Free Seclusion by C.S. Rinner Page A

We took
it up to floor zero, which housed all the food areas, and walked in.
    “Okay, the coffee shop is
right over here,” she said as she gestured toward it.
    Java Circle was printed on the glass
door. I stepped through the door, and the smell was delish, sublime in fact! We
ordered our drinks, and someone came running up to us. She was a short redhead,
very slender. She reminded me of a rose.
    “Elsie, I have the best
gossip to tell you. You won’t believe it! I already got asked to the summer
fling dance!”
    “Oh, Sara, I’ve missed you!
I can’t wait to hear your story, but I’m showing Raegan around, and we were
just on our way to the library.”
    “Oh,” Sara said, her face
falling in a disappointed frown.
    “E., just tell me where to
go and I’ll find it on my own!” I told her.
    “Oh, okay then! I’ll meet
you in our suite later! You want to go up to floor E from here. Go to the west
wing, and the library is right past the computer labs. There are maps on the
walls if you get lost, okay?”
    I gave her a quick hug and
started walking off with my fresh vanilla latte still steaming. I couldn’t hold
E. back from new gossip, though I knew she felt bad about not coming with me.
    I entered the library and
began scanning the shelves as I walked around. I figured I might as well find a
book. Home away from home! I thought about how a library could be a
sanctuary. It was like salve to my soul. The library was huge – it took up
almost the whole floor and was complete with a kids’ section and an area that
had rentable DVDs and books on CD.
    I was browsing through the
DVDs when I walked straight into a wall – it was actually a black hoodie. I
inhaled the hoodie, and the smell was intoxicating and reminded me of my
dreamland from the morning – weird. The scent was like an ocean breeze, relaxing
and comforting.
    I immediately realized this
hooded figure was Damen. We had both reached out to grab Bram Stoker’s
Dracula , the one with Keanu Reeves. Not the best movie, but I hadn’t seen
it in a while. When I touched him, I got a shock of intense pain. My breath
caught in my throat, and I winced away from him. We looked at each other. He
gave me the most irritated look I’d ever seen, like I had just caused him
physical pain, too. He pushed me back, mumbled he was sorry, and shoved the DVD
into my hands.
    “If you want this, you can
have it!” I said, flustered.
    He looked me up and down
and said, “I don’t.”
    I knew we were talking
about the DVD, but the rejection hit me hard. He stalked off toward another
room. I grabbed the DVD and went to check it out.
    That was the strangest
thing ever! If only he wasn’t wearing so many clothes, I might’ve been able to
sense what was wrong. Maybe I could have helped him. Just from bumping into
him, I could tell there was some major pain going on, but I couldn’t tell if it
was emotional or physical – or both. I wasn’t even sure if I could heal that
type of pain without major concentration, but I was intrigued by the mystery he
presented.
    One of my previous
questions had been confirmed though – his features were more attractive than
I’d remembered from an hour ago. He also, apparently, had good taste in leisure
activities, I thought as I drifted to sleep.
    My dreams were filled with
a dark, sensual, mysterious figure. They felt so real, as if I was completely
enthralled with this dark stranger. When I awoke, and remembered the intimate
nature of my dream, I refused to believe it could be Damen that I had dreamt
about.
     
    *
* *
     
    The next morning, as Chase
and I were walking to our orientation class, I kept feeling bummed that I
hadn’t seen Damen in the cafeteria at breakfast. I hoped he’d be at the
orientation, but no such luck. Chase wrote me notes throughout the orientation,
telling me his thoughts on what the teacher was saying. I was very distracted.
The teacher went over everything Elsie had already told us. He also discussed
the