Chapter 4 #2
Carter chickened out every single time.
Because first impressions matter and Carter had absolutely no intention of embarrassing himself in front of the prettiest girl at Aurelia.
He wanted it to happen naturally. Like after he did something impressive..like winning the tournament trophy and looking like a campus legend, rather than a guy who got tongue-tied in the cafeteria.
Absolutely not when he wasn’t hiding behind library shelves protecting a silver medal like some academic goblin.
But now she was here.
What was she even doing here?
Wait. Oh no.
Was she after the medal?
He stepped out from behind the shelf cautiously.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, using the same calm authoritative voice that usually worked during class meetings. “This entire wing is off-limits without a faculty pass. You aren’t allowed in here.”
Miss Waldorf looked offended at that.
Of course. The girl probably hadn’t heard the word ‘No’ a day in her life.
“Oh, wow,” she said slowly, adjusting the stack of books in her arms. “I didn’t realize returning books after hours required becoming a teacher’s pet first.”
Carter ignored that. “You still shouldn’t be here this late. This section is restricted.”
Elena rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ugh. What a Nerd.”
Carter looked her up and down once before tilting his head slightly.
“Says the girl carrying a pile of books heavier than herself.”
For the first time, her expression shifted. She looked at him as if he amused her.
Beneath the warm library light, her blue eyes held his for a second longer than necessary. And Carter suddenly became very aware of the fact that they were alone together in a quiet room at midnight.
“Could’ve returned those tomorrow morning,” he added casually. “You always have time to kill after your debate club meeting.”
Elena blinked. Then her brows lifted slowly.
“Were you stalking me, nerd?” she asked, voice light with amusement now.
Carter leaned one shoulder against the bookshelf, pretending he wasn’t internally panicking.
“I play for the hockey team,” he said. “Why am I the nerd here? You’re sounding a little judgmental.”
Thank God he hadn’t worn his glasses tonight.
Elena shifted the books against her hip, studying him now with obvious interest.
“You’re the class representative, you got the highest midterm score, and you practically live inside the library.
I have never seen you without a book in your hand.
” Her gaze dragged over him lazily before returning to his face.
“And now you have that silly Founder’s Medal too.
That’s basically every nerd fantasy completed. ”
Carter folded his arms slowly.
“Wow,” he said. “Who’s stalking who now?”
That finally caught her off guard. A faint flush crept into her cheeks before she recovered almost instantly.
“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “Everyone keeps talking about you and your stupid medal. Now move.”
The demanding little flick of her wrist should have annoyed him.
“Brat,” he muttered under his breath while stepping aside.
Elena either didn’t hear him or chose not to react. She walked past him with a satisfied smirk and immediately started shoving books onto the nearest shelf.
Carter felt genuine horror.
“Hey,” he said quickly, walking over. “Those don’t go there.”
She glanced over innocently while shoving another book sideways between two encyclopedias.
“Yes, they do.”
“They absolutely do not.”
Carter pulled the book gently from her hand before she could ruin the entire shelf system.
“You’re messing up the alphabetical order.”
Elena stared at him. Then slowly crossed her arms. “Do they give you a gold star every time you follow rules?”
“Do they give you one for acting like a rebel without an actual cause?”
That hit a nerve.
He could tell immediately.
Elena huffed softly and looked away for the first time since entering the room, pretending sudden interest in the bookshelf beside her.
Carter tried not to smile.
They fell into silence after that, shelving books side by side.
No matter how much he tried to focus on the task at hand, he was painfully aware of everything else.
****
Elena pushed the last book into the shelf and dusted her fingers together lightly.
Carter had seen Elena Waldorf under stadium lights at hockey games. Across crowded lecture halls. Walking through campus with half the university staring after her like sunflowers chasing sunlight.
None of that came close to this.
The library was quiet enough that he could hear the soft rustle of her sleeve as she folded her arms loosely against herself. She looked at him then away swiftly before her lashes lowered slowly, graceful as curtains falling at the end of a play.
And that was when Carter realized he’d been staring at her.
Not even subtly. Fully staring at her like he’d never seen a beautiful girl before in his life.
He cleared his throat roughly and looked away, taking a step back before she could think he was creepy.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Elena said behind him, her voice softer now. “About the nerd thing.”
