My Brother, My Spouse

Chapter 8 The Night in the Library

"Says who?" Brian replied. "When you first moved into our house, there were a lot of dogs around, and you were terrified of them, trembling on your way to school every day. I was the one behind you, chasing them off."

Sylvia was stunned. "So, it was you all along, protecting me from the dogs!"

She never expected that Brian had been silently watching over her.

"Other than Mom, no one's ever done something like that for me. And especially you—the stepbrother I hated the most." Sylvia thought to herself that, if not for the body swap, she might never have known this about him.

Brian chuckled, "Now you know? Am I still the person you hate most?"

"Maybe... a little less," Sylvia admitted with a smile.

Hoping to find some answers about their body swap, the two decided to visit the library.

However, with the library towering ten floors high, Brian was sure they'd still be searching by nightfall.

"We can't just sit around doing nothing. Besides, reading is quite enjoyable, don't you think?" Sylvia argued.

"Only you would think that," Brian scoffed.

Sylvia just shook her head and started hunting through the bookshelves.

They searched diligently, from the first floor up to the tenth, until they collapsed on the floor in exhaustion.

"This is hopeless! At this rate, we'll never find what we're looking for," Brian grumbled.

Sylvia scanned the area, hoping to see if there was anything they had missed.

Soon, her eyes caught on a locked door.

She gave the handle a tug but found it wouldn't budge. "What's behind this door?"

"I heard from Arthur that it holds forbidden books, ones we're not allowed to read," Brian explained.

Exchanging a glance, both came to the same conclusion, saying together, "That's where the book we need must be!"

They split up, one attempting to pick the lock while the other searched for any hidden mechanism that might open the door.

Fortunately, there was no one around to notice their activities.

"Oh, my god, it actually opened," Sylvia whispered in surprise as Brian managed to pick the lock.

Brian shrugged, "My first taste of alcohol as a kid came from picking the lock on Arthur's liquor cabinet."

Inside was a small, dark room covered in dust.

Sylvia brushed the dust off a book, coughing from the cloud she stirred up.

She shone her flashlight over the bookshelves, her gaze falling on a rather unassuming book.

This old book had no title, and as she opened it to the first page, a line caught her attention: This is both a curse and a blessing.

"Brian, come check out this book," Sylvia called.

Together, they read aloud, "Under the guidance of the Moon Goddess, let my soul and body unite with my mate..."

But that was all. The rest of the book was blank.

"I have a feeling this book has something to do with our body swap," Sylvia said.

"But it doesn't say anything useful here. It's getting dark; we should head home before Arthur and Zola get suspicious," Brian suggested.

Sylvia put the book back, saying, "Don't worry, they're not coming home tonight. Even if..."

Her words trailed off as she tried to open the door—only to find it was locked again. Just as they couldn't get in initially, now they couldn't get out.

"Oh no, the library must have closed. We're locked in here!" Sylvia exclaimed.

"Let me try," Brian said, attempting to force the door open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Wait, you have my body now," Brian suggested, "You could shift into wolf form and break down the door."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "We snuck in here in the first place. Breaking down the door will get us in big trouble with the librarian. Let's just wait; someone will rescue us in the morning."

"If you hadn't been curious about this place, we wouldn't be stuck here now!" Brian complained, "And we still haven't found anything useful."

"Says who? We did find a clue!" Sylvia argued.

"That's what you call a clue?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Their argument spiraled, from being trapped in the library to whose fault the body swap was, and even back to their first meeting—when Brian's prank made Sylvia allergic, and she cut up his costume in revenge.

After about half an hour, both of them were too exhausted to continue.

"Alright, I guess we'll have to sleep here tonight," Brian said, noticing a small bed in the corner. Raising an eyebrow, he tidied it up and offered, "It's a bit dusty, but you can make do."

Sylvia gave him a surprised look. "You cleaned up the bed... for me?"

"Don't overthink it," Brian muttered. "I just don't want my body lying on the floor."

Sylvia chuckled. "Well, I don't want mine on the floor either. The bed's big enough. Want to share? Just to sleep."

"Fine." Brian sighed. "Do you want the inside or the outside?"

"I'll take the outside."

They lay back-to-back on the bed.

Brian had been with many girls, but this was the first time he was lying with one without any ulterior motives.

"Are you cold?" Sylvia asked.

Brian nodded. "A little."

Despite it being summer, the night was chilly.

Sylvia suggested, "I'm a bit cold too. Maybe we should huddle for warmth? Just for warmth."

"Alright," Brian agreed, turning toward her.

Sylvia turned to face him as well. Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a faint glow, allowing them to see each other's faces clearly.

Brian wrapped his arm around Sylvia's neck, while she encircled his waist, feeling each other's warm breaths.

Warmth and steady breathing—the close proximity made Brian realize, for the first time, the genuine softness of a girl's presence.

The next morning, sunlight poured over them as they lay on the bed. Brian woke to find Sylvia sleeping peacefully beside him, looking as radiant as a goddess.

For the first time, Brian thought that maybe Sylvia wasn't all that terrible. Perhaps he could try to get along with her.

Just then, the librarian arrived for her morning rounds, and Brian quickly nudged Sylvia awake so they could call out for assistance.