“You are welcome. Please come by my desk whenever you are ready to check-out the books,” replied Grace with a stern smile and walked away disappearing through the aisles of bookshelves.
Nandan flung his messenger-bag across the back of the ageing wooden chair and eased into it, cautious of it making a creaky noise. In front of him on the desk were three books stacked neatly.
Nandan pulled out the book in the middle and quickly glanced through it. As his mind tried to focus on the book, his ears grasped the ascending noise of sandals on hardwood floor. He momentarily thought it must be Grace coming by to check on him. However the footsteps faded away four tables across. He stole a quick glance to see Grace quietly helping a fellow patron. Nandan had company.
Long silky brown hair is all he could see seated few tables behind. Although his fingers involuntarily flipped through the pages, Nandan’s mind drifted away from the book and into a thought – A shade of brown that makes you long to be buried in lush green leaves..
Grace’s stern voice tore through the pin-drop silence as she addressed the stranger Nandan was admiring in thoughts, “You are welcome. I’ll help you with that, Neha. Please walk with me.”
Nandan recovered from the drifted thought and saw Neha walking back to her chair. While he was involuntarily sizing-up her beauty, he felt vulnerable and little did he know that it was evident and he was exposed – she could read the notes on his soul. Nevertheless, he felt vividness, a sense of clarity, recognition.
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