“Gabriel, does this library have any copies of Origin of the Species? I looked, but I couldn’t find it.”

“I believe we do,” Gabriel says, typing the title into the computer before standing and walking toward one of the aisles. He glances at the spines of the books, trailing his gaze all the way up to the top shelf.

“Right there,” Gabriel points. He watches Ravi reach up for the book, fingers barely brushing the shelf even when he stands on tiptoes.

Gabriel laughs. He leans up and pulls the book down.

“What are you gonna give me for it?” Gabriel teases, holding the book back out of reach when Ravi goes to grab it. Ravi moves fast, leaning against Gabriel momentarily as he snatches the book away.

“My eternal gratitude,” Ravi smirks, glancing down at the dusty volume in his hands.

Gabriel plays over the sensation of Ravi’s touch in his mind. His body so warm; his external scent is a mesh of some subtle cologne, and Ravi’s own musky sweat which wouldn’t be noticeable to a mortal, but to Gabriel… The smell lingers in Gabriel’s nostrils, and he delights in breathing it in. Feels the twitch of desire for the blood coursing beneath that perfect cinnamon brown skin. 

For two weeks they’d gotten to know one another. They’d become friendly. Ravi had even brought Gabriel coffee on more than one occasion. Suddenly the mundane night library job had become far more exciting, inviting even.

“I’m afraid I lured you over here under false pretenses,” Ravi says, frowning as he stares down at the book.

“Oh?” Gabriel prods curiously.

“Yes. I was incredibly bored, and I suspected you were also, by the way your gaze kept wandering. I swear I wasn’t stalking you,” Ravi teases, “I just wanted…I thought we might entertain one another.”

“Perceptive man,” Gabriel says quietly, “I was in fact growing increasingly bored. What did you have in mind?”

“Just…talking,” Ravi says, glancing up at Gabriel nervously, apologetically, “I find it incredibly easy to talk to you. Like, we just click. I think about you a lot, I mean, god, now I sound like I have gone into stalker territory.”

Ravi chuckles nervously, and Gabriel can see the blush in his cheeks.

“How’s your work coming along?” Gabriel asks, trying to soothe Ravi’s nerves.

“At a snail’s pace. Genomes and DNA. There’s only so much I can read before I want to throw my books on the floor and stomp out the door. I wouldn’t do that to the library books of course,” Ravi quickly points out.

“They’d survive,” Gabriel says.

“It’s all so redundant. I’m getting nowhere. No closer to proving my father’s insane theories. He would be so disappointed if he were still alive. There just seems to be nothing out of the ordinary in this world. Nothing extraordinary, at any rate. No matter what the internet would have you believe.”

“I disagree,” Gabriel says, reaching out to brush his fingers over Ravi’s hand in a movement so fleeting that Ravi frowns down at the back of his hand in confusion.

“Disa-sorry?” Ravi murmurs.

“I guess I just have a less skeptical view of the world,” Gabriel says, “I’ve been fascinated by the extraordinary for a very long time.

“In what way?” Ravi asks.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“No, no, I promise I won’t,” Ravi insists, gazing curiously into Gabriel’s eyes.

“Well, I read this book once that blew my mind. It’s about the evolution of a species. I mean, most people wouldn’t believe it, because they’re part of this widespread myth, but…”

“Is the book here?” Ravi asks.

Gabriel nods, feeling grateful for Ravi’s curiosity and open-mindedness. It’s been a long time since he’s felt vulnerable. Lonely, yes, but no one has made him feel awkward for a very long time.

Gabriel turns, trying to steady his fluttering heart as he walks down to the genetics aisle where he’d taken great care to place the book. He reaches up, pulling it down from the shelf, and handing it to Ravi.

“…vampires?” Ravi asks, glancing at the book, then up at Gabriel.

“Just…give it a read,” Gabriel says, “it might stave off some of your boredom.”

Ravi nods vaguely, turning and heading back toward his usual desk with the book.

Gabriel knows, he knows as Ravi walks away that this is the man he will reveal himself to.

“Whatcha doin’, Gabriel?”

The sudden voice from behind him causes Gabriel to spin around, smiling in relief when he sees the janitor, Weiss. So obsessed with Ravi that he hadn’t even noticed Weiss’s presence. Strange, since he can usually hear the man before he even comes up the stairs.

“I was re-shelving,” Gabriel lies, “and now I’m headed back to my desk. How are you tonight, Weiss?”

“Bored as fuck, but what else is new?” Weiss says, squinting up at the shelf of books closest to him.

“So, what’ll it be tonight?” Gabriel asks, “five-card draw, or Texas hold-em?”

“Currency?”

Gabriel shrugs, “pocket change.”

“Five-card-draw,” Weiss says, seating himself beside Gabriel at the desk as Gabriel opens a drawer to pull out a deck of cards. As he plays several hands with Weiss, his mind wanders across the library, to Ravi.

Always to Ravi.