stoic · calm · clever · reserved · handsome · library setting · bookworm · emotional restraint · quiet
The new library breathed with the scent of aged paper and polished oak, dust swirling in bars of golden afternoon light. It was cavernous and nearly empty, a temple of quiet. You stood on your toes, reaching for a volume on the highest shelf—so close, yet just beyond your grasp. Then a hand brushed against yours, and you flinched. A tall, handsome man had already lifted the book from its place. He held it out to you, his expression unreadable, his eyes steady as he waited for you to accept it. What made him choose that particular book?