Chapter Text
Beth has been looking forward to this Saturday morning. It’s the start of a rare weekend where she doesn’t have to go into work, doesn’t have to deal with customers and their never-ending requests, doesn’t have to wipe down every surface with a dish rag that smells like dirty water and old milk, no matter how long she soaks it in bleach.
Dean’s staying on campus this weekend. He’d been talking up some frat party and asked Beth to come over. When she reminded him that she needed to stay home and help Annie finish her science project, Dean sighed dramatically, but cheered up as he prattled on about some recent drunken adventure that ended up in the campus fountain.
It bothered her a little, the way he didn’t seem that torn up that they’d be spending yet another weekend apart. While Beth went through the routine of junior year in high school, Dean was partying his way through his first year of college. His previous promises of driving home every weekend, turned into every other weekend, turned into maybe , we’ll see, something came up .
It was fine, she’d tell herself. He’s still her guy and she’s still his girl, and she’s not jealous, she’s not. And it doesn’t matter when she visits him and sees the photos pinned to his wall, of him at various parties, red cup in one hand, an arm casually slung over a pretty girl who Beth doesn’t know, has never met.
“It’s frat stuff,” Dean explained.
But she’ll have a good weekend, anyway, she assures herself. And Beth believes it, really. She’s dropped Annie off at a classmate’s birthday party, and continued her walk to the public library. When she was younger, Beth was obsessed with learning about outer space, had eagerly devoured any facts she could about the universe, could spend hours staring into any image of faraway celestial bodies. While her interests have since moved, they haven’t strayed too far. Beth has found herself in the fictional world of the unknown through an exploration of the library’s small collection of fantasy and science fiction.
The last time that Dean came home, he caught her reading an old childhood favorite, A Wrinkle in Time. He laughed, exclaiming that he was going to introduce her to some real science fiction. It was sweet, she thought, the way he immediately flipped open her notebook and tore out a paper, writing down an author and some books for her to start with.
“Bethie, you’ll love these,” he declared confidently, and kissed her cheek.
But between school, Annie, her mother, and work, she’s not had time to stop by the library until today. When Beth opens the library doors, she’s immediately greeted with the familiar smell that she’s associated with the well worn pages of books that have been borrowed and read, many times over.
Beth fingers the folded piece of paper of Dean’s suggestions in her jeans pocket, and quickly makes her way past the magazine racks, past new arrivals, through the how-so section and left of romance. Their neighborhood library isn’t the biggest, but Beth finds the small quiet space comforting and familiar, and likes how she almost never sees anyone in the science fiction aisle.
So she’s not at all expecting to turn into the aisle and almost slam into a teenaged boy. An oversized black hoodie swallows his lanky frame. He doesn’t react to her presence or the near-crash, just keeps his head tilted as he reads each book spine.
“Sorry,” Beth mumbles out of politeness.
She’s keenly aware that her face is getting red and that if she doesn’t calm down, the splotches will travel down her neck. She’s embarrassed. For this near collision and for being caught in the science fiction aisle, of all places. It’s not that she’s ashamed of the books she reads, not exactly. She just knows that it’s not what most girls at school are reading. It’s the type of book that she keeps at home, or places flat against her lap in an attempt to hide the cover.
Ruby has called her out on it a few times, always telling her to just read whatever she wants to read, who cares what others might say.
Her short apology prompts the boy to shift his attention from the book titles and over to Beth. She doesn’t miss the way amusement flashes over his face, as he spots the furious blush that is spreading rapidly over her.
He doesn’t call attention to it, thankfully. “Don’t worry about it,” he says easily, taking a few steps back.
Beth ducks her head, letting her long hair shield her face, and quickly walks past him. This is absolutely mortifying, but at least she doesn’t recognize him, so chances that she’ll see him at school on Monday feel pretty slim.
She takes out Dean’s list of suggestions from her pockets and reads it, once, twice, and again, much longer than necessary. She’s being strange and awkward, she knows , but she really doesn’t want to pick her books in front of...this…stranger.
“Whatchu lookin’ for?”
She’s startled by the question. She turns her head to face him, raising a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“I’m not sure,” she replies shyly.
He’s tall, not as tall as Dean, but she still has to crane her next up to meet his eyes. Around her age, give or take. His eyes are dark and warm, and he’s quietly studying her in a way that makes her feel like he’s willing to wait however long it takes for her to say more. It’s unnerving and unexpected, it’s not something she’s used to from the teenage boys in her class.
