Chapter 8
Thorne As soon as we got back to the apartment after work, Lissa told me to change as she wanted to take me somewhere.
“What’s wrong with what I have on?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. I thought you might want to change. I’m going to shower.” The washroom door closed behind her.
“How fancy do I need to dress?” I called through the door.
“Casual.”
I looked down at my standard uniform of blue slacks and shirt with my last name on it, then made my way to the bedroom.
Twenty minutes later she led me out to her ride and drove us to the north end of South Loop. Once parked, we walked toward an enormous red brick building that covered an entire block. The roof had a copper patina color. I wasn’t sure if it was real aged copper or painted to look like it.
The entrance was a set of double doors set into a grand, semicircular arch. Along the arch it read, “Harold Washington Library Center.” I gazed along the outside of the building, from corner to corner, and up to the top of the building where a lovely sculpture sat directly above me.
I turned to Lissa. “This is a library?”
She laughed. “Yes. Did you not do any research before moving here?”
“Yeah, but apparently not enough.”
She rubbed my back. “Let’s go inside. There’re more than just books here.”
Once inside, the entrance led us down a large hallway with marble wainscoting. The hallways opened up to a large square room with a round section of railing in the middle. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the center section opened up to the floor below.
I pointed into the hole in the floor. “You see this?”
Lissa laughed. “Yes. But wait, there’s more.”
We spent the morning walking through the first five floors of the building. The architecture blew my mind. The sheer number of books I looked through and passed by gave me a deep sense of loss, for I’d never be able to read them all.
So far, we’d seen the movies and music sections, the children’s library, a maker lab, computers people could use, the science section, and the newspapers and periodicals. They even had a few art exhibitions.
We rested on the fifth floor when I looked at my watch. “It’s one o’clock!”
Lissa held my arm before I could jump up. “Where are you going?”
“We’ve been here for hours.”
She nodded. “And we haven’t seen all the art exhibits, the history section, or the Winter Garden.”
I looked at her, my eyes wide and my mouth open. “How many floors are in this building?”
She thought about it, then said, “Ten, I think. But we only have access to nine.”
“Ten floors? This is the largest library I’ve ever been in.”
She smiled. “That’s why I brought you here. I might bring you to the history floor last so I know we’ll have time to look at everything.”
“Thank you.” I couldn’t believe she surprised me with something like this.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“But it is a big deal. I’ve always had to share experiences with my siblings, which meant we voted, and whatever got the most votes was where we went. This is the first time in a long time that someone took me somewhere they knew I’d like.”
She shook her head. “This is the easiest thing to do. You like books. It’s free.”
“And you chose to spend all day with me exploring a library.”
“I don’t hate libraries.” She raised an eyebrow. “Not a big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal.” I held her hand. “Someone doesn’t hate me. You think of me as a friend. Don’t you?”
She pulled her hand out of mine. “Shut up. Let’s get some lunch and explore the rest.” She stood up and walked toward the elevator. I grabbed my crutches and limped after her. My heart beat a little faster than normal and a felt tingly all over. I guess I wasn’t so annoying after all.
Lissa I dropped my bag inside the entrance of my place. Thorne was already on the couch. He’d finally ditched the crutches and could walk comfortably on the air cast. He’d hopefully be out of the boot in two weeks and onto physical therapy.
“Why do I have to be on admin duty? Stellan is on full workman’s comp, and I’m doing inventory like a chump.”
I threw a pillow at him when I sat down beside him. “You have two functioning arms. Stellan’s shoulder is completely fucked. He can’t help nothing. You think he likes not being at work?”
“But I want to complain about doing boring work alone.”
I scooted over and pulled Thorne into a hug. “Poor baby Thorne. Has to do paperwork and doesn’t appreciate the contributions of his partner.”
I started helping Thorne with his admin duties when I finished my own. They’d implemented a few new systems I hadn’t learned over the last year. Now I had my own private tutor. When exactly did I start voluntarily hanging out with Thorne at work?
I could feel him frown into my shoulder. “Thank you Lissa for helping me with the admin work.”
I leaned back and patted his head. “That’s a good Viktor.”
He squinted. “Viktor? From…Arcane?”
I laughed “Yes.”
“That’s a good pull.”
“I might have asked around for more character names to use.”
He pushed me, and I used the momentum to get up and grab a glass of water for us both.
Thorne was messaging someone when I came back. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and those puppy dog eyes.
“My friend Joe is in town. I’m going to have dinner with him tonight. Want to join us?”
I frowned. “I can’t. I’m meetin’ my parents for dinner. Remember?”
“Ditch ‘em. Joe’s more fun, guaranteed.”
“A lobotomy is more fun, guaranteed.” I sighed and relaxed on the couch.
My parents weren’t the most supportive. I didn’t expect them to change at this point.
They didn’t often come near the South Loop of Chicago, preferring to stay up in the Northwest side.
They had tickets to some show near here, so they decided to grace me with their presence.
“Just cancel. Tell them you’re sick.” Thorne pulled a small ball out of his pocket and was throwing it up and catching it. Where did he find that ball?
“No. Then they’ll come over and take care of me while telling me I’m sick because of my job. It’s hard to walk out of my own apartment. No telling what they would do to my place if left to themselves. Easier to walk out of a restaurant when I’m done.”
I couldn’t think of a time I hadn’t walked out during dinner. My parents never failed to bring up how much they hated my career.
“Well, you can always use me as an excuse to leave.”
I side-eyed him, then smiled. “My hero,” I said in a tiny voice.