Chapter Text
Charlie
The late November wind and rain was punishing. The entire campus was deserted, the menacing clouds and autumnal showers bringing all activities to a screeching halt. Only after Charlie’s last class of the day did it start pouring, and he had forgotten his umbrella at his flat.
As he prepared to brave the walk home, his phone dinged, displaying a reminder he had set that morning to pick up a book from the campus library. In just over two weeks, after an initial round of exams, he had his final paper about the book in question due. But for now…
“Fuck.”
Charlie was really considering delaying his library pickup until the following day, wondering how much of a difference it would really make. But he did fancy the idea of starting this paper on this topic he was highly interested in, next to his window as the rain poured outside. He would light a candle, maybe convince his flatmate to let her cat sit in his room…
It was decided. He sprinted through campus to get to the library, cursing himself for letting his nerdiness eclipse his ability to make practical decisions. By the time he arrived, he felt and looked like a wet dog, and immediately felt the eyes of dozens of students on him.
Pink with embarrassment, Charlie rushed over to the designated pickup area, located his name on the spine of the book, scanned it and his ID at the kiosk, shoved the book in his bag, then ran out in just two minutes. He didn’t even really look at what he was doing, feeling too self-conscious about what everyone was thinking of him.
The following jog home was torturous, but he made it. To his luck, only his bag, not its contents, got soaked, and his flatmates had already retired to their rooms, about which he was secretly grateful. He didn’t need them all ribbing on him for being ill-equipped for the storm.
About an hour later, he hummed contentedly after a well-deserved shower, and was delighted by the realization that he’d get the kitchen to himself for dinner. Charlie relished a quiet night in.
By the time he actually sat down at his desk, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. He pulled out his laptop and completed the menial assignments for the following day before the main event of the evening.
Finally, Charlie pulled out what he thought was the book for his paper, his face immediately falling once he glanced at the cover.
It wasn’t the one he put on hold.
His evening plans had fallen to the wayside, but he surprisingly wasn’t that upset about it. Rather, he suddenly became very intrigued about the person whom the book was meant for, figuring he must have something in common with them.
Charlie felt bad for the mysterious person, wondering if they were cramming for an assignment or lecture, but immediately understood the reason for the mixup. For his own essay, he was also reading about the integration of similar theories into his course, and figured an overworked library staff member mixed up the books.
As he made his way through the pages, instead of just flipping about, he filled up sticky notes on sections he found especially interesting, to help the person out, or maybe, start a conversation. As he buried himself deeper and deeper into this book, he began daydreaming about what this person could be like. Maybe they were similar to Charlie, shared similar values and ideals. Maybe they were also a student, who could become a friend, or something more, bonding over their shared interest in social and cultural theories and how they're integrated into academia.
As Charlie let his mind wander, so did his consciousness, and he fell asleep next to someone's copy of Queer Inclusion in Teacher Education: Bridging Theory, Research, and Practice.