First Glimpse

The first time I saw him was a Thursday eve. It was the end of July. The usual rush hours had turned sparse as the rain became more frequent. Most of the crowd I saw these days were bookworms with barely any social life. Or the students rushing about to finish up their thesis after having wasted away the entire college semester, speed running towards a head-on collision with their deadlines. And, even they preferred to stockpile books on the go and then visit to renew them at a later date. The library is supposed to be a quiet place, yes, but this kind of empty got you spooked out by your own footsteps.I am not complaining tho. I like the quiet, the peace that lets me lose myself in some author's world; well, not having to constantly keep an eye out for trouble-making little shits was another perk. And it's not like the library is empty. Besides bookworms and students, faculties from the nearby schools and colleges were also our members, tho they weren't as frequently seen. This one in particular was a fine male specimen. I had to keep reminding myself. that staring at strangers only trying to mind their own business was extremely rude. But it's not every day that I am presented with such a visual feast--"... was the one I got last week and- Hello? Miss Dennis?"Snap out of it lady!! Focus! "Ah sorry, you were saying?"Mrs. Harper gives me a strange look, "Cathy, are you not feeling well? You have been out of it for the entire past half hour."I flush, " I am so sorry Mary, it's just.. the weather, you know? I am not very good with cold. It's nothing serious though, a good night's sleep will do the job."But instead of taking her attention off of me, my little diversion tactic seems to have made her more fussy."Did you come here without an umbrella again? My god, child, how careless are you about your health? Did you at least eat a proper lunch?"Ahh shit... "Uhm, well, I had some takeout." Great, she's full-on scowling at me now, "Don't worry Mary, I swear I also ordered salads, I'm not just surviving on junk food! And I have my umbrella with me. I am fine, really, it's just that I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. And it's kind of late too." Not all of it is a lie. It's 9:40 PM, and the library closes at 10. All, I want to do is get back in my bed and sleep. I really didn't get much last night, stayed up way too late to finish an ongoing novel.That seems to have satisfied the woman. She sighed, "Ahh, I'll take your word for it. I was just returning this," she slid over a thick book on botany, "This was the last one from my previous issue. Have you gotten the one I asked for before?""The one on molecular biology? I put it in this month's budget, I'll call you once the orders arrive. Should be here by the next week." I add the book to a small pile of others waiting at the side to be put back on the shelves."Great." She smiles at me and then turns towards the rows at the back of the library, calling out, "Doctor? Did you find what you were looking for?"My traitor eyes snap back to the fine piece of ass-- AHEM, I mean the gentleman browsing the quantum physics section. He looked up at that and oh my... that face is surely a good addition to the overall picture.But that's what takes me aback. This guy was young, early thirties perhaps. With the way he was dressed up, in well-fitting black pants and a light chalk blue-colored plain shirt, carrying along a briefcase (no doubt containing the notes and research papers he was currently working on along with his laptop and a few other necessities) and the way he carried himself, I expected him to be forty-something. Not helped along by the fact that he came in with Mrs. Harper, who is almost always accompanied by work colleagues, all middle-aged professors at the Science and Research Institute a block away. Since she's one of the more frequent ones, I rarely give her and her company for the day more than a passing glance.Which is why I had missed noticing the guy until he was well on his way toward the back shelves, giving me a view worth memorizing. Initially, it was much easier to steal a few appreciative glances and then go back to focusing on other things, as I'm not particularly into men too older than me. But now, my God it's going to be difficult.Mary had referred to him as 'Doctor', so he had to be one of the faculties, I doubt he'd be an ex-student of hers, she is very casual with all her students, and she wouldn't be calling them so formally. A guest lecturer perhaps? But wasn't he too young to be a professor at SRI? They didn't just hire anyone. Or he must be crazy smart.Mr. Too Perfect put the PG-level quantum mechanics book he was checking out back on the shelves and walked over, saying in a smooth voice, "Yes, Mrs. Harper, this library indeed has a wide collection of books. I have gotten everything for tomorrow's seminar." He pocketed a small notepad that I hadn't previously noticed. Did this guy stand there making notes all this while? How had he even found what he was looking for so quickly? It takes even me a while to look books up and I have been working here for almost two years now. It's not even been an hour.Apparently, Mrs. Harper thought the same, "Are you sure?" She cocked her brows up. "You don't want to borrow the book? What if you later remember you missed something?""It'll be fine, I just had to look up some technicalities. In any case, my bag doesn't have any more space left and I wouldn't risk ruining the books by taking them out in a weather like this." He nodded towards the window beside the library door, me and Mrs. Harper followed his gaze to see that the rain had gotten worse. Ahh, a considerate reader. You'd be amazed how few people cared about a library book this much. That's a pleasant surprise, and in the instinctively incredulous look I shoot him, it shows on my face that I hadn't expected that from him.For one second, our eyes meet, and then he looks away to Mrs. Harper as they talk about some other details of this seminar. I sit there, only half listening as my mind stays stuck on his beautiful eyes covered by a pair of thin glasses. I haven't ever seen amber eyes before. Ahh this man, he's so infuriatingly beautiful. I am kind of jealous. I really want to draw him.I let out an unconscious sigh and the ongoing conversation stops abruptly, both of them glancing at me., no wonder misinterpreting it as me being done for the day. I am too tired to care enough to feel embarrassed."We are keeping you too long, aren't we, sweetie." Mrs. Harper laughs good-naturedly. "Don't worry, we are done here. I am not borrowing anything this time, just inform me about that book. I have to prepare for an upcoming lecture.""Sure will do, Mary." I flash her a grateful smile and start clearing things up before I can finally close the library for the day. I don't look back at Mr. Handsome again, as they both leave. I've got other things to worry about. Like what theme to pick for my next creative writing assignment. I don't want to pick an overused idea but I can't come up with anything particularly ingenuous. I have been mulling over this for four days and it's driving me crazy at this point.Ensuring that everything is in order, I go around turning off the lights. I leave the returned books for tomorrow Me to deal with and picking up my purse and umbrella, I lock the main door and step out into the rain.Shit, I should've at least gotten his name.