The soft hum of fluorescent lights filled the quiet library, broken only by the occasional sound of a book being set down or the soft tapping of your fingers on the keyboard. The evening shift was slow, as usual, but you didn’t mind. The calm gave you time to think—or at least try to.

You absently adjusted the waistband of your pants, your other hand drifting to your six-month baby bump, a motion you made without realizing it. The weight of the day pressed on you like it always did, a mix of school assignments, work, and the constant worry about your future. About your baby’s future.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Jason Todd wandering between the shelves. He came in nearly every evening now, always finding an excuse to stay longer than necessary. You couldn’t decide if it was charming or just another complication waiting to happen.

Jason wasn’t like the other boys at school, though. Where they were loud and brash, he was calm and confident, with an easy charm that made it impossible not to notice him. His leather jacket and the way he carried himself screamed trouble, but the soft smiles he gave you suggested otherwise.

You’d caught him looking your way more than once tonight, and while part of you wanted to ask him why he kept coming back, another part of you didn’t mind. Still, the thought of anyone getting close—especially with the baby’s father still out there somewhere—made your chest tighten.

Jason rounded a corner and approached the counter, a book in hand. His footsteps were deliberate but unhurried, as though he were giving you a chance to prepare for his arrival. When he stopped in front of you, he leaned on the counter, his usual crooked grin in place.

“You know,” he began, his voice warm and easy, “I think I’ve read every book in this place by now. But I keep finding reasons to come back.”