The hug

Alyssa felt her heart start to race. The moment felt so intimate in a way, like he only saw her. She wished that was reality.

She wouldn't mind spending a day with only him with no one else around. The things they could speak into the universe were endless. They could be fearless.

"Are you feeling any better?" Elias asked her, breaking his gaze from hers.

Alyssa was a little sad at the loss of eye contact. She enjoyed looking into his eyes, connecting with him silently, but she liked talking to him too.

His voice was so smooth and lulling but not in a way that bored her.

"I am. Thanks to you," she said as they turned to start walking back the way they came. She felt less on edge and like she could think more clearly.

Her anger didn't cloud her head as much anymore, and he did remind her of the sun breaking through storm clouds.

They talked about class on the way back and how they needed to ramp up their studying since midterms were approaching.

They really needed to lock in a good grade for that exam to help give their grades padding for the rest of the semester because things would only get harder.

Plus, Alyssa didn't mind hanging out a little more with him throughout the week. They could talk more, and she wanted to learn more about his past and what he hoped to experience in his future.

He was so much himself, but he always surprised her. She liked being around someone who kept her on her toes.

They reached the gate when Alyssa's phone suddenly rang. She paused and took her phone out to look at the number.

She didn't recognize it at first, but then she realized that it had to be the library calling about the position she applied for.

"I think this is the job I applied for," she told Elias as she looked up at him with wide eyes. She had been waiting for this call for a few days now, and she had no idea what they were going to say to her. Her interview went okay. It could've been better.

"Answer!" Elias encouraged her.

Alyssa nodded fervently before answering the call and bringing her phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Alyssa! This is Valorie from the library," Valorie's voice sounded over the phone.

Alyssa drew in a deep breath as she gave her free hand a nervous shake. She almost felt like she was going to break a sweat right then.

"Hi!" Alyssa responded. She glanced at Elias with a worried look.

"I just wanted to give you a call about the front desk position you applied for," Valorie continued.

Alyssa suddenly felt Elias take her free hand, prompting her eyes to widen. She realized that he was trying to comfort her.

In reality, it was making her freak out even more. She gave his hand a squeeze as she waited for Valorie to continue.

"We'd love to have you as part of our team! Can you start Monday?" Valorie asked.

Alyssa quietly jumped on the spot when she heard the news. She couldn't believe she actually landed the job!

She knew she shouldn't have stressed so much about it. She probably did perfectly fine and just thought that she didn't do good in the interview.

"Yes! I'd love to. Thank you so much," she said, rambling slightly. She quickly shut her mouth and beamed at Elias, who gave her a thumbs-up.

She had to remind herself to properly breathe because her mind was racing right now.

She had to figure out what the dress code was and had to set up her direct deposit information. She had all of these other things to take care of, but at least she got through the scariest part. She finally had a job and more money coming in for this semester.

"Great! When you come in, it'll mostly be paperwork and training," Valorie replied.

At least they would show her the ropes. She was hoping that she wouldn't be thrown at the desk and expected to know what to do. She didn't want to mess up and lose her job so quickly after scoring it.

"Sounds great. I look forward to it," Alyssa said politely as she absentmindedly squeezed Elias' hand. She wanted to make a good first impression on her first day and learn as much as she could. She typically over prepared far more than she under prepared.

"I'll send you an email with more information and your offer letter, okay?" Valorie replied.

"Okay! Thank you so much," Alyssa said before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. She shared an excited smile with Elias before diving into his arms in a sudden hug.

She didn't know how else to express her excitement, and he was right there.

"Congrats! I figured you'd get it," Elias told her as he gave her a tight squeeze. His hands drifted up and down her back slowly as they held onto each other.