Jade had always liked the school library best during lunch.
Most people crowded the canteen or the courtyard, laughing loud enough to echo down the halls.
The library stayed quiet. Almost empty.
Exactly how she preferred things.
Today she headed there straight after the bell, sandwich in her bag, novel already open in her mind.
The heavy wooden door creaked when she pushed it. Cool air and the faint smell of old paper greeted her.
Perfect.
She walked past the front desk—Mrs. Patel was sorting returns, headphones in, humming softly—and slipped between the tall shelves toward the back.
Her usual spot: a small table half-hidden behind the history section, near a window that looked out on the rainy courtyard.
But someone was already there.
Rose.
She sat with her back to the aisle, shoulders slightly rounded, a thick paperback open in front of her.
A soft gray cardigan draped over the chair.
Glasses low on her nose. She hadn't noticed Jade yet.
Jade froze mid-step.
Her heart did that stupid quick thing again.
Was it a better idea to perhaps turn around? Pretend she forgot something?
But her feet didn't listen.
She kept walking, slower now, quieter.
When she reached the next aisle over, she paused.
Jade was close enough to see, far enough not to intrude.
Rose turned a page.
Her fingers lingered on the corner, gentle, like the paper might tear if she wasn't careful.
Jade watched the way a strand of hair fell across her cheek, the way Rose absentmindedly tucked it back without looking up.
Something warm bloomed in Jade's chest.
Not too loud. Not some fireworks.
Just… a quiet recognition.
She cleared her throat—barely a sound.
Rose's head lifted.
Eyes wide behind the lenses.
A tiny flinch, then recognition.
"Jade?"
"Hi." Jade lifted her sandwich bag like evidence. "Didn't know you came here too."
Rose blinked. Then the smallest smile curved her lips.
"I… needed somewhere quiet. The canteen is…" She trailed off, gesturing vaguely.
"Loud , isn't it" Jade finished.
"Yeah."
Jade hesitated for a while.
The table had two chairs. One was vacant.
She pointed. "Mind if I…?"
Rose glanced at the empty seat, then back at Jade.
A beat.
Then a small nod.
"Sure."
Jade slid into the chair across from her. Not too close. Just close enough.
They sat in silence for a minute. Not some kind of a awkward silence , the good kind .
The kind where breathing felt easy.
Jade unwrapped her sandwich.
Rose turned another page.
After a few bites, Jade couldn't help it.
"What are you reading?"
Rose looked up, surprised but not startled this time.
She tilted the cover so Jade could see: a worn edition of The Bell Jar.
"Again," Rose added quietly. "I reread it every time I feel… off."
Jade nodded slowly.
"I get that. I've got The Secret History in my bag for the third time this year."
Rose's eyes lit up—just a flicker.
"You like Tartt?"
"Love her. The atmosphere. The way everything feels heavy but beautiful."
"Exactly." Rose's voice softened. "Like the words are pressing on your chest, but you don't mind."
Jade felt her own smile grow.
They talked—quietly—about favorite scenes, about why certain lines stuck with them, about how books sometimes felt safer than people.
Rose spoke more than Jade expected. Like a steady flowing river like she was testing the water with each sentence.
Jade listened.Really listened.
To the gentle rise and fall of Rose's voice.
To the way she paused before saying something important.
To how her fingers traced the edge of the page when she was thinking.
Time slipped.
The lunch bell rang somewhere far away.
Neither of them moved.
Finally Rose closed her book.
"I should go. Next period."
"Yeah. Me too."
They stood at the same time.
Books tucked under arms.
Bags shouldered.
As they walked toward the door together, Rose spoke again—almost too soft to hear.
"You can sit here tomorrow. If you want."
Jade's heart tripped.
"I want to"
Rose glanced sideways.
A real smile this time , small, but real.
They stepped into the hallway.
Noise rushed back—lockers, voices, footsteps.
But it felt farther away now.
Jade watched Rose disappear around the corner toward the science wing.
Then she touched the cover of her own book in her bag, like it held a secret.
The library door clicked shut behind her.
Quiet again.
But something inside Jade wasn't quiet anymore.
It was awake.Careful.Hopeful.
And tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.