given me a little warning, I could’ve had one last hurrah,” she mused. God, even to herself she sounded like a whore
.
, w . W
W
hich wasn’t the case, really. Over the years, she’d maybe slept with ten guys and all of them were of legal age.
Olivia unlocked the large doors, letting herself in. After packing up her belongings, she left the bag on her desk and turned to look at everything she’d loved for the past ten years. Never in a million years would she have believed she’d be saying goodbye t o he r library. Sure, she’d made mistakes. Didn’t everyone? However, this time she knew she’d gone too far. Instead of stepping over the proverbial line, she’d erased it. Getting caught once again with her pants down by Mrs. Brooks put an end to her career. Now what was she going to do? The library had been her entire world, her escape from reality. How could she have been so stupid as to think she’d get away with it forever? She knew better. She couldn’t help but think of how she’d ended up in such a predicament.
It hadn’t always been that way
.
, b . B ut years
However, years
of
heartbreak and
relationships with men who thought she was boring and mousy had changed her. The library filled her with a sense of power. There, she’d been important, needed. Both feelings she hadn’t felt before working
t
here.
“
I’m really going to miss you
, Ms. Milan
.”
So engulfed in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard anyone come in
and
she was relieved to hear a friendly voice
. Turning to face the other woman, she said, “I’ll miss you too, Stephanie.”
“It’s really not fair that they fired you. It’s not like you were hurting anyone or anything.”
Olivia smiled and swallowed her true feelings. “I knew better. That’s all that matters.” She wrapped her arms around Stephanie Wilson, her student library assistant, and hugged her.
Stephanie had been a tremendous asset to Olivia over the past few years and she’d become a friend.
“Thank you for always being here for me, Ms. Milan.” The young woman sniffled.
“Now, stop that.
Why do you still call me Ms. Milan? We’re friends.
We live in the same town. We’ll still see each other and if you ever need help with your research or want to grab a cup of coffee, just come see me. You know where I live.”
The girl nodded, , “I’ll do that.”
“Well, I need to get going. I’ll see you around.”
Olivia scooped up her bag of mementos
, slid the straps of
it
onto her shoulder
and walked through the library, running her hand s across the hand-carved, mahogany bookshelves
, allowing her fingertips to feel the cool, glossy w
ood
one last time. Years of memories flooded her mind and caused an almost unbearable ache in her heart. This was it. “Ten years of service gone in an instant.”
She swiped at the stream of
silent
tears running down her cheeks
and took a deep breath.
She’d be separated from the wonderful worlds she’d discovered between the pages of books by both new and old authors. They’d been her saving grace after losing her fiancé years ago. After she’d found out he’d been cheating, Olivia had immersed herself in the job and
her work
it had filled the hollow void that his sudden death and all that she’d discovered about him had created. Behind
that la
rge set of double doors
, she’d found happy endings over and over again. In a cold world full of lies, the library spoke to her, welcomed her with its truth and warmth. With every bit of joy these creations had given her, she’d returned the favor by mending worn covers, caring for them, dusting their shelves, protecting them. Now, she had to let them go. Forever.
Picking up one of her favorite love stories, opening the hardcover, she ran the pad of her thumb across the pages and let them skim across her soft skin, creating a small breeze. The indescribable scent of the old tome, a smell that only true book lovers could appreciate, permeated her
.
, w . W
W
hich wasn’t the case, really. Over the years, she’d maybe slept with ten guys and all of them were of legal age.
Olivia unlocked the large doors, letting herself in. After packing up her belongings, she left the bag on her desk and turned to look at everything she’d loved for the past ten years. Never in a million years would she have believed she’d be saying goodbye t o he r library. Sure, she’d made mistakes. Didn’t everyone? However, this time she knew she’d gone too far. Instead of stepping over the proverbial line, she’d erased it. Getting caught once again with her pants down by Mrs. Brooks put an end to her career. Now what was she going to do? The library had been her entire world, her escape from reality. How could she have been so stupid as to think she’d get away with it forever? She knew better. She couldn’t help but think of how she’d ended up in such a predicament.
It hadn’t always been that way
.
, b . B ut years
However, years
of
heartbreak and
relationships with men who thought she was boring and mousy had changed her. The library filled her with a sense of power. There, she’d been important, needed. Both feelings she hadn’t felt before working
t
here.
“
I’m really going to miss you
, Ms. Milan
.”
So engulfed in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard anyone come in
and
she was relieved to hear a friendly voice
. Turning to face the other woman, she said, “I’ll miss you too, Stephanie.”
“It’s really not fair that they fired you. It’s not like you were hurting anyone or anything.”
Olivia smiled and swallowed her true feelings. “I knew better. That’s all that matters.” She wrapped her arms around Stephanie Wilson, her student library assistant, and hugged her.
Stephanie had been a tremendous asset to Olivia over the past few years and she’d become a friend.
“Thank you for always being here for me, Ms. Milan.” The young woman sniffled.
“Now, stop that.
Why do you still call me Ms. Milan? We’re friends.
We live in the same town. We’ll still see each other and if you ever need help with your research or want to grab a cup of coffee, just come see me. You know where I live.”
The girl nodded, , “I’ll do that.”
“Well, I need to get going. I’ll see you around.”
Olivia scooped up her bag of mementos
, slid the straps of
it
onto her shoulder
and walked through the library, running her hand s across the hand-carved, mahogany bookshelves
, allowing her fingertips to feel the cool, glossy w
ood
one last time. Years of memories flooded her mind and caused an almost unbearable ache in her heart. This was it. “Ten years of service gone in an instant.”
She swiped at the stream of
silent
tears running down her cheeks
and took a deep breath.
She’d be separated from the wonderful worlds she’d discovered between the pages of books by both new and old authors. They’d been her saving grace after losing her fiancé years ago. After she’d found out he’d been cheating, Olivia had immersed herself in the job and
her work
it had filled the hollow void that his sudden death and all that she’d discovered about him had created. Behind
that la
rge set of double doors
, she’d found happy endings over and over again. In a cold world full of lies, the library spoke to her, welcomed her with its truth and warmth. With every bit of joy these creations had given her, she’d returned the favor by mending worn covers, caring for them, dusting their shelves, protecting them. Now, she had to let them go. Forever.
Picking up one of her favorite love stories, opening the hardcover, she ran the pad of her thumb across the pages and let them skim across her soft skin, creating a small breeze. The indescribable scent of the old tome, a smell that only true book lovers could appreciate, permeated her
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