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Debbie gave Alex the heads up at the end of last year that she was officially retiring. Yet, when he enters the library this semester, he’s surprised to see someone else in the law librarian’s seat who definitely isn’t Debbie. In her place is a young man, probably about a year or so older than Alex. He has sandy blonde hair and is wearing an oversized cardigan. Once he has the time he'll introduce himself. As for right now, Evidence is calling his name. It’s August and while he’s been warned by former 2L’s and 3L’s, he can already tell from his first week in the class that Evidence is going to be a nightmare. He’s hoping to get ahead while he still can, so his nightly routine of staying at the library until close starts the second week into the year.
He learns soon after that the new librarian’s name is Henry, and most surprisingly, he’s a Brit. They’ve talked here and there, usually when Henry has to come over to Alex to give him a warning that the library will be closing in five minutes and no , he can’t stay late because Debbie “warned” Henry about Alex and the tricks he would try to pull, including that Debbie would let him stay after closing time. Which is technically true, but it only happened twice and was for about two minutes both times, and both were so that Alex could pack up his things neatly before heading out. It’s worth a shot when Alex mentions it the first time he tries to stay past closing, and it makes Henry laugh, which gives Alex’s stomach a funny feeling. Alex doesn’t try to stay after hours often, because he knows that while Henry is a night owl and a possible insomniac like himself, Henry also needs all the sleep he can get. Henry has also become a little voice in his head along with June and Nora that remind him that he does need sleep in order to function and do well and that “no, coffee doesn’t count as sleep.”
Henry’s also been making the library his own with little decorations where he can and adding some activities for breaks. Henry has set up a small coffee and tea station within the library, writes fun questions on the big white boards by his desk for students to answer, and the most loved of all, the Jenga corner. The Jenga corner is a section on the third floor with five tables and a giant game cabinet filled with what Alex guesses to be about twenty to thirty Jenga sets all labeled for different classes and different subjects within those classes. Each Jenga piece has a question about the subject, and inside of the box there is a piece of paper with a QR code that leads to a document with the answers. From Torts, to Civ Pro, to Evidence, Henry’s got it all. The students love him, and even though Alex misses Debbie, Henry is growing on him more and more with every day that he spends at the library.
——
Around October, Henry started letting Alex stay past hours, but never for more than ten minutes. They have a routine: about twenty minutes before closing, Henry will come find Alex in his usual study spot and give him a heads up that the library will be closing soon. Henry will come back over for a five minute warning and Alex will give him that big bright smile and strike up a conversation. They both know it’s for Alex to procrastinate actually leaving, and he can tell that Henry isn’t the biggest fan of the small talk at first, but he warms up to it in a few weeks as they begin learning each other. Alex learns that Henry has a sister whom he adores and a beagle named David who is his pride and joy. Alex learns that Henry moved to New York to help his friend, Pez, run a shelter for queer youth in the city. In return, Alex tells Henry about himself. Alex tells him about Texas, about how he wants to go into law to give back to the community that raised him. He learns that Henry played polo and in return Alex shares stories from his lacrosse glory days. Alex comes out to Henry about three weeks into this night routine while telling Henry about his old friend Liam and how Alex hurt him. He tries to joke about how letting your best guy friend jerk you off to completion because you like the sounds he made was not very straight of him, despite what he thought in high school. The joke falls flat and Alex gets choked up, but Henry grabs one of his hands and squeezes it, a silent gesture of reassurance and a way to offer comfort. Alex’s heart does a little flip at the contact. The next night, it’s Henry’s turn to come out. He tells Alex he’s gay, and that while he’s always wanted to move to the States, his grandmother’s traditional values gave him a stronger incentive to leave England. Alex squeezes Henry’s hand twice that night.
