for the weekends…
Yet this curiosity thing was becoming too distracting. In the three hours she spent at the library that night, she doubted she'd done a good hour's worth of work. It had to stop.
After some deep thought, she hit on what she hoped would be a solution.