Her eyes meet mine, all that earlier shy sensuality replaced by panic. I reach out and grasp her hand, pulling her out of the statue’s hand and onto the knee with me. I jump down to the base below and tell her to throw her legs over the side. I hear a car door open as I wrap my arms around her legs and help lower her to the base. I do the same thing to lower her to the ground, and by then the cop is heading for us.
I grab her hand and pull her into a run.
There’s a dirt jogging path cutting through the commons area, and I drag Nell onto it. Dust kicks up around our feet, and she’s wearing flip-flops that slow her down, but she doesn’t complain.
I can imagine that for a girl like Nell the thought of getting into trouble with a cop (even a campus cop) would feel like the end of the world. Which is why I refuse to let us get caught.
“Come on, babe. Little faster.”
She lets me tug her along, but I can tell she’s struggling, so when the jogging path curves, instead of following it, I pull her to the right and into a breezeway between two buildings. We move faster on the concrete, and in less than ten seconds we’re out the other side.
I lead her across the street, and we run under the lamplit sidewalk up and over a block until we hit the library. I slow us to a walk and guide her through the front door. I’m not sure if the cop is still chasing us, but if he is, I doubt he’d follow us in here. But just in case he does, the best thing for us to do is to blend in with a crowd.
Unfortunately, the library isn’t exactly hopping at midnight on a Wednesday. And I can admit, I’ve never actually set foot in this library myself, so I have no idea where to go. I’m about to pull us over between some bookshelves because I figure that’s better than nothing when Nell takes the lead, gesturing for me to follow her over to a bank of elevators.
I keep an eye on the front doors while we wait for the elevator, and just as it dings and we step inside, the campus cop comes through the front door.
Inside the elevator, I jab at the Door Close button.
“The cop just entered the building. I don’t think he saw me get in the elevator,” I say. “But we should find someplace out of the way or somewhere with people around until he gives up and leaves.”
“There’s usually a decent number of people in the lounge on the third floor this time of night. That’s where the best computers are. We can go there.”
She hits the button for three, and I just hope that I was right about the cop not seeing me. If he didn’t, he’ll likely be gone in a couple minutes. I mean, does he really have nothing better to do than chase us all over campus for climbing on a statue?
Scratch that. He is a campus cop, after all.
When the doors open, I follow Nell along a long hallway lined with offices into the main library area, and then to the right as she heads for a section with computers and comfy-looking furniture. We collapse onto a love seat, and Nell sinks back into the cushions, trying to contain her breathing. There are three people working on the computers, and one more sitting at a table reading a big textbook. Not exactly a crowd, but it should do just fine. And I still doubt that the cop will even search that hard. But I won’t take the chance . . . for Nell’s sake. I’ll never get her to do anything else on the list if I muck things up tonight.
We look at each other, and then we’re both laughing. Nell covers her mouth with her hand, trying not to make too much noise as her bright eyes meet mine.
Kiss her. Kiss her now.
She leans her head back on the cushion, sighing as her laughter gives way to a few deep breaths. And the moment has passed. I’m not sure whether I’m proud or pissed at myself for resisting.
“Well . . . that was eventful,” I say.
“Seriously, if he’d caught us . . .”
“Oh, I was talking about you flashing me.”
She brings her fist down hard on my thigh, and I catch her hand.
“Easy. I’m kidding. Mostly. Okay, not at all. That black lacy thing you’re wearing is definitely still winning for most memorable part of the night.”
“Do you ever think about anything besides sex?”
She tries to tug her hand away, but I keep it trapped between mine and my thigh.
“Sure. I think about football. And food. But the rest of the time, I’m definitely thinking about your boobs.”
“Shhh! Be serious.”
“I would never joke about your tits, sweetheart. I take them very seriously.”
She glances around at the students working. “You’re going to get us in trouble. Again.”
I hear the elevator ding, signaling a car has just arrived on this floor, and we look at each other. What are the odds that someone other than the cop would be coming up here at this hour? Too slim to chance it.
“Go that way, back into the stacks,” I tell Nell, and in seconds we’re up off the love seat and making our escape. Her short legs move in a quick exaggerated walk, and her long hair bounces against her back with the movement. I glance behind us, but no one has exited the hallway yet.
We pass row after row, and it’s not lost on me where we are. I’d been joking when I teased her about the Sweet Six, but here we are, in the very spot I mentioned. The shelves are lined with old yearbooks, course catalogs, student manuals. There’s an entire section of old newspapers and documents, including the university’s original charter, displayed under a glass case. In other words, nothing that would interest a college student in the middle of the night unless he was looking for a deserted place to make out.
Nell makes a turn into one of the stacks about three-quarters of the way back, and before I follow her, I take one more glance back. Coming out of the elevator hallway are two Asian girls, whispering quietly, book bags slung over their shoulders. So not the cop, then. I relax, and then follow Nell only to find her leaning against one of the shelves, flipping through some old thick textbook. So I stand corrected. Of course, Nell can find something of interest everywhere.