Page 14 of Let's Talk About Love

“Sure. Come sit here.” He tapped the spot next to him. “You have to hold it out so everyone can see,” he said, helping his helper move into position.

“Will you do funny voices again?”

“Of course.” Takumi laughed. “Everybody ready?”

Alice caught his eye and his grin grew into a smile that would launch a thousand ships.

She could watch him all day (like the stalker that she was). When was the last time she had ever been this fascinated by the look of a person? If ever? She wasn’t an artist or musician (her creativity was reserved solely for aesthetics/decor) or even a writer (unless essays about her shows counted?), but if someone handed her a pen and paper, she’d probably start penning sonnets in Takumi’s honor.

“Alice,” Essie whispered, leaning against the shelf with her arms crossed.

Alice jumped and promptly resumed her shelving duties at triple thespeed. “Hey, Essie,” she whispered back.What wormhole did she slide out of?

“Enjoying the show?” She was almost Cara’s polar opposite with the legs and neck of a giraffe. Elegant and feminine to an absurd degree, she never had a single strand of hair out of place. The way she wore her clothes was the stuff designers dreamed about, and she had perfect dark brown skin that made Alice weep with envy.

(Her own skin was a similar color, but hyperpigmentation was real.)

“What? No. I’m shelving.” She lifted a book and made the pages flap.

“Uh-huh,” Essie replied, eyebrow cocked. Her gaze drifted over to Storytime. “I think he’s going to be really good for the library.”

“Yeah. He’ll be great.”

“The kids love him.” She zeroed in on Alice’s full cart. “And I see they’re not the only ones. Still not done?”

“Oh, um, the shelf needed straightening before I could start, so I’ve been doing that,” Alice lied.

“It’s okay.” Essie laughed. “He has that effect on almost everyone at first. He is pretty cute. What code is he?”

Essie knew all about Alice’s Cutie Code™ and thought it was both hilarious and fascinating. On days when Essie didn’t go home for lunch (she lived super close to the library), they would spend the hour together scrolling through Tumblr, coding all of the pictures.

Essie was determined to crack the code. Once, it baffled her how a painted image of the aurora borealis could surpass her own Code: Yellow. Essie had spent a solid twenty minutes arguing how she was more attractive than some “weird, squiggly green lights in the sky.”

There’s no way Alice would admit that Takumi was Code: Black. Once she explained it, vainer-than-vain Essie might lovingly murder her.

“Cute? Really?” Alice reached for her maximum level of cool. “I did not notice.”

“Liar.” Essie laughed.

God, could she smell the lie on Alice? Was that an actual thing? It probably was, her signature scent being Eau de Struggle.

“You notice everyone,” Essie continued. “I’ve been watching you watch him for almost thirty minutes. He’s single now. Want me to set you up?”

Alice answered slowly, measuring each word. “Employees can’t date each other.”

“Wrong. Librarians can’t date assistants,” she said. “And it’s not like I’ll tell Cara anyway. As long as you two don’t go overboard with the googly eyes, I really don’t care.”

Essie was one to talk—every other sentence out of her mouth was usually “Andrew this” or “Andrew that.” She had met her boyfriend (the aforementioned Andrew, whom Alice had yet to meet) two months ago. He had swept her off her feet, and shortly after, they rode off into the sunset of magical Happily Ever After Land.

“Thanks, but I’m not interested in romance right now.”

(Or dating.)

(Or love.)

(Or being happy, apparently.)

Essie side-eyed her. “Says the person who wrote an essay about the blatant romantic dissonance inSleepy HollowcalledIchabod and Abbie: The Greatest (Love) Story Never Toldand had it published.”