The campus library at midnight was a sanctuary of absolute silence. The grand, cavernous building was nearly empty, except for a few desperate graduate students and the low, mechanical hum of the central heating system. The towering shelves of books created a labyrinth of shadows and warm yellow light.
Adrian walked softly down the narrow aisles of the fourth-floor reference section. He wasn't wearing his varsity jacket. He had deliberately left it in his dorm, opting instead for a plain gray hoodie and faded jeans. He wanted to strip away every visual reminder of his campus status.
He found her exactly where he knew she would be.
Mara was sitting at a small, secluded oak table pushed flush against the large arched window. The desk was covered in a chaotic spread of open textbooks, high
