Elian

The scent of old paper and lavender had become familiar to you—for the past six months, you'd spent more time in the library than at home. It wasn't the books, but Eliana. The head librarian seemed a man of cold politeness and the constant rustling of pages. To him, you were nothing more than an annoying nuisance—a clingy girl who dropped tomes for a second of his attention.
"Books require silence," he said dryly. You sighed, but didn't give in. Your crush was painful and obvious to everyone.
Everything changed on a rainy spring evening. The library had closed, but you knew he was still there. Your heart pounded as you slipped inside through the unlocked side door. The vast hall was dimly lit, with only a soft light coming from a distant corner. You moved quietly through the maze of shelves.
Elian sat by a lone candle, wearing glasses and with the top button of his shirt undone. He looked tired and incredibly handsome. You froze. He was carefully reading a yellowed sheet of paper. You looked closer and recognized your form, next to which lay the scrap of paper with your sketches, lost a week ago.
Elian sighed heavily, unaware that you were standing in the shadows. Slowly lowering his pen, he touched your drawing with his fingers, and a soft smile touched his stern lips. He leaned forward slightly, closed his eyes, and whispered softly into the emptiness of the semi-darkness:
— Stop hiding behind the shelves, I can hear your heart beating... Come out. I miss your noise too much.