“I don’t know. They’re probably having a members-only Tupperware party tonight. I don’t ask questions. I don’t care.”
“At least they packed you a toothbrush.” I was trying to find the positive in this when it was obvious there was nothing good about it.
“I always have my own bag packed, ready to go. I like to sleep up in the canyon sometimes. It’s amazing up there. But I don’t like sleeping in the snow.”
“So you came here.”
“Yes. Mystery solved. See, not as seedy as you probably imagined.”
No, it was actually worse than I’d imagined. Who did that? Who put a teenager out on the street to fend for himself so they could do . . . what were they doing that they didn’t want him there for?
“Will the whole school know about this on Tuesday or just half?”
“No. I mean, of course not. I won’t tell anyone.” But maybe I should tell someone. My parents or something. He shouldn’t have to live like that.
My thoughts must’ve been written all over my face again because he said, “Autumn. Do I look like I’m not taken care of?”
I looked him up and down. He was right. He didn’t look starved. He had a lean body but it was strong. His skin was smooth, no dark circles under his eyes or anything. His hair was thick. He looked really good, in fact. Really good. My cheeks went hot and I stopped my analysis of him immediately. “No. You look . . . It’s just—”
“Then let’s move on. I’m fine.” He pointed to the fire alarm. “Don’t touch.”
His story and the fact that I actually wasn’t sure that the whole library wouldn’t be soaked with the sprinklers if I pulled the lever made my decision for me. I could stay here. This was no big deal. He had way more to lose than I did. I held up my hands. “Fine.”
“Two days. You can last two days. I have a couple of protein bars in my bag. You can have them.”
I wasn’t going to eat those all by myself. I’d feel terrible. “Do you normally give yourself so little food when camping?”
“I’m normally not locked inside a building. I really hadn’t planned on the library. It was a last minute decision.”
I rubbed my arms. “Is this building really warmer than camping in the snow?”
He smiled.
“Can we at least try to turn up the heat?”
We stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the thermostat. Dax had used his knife to pry open the small lock. He was now pushing the On button, but it would only flash then turn back off.
“Maybe it’s programmed for certain hours,” he said.
“Let me try.”
“You can push a button differently than me?”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Maybe.” I pushed the Up arrow several times, hoping to turn up the heat, but this time it didn’t even pretend like it was trying. I flipped open the panel. On the back side were instructions on how to program it, but even following them to the letter did nothing.
“You can wear this sweatshirt too if you want.” He pulled on the front of the one he had on.
“No, that’s okay. I’m fine for now. I just feel like it’s only going to get colder.”
“It’s probably not turned off, just down. They wouldn’t want the pipes to freeze.”
He was right—maybe this was as cold as it would get. “I hate being cold.” I turned toward him. “I especially hate cold ears. Feel them.”
“Feel your ears?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
When it was obvious he wasn’t going to do it himself, I took him by the wrists and directed his hands onto my ears. We were now facing each other. He was half a foot taller, and I looked up to meet his eyes. His hands felt warm, so I knew my ears must’ve been as cold as I knew they would be. “See. Cold.”
He didn’t say a word, just stared at me.
I felt stupid so I took a step back. “Socks. Maybe I can borrow a pair of your socks.”
“For your ears?”
I smiled. “For my feet.”
He cleared his throat and looked down at my feet and barely-there socks. “Yes.” In a surprise move, he reached around me, pulled the hood of the sweatshirt onto my head and tightened the strings so I could only see out a small opening. “That should help too.” There was a teasing sparkle in his eyes, one I’d never seen there before.
I laughed and shoved him, freeing myself from the hood.
A single overhead light clicked on. I hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten. We’d just spent the entire day in the library. Two more and this would be over.
CHAPTER 12
As much as I’d wanted to sleep on the couch in the break room, it was too cold. So here we were again, on the main floor in the library, surrounded by books. Dax had loaned me a pair of socks, as well as the sleeping bag, and I was on the ground, pulling those socks as high as possible.