——
It’s right before winter break that things take a turn for the worst. Alex has barely been sleeping, both due to his late night study sessions and the amount of stress he’s under with his Evidence final coming up. He needs at least an A- on the final to keep his grade, and with the mandatory A+ cap (which he thinks is absolute bullshit) looming over his head, he’s under the most stress he’s ever been, which is saying a lot. Henry has been having to kick him out of the library more and more the past few weeks, but also takes pity on Alex. He usually hands him a granola bar and a water bottle to go. Alex feels mostly okay in his other classes, but he knows he needs to start giving them some more attention. He writes out a study schedule and essentially holes himself up in the library for four days straight, only coming to his apartment to eat, shower, and change. It gets to the point where June and Nora take him out to dinner over the weekend to get him to eat something other than takeout and for a change of scenery.
In the past few days Alex has noticed a trend of Henry coming over to him when the library is mostly empty. Usually it’s to offer a new snack or convince Alex to take a break and head over to the “cozy corner” as Henry has deemed it. The cozy corner consists of blankets, pillows, a small hot chocolate cart, and the Bridgerton fireplace playing on the TV. Sometimes Henry will ask Alex questions about his finals to give him a verbal test, which Alex’s eyes appreciate after staring at screens and books for hours on end. Other times he and Henry talk about life: their friends, their sisters, and holiday plans. Alex learns that Henry’s flight back to England is scheduled for Thursday night, the day after finals have ended. Henry jokes that he’s going to spend the hours before the flight cleaning up the library from the chaos of law student finals.
“I’d offer to help, but my flight leaves about two and a half hours after my Evidence final ends,” Alex tells him Sunday night.
Henry absolutely beams, and he swears Henry blushes too. “That’s awfully kind of you. But, even if you could stay, I wouldn’t let you,” Henry replies with a chuckle.
“And why not?” Alex asks, feigning offense.
“Because you’ve spent too much bloody time here, you need to rest. I don’t want you to start to hate this place, or me,” Henry says sheepishly.
Alex is tempted to reply with a joke, but finds himself going with sincerity. With all of the kindness Henry has shown him over the semester, Alex hasn’t thanked him enough. “I don’t think I could if I tried.”
“I hope so, especially because I have to kick you out now. The library has been closed for fifteen minutes.”
Alex checks the time on his watch and sees that it’s 1:15 a.m. “Fuck Hen, I’m sorry. I totally lost track of time.” He’s not sure where the nickname comes from, but he is certain that Henry blushed at it.
He stands up and so does Henry, as he gathers his things Henry walks over behind his desk.
“Here, take these for the road. Get some sleep Alex, rest is important and you deserve it.” Henry says as he hands Alex a small box.
It’s a package of Jaffa Cakes, one of Henry’s favorite snacks. Alex’s heart does a funny little jump.
“Thank you Henry, for everything,”
Henry walks him to the doors of the library after he gathers his own things and they wave goodbye as they head out separate doors. Alex isn’t sure when he and Henry became so close, but he’s grateful to have a friend in Henry.
——
It’s Monday night when the weather forecast changes to include a possible blizzard set to hit New York on Tuesday night, the night before Alex’s Evidence final. The prediction calls for fourteen inches overnight and there are whispers of Wednesday finals being moved online or pushed to after break. Alex tries to push it out of his mind, tries not to spiral over the idea of the format of his final being changed or having to study over break. He’s been in the library for God knows how long when Henry comes over to him and forces him to take a break.
“I’ve ordered pizza and we’re doing a winter themed trivia game on the second floor. Everyone on the winning team gets a $30 gift card to the campus coffee shop,” Henry tells him with a soft smile.
“Oh, count me in,” Alex smirks.
He follows Henry to the second floor, chatting about mindless things on the way. It’s when they get to the couch section that Alex notices the lists. On the back wall there are two giant pieces of paper, one labeled “Naughty List” and the other labeled “Nice List”. Alex raises his eyebrows at Henry and walks a few feet ahead to see what’s been written. On the naughty list he finds the names of various classes that students find hard as well as friends poking fun at each other for various things such as “not giving me my coffee mug back for a week” and “getting me wine drunk when I should have been studying.” He sees his own name up under the naughty list and truly laughs for the first time in days. He’s on the list for offenses such as stealing extra pens, choosing the worst blocks to pick when playing Jenga, and trying to convince the librarian to let him stay past hours. He shoots Henry a look after reading the last one, who meets his gaze with a sheepish smile. Alex laughs and walks over to Henry.