“I mean,” she’s flustered now, can feel her voice faltering. “My boyfriend says I should check out this guy…” she trails off and holds up the scrap of paper to him.
The boy takes the note out of Beth’s hand and scans it quickly.
With a shake of his head, he snorts, “Nah, you don’t wanna read these.”
The complete shift in mood is fast. Beth stiffens, immediately bothered with the way this person she doesn’t know at all has so easily interjected his opinion into her decision. Feelings of indignation quickly start to replace the embarrassment she was feeling only moments ago.
“Oh? You don’t know anything about me,” her voice is bristly, and even Beth is surprised with her quick, sharp retort.
But if the boy has taken any offense, it doesn’t show. Instead, a big grin spreads easily across his face, “I think I do,”
Beth snatches the paper back from his hands.
“Excuse me,” her voice is cold.
The boy pulls back, wordless. Beth continues scanning the aisle, making a pointed effort to ignore him.
She’s irritated. She wishes he’d leave, move to a different aisle, but he doesn’t. Seems more than content to quietly stand near her and continue his own book search. Beth does her best to ignore the way he lifts his hands up and lets his fingers lazily trail over each binding, tracing over the letters in every title.
With a shake of her head and inward sigh, Beth continues her own hunt. It’s a public library after all. She spots the author that Dean had recommended, pulling out the first book on his list. Flipping the book over, she reads the summary. It’s...fine. Humans, aliens, war. But, she hates to admit it, while it’s probably going to be interesting enough, she’s not sure if she’s going to love it in the way Dean had been so convinced she would. She wishes he’d pay more attention to the types of characters and stories that she tended to enjoy. Still, Dean really had been so excited about it, so...she really should at least give it a try. It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine.
“Hey.”
Beth’s whole body jerks. She’s typically so good at keeping even and restrained. It’s uncharacteristic, the way she's not bothering to hide her complete irritation with this unwanted library companion.
“Seriously? What’s your problem?” Beth hisses sharply.
She looks up to glare at him, only slightly self-conscious with how hot her face feels, knowing that yet again, her cheeks must be red. When she meets his eyes, she’s surprised to see a softness in the face looking back at her.
“Have you read this?” He holds up a book in his hands.
Oh.
Beth feels her anger begin to drain, and she shakes her head no.
He offers the book to her, then shoves both hands into the front pocket of his hoodie.
It’s by an author she’s not familiar with, a woman writer, she notes with interest. As she reads the book jacket, she bites back a smile.
“Thanks,” she says softly, meaning it.
The smile on his face widens, and Beth notices the way his eyes crinkle at the corners. She thinks for a moment that he’s cute, this boy in the library’s science fiction section.
Beth can’t help but smile back.
“So, you read a lot of sci fi?” Beth asks.
He brings a hand to the back of his neck, rubs a spot near the base.
“Yeah, sort of. My boys aren’t really into it, but,” his voice trails off and he shrugs.
Beth nods. “Yeah, my friends don’t really read these types of books either. Dean is the only one I know who reads science fiction. He’s, like, really hoping I like this one.” She lifts up her right hand, which is still holding onto Dean’s suggestion. She looks at it.
“I probably should read Dean’s pick first” her voice is flat, unconvinced with her decision.
The boy squints, giving her an odd look.
“Yeah. But what do you wanna do?”
The way he asks her the question causes her stomach to flip and twist in discomfort. It’s too direct and feels too familiar for two people who have only just met.
Beth examines both books and chews at her bottom lip for a moment. Then, before she has a chance to change her mind, she slides Dean’s suggestion back into its empty space on the shelf and holds this second book tightly in both hands.
The boy smiles again, encouragingly.
“I can always read his book later,” Beth reasons aloud.
The boy hums in agreement.
There’s no reason to remain in the aisle any longer, but Beth finds herself unwilling to leave just yet. From the way he’s standing, Beth thinks he might feel the same.
Beth grapples for a question, finally asking a simple, “Do you live around here?”
He gives a shake of his head, “Just visitin’ my cousins for spring break. I just came by the library to get outta the house.”
Her brow furrows, slightly disappointed. It’s not that she’d been hoping to see him again, but if she did, it wouldn’t have been the worst.
