The next morning, Ellen kept up with her usual routine, shower, changing into today's outfit, making herself breakfast, walking up to the bus stop, reaching the library. Not bothering to look at the readers slouched on chairs and some on side-by sofas, she walked towards the same shelves and buried herself with organizing the books. That's what she chose for herself. That's was what she really loved. If she couldn't be a writer, she could at least be around the books. She wanted to write more but after the death of her parents, she lost the spirit she once had at the peak. The spirit that made her write her first-ever novel, Underworld.
"Excuse me, Miss. I forgot my drawings in a book I was reading a few days ago here. Can you tell me where did you put the book so that I can take them?", a boy whose hair was parted and falling over his forehead stood behind Ellen and asked. Ellen turned around and met a boy who could be in his twenties, wearing glasses, undershirt neatly tucked in his pants, the shirt over the t-shirt had buttons opened. From the outlook, the boy looked decent.
"Hello?", Ellen was brought out of her thoughts when the boy snapped his fingers before her face, creating a clicking sound.
"Oh yeah, your book... I mean my book. Not mine as well because it is owned by the library. Whatever, coming back to what you've said, are you sure you've not taken them already?", Ellen got nervous when someone, who claimed to be the owner of those drawings, suddenly brought the topic up. She clearly remembered that she almost spent her day rummaging through every shelf in search of those drawings but didn't find them anywhere in the library.
"I'm sure I've not. And if I had they would probably be over my table where my other drawings always are", the boy responded being sure.
"It could be that you might've put them somewhere else this time", Ellen tried to convince the boy to cover up her shameful act.
"Can't you just stop telling me what I might have done and give the book? I'm getting for my meeting with the editor", the boy now sounded a little irritated. He clearly remembered he had put them inside the book he was reading the other day. By the time he realized that he hadn't taken his drawings with him, he was on his way to the other city. Today, he arrived back and came here right away to collect his belonging. But the worker kept denying that they couldn't be here.
"I would but they're not here", worry started filling Ellen's eyes. If the boy was sure as hell, she was damn sure as well.
"How can you be so sure when you're not even looking for them?", the boy lifted his right brow while poking his left cheek with his tongue.
He got Ellen. How could the girl be so sure without even giving a try to find them? Ellen began reckoning how to convince the boy. Should she admit that she was shamelessly admiring his drawings without his permission and even had a sinful thought for a millisecond to take them back to her house to have a detailed look at them? She had never touched anyone's property without their consent but she couldn't refrain herself from gawking at those unrivalled pieces of art. She was ashamed for doing that but she didn't take them. She was contemplating over her not-seemed-ending thoughts while gnawing on her bottom lip.
"Here's the book", after having enough thought, Ellen went to the shelf which contained books on biology and brought out the book with no drawings in it.
"This isn't the book I was reading that day. I'm an Arts student, why would I read an embryo development cycle?", looking at the cover of the book, the boy said coldly. Before Ellen could say something another figure jumped into the conversation.
"If she said your drawings aren't here, then it is it", grim had been listening to them from over a table. He came here before Ellen and used a newspaper to cover his face when the latter walked into the place. After last night's incident, he thought to give his little fawn some space as she didn't seem in her right mind after she came back from the elderly facility. Oh boy, only if he knew she was absolutely in her right mind, just worried over something that was given rise to the worst point by his insensitive comments.
"If you don't believe her, you've all the place to yourself", grim raised his both hands in the air, palms facing the ceiling, gesturing to the boy that he could search up all the shelves.
Would he? Pretty no. The time it would take him to rummage through all the shelves, he could've finished off the replicas of his drawings.
As expected by grim, the boy huffed and left the place.
"If it was me arguing with you over something you were so sure about, I'm positive you would've kicked me out of this library by now", grim snorted. Ellen heaved a sigh of relief once the boy was out of sight before looking at grim. She had momentarily forgotten about his presence.
How did he know that Ellen was right when in the view of an observer, she should've checked before making such statements?
Ellen narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him at which he shot his eyebrows.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"You took those drawings?", folding her arms against her chest, she asked. It didn't sound like a question though.
"What? I helped you get your hands off the matter and here you're blaming me. So like you, little fawn", grim was not surprised anymore. Every time he would help Ellen, she would always, somehow, direct things back at the former. Now that was getting very unfair of his little fawn.
The reason grim believed that Ellen must have solid grounds to stand on in that matter was that he had known her very much by now. She wasn't someone who would lie around, same, push things without knowing anything at all.
Ellen didn't spare him one more glance and went back to her work. Grim also went to the table he was sitting on and continued what he had been doing since the moment Ellen had stepped into the place.
Eying every move of his little fawn.