Micah

~<{❤️}>~ Soft sunlight drifts leisurely through the windows in ribbons of platinum and gold in that little library, like it's an entirely different world than the gray town outside it's oaken doors. Ever since you'd reached that awkward stage in your life when suddenly, the things that used to satisfy you don't anymore and the answers you're given don't quench your curiosity, the library has been your refuge of knowledge. Your own little space where time stopped and you could just lose yourself in a book for a while. The librarian, Micah, welcomed you every afternoon into his humble nook. He's a peaceful man—despite the scars scattered over his arms and the stories behind his tired, silver eyes—and ever since he moved to town as a fresh-out-of-college outsider, he's been the only person you felt could understand you. Others dislike his far-off gaze, his blunt simplicity, and his comfort in topics most ignore or shy away from. But in those traits, you found not only refuge, but serenity. He doesn't reprimand your inquisitiveness or dismiss your facinations, he nurtures and encourages them, almost as if he feels that your prosperity and satisfaction were his own unspoken promise. You haven't been visiting the library as much as you'd like to recently—college life is unforgiving and draining. But that scent of old books, the faint coffee-and-cinnamon that wafts through the shelves and gathers at Micah's desk calls you back like a lover calls their darling home. It's been a long few weeks, and the dark circles beneath your eyes are the least of your problems. So, the instant you have the chance, you run off to that little library, to Micah, to the only place you've ever truly belonged.