8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Winnie

I let out a breath when the lesson is over and I have some time to myself. I sit back on my chair in the library, staring at the rows of artifacts inside the display case. I still haven't examined those, but...

I take a sip of water from my mug. I've talked too much already, but there are still two more lessons to go before my day is over.

Wait... No, after those two lessons, I'd still be here to keep the library open for the after-school hours. So...

I let out a sigh. I really enjoy my time with the kids, and I love to be role-playing different story characters with them, but that's exhausting.

"It looks like you're tired."

I turn to see Telke there again. I don't think there's a reason for him to be in the library all the time. There are two paper cups in his hands, and he has a pretty handsome smile. His two other hands rest on his waist, making him look strong and very confident.

I nod. "I am. How's it going? You didn't have lessons?"

He blinks. "Oh... Is it a bad time for me to be here?"

My heart skips a beat. I didn't mean to tell him to leave, even though I'm not in the mood to talk to him. My throat is tired, and I can use some time to myself.

I shake my head. "No, that's not what I mean, I just wanted to know what you're up to."

"Ah, I see. No, I don't have a lesson for this hour. Here." He comes over, gets behind the counter, and puts the cups on the table. "Um... Do you like coffee?"

I stare at the cup. Is he...?

He continues. "I hope you like coffee. I... Oh, right, the cafe is doing a buy one get one free event, that's why I have one for you."

Now that sounds like an excuse for sure. I narrow my eyes at him. He swallows, but... It is hard to be mad at him when it looks like he just wants to make me happy.

I say, "You are such a big guy who will have no problem finishing both cups."

He blinks. "Oh... So, you don't want it, right?"

His voice aches me. It feels like he is upset. I love coffee and the cup he brought smells amazing, it's just... I'm not sure whether I want to accept that. I don't want to get close to anyone, yet... It feels like I should accept his gift.

But...

He gives a nervous chuckle. He takes a cup and takes a sip. "It's okay if you don't want it."

I wonder. There has to be someone else in the staff room. If he is here, he will set out to look for me and give me the coffee. Maybe I'm acting a bit too cautious, but... I'm really not sure whether...

Telke is a male, but it doesn't mean he is going to be like...

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. "Are you sure you want to give it to me?"

He nods at once with a wide grin. "I do. It has to be tough to start working here. It took me a while to get used to the schedule too."

"Thank you." I take the other cup and sniff at it. It smells amazing. I take a sip, enjoying the thick coffee. "This is great."

"Have you been to this cafe before?"

I shake my head. I'm a bit too new to the city and haven't been wanting to go places outside of my place.

He says, "You really should go there. It is a great cafe that's also run by a human female."

I smile. "No wonder the coffee is great. It feels like humans are the only ones who are crazy for it, not to say other species won't enjoy a nice cup of coffee."

He chuckles and takes another sip of his coffee. "I know, right? I like coffee too. It is special."

I let out a soft breath. "Talking to kids all day is tiring." I glance at the door, no one's there. It is still lesson time, so no kid should be here. "It feels like I've talked a whole month's quota already even though the month has just started."

He muses, "It's never easy, but at least it is enjoyable most of the time."

I nod. I've never been a teacher or done something similar, but I have to make this work. I'm never going back, not to mention I can't even go back. "I'll get better at it."

"Just like floatball." He winks and he makes my heartbeat race.

I don't know a thing about floatball other than glancing at it from time to time on television when it shows up. "Maybe." I guess all sports training is pretty similar.

He lifts his hand and moves toward my shoulder, but right when he touches me, he halts. "Oh, right. I mean... I'm sure you're going to manage it perfectly fine." He gives a thumbs-up instead.

Maybe he wanted to pat my shoulder, but figured maybe I wouldn't want it.

I glance at his big hand. As long as he remembers that he is a strong male, I'd probably be fine. But it is good regardless.

"Thank you. I think the kids are liking the sessions."

"I'm sure they do." He grins and... He seems to be a ball of energy the whole time. And... I wonder how someone can be this energetic this deep into the day.

