Even as she heard the custodian working his way toward her reading room, Laura refused to give up on her last five minutes of naptime. She had much more studying to do before she could leave the library, but she was starting to feel the delirium of too much caffeine, too little food, and the obscenely uncomfortable chair she'd occupied for the last seven hours. Her eyelids gave into their heaviness, and she was just starting to feel her mind let go when the custodian yanked open the door and the sound of his music blaring through his headphones overwhelmed Laura's already fragile senses. Her headache reverberated each time he bumped the vacuum into her table, but, ever polite, she managed a smile and a "thank you" before he left. The door closed, but the buzzing continued. She looked down and realized the invading noise was her phone.
"New Text Message: Josh" read her display.
Laura felt her teeth unclench and her shoulders relax. Thank god for Josh and his sense of timing, she thought.
She looked at the message: "Tapas place too noisy."
Laura couldn't help but laugh out loud. Months ago she and Josh had been working in the same library. Their stress was running high as they each toiled to complete the research their advisor needed for her study. Josh's phone had buzzed, and his laughter had broken Laura's already-waning focus. He'd gotten another random text message, just one in a series from some stranger. The message itself wasn't that funny, but the interruption to their frantic work was sorely needed and they laughed long and hard.
Now Josh sent Laura that text message each time he knew she was probably working too hard and too long. It was a reminder to loosen up, to take a break if she needed one. She looked at the clock and realized it was almost midnight.
She messaged back: "You're right. I'm going home."
Josh shot right back: "Good. I'll walk you. At the east entrance. See you in a few."
Laura couldn't help smiling. Josh always brought her out of her head. He had an uncanny ability to maintain his party-boy status and his academic success; it was a good balance to Laura's much more structured approach to their research. They'd developed some of their best ideas after Josh had dragged Laura to the bar late at night, but those theories never would have found their way into serious research if Laura hadn't forced Josh to sit with her to write and submit the abstracts.
Laura finished packing up her notebooks and selected the books she'd check out that night. By the time she reached the east entrance, she was bent over with the weight of her load. Josh just laughed when he saw her.
"Who's surprised right now?" He mock questioned, as Laura shrugged off a book bag and handed it over to him. He feigned weakness under the weight, but Laura caught sight of his well-honed arm underneath his thin shirt.
They chatted lightly on the way to Laura's apartment just a few blocks away. Laura loved that they could let their work rest and just enjoy an entirely superficial conversation.
"How was the bar?" Laura asked as they approached her front steps.
"Not nearly as hilarious without you to make fun of," he answered. The last time they'd gone to the bar, Josh had laughed at the guys who'd approached Laura, and after they left, alternated imitating their awful lines and Laura's awkward responses.
"Haha, you know your scene is getting dull when I'm the life of the party," Laura said. She laughed at her own joke, pushing open her front door and dropping her bags on the floor. She rubbed her shoulder, sore from the weight of her messenger bag and looked back up at Josh, whose face reflected a new pensiveness.
He caught her inquisitive stare and asked, "Are you going to bed right away?"
Laura laughed. "You can come in, Josh. You're always welcome. Your roommates probably have your place pretty occupied by this time already."
"Excellent," he said with a comic raise of his eyebrows.
Laura headed for the kitchen. "You want anything to drink?" she asked, as she removed some vodka from the freezer. "I'll have what you're having," Josh answered. His voice was farther away than she thought it would be. "Josh? Where are you?" Laura called, grabbing the screwdrivers she'd quickly mixed and heading down the hallway.
Of course, Laura thought to herself as she caught sight of the light falling into the hallway from her bedroom. "What are you doing in here?" she asked as she entered the room, finding Josh bent over, furrowing his brow as he perused her bookshelf. Laura sat on the bed and took a drink as she waited for him to speak.
"I was just seeing if you had anything I wanted to borrow," he said.
"Nothing new since last time. And I still need that book back from you," she said.
