5. CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER FIVE
CHENTE
At four o’clock, I wrap up my day and head directly over to the library.
It only takes me thirty minutes to walk over, and when I peep through a window, Odette’s not at the front desk and the lobby is empty.
The place closes in half an hour, so I expected her to be alone, but it still bothers me.
Stalking inside, I use my tail to close the door behind me.
It slams shut with a little too much force, the bell clanging more like an alarm than a cheerful tinkle of greeting.
Nearby, an artfully piled stack of books topples over, the secondary crash echoing around me.
Oops.
I suppose this is one way to get the pretty librarian’s attention…or give her a heart attack.
Real smooth, Chente.
Odette comes into view a few seconds later, panting a bit.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmur as I drop to my knees to pick up the books. “I didn’t mean to scartle you.”
“Scartle?”
My brow furrows. “Is…is this not the word?”
“No. I think you combined ‘startle’ and ‘scare’.”
And I’m an idiot.
Odette scowls in the most adorable manner. “You most certainly are not an idiot!”
I groan, swamped in misery. “Great, now I’m thinking out loud.”
“Combining words is fairly common, and sometimes actually results in a new word. Like ginormous is a combination of gigantic and enormous. We call this a portmanteau.”
“Hmm, I didn’t know. I figured it’s because I don’t speak English natively. That’s very interesting.”
“Yep, it’s pretty grool.”
“Gruel? Like the food?”
“Erm, not like the food. I was making a Mean Girls pun since the main character makes a portmanteau of ‘great’ and ‘cool’ to her crush. And now I feel like the idiot.”
“You are not! I just don’t watch much TV.”
“Oh, do you prefer reading?”
Can’t prefer something I can’t do.
“Absolutely.”
I have no idea why I lie to Odette, but my mind insists that a librarian must love books.
Ergo, I too should love books if I want a chance of holding her interest.
And this is why I’m an idiot.
Odette helps me adjust the book tower so that the display looks the same.
Then she goes over to her desk and pulls out something before coming back over to hand me the rectangular object.
“Here’s your library card. You left before I could give it to you.”
Her hands tremble a bit, making me frown, and I wonder if I’m making her nervous.
I quickly stand to give her a little room before glancing down at the card in my hand.
The strange squiggles mock me, reminding me that I’m illiterate and a liar.
“Right. Thank you.”
Odette’s smile lights up the room as she gives me her full attention.
“Of course. Now is there anything I can help you find?”
The question is innocent enough but feels accusatory.
My tail swishes back and forth as I discreetly try to take a deep breath.
“Um, can you show me where I can find the language learning books, please?”
“Absolutely. Follow me.”
She spins her chair deftly around and leads me to a section far away from the front desk.
“Here we are,” she says warmly, pointing to a row of books. “This shelf here should have everything you need. What language do you want to learn?”
“Erm, French.”
She smiles brightly, pulling a few books down into her lap before handing them to me.
“These are the most popular with patrons, and they all have online learning features, too.”
The unease inside of me swells. I can’t learn to read French if I don’t read the language the books are written in.
As if sensing my discomfort, Odette tips her head to the side as if assessing me.
“We also have audiobooks for language learning if you’re more inclined to learn audibly.”
I almost nod in agreement as Chupas are very audible learners—unfortunately, I will never learn to read by listening to someone else.
Unless…unless perhaps I followed along.
“Are there any learning books with audiobooks that read the books?”
Odette’s lovely greenish-brown eyes narrow in contemplation.
“We don’t have any audiobooks that read learning books verbatim. Only things like fiction audiobooks do that.”
“Do you have any fiction audiobooks with the physical book?”
“Yes, although the selection is largely murder/mystery. Thrillers tend to be the most popular genre for my patrons.”
“That’s fine. I’ll take whatever’s most popular.”
“Ok. Although, we don’t have actual audiobooks anymore. You access the files through the library website using your library card.”
Fuck.
Even though I have my phone set to read everything aloud to me, I still struggle.
Odette eyes me, clearly noting my distress, and I scramble to think of something.
Time for more lying.
“I’m not very, er, internet savvy. I only use my phone for the basics.”
“Well, I would be more than happy to show you how to get the app and use it, if you would like.”
Some of my discomfort eases.
“I would appreciate that more than you know.”
She smiles shyly, ducking her head until all I see is her pretty mop of pink hair.
“Let me go find a few books I know we have in audiobook, too. I’ll be right back.”
She disappears from sight, and I sigh heavily as I glance down at the language learning books in my hand.
