#a concrete fireplace and no tv library

[urbanscenarios]

Contemporary Family Room (Denver)

[rmarts]

Los Angeles Loft-Style

[alicesbookshelf]

Living Room Library in DC Metro

[westernwearforwomen]

Contemporary Living Room in Auckland

[elise-rosy-unicorn]

Denver Living Room

[bloody-vampire-lolita]

Denver Library Living Room

[berrybobs]

Denver Contemporary Family Room

[zetsubonoheishi]

Loft-Style Library (Berlin)

[jesslearnsthings]

Living Room Library (Barcelona)

[realitybitescupcakes]

New York Living Room

[napleonsolo]

Library - Contemporary Living Room

[majesticleon]

Contemporary Living Room in Paris

[quidittch]

Living Room Library

[bhhstilinski]

Chapter 2 (cont)

The library stood out in the small town, a newer building against the old, concrete against the brick, wide against the thin. It was a few minutes’ walk away from the cluster of more central shops that housed stationery and trendy clothing. Although Annabeth loved the store offering a selection of planners and pens, her destination today was the library. She pulled into a parking space, noting the plethora of empty spots, and twisted the key to turn the car off, her music stopping abruptly.

Annabeth took her keys and phone from the front of the car, pulled her bag from the backseat, and locked it as she walked towards the front doors. Once inside, she made a beeline for the stairs, bypassing the children’s section. The bottom floor of the library featured tables with picture books on display, enticing young potential readers. Annabeth remembered getting her first library card and excitedly running around the building, collecting books from all the tables and shelves, curating a diverse taste from the moment she had the opportunity. She would read historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, and to the librarian’s surprise, books about architecture.

As Annabeth reached the top of the stairs, she surveyed the top floor. A few chairs were arranged around a table in front of her, all facing a fireplace with a TV above it. The TV silently advertised different events the library would be hosting over the next few weeks, including storytimes for little kids and an arts-and-crafts day. Beyond the sitting area there were rows of bookcases that held the selection of fiction for teens and adults. Individual seats with attached desks lined the wall of windows to Annabeth’s left, each seat closed off by a screen that made for a more private study space.

She continued past the fiction section and turned to the right before reaching the non-fiction area. Her footsteps muted by the carpet, Annabeth approached the study rooms. Each room offered a table with several chairs and a whiteboard on the wall, so this hall was a hotbed for high school students. Since it was still the beginning of the school year, Annabeth had her pick from plenty of open rooms. Each had a clear glass wall, making it easy to see if they were occupied. She chose the one at the end of the hall that featured a window on one wall.

Offloading her backpack onto one of the chairs, Annabeth glanced outside. The sky was a vibrant blue, with puffy white clouds skidding across it. She wished she could go for a hike through a park rather than buckle down over calculus homework, but the life of a senior was not one to be desired. Especially one with aspirations as high as Annabeth’s.

Despite not knowing which college she wanted to attend next year, Annabeth knew she wanted to do great things. Her dream was to design an entire city, using her knowledge of architecture to create a masterpiece. Whenever she visited a new place, she analyzed the features of its buildings and its layout, knowing she could improve upon it if given the chance. The second she’d had a space in her schedule, Annabeth had jumped at the opportunity to take the Architecture and Design course offered at Olympian High. It was her favorite class, and not just because it was one of the only times she got to see Emi during the school day. She was truly invested in learning as much as she could; one day she would prove herself to be the best architect the world had ever seen.

Unfortunately, this also meant she had to battle her way through calculus. Annabeth grabbed her dark blue math binder along with a pencil that had a sufficient amount of eraser left and set to work on the newest worksheet. As she analyzed graphs and completed equations, Annabeth thought longingly of the days when math worksheets simply required you to prove you could add two-digit numbers.

~flashback~

“Thank the gods!” Percy exclaimed, his gaze landing on Annabeth as she walked down the bus aisle. “I need your help on this worksheet.”

It was the end of the school day, and the sun shone through the window onto Percy’s face, giving him a golden hue. His curls seemed to glow, their beachy look enhanced by the late-summer lighting. Annabeth slid into his seat beside him and dropped her backpack on the floor. She leaned in to get a better look at the paper in Percy’s hands.

Columns of addition and subtraction problems lined the page. Annabeth could see Percy’s scribbled pencil marks on a few of the problems, noting where he needed to carry a number and guessing at the solution. “Oh, this is easy, come on Seaweed Brain. We just did one like this yesterday. Here,” she said, reaching for the pencil.

“Sorry if I don’t have a mind like a sponge like you do, Wise Girl,” Percy retorted, smiling. He held out his hand to give her the pencil. Annabeth took it, their fingers brushing, and pressed the worksheet against the back of the seat in front of them. She walked Percy through one of the problems and explained his mistakes on the questions he’d struggled with. By the time the bus reached Annabeth’s stop, there were only a few problems left.

She slid out of the seat and pulled her backpack with her, hooking her arms through the straps. Straying from their usual routine, Percy stood up with her.

“I should get off here with you,” he said earnestly.

Annabeth stared at him, contemplating. With the way he was turned now, the light sparked his blue eyes. She thought they bore a resemblance to the reflection of the sun’s rays on the surface of the Atlantic. “You’re not allowed to,” she reminded Percy. “I think the driver has to have a note from our parents or something.”

Percy shrugged. “So?” he said, grinning. Annabeth couldn’t help but smile back. She felt a very strong urge to pick up her backpack and follow the boy down the bus steps. “We need to finish the worksheet,” he urged her.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Annabeth said. She frowned when Percy’s grin fell from his face. “Get on your email at exactly five, and we can talk!” she offered.

“Okay,” he conceded, and she hurried down the bus aisle before the driver could pull away from her stop.

As the bus’s folding door squeaked and slammed shut behind her, Annabeth turned around. Her eyes scanned the windows, landing on Percy’s faint shape through the window. He waved to her, a simple goodbye that always made her happy. She lifted her hand and waved back as the bus lurched and drove away from the street corner.

~present day~

Annabeth pulled herself out of the memory, returning her focus to finding the limit of some equation on the paper in front of her. She found herself wishing a certain blonde-haired boy was still sitting beside her, offering a brain to bounce ideas off of and promising to email her. It was ridiculous. They had phones now anyway, and his number was blocked, although her calendar still alerted her to his birthday every year. She always found herself annoyed by the notification, but for some reason never turned it off.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Annabeth’s phone chimed. She knew by its tone that the text was from Emi. The smile that this revelation brought was dimmed by the remembrance that she’d given Percy’s messages a unique sound once, too.

Annabeth opened the text and paused her music to play the voice message from Emi, which detailed a disturbing occurrence of a rat hiding behind a box. She shot a sympathetic message back and returned to her homework, mentally cursing herself for taking calculus instead of statistics, the other AP math option. But as Annabeth worked her way towards the bottom of the page, her mind drifted back to her former friend, once again questioning herself and what she had done wrong that had led to the emptiness of the seat to her right.

[tonksnymphdora]

Contemporary Living Room Example of a large trendy open concept light wood floor and beige floor living room library design with white walls, a corner fireplace, a concrete fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

[linefed]

Modern Living Room Living room library - large modern open concept concrete floor living room library idea with yellow walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv