Ghost in the Stacks Ch. 01

"I think you might want to get cleaned up. Don't worry, I'll stick around for a bit."

Louis sat back and watched the young man rinse the residue from their session from his pale skin. There was something perfect about the droplets of water cascading down his skin. The more experienced man found himself with some unusual thoughts. Normally, Louis waited for the other guy to make the next move. Louis was rarely the aggressor, but he found himself thinking one or two sessions ahead. He thought of all the things that he would like to do with the handsome young man before him. When Johan was clean and dressed again, they sat together on the bed.

"Now I'm serious about getting you out of here. Besides reading and spying on people, what else do you enjoy doing?"

"Not . . . really. All I've ever done is watch other people. What?"

The last question had caused Louis's eyes to pop open as an idea ran through his head. "Meet me outside the library at about ten tomorrow morning. I think I've got just the thing."

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The next morning . . .

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"You did WHAT?!?" Katie shouted as they dined on ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls.

"What? What part are you having a problem with?"

"The part where you invite your stalker to go to the mall with us! Have you completely lost your mind?"

"I thought you'd approve of my taking an interest in my fellow man."

"Taking an interest means getting him counseling! It doesn't mean introducing him to your sister over a latte!"

"He doesn't need counseling. He's actually a very intelligent guy who's just really shy."

Katie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How do you know?"

"I talked to him for quite a while yesterday. And then," he said with a grin, "I got to know him."

Her eyes shot open. "You didn't? You are such a pig!" she said, punching him in the arm as hard as she could. "How could you do that with someone you hardly know. Never mind . . . Don't answer that."

"Well, I'm going to go pick him up at the library now. Are you coming or not?"

Katie didn't looked thrilled, but Louis knew that curiosity was probably eating away at her. Finally, she agreed to go along.

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Later that afternoon . . .

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Johan, Louis and Katie were still sitting on a second floor bench looking down, and they had been there for hours except to get food. Johan turned out to be somewhat adept at the game that Louis and Katie usually played. It would seem that creating his own identity had given the young man some sort of special insight into the process. Louis had pretty much given up and was letting Katie and their young associate battle it out for the most ridiculous story. Louis just observed.

Johan wasn't quite as bashful as Louis had been expecting, but it wasn't as if he hadn't had ANY exposure to the outside world. He could function perfectly normally in his classes and those situations where he needed to go out. His isolation was an issue of pragmatism, not necessarily of choice. The less he dealt with people, the more likely his identity ruse would hold up. And the young man sensed that Katie was even more trustworthy than her brother, so he opened up about his own history. By the time the game was over, he had earned himself another friend. They talked about their respective plans, and Katie was impressed that there was someone who ACTUALLY wanted to be a librarian. He explained that for someone who liked it quiet, liked reading and wanted a job where the background check wouldn't be too extreme, then that was the right profession.

Louis was becoming increasingly fascinated by the young man who had created a brand new person of thing air and his own imagination. He kept staring at that pretty face, pale skin and full lips. Every now and then, Johan would realize that HE was the one BEING observed, and it made him nervous. Katie periodically noticed her brother staring at their new friend, and she just smiled.

'Poor Louis,' she thought. 'What have you gotten yourself into?' She knew he hadn't actually shown an active interest in any boy before. By some strange twist of fate, Johan had been dropped in his lap and her brother wasn't sure what to do. 'Brother of mine, your life has just gotten interesting.'

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To be continued . . .