Standing awkwardly, I flip through the top one, trying to discern the squiggles into words.
Maybe if I scowl and stare hard enough, I’ll miraculously learn to read before Odette returns.
Snorting, I walk over to a nearby table and sit down, forcing myself to see what I hear spoken every day.
But try as I might, none of it makes sense, and I scowl at the delicate, cream pages.
The only thing keeping me from throwing the cursed book is the fact that it isn’t mine.
And I’m not an overgrown man-child, no matter how childish my internal musings might be.
Like thinking it’s a good idea to lie to Odette.
If I want a relationship with her, it shouldn’t be made on a foundation of falsehoods.
But how do I tell someone so exquisite and intelligent that I can’t read?
She would probably be repulsed by someone like me.
Although she doesn’t seem to mind that I’m a monster.
Most humans edge away from me, naturally afraid of my looks and size.
Maybe she likes monsters, but when has a human ever found a Chupa attractive?
We’re ugly in comparison to the many other monstrous species that roam Earth.
Humans tend to gravitate toward vampires, likely due the resemblances between the two and their legendary bites.
A Chupa’s bite is just as pleasurable, but what human would believe it when our fangs are twice as long as a vampire’s?
Blowing out a breath, I push back from the table just as Odette comes into view.
She has another stack of books in her lap that she places on the table for me to look at.
“This one is top of the charts right now and is said to be very good.”
“Have you not read it?”
“Um, no, I haven’t.”
For some reason, Odette blushes, and I wonder if my question makes her feel bad.
“I was just curious. I don’t expect you to have read all the books in the library.”
“It’s ok, but some patrons do think I should read and know all the books.”
“That’s ridiculous and pre…pre…”
“Presumptuous?”
“Yes. Thank you. Sometimes, my mind knows the words but my mouth cannot form it.”
Odette reaches out to touch my arm before yanking it back as if my scales singed her.
She clears her throat, the faint blush growing and creeping down her neck.
“I think you’re extremely well-spoken.”
Her praise makes me want to preen.
Down, boy.
“So, ah, what books do you read?”
The blush turns into an inferno of red, and Odette scurries back from me.
“N-nothing interesting.”
I stifle my chuckle at the panic edging into her gaze.
Maybe I’m not the only one lying.
But I’m also a gentleman and don’t want to make Odette feel uncomfortable.
“I’ll take all of these.”
Scooping up the language books with my tail, I pick up the fiction ones and follow Odette back to the front desk.
She checks them out for me before showing me how to use the library app.
Luckily, I have a great memory. This combined with my phone’s ability to read aloud, I know I’ll be able to navigate to the audiobook section.
“Thank you for your help.”
“You’re so very welcome, but I’m afraid I have to close for the night.”
“Right…by yourself?”
“By myself.”
That’s what she thinks.
“Before I go, can I ask you something?”
She fidgets in her chair, her cheeks tinting pink once more.
“O-of course.”
“Will you tell me something unique about yourself?”
I ask the question quickly before I lose my nerve.
She probably thinks it’s a dumb thing to ask, but it’s the first thing a male Chupa asks when he’s courting a female.
Because whatever the female’s uniqueness is makes her special.
And male Chupas need to know so as to craft their mating gift around this answer.
“Unique? I…I don’t know. There’s nothing really unique about me. I’m kinda boring actually. I like to read and do puzzles.”
Her brow furrows as she thinks, humming softly to herself.
The sound reverberates through my body, and I curl my claws into my hand to keep from stroking her cheek.
“There is one thing. It’s not necessarily the act that’s unique or me, but I collect rare coins. It’s something I used to do with my grandfather, and he would take me coin hunting with him at conventions and auctions. I loved going with him. It was my favorite pastime. A lot of the coins we collected together are one-of-a-kind. They’re truly unique.”
One-of-a-kind—it’s the perfect word to describe her.
“Do you not collect coins anymore?”
“My grandpa’s passed as are my parents.”
My heart squeezes. “But you’re so young!”
She shifts in her seat. “I’m in my late thirties, actually. And my parents didn’t have me until later in life.”
“Do you not have siblings?”
“No. I have cousins and the most wonderful aunt in the world, but they don’t live in Canada.”
“You’re all alone?”
A pained expression flits over her face before smoothing out.
“No. I have the library and my patrons.”
Her smile is so sad that I want to kick myself in the backside for upsetting her.
To reassure her that she has more than this place and the people who frequent it.
She has me.
And I’m here to stay.