previous > chapter 2 > next
Warnings: a lot of swearing, someone is mean to Aone, secondhand embarrassment?
This is definitely more dramatic than the first chapter lmao, I’m a little iffy on the dialogue so I hope it’s not too awkward bfbdbfs can you tell that I am a huge Aone simp? Bc I am a huge Aone simp. Future chapters will definitely be a lot more fluffy and focused on developing the relationship (this is absolutely not a slowburn) so this is going to be one of the most “dramatic” bits of this whole story. I hope you all enjoy!
The weather is definitely more pleasant the next day once you’re done with your shift. You hope that he’s at the library, you don’t know what you’ll do if he’s not there. You practically fly back to the library, throwing the door open with enough force to catch the attention of everyone inside, as well as the clearly grumpy librarian. You grimace sheepishly and quickly apologize before rushing rushing directly to the table you and the stranger were reading at. Unfortunately, there was no sign of him anywhere, it looks like no one had even used the table since the day before. You pull out a seat anyway and sit down.
“Hey, I wouldn’t sit there if I were you,” a nearby patron whispers.
“There’s this really scary dude who sits there every day, I’d hate to see what he’d do to someone who took his spot,” and at that they go back to doing their homework. It doesn’t take much brainpower to figure out that they’re clearly talking about the man you met yesterday. You’re not as confident anymore, worrying that he might be annoyed to see you again, and maybe he was just being polite before. Before you can stand up to leave, a familiar voice speaks behind you.
“...You’re back again,” he seems surprised, but you can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. “I wasn’t expecting you to come back,” he smiles gently and gestures to your seat from the night before. “Did you come to read with me again?”
“Oh, no, sorry. I just came to return your charger, I didn’t realize I took it!” You hand it to him and he nods his thanks.
“Well. It was nice meeting you,” he seems to force the words out through his obviously tense smile.
“Likewise,” you say, before awkwardly shuffling past him and leaving the library.
You only make it halfway up the block before stopping. For some reason, you want to go back there, and you want to spend more time with him. He has no one else to read with, you reason to yourself, and he looked so happy when he saw me. Making up your mind, you run back to the library and back to the tall man. The stranger looks at you as you approach his table again.
“I want to read with you again,” you say, out of breath. He looks surprised, before pulling your chair back out for you. Over the next hour, you fall back into the same actions as the night before. He holds the book and turns the pages, you make comments under your breath to make him smile. At one point you say something that has him letting out a deep chuckle, and you can suddenly feel your heart beating quickly in your chest. You feel your cheeks heat up and your eyes grow wide. You can’t explain why, but you just know that you want to hear that sound again. You want to hear him happy and laughing. Has he always been this close? You think to yourself, noticing your arms are nearly touching, unlike the night before where he was almost a foot away. You can almost feel the warmth coming off of him and smell his earthy cologne. He continues turning the pages, oblivious to your struggles. You start to zone out, eyes barely scanning the page as you got lost in his warmth. He looked at you questioningly.
“Are you finished with this page?” he asks. You’re snapped out of your trance as he reminds you that you haven’t been reading at all. You nod quickly.
“Actually I think I need to use the restroom, I’ll be right back!” you say before awkwardly rushing to splash some water on your face. You’re not stupid, you can tell that you’re developing some silly schoolgirl crush on this complete stranger. You don’t know anything about him, besides the fact that he likes to read. You don’t even know his name, but you’re already falling for his smile and his hands and his laugh. You look in the mirror and take a few breaths to compose yourself before heading back out. As soon as you open the door, you notice the weird guy who “warned” you about the tall man on his way to your table.
“Did you threaten them to get them to sit here? Are you that fucking desperate?” he mocks the large man. “There’s no way they’d choose to, have you seen yourself?” The asshole gets in his face even more. “Didn’t you see them when they got up? They looked fucking terrified!” At that you see red and storm over to them.
“What the fuck is your problem?” you ask incredulously, perhaps a little too loud for the library. “I chose to sit here, and my reasons for doing that are none of your fucking business.” He looks like he’s about to respond, but stops at the sight of the librarian and leisurely strolls (read: walks like a douchebag) back to his seat. After some angry words from the librarian, you sit back down with the stranger.
“Are you alright?” you ask each other at the same time, causing you both to chuckle softly.
“I’m fine, but I’m sorry he said those things to you,” you reassure him.
“No, no, I’m sorry that you got dragged into that. It was kind of you to stand up for a complete stranger,” he says. You brighten up and hold out your hand.
“Y/N L/N,” you state. He looks confused. “My name is Y/N L/N.”
“Takanobu Aone,” he says, smiling and shaking your hand gently. You shiver a little at the warmth of his hand.
“We’re not strangers anymore,” you say. He nods. There’s a moment of awkward silence before he gestures to the book, and continues reading.
Another hour later, people are getting up and going home for dinner. Aone closes the book and turns to you.
“I’m busy for the next week, but I was wondering if you would like to read together again next Saturday, in the morning?” he asks.
“Of course! I’d love to!” you respond. He nods and writes something down in a little planner he pulls out of his bag.
“It was nice meeting you, Aone,” you say as you get up from the table.
“And you as well, Y/N.” You leave quickly before you have the chance to embarrass yourself. The whole way home, you keep thinking about the way he said your name in his deep voice. You get home and shut your door, taking a deep breath. Takanobu Aone, you think, smiling giddily. What a sweetheart. You try to get him off of your mind, but as you climb into bed you can’t help but wish to feel his warmth again.
