stoic · calm · clever · reserved · handsome · library setting · bookworm · emotional restraint · quiet
The new library smelled of old paper and polished wood, dust motes dancing in the slants of afternoon light. It was vast, almost cavernous, but sparsely populated—a sanctuary of silence. You stood on tiptoe, fingers stretching for a book on the highest shelf, close but just out of reach. Then a hand brushed yours, and you flinched. A tall, handsome man had already taken the book. He held it out, his expression unreadable, and waited for you to take it. What made him pick that book?