A Simple Gesture

Can one moment change how you see someone

The library was quiet now, that end-of-day kind of quiet that only came once the last patrons had gone.

Eva moved softly through the stillness, switching off monitors, stacking returns, straightening the counter for the second time. It was a ritual more than a necessity, something to do with her hands while her thoughts wandered toward the evening ahead.

Her date.

The man she’d been talking to online for weeks. Their first meeting in person.

She should have felt excited. Instead, nerves flickered low in her stomach. What if he didn’t come? What if she walked into the bar and he wasn’t there, or worse, didn’t recognise her? The thought made her fingers tighten around the edge of the desk.

She’d worn the heels and stockings he’d chosen for her, the skirt that hugged all her curves. It had seemed daring this morning, thrilling even. But today, it had made her feel self-conscious and conspicuous.

“Eva,” Martha called gently, appearing beside her. “You’ve tidied that desk enough. Time to go home.”

Caught, Eva smiled. “Right. I’m going.”

She turned toward the staff room, the click of her heels echoing across the polished floor. The corridor lights had softened, the space felt private. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Tom until she was almost beside him.

He stood near the coat rack, already slipping on his jacket.

“You’re still here,” he said lightly.

“Just finishing up.” She reached for her coat, distracted, but he reached first.

“Here,” he murmured, lifting it from the hook.

So busy with her own thoughts she barely registered Tom. It wasn’t until he had taken the coat from her and was holding it out for her to put her arms into that her awareness caught up.

The gesture was simple, yet the intimacy of it surprised her.

She turned automatically to accept the help and slid her arms into the coat as he lifted it into place. Smoothing it over her shoulders, his hands rested on her shoulders just a fraction of a second longer that needed before she turned back around to face him.

Time seemed to slow.

She tried to speak, but her voice caught. “Thank you,” she managed.

He didn’t answer. He was still adjusting her collar, fingertips ghosting along the edge as if finding an excuse not to let go. The warmth of his hands sank through the layers of wool, through her skin.

For a moment she thought he might say something. Instead, he breathed out slowly, the sound brushing her cheek.

“There,” he said finally. His tone was quiet, but it filled the room.

Follow Eva’s Story

As Eva prepares to leave for her first date, a simple gesture from Tom muddies the line between the colleagues.

A Simple Gesture is a companion story to The Librarian’s Admirer, part of the Between the Stacks romance series.