HEART STRINGS

The Walk to the Library

Students streamed through the gates in groups, laughing, arguing, and making plans for the weekend.

Rose adjusted the strap of her bag.

"Do you always walk this fast?" she asked.

Kelvin glanced at her.

"I'm walking normally."

"You're not."

"I am."

"You have long legs."

"That sounds like a complaint."

"It is."

For a second, he looked genuinely confused.

Then...

"I can slow down."

He actually slowed his pace.

Rose smiled to herself.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A comfortable silence settled between them.

Not awkward.

Just... easy.

As they passed the sports field, a basketball rolled across the walkway.

It stopped right in front of Rose.

She bent down to pick it up.

"Sorry!"

A tall boy from the basketball team jogged over.

He froze when he noticed Kelvin standing beside her.

"Oh... uh... thanks."

Rose handed him the ball.

"No problem."

The boy looked between the two of them.

"You guys heading somewhere?"

"The library," Rose answered.

The boy's eyebrows shot up.

"With Kelvin?"

Kelvin looked at him.

"...Yes."

The boy nodded very slowly.

"Right."

Then he turned and sprinted back to the court.

The moment he reached his teammates, all of them looked in Rose and Kelvin's direction.

Rose sighed.

"...Everyone is so dramatic."

Kelvin nodded once.

"They are."

"You're included."

"I'm not."

She laughed.

"I'm starting to think you're secretly funny."

"I'm not."

"Suspicious answer."

They continued walking until the school building was behind them.

The noise of the campus faded little by little.

It felt quiet.

Rose looked up at the sky.

"The weather's nice today."

"No rain."

"Good."

She looked at him with a teasing smile.

"So I won't need another jacket."

Kelvin looked away for a second.

"...Good."

She blinked.

"Why do you sound disappointed?"

"I don't."

"You do."

"I was simply acknowledging the weather."

She laughed again.

"You're impossible."

"And yet you keep talking to me."

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Rose looked at him.

He looked back.

For a brief moment...

Neither of them spoke.

Then Rose smiled softly.

"...I guess I do."

Something warm settled in Kelvin's chest.

He didn't know what it was.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

A few minutes later, they reached the small public library near the school.

Rose pushed the glass door open.

The cool air inside greeted them immediately.

The librarian looked up from her desk.

"Oh, Hey."

Rose smiled.

"Good afternoon."

"You're becoming regular visitors."

The librarian's eyes shifted to Kelvin.

"And you're talking more than last time."

Kelvin blinked.

"...Was I that quiet?"

The librarian laughed.

"You answered every question with one word."

Rose covered her mouth to hide a smile.

Kelvin sighed.

"That sounds accurate."

The librarian pointed toward the same corner table they had used before.

"Your usual spot is free."

"Thank you."

They walked over and sat down.

Rose opened her notebook.

Kelvin placed several reference books on the table.

"Okay."

He looked at her.

"Let's finish this today."

She nodded.

"No distractions."

"No distractions."

Exactly three seconds later...

Rose's stomach growled.

Loudly.

She froze.

Kelvin looked at her.

She slowly closed her notebook.

"...Pretend you didn't hear that."

"I can't."

"It was the chair."

"It definitely wasn't."

She buried her face in her hands.

"This is so embarrassing."

A tiny smile appeared on his face.

"I told you to eat more."

"I did eat."

"You ate half."

He reached into his bag.

Rose frowned.

"What are you doing?"

He pulled out a small chocolate cookie in its wrapper and placed it on top of her notebook.

"...Emergency snack."

She stared at it.

Then at him.

"You carry cookies?"

He looked completely serious.

"I've learned from past tragedies."

"What tragedies?"

"My sister once ate my last cookie."

Rose blinked.

Then burst into laughter.

"It was a very serious event."

"I'm sure it was."

She picked up the cookie.

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She unwrapped it carefully and took a small bite.

It tasted better than any cookie she'd had in a long time.

Kelvin opened one of the textbooks.

"Now."

He looked at her.

"No more starving yourself."

Rose smiled.

"Yes, sir."

He frowned.

"...Don't call me that."

"Why?"

"It sounds strange."

She grinned.

"Yes, sir."

He sighed dramatically.

Rose laughed so hard that the librarian looked over and shushed them.

"Sorry!" Rose whispered.

Kelvin looked at her laughing quietly across the table.

And without realizing it...

He smiled again.

This time...

He didn't even try to hide it.

Kelvin leaned back slightly in his chair.

"I think you're a bad influence."

Rose looked at him in mock disbelief.

"Me?"

"You've laughed more today than you probably have all week."

She tilted her head.

"I could say the same thing about you."

"I doubt it."

"I don't."

He looked down at the open textbook, pretending to read.

Rose smiled to herself.

For someone who insisted he never smiled...

He certainly had been doing it a lot lately.

"Okay," Kelvin said, tapping the page with his pen. "Let's focus."

"Right."

"For real this time."

"For real."

An hour passed surprisingly quickly.

Books lay scattered across the table, pages filled with notes in Rose's neat handwriting.

Kelvin paused, reading over the last paragraph she'd written.

"You're good at explaining things."

Rose looked up.

"I am?"

He nodded.

"You make complicated ideas sound simple."

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

"No one's ever said that before."

"They should."

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Neither looked away immediately.

"Kelvin..."

"Hm?"

"You're staring."

"I know."

"...Why?"

He hesitated.

"I'm thinking."

"About the project?"

"...Partly."

Rose's curiosity grew.

"What else?"

He closed the notebook.

"You work really hard."

She blinked.

"That's random."

"It isn't."

"You stay quiet in class."

Rose lowered her gaze.

"I don't always."

"You do."

His voice was calm, but certain.

"I've been watching."

She laughed softly.

"That sounds a little creepy."

A rare chuckle escaped him.

"I suppose it does."

She smiled.

The silence between them felt different now.

Not empty.

Comfortable.

Like neither of them needed to force a conversation anymore.

Just then, Rose reached for a reference book at the same time Kelvin did.

Their fingers brushed.

Both of them froze.

Rose immediately pulled her hand back.

"Sorry."

Neither reached for the book again.

Instead...

They both laughed quietly at the same time.

"I think we're getting awkward again," Rose admitted.

"We never stopped."

She shook her head, smiling.

"I liked it better when we were talking about cookies."

"I still have another one."

Her eyes widened.

"You do?"

Kelvin reached into his bag and placed another wrapped cookie on the table.

"I always carry two."

Rose laughed.

"So you're prepared for emergencies?"

"I'm prepared for hunger."

She accepted it with a grateful smile.

"I owe you one."

He paused for a second.

"...next time, you can bring the cookies."

Rose smiled.

"It's a deal."

Kelvin nodded.

"It's a deal."

Outside, the sky had begun to turn shades of orange and gold as the sun slowly dipped toward the horizon.

Neither of them noticed how much time had passed.

Neither of them noticed the librarian smiling to herself from behind the front desk.

Young friendships had a way of filling even the quietest library with warmth.

And somehow...

This felt like the beginning of something neither Rose nor Kelvin was ready to name.