Kyle walked into the room, inspecting it with a curious gaze. Just as he expected, the room was very old.
Unlike the rest of the library, the room didn't seem to have been renovated in years. But that didn't mean it was in poor condition.
It was strangely well maintained. The couch was free of dust, the doors were spotless and the fireplace had been cleared of any residual ash.
There were two windows by the side of the room shut tightly, giving them a nice view of the outside of the library as the rain bounced over the glass.
It was cozy.
"What is this place for?"
Himiko placed his jacket on the couch and walked over to the fireplace, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears.
"It's a private reading room, one that was built when the library was constructed."
She picked up some wood and began arranging it in the fireplace. "Now only staff are allowed up here. But my boss isn't around so…"
Himiko glanced at him. "…we have the room to ourselves."
Kyle smiled nervously, looking at another side of the room.
'She can't say 'date' but is okay with sharing a room alone?'
Just the thought of both of them being locked here alone…
In an empty library…
During a storm…
Kyle let out a steamy breath. 'Stop overthinking things…'
Unknown to him, he was not the only one having these thoughts. Himiko was trying to act as stoic as she possibly could, but the wood was shaking in her grip as she arranged them.
And her heart was thrumming so loudly that she feared Kyle would hear it despite the rain.
As if that wasn't enough, as she was having those thoughts, Kyle grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
Their eyes met, and a second passed between them in silence, neither of them uttering a word.
Then Kyle looked past her. "What are you doing?"
Himiko blinked. "Huh?"
Kyle squatted down next to her and took the fire wood off her hands.
"Why are you stacking it up like you're building a tower?" He asked, his voice playful. "You should spread them out…"
Their shoulders were touching as Kyle arranged the wood the right way, his focus completely aimed at the fireplace.
Himiko cleared her throat, her cheeks feeling hot.
"What do you mean? That is the right way to arrange the wood." She said, grabbing the wood back.
Kyle picked up another piece. "It isn't a clock tower."
Himiko folded her arms across her chest. "I'm telling you, I have done this over a hundred times already, this is how to do it.
Kyle sat down, using one hand to support himself. "Alright, then…"
Crash!
Just as Himiko finished stacking them up, the entire thing crumbled to the ground, blowing dust in her face.
Kyle smiled, raising a brow as he watched her failure. "It looks perfect."
Himiko pouted and sat back, allowing Kyle to set up the fire.
A few minutes later, the fire sparked to life, the golden flames licking the wood, as crackling sounds reached their ears.
They both watched the beautiful fire, enveloped by the warmth. Then Kyle turned to Himiko.
"Alright Miko, what should we do first?"
Their date was meant to be spent at various places, but with the rain and Kyle's early arrival, their plans had been all but ruined.
Now they had to make do with what they had.
Himiko's brows creased, and a few seconds later, her face brightened up, leaving a concerning smile on her lips.
She got to her feet and walked over to one of the shelves, pulling it open and then she brought out a series of games.
From cards, to board games to even a few games Kyle did not recognize.
Kyle gave her a dead pan look. "Why do you have so many games…"
Himiko shrugged. "I seized them of course!" She proudly placed her hands on her waist.
"Games aren't allowed, so when caught, you can either submit the game or be banned for life!"
She walked over the couch and sat down. "Guess what option they picked?"
Kyle got up and walked towards her. "You are becoming a full fledged librarian, you know right?"
Himiko playfully frowned while waving him over. "Come, let's play."
They started off with poker, where Himiko showed her concerning addiction to gambling.
Even though they were game chips, she treated them like they were real money, making high risk gambles only to lose everything in the end.
The two of them continued playing, moving from game to game. Occasionally there would be the sound of light laughter, sometimes, the frustrated squeal of the loser… which was mostly Himiko.
Because of the sheer amount of games Himiko had, they didn't get bored and ended up spending hours in the little room.
And at that time, the rain only seemed to intensify.
…
At the end of it, Kyle was seated on the couch, holding a book Himiko had recommended and flipping through the pages.
While Himiko was at the other edge, stealing glances at him.
She took in a deep breath, and stole another glance. 'Just do it Himiko!'
Himiko was in a dilemma…
So far, since they had met, she had not seen Kyle nervous even once, while she had been as red as a tomato almost throughout.
'I have to make him nervous at least once!'
That was her conviction.
She had spent hours binging through Romance novels, and had picked up a few tricks from reading them.
Things that were better left in novels than brought into real life…
Which was why she made a move that she would have never dreamed of making.
Himiko leaned closer to Kyle and smiled nervously. "It's been a while since I read that novel, can I join you?"
"Oh, sure—" Kyle was about to adjust his position when Himiko pushed him back, crawling underneath his arm to rest her back on his chest.
Himiko covered her face from embarrassment, then glanced up to see Kyle's reaction.
His eyes had widened slightly from shock, but his face remained as pale as Jade.
What she didn't know was that Kyle had used his blood manipulation to alter his reaction to her teasing.
She frowned and rested her back on him, staring at the book in front of her as he flipped the page.
'I can't believe it didn't work—'
Badump Badump—
Himiko froze, and listened closely.
'What is that sound?'
It took a few seconds for her to realise that it was not only her heart that had gone on over drive.
Although it was not showing on his face, Kyle had undoubtedly been affected.
She smiled victoriously, snuggling in closer, enveloped by his warmth as they continued reading.
They continued like this for more than half an hour, before Kyle placed his hand on her waist and nestled his chin on her head.
"K-kyle—?!" Himiko stuttered.
Kyle smiled and closed the book. "You're like a little teddy bear… so soft and squishy."
"H-huh?!"
He chuckled, then his expression darkened slightly. "I was going to ignore this because we weren't being bothered…"
"But Miko, you know we aren't the only ones in this room right?"
Lightning flashed, engulfing the room in a bright white light, and out of the corner of the room, a silhouette appeared, holding a large staff in one hand.
And a gun in the other.
"?!"
..
Next chapter in a few hours.
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