Carter glanced at her over his shoulder. “Oh really?”
She smiled a little at his tone. “Yes, really.”
“Because earlier,” he said, “you sounded seconds away from asking if I also remind the teacher to collect homework.”
That made her smile again.
Elena looked down briefly, smoothing a strand of hair behind her ear before lifting her eyes back to his.
“To be fair,” she said, taking a step towards him, her voice a soft whisper,“ it's dark and a girl walks into a room to be alone with you and you’re busy worrying about alphabetical order.”
She stepped closer while speaking, her voice with a touch of teasing tone.
“Very nerdy behavior.”
Carter’s heartbeat immediately lost all rhythm.
Because she was flirting with him.
Elena Waldorf was actually flirting with him.
Any other time, he would have come up with something smooth. He knew he was smart, he knew he was attractive, and he’d never had to try that hard with girls before.
But standing this close to Elena, his entire system glitched.
She smelled soft and expensive, like jasmine and winter cashmere. Her heels still left her shorter than him by enough that she had to tilt her chin up to keep eye contact, and he could see the faint shimmer of gloss on her lips.
Meanwhile she looked completely entertained by his sudden inability to function.
A genuine laugh burst out of her as she watched him struggle, and he knew right then he’d happily play the idiot a thousand more times just to hear it again.
Elena took another step forward until there was barely space left between them.
“Okay,” she said softly, looking at him through her lashes, “I lied a little.”
“You know,” she murmured, studying his face carefully, “I did notice you.”
Carter tried very hard to remain normal.
“Mhm.” Her fingers brushed lightly against the sleeve of his shirt. “You always sit in the third row in economics even when the seats in the front are empty. You get that crease between your eyebrows when you read.”
Carter blinked.
“And during hockey games,” she continued softly, “you get this look on your face right before you slam someone into the glass.”
Her eyes flicked up to his again.
“It’s kind of hot.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
Carter was still processing it all in slow motion. He knew he had a high IQ. He internally yelled at his brain to bloody act like it.
“You’re cute when you short-circuit, nerd.”
Before he could recover, her hand slid against his chest slowly, fingertips curling lightly near the back of his neck.
The rest of the coherent thoughts left his body at once. She rose onto her toes instinctively despite the heels, and he bent toward her automatically, one hand finding her waist like it belonged there.
Then she kissed him.
And Carter understood instantly why men ruined their lives over girls like Elena Waldorf.
Her lips were impossibly soft and slightly sweet. He savored the sheer intoxication of it.
Then instinct kicked in. Like a light switch flipping. His hand tightened against her waist, pulling her flush against him as he kissed her back harder, deeper, and Elena let out the faintest moan against his mouth.
That sound nearly killed him.
The entire world narrowed into fragments.
Her perfume.
The marble shelf pressing against his shoulder.
The way she fit against him perfectly.
The feel of her body… so soft against his.
The tiny hitch in her breathing when his thumb brushed against her waist.
Carter kissed her like he’d been wanting to for months without realizing it.
Maybe he had.
Too soon, she pulled back.
Both of them were breathing harder now.
Elena smiled at him then — smaller this time, almost shy — and suddenly she couldn’t hold eye contact anymore. Her cheeks had turned pink. She bit back a laugh, looking down at the floor like she was surprised by herself.
It made her look entirely too cute for his peace of mind.
Before Carter could form an actual sentence, she spun on her heel and fled down the aisle, giggling out loud while her heels clicked a frantic rhythm against the marble floor.
Like she’d set the whole place on fire and suddenly realized she was standing in the middle of it.
Carter stared down the empty aisle, completely immobilized. And now, pleasantly short of breath.
The heavy chime of the clock tower striking midnight finally rattled him back to reality. Blinking away the daze, his hand instinctively dove into his pocket.
Empty.
His medal was gone.
A dry, disbelief-filled laugh burst out of him.
Of course she took it.
Of course Elena Waldorf had kissed him senseless and picked his pocket in the exact same breath.
He should’ve been angry. Any sane person would’ve been furious.
Instead, he just stood there smiling, tracing his bottom lip with his thumb. The taste of her cherry lipgloss was still lingering there, along with the memory of the way her lips had curved against his right before she pulled away.
His medal was gone.
Unfortunately, so was his heart.