“My family’s movin’ to Detroit in the summer, though.”
“Oh!” Beth replies, a little too bright and a little too quick.
He’s studying her again. His gaze is heavy and it makes her fidget. She’s not used to anyone observing her this closely.
He breaks the silence. “Let’s go check out your book,”
As Beth gets her book checked out, she looks over to see him waiting for her by the front door. When he catches her eye, the corners of his mouth curve up into a slight smile. Beth blushes at being caught for looking and returns her attention to the librarian. She tries not to pay attention to the way her pulse is beating fast, to the warm glow that’s swirling nervously through her body.
He’s just friendly and it’s nice to have someone to talk about books with, she explains to herself.
He holds the library door open for Beth, and the fresh spring air greets them.
“Which way you walkin’?”
Beth nods over in the general direction of home. “I’m heading that way, it’s not too far.”
“I’ll walk with you,” he says.
Beth smiles, happy. It’s nice, she thinks. He’s nice.
The walk home is short, goes by too quickly. She finds out he’s a year below her. He finds out that she has an opinionated little sister who talks too much. She finds out he’s got two older sisters who never keep their opinions to themselves, either. He finds out that she likes watching Star Trek reruns that play on syndication. She finds out that he does, too.
When they arrive at her house, Beth feels an unexpected twinge of disappointment. But she doesn’t have any reason to keep their conversation going, doesn’t have a reason for him to stay. And deep down, she knows Dean would be bothered with the way she’s kept company with this guy, that she let him walk her home. She knows Dean would be particularly irritated with the way she took this stranger’s recommendation over his.
“So. Thanks for walking with me. And for the suggestion,” she says. She drops her eyes to stare at his shoes. Black converse, she observes.
He nods, “Yeah. My dad got me into her books.”
Beth wonders if what she’s doing is cheating. She knows it’s not, not totally. He’s just… interesting. And he seems to find her interesting, too. It’s not like she’s wanting to kiss him or anything.
Still, she’s unwilling to say goodbye, not yet.
She fidgets with the beaded friendship bracelet that Ruby made for her, a habit of hers whenever she’s anxious.
His hands reach out and catch her wrist, stilling her movements. Beth holds her breath at the sudden contact. His grip is light and warm, and she could easily shake his hand away. But she doesn’t. Doesn’t want to, isn’t ready, wants to entertain the thought of this nothing-but-something moment for only a little longer.
He runs a thumb over the colorful bracelet and then over the four beads that are braided into it. They spell her name. B-E-T-H. She watches closely as he lets his thumb eventually rest over her pulse. She wonders if he can feel how rapid the beats are.
Beth dares to look up, eyes resting on his lips. Okay, so she lied. She does want this boy to kiss her.
It’s a horrible thing to even contemplate, and this is the first time she’s ever wished for even a second that she wasn’t dating Dean. She’s a terrible person for letting things get to this point. But when she sees how his own gaze shifts to focus on her mouth, sees the way his tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip, Beth thinks he wants that, too.
She breathes in deep.
A shriek from some neighborhood children pierces the air.
She breathes out.
He clears his throat, and swipes over the beads one more time before releasing her wrist.
“I’ll see you later, Elizabeth,” he remarks, amusement in his voice.
No one calls her by her full name. So she raises an eyebrow and gently corrects him, “It’s Beth.”
He cocks his head to the side as if considering her words.
“Okay, Elizabeth,” he finally answers.
Beth rolls her eyes. He’s cute, but annoying.
This seems to be his cue to leave, and he gives her one more nod before raising his hoodie over his head.
She’s watching him walk away and he’s halfway down the street, when Beth realizes she still has no idea who he is.
“Hey!” she calls out. “I don’t even know your name!”
He turns his head and calls over his shoulder, “Rio.”
She’s feeling bold. “But what’s that short for?” she shouts back.
The boy, Rio, stops and turns around. He’s smiling and even with this distance, she can tell he’s giving her one of those stares like she’s caught him off guard, like he likes that she’s found a way to surprise him.
“There’s a lot of books to pick from,” he replies, cryptically, neatly avoiding her question before turning around and resuming his walk.
She bites her lip, fighting a smile. He’s an odd one. Beth runs her fingers over her bracelet, in the same way that he had done. She’s got a couple more hours before it’s time to pick up Annie, it’s plenty of time to start reading her new book.