Once the girl left Lauren to attend her incoming call, Lauren stood still on her feet leaning against the wall. She stood still for few more minutes but as she started feeling bore and her legs ached for rest. She decides to go and stay in the library. She makes her way inside the library awkwardly greeting the Librarian. But to her amusement, the librarian greeted her back with a wide smile. She felt delusional whether this was genuine or an act, after all, the way he had treated her during the detention.
She smiles a little bowing her head down as she slowly walks away but his voice makes her stop on her step.
"Hey, Lauren. Can I have a moment?"
She slowly turns around facing the librarian. She walks back and stands before him. He smiles observing her.
"Actually, I wanted to ask for help. As the helper has taken a sick leave and lots of books have been stocked up today in the storeroom. " He looks at her fidgeting with his finger. He sighs as he receives nothing but a confused look from Lauren.
"I will pay for your work. So, if you don't mind help me arrange a few books on the shelves. I will find others for your help and I will do some myself. " He continues and Lauren listens to him with wide eyes. It's not that she is desperate to earn and she doesn't need to but seeing the librarian desperately begging her to accept with his eyes made her think otherwise. She was conflicting with herself whether she should or she shouldn't.
"Err... Sir. I guess I have time before my next class. I-I would love to help you. " She says with a smile on her face. And with this very reply from her, the librarian was pleased as punch. He smiles giving a thumbs up for her as he gestures her to follow him. She was taken to an empty aisle with a number of racks or shelves empty. He stands in front of a pile consisting of books to be placed on those shelves. She swallows a big lump forming down her throat as she felt betrayed with the number of books piled up in front of her.
[Is this what we call a few? Gosh!! Will I finish this?] She thinks to herself glaring the back of the man standing in front of her giving her instructions.
"Then I will take my leave. I will send someone to help you. Do start with the top floor and arrange the book according to the number on the cover. Best of Luck!!" He says walking backward with his fists raised in the air in front of his chest gesturing her to work hard. Once he goes out of the sight, she grabs her hair and stomping her feet on the floor groaning as she eyes the piles of book.
[Ugh!! That cunning man. He definitely has a personality disorder. ] She says glaring at the direction he just disappeared at. She looks back at the pile of books.
[Look at him being all good and soft to make me work. Last time he behaved like a beast torturing me. ] She curses under her breathe as she keeps talking to herself.
She finally let her hands drop by her side letting her hair loose after being pulled hard by her own hands. She sighs pulling the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbow as she prepares herself for work. She then bends down grabbing a book. She remembers being told to fill the upper compartments first. She then grabs a folding Library ladder, she drags it towards the bookshelf. As she places it perfectly under the shelf, she grabs few books matching with the number coated in there.
Then she climbs up the ladder, making her steps firm and steady avoiding a fall. She then climbs up till the second-last paddle and stands up straight reaching out for a book and placing it on the bookshelf. She continues doing it for a while. Grabbing a pile of books and climbing up the ladder and placing the book on it neatly arranged.
After half an hour, she still had long to go with arranging the books. She was sweating and panting inhaling a deep breath with her chest heaving up and down. She wipes the sweat forming on her forehead with her sleeve. She then sighs grabbing a little more books than she had before. She was confident that she could handle those books with all the book she had carried.
As she climbed up, she felt her legs wiggling and feeling a bit numb. She ignored that feeling trying to complete her task and escape the library. She hardly climbed the ladder and stood straight. She grabbed a book and placed it on the bookshelf. One last book to go in the upper compartment. She reached for another book but with her legs getting weak and jelly she lost her balance.
She squeals in surprise as she felt her body falling down as the book escaped her hold some hitting on her head and temples. She closed her eye tight, mentally preparing herself for the impact and the pain to follow. She felt the impact, but the pain was not even close to what she had imagined. She hesitantly opened her eyes and...
She felt her heart racing from the tension caused by the fall and the unexpected circumstances she found herself in.
He studied her as she sat there in shock. He furrowed his brows lightly, most likely from the impact of catching her in his arms. She knew it was thanks to him that she had escaped the fall without injury. They both froze on their position lost in each other.
" I never knew you were so fond of falling in my arms, crazy girl. " He smiled wryly as he spoke.
She blinked her eyes as she came back from her panicked and frozen state. She wiggles around his hold making him lose his hold around her. She distances herself from him as she stands on her feet. She felt anger boiling up inside her, but she knew that revealing herself and her anger now would only make the situation even worse. And she had no intention to fight with him and get into the bad side of the librarian, who knows what he may make her do if it happens.
She then ignores his presence and goes back to focus on her work. As she bends down to grab a book, she had her wrist grabbed before she could touch the book. She flinches and looks to her side, Ryan had his hand holding her wrist with no power. She raises her brow completely amused by his sudden act but unsure what his intentions were. She wiggles her hand trying to escape his hold but the more she tries the more he has his hold strengthen.
She furrows her brow, giving him a questioned look.
"You are hurt. " He says simply but it was enough to take her breath away. She knits her brows confused and surprised by his words. Ryan scans her face, mostly her temples which grew red and swollen because of the hit she received by the sharp end of the books. He could see drops of blood gushing out of her bruise.
He sighs and raises his hand pressing it against her bruise. She shrieks with a painful yelp escaping her lips. She hiss when his finger departs her bruise and she felt her bruise paining and getting hotter every second. He again raises his finger and points it at her wound and says
"This... You are hurt. "