“Wow, really feeling the love,” Alex jokes.
“Well, someone had to put you on the list for being a menace,” Henry replies.
“I’m sorry for keeping you here so late for months, say the word and I’ll actually leave on time.”
“I’m just messing with you,” Henry reassures. “It’s been quite lovely to get to know you, and my sleep schedule is about as awful as yours so it’s no trouble.”
Alex feels himself blush. “I’ve really enjoyed it too,” he says.
Trivia goes well, and for the first time in weeks Alex feels himself relaxing. The library is full of laughter as people scramble to answer and teams steal questions. He also gives out different gift cards to restaurants and coffee shops near campus. Alex’s team wins by two points, with Alex answering the winning question. His team erupts in cheers and so does Henry, who comes around and hands them each their gift cards. His hand brushes Henry’s a little too long when Henry hands him the gift card, and Alex swears he can hear Henry’s breath hitch. Something in his heart flutters when Alex spots the hint of a blush on Henry’s cheeks.
It’s fifteen minutes before the library officially closes when the last group of students head out for the night, leaving just Alex and Henry.
“Alex, if you take out a textbook or your laptop to start studying I swear to Christ,” Henry says with a laugh.
Alex rolls his eyes. “You may need to kick me out most times, but I’m not an asshole. Let me help you clean up.”
They work in tandem, Alex cleaning up what was left on the food tables and emptying trash cans and Henry putting back the furniture he moved to accommodate the group. They don’t talk but for the first time in his life, Alex doesn’t find silence uncomfortable. When Alex is done, he walks over to Henry to say goodbye.
“Tonight was great Henry, everyone loved it.”
Henry lets out a small chuckle. “Thank you, I was hoping it would lift some spirits.”
“It absolutely did,” Alex starts. “I forgot how stressed I was for about two hours which is the longest I’ve gone without stressing since midterms. I owe you one.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Henry replies with a shy smile. “Have a good night Alex, try to get some sleep.”
“You too Henry, see you tomorrow!”
They wave goodbye and Alex starts the journey to his apartment. He checks the time on his watch, 1:02 a.m. It’s officially Tuesday, the day before his dreaded Evidence class final. He takes a few deep breaths, he’s got this.
——
The day starts out as normal. Alex goes for a run, jumps in the shower, gets all of his things together (including a cooler bag of meals and snacks), makes his coffee, and heads to the library. Around 3:30 p.m. the snow starts falling, but it’s nothing that New York hasn’t seen. It’s just some snow, Alex thinks.
He orders delivery at 7:15 p.m. and checks the view out of the window. New York is a dream in the snow, and Alex would take some time to appreciate it if he wasn’t cramming for a final exam that his grade is solely relying on. S now will come again, the final won’t he tells himself.
At 9:00 p.m. a blizzard conditions are declared. There’s already three feet of snow outside and there’s no sign of it stopping. The class group chats start blowing up, everyone taking a break from studying to discuss what they think is going to happen with the last day of exams. The few other students in the library pack up their things and leave, but Alex stays. He’s just two and a half blocks away from his apartment, he’ll be able to make it back with no problem.
It’s 11:15 p.m. when Alex gets an email from his Evidence professor that says that his final may be moved until after winter break due to weather conditions. Alex’s heart drops and he can’t control the sob that escapes his lips. He tries to take a few deep breaths, but it only makes his breathing more erratic.
A few moments later he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up and finds Henry standing above him, looking very concerned.
“Alex?” Henry asks.