I peek at the cup. Is it the coffee?

I take another sip. "Hopefully, this coffee will work. I still have lessons to go."

"I hope so. Maybe you should take a rest before your lesson starts."

He isn't wrong.

I sit back and take a rest. It has been a great day, a bit too eventful to my liking, but days like this are going to be my life now, at least for the foreseeable future, unless I get myself fired for some reason. I need the money to live in the city.

Fuck... My heartbeat is racing again, and it isn't for good reason.

Clenching and releasing my fists, I fight to calm myself. If anything, talking in front of kids is already nerve-wracking for me, I don't need extra stress.

I chant to myself that I'm going to be fine.

Maybe I have to believe in that before everything's really going to be fine.

"Winnie..."

"Yes?" I open my eyes to look over at Telke. He is standing by my side with a deep frown. Maybe he wants a seat too? I'm on the office chair, but he isn't. But he is such a big guy that if he wants to, he can take his own chair from the side. There are plenty in the library.

He says, "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Oh, no. Not at all." I didn't even remember his existence until he talked. It's not a good thing to keep dwelling in my past, except I can't stop myself most of the time...

"But you seem to be nervous about something. Look, maybe I'm a few sizes bigger than you, I don't mean harm or mean to intimidate you."

I put up a smile. Maybe talking to him is a bit better than swimming in my unhelpful thoughts. "I'm not scared of you. Don't give yourself too much power. I wasn't even scared to be talking to everyone in the assembly hall."

"Okay?" He doesn't seem convinced at all, but maybe he feels that we aren't close enough for him to dig deeper into my anxiety, which I'm grateful for. I don't want to talk about that at all.

I pat his arm. "These arms seem very handy."

He grins. "They sure are." He fixes his cap. "If you need help arranging the books after school, just let me know. I don't have practice with the team today."

So... Does he think I'd want to be with him for even longer?

It's not that I don't want him around, but that's too much time with someone else around me. I love sorting books and I want to do that on my own.

The awkward silence lingers between us. I should say something to be polite, but at the same time, I don't know what to say.

He clears his throat. "Or let the students help you, they can learn more about the sorting systems by working with it."

"Yeah, that." My cheeks burn when... I suck at talking to other beings... Maybe the students are polite enough to keep listening to me and pretend nothing is weird.

"I'll meet you later then. If you drop by the staff room again." He takes his cup. Maybe I'm the one making him feel uncomfortable around me.

I nod. "I'll see if I have time later."

"Sure."

"You know where to find me if you need me."

He stares at me for a brief moment while I swear under my breath. Why did I even say that? But it is already too late to take my words back.

He says, "Sure." He winks. "Hopefully, nothing will be emergent."

I nod and put up a smile despite wanting to hide how dumb I must look.

He finally leaves and I'm in a comfortable silence on my own once again.

I slowly spin around on the chair while rehearsing what I'll be saying with the next class in my head.

At the same time, maybe I kind of miss Telke. He makes it feel like I'm not that weird at times, even though I don't understand. What's so special about him other than...

He did save me from a flying floatball in the morning.

My cheek grows hot once again. Maybe I should have followed the actual road instead of going on the grass, even though there's no sign saying I can't do that, and there's already a path formed on the grass from beings walking on it.

I pick up a storybook that a kid returned earlier in the day. It would be great to be living in a story world where I know there'll be a happy ending for the main characters.

But there's no telling whether I'd be the main character. So... Maybe I should be grateful for where I am.

At least I'm safe and I'm free to rebuild my life from the chaos it once was

It was such a bad idea to...

I shake my head and stand from the chair, setting the storybook to the side. Everything's going to be fine. I'm in a new city now and there's no way for my past to find me again.

I wish Ossa were here, then I could hug and pat him. He always calms me.

A few kids arrive and browse the shelves. They are the ones who will be taking their lessons in the next time slot. I better start preparing.

I pat my cheeks. I can do it.