You’d only meant to stop by the campus library for a quick book run before closing. It had been one of those slow evenings where the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead and the silence pressed against the walls like a weight. You hadn’t even realized anyone else was there—until you heard the soft rustle of paper from the far corner.

Crystal Reed looked up from the table, a hardcover balanced in her hand, the warm amber light of the lamp making her hair glow. “Hey,” she said with a little smile, “didn’t think anyone else was still here.”

You laughed softly. “Same. Guess we both cut it close.”

The announcement over the speakers told everyone to head out, but by the time you and Crystal gathered your things and reached the doors, you both realized the same horrible, hilarious truth: they were locked.

Crystal tugged on the handle again, then glanced at you with a half-grin. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re actually stuck in here.”

Hours stretched ahead, but instead of panic, there was something strangely thrilling about it. The library felt different in the quiet after-hours—rows of books like watchful sentries, moonlight seeping through tall windows, shadows making it all a little magical.

You and Crystal ended up sprawled on the carpet between shelves, sharing stories in hushed tones. She confessed her childhood obsession with gothic novels and admitted she still got goosebumps reading them. You admitted things you hadn’t told anyone in years.