“My goddamn Evidence final might get moved because of this fucking blizzard,” Alex explains. Henry sighs and takes the open seat next to Alex. “I’ve worked so hard for this Henry. I’ve been studying my ass off for this class and for this final all semester long. The grade I get on this final determines my grade for the class. If I have to continue to study for this final over winter break I think I might actually have a full on mental breakdown.”
“Christ, Alex. I’m so sorry, is there anything I can do?” Henry replies.
Alex shakes his head. “No, but thank you for asking. I’m just going to keep studying until close and hope that somehow this snow is gone in nine hours so I can get to class.”
“If that changes let me know,” Henry says. He gets up and leaves Alex to study.
At some point Alex must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knows he’s lifting his head up from a pillow and there’s a blanket around his shoulders. He looks up and finds Henry putting away textbooks on the shelves.
“Mornin’?” Alex asks.
Henry laughs. “I guess it is technically the morning. It’s about 12:30 am, I was going to wake you up after I finished this shelf.”
“Thank you, by the way, for the pillow and the blanket,” Alex says.
“You’re welcome. I didn’t want you to feel all sore because you fell asleep on a textbook rather than a pillow. Plus, you’ll need them for the night anyway,” Henry replies.
“What do you mean?”
“Alex… The snow is almost up to five feet, we’re here for the night.”
It takes Alex a minute for his brain to process the information. “ Fuck. Henry, why didn’t you kick me out? I don’t want to be the reason you’re trapped here instead of your place.”
“Honestly, I got busy and forgot to keep track of how much snow was coming down until it was too late. Besides, I’ve spent a night or two on the couches on the first floor when I was too tired to go home.”
Alex nods in reply, trying to force his eyes open. Henry must notice because he suggests they both head to the first floor to go to sleep for the night.
Alex flops stomach first onto the first couch he sees, blanket and pillow falling to the floor beneath him. He grunts and stays in place, too tired to be bothered to grab them. He closes his eyes and listens to the sound of Henry’s soft steps as he turns off the last few lights in the library. Alex is half asleep when he feels his head being lifted and a pillow being put under it. He then feels a blanket being placed on top of him. He hears Henry take a few steps back and then a whispered “Sweet dreams, love.”
——
It was a goddamn holiday miracle that the school and the city were able to get the streets as clean as they could for exams to not be canceled on Wednesday. Alex practically jumped up from the couch with joy when he got the confirmation email that his Evidence final would be held in person. He makes a coffee for himself using the library coffee bar and eats three granola bars in rapid succession. He thanks Henry and says that he owes him twice now, and wishes him a happy holiday.
The exam goes as well as it could have. In an act of kindness and holiday cheer, his professor decided to make the final only multiple choice, forgoing the issue spotters which were originally going to be on the test too. Alex is three and a half blocks away from his apartment and one block away from the library when he gets his final exam score put in. It’s 96%, meaning he gets to keep his grade in the class. He sighs in relief and looks at the time, it’ll be cutting it close, but Alex decides it’s worth it anyway. He runs harder than he has in years to get to the library and bounds through the door, breathless. Henry startles at the noise of the doors opening so harshly.
“Alex?” he questions.
“I got a 96%,” is all Alex says. It’s then Henry who is running to Alex and wraps him in a hug.
“I am so proud of you,” Henry tells him, still holding Alex close. All Alex can do is laugh.
“Wait, don’t you have a flight to catch?” Henry asks as he pulls away.
“I do, but stopping here first was important.” Alex replies.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to tell you. After everything you’ve done for me this past semester, especially last night, and because I like telling you things, especially exciting things.”
Henry’s whole face lights up and he glances at Alex’s lips. Alex finds that he’s staring back at Henry’s lips, and probably has been staring at them for a few weeks.
“Alex…”
“Yes.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask,” Henry says with a laugh.
“You’re looking at my lips and I’m looking at yours and I swear God if you don’t kiss me right now I–”
Alex can’t finish the sentence, because Henry does kiss him.