My Baby Daddy Isn’t Human

The library was steeped in the usual serene quiet. Axel sat behind the large wooden desk near the entrance, he looked calm, but his eyes gave away a hint of unease. A neatly stacked pile of returned books sat to one side, waiting to be sorted, while a small lamp cast a warm glow over the ledger he was supposed to be updating.

His pen moved across the page in even strokes, but his focus wavered. His eyes kept darting to the door every few minutes, like he was waiting for someone. When no one appeared, he would let out a soft sigh, shake his head, and force himself to look back at his work.

Axel was too caught up in his mix of working and watching to realize someone was behind him.

"Boo!"

A sharp tap on his shoulder startled him so badly that his pen jerked, leaving a long, dark streak across the page. Axel spun around in his chair, his wide blue eyes meeting the amused grin of his colleague, Sasha.

"Sasha!" Axel exclaimed, clutching his chest as if to calm his racing heart. "What in the world? You scared the life out of me!"

Sasha laughed, clearly pleased with her mischief. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said, though her tone made it clear she wasn't sorry at all. "You've been so out of it today, I figured I'd check if you were still alive."

Axel rolled his eyes and set his pen down, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "I'm perfectly fine," he muttered. "Just busy."

Sasha arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms, leaning casually against the desk. "Busy, huh?" she said, glancing pointedly at the half-finished ledger and the untouched stack of books. "Doesn't look like it."

"I am busy," Axel insisted, his cheeks reddening slightly. "There's just… a lot on my mind."

"Oh, really?" Sasha's grin widened, and there was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Let me guess—your mind is busy wondering when a certain someone is going to walk through that door?"

"Nonsense," he said, his voice a touch too defensive.

"Uh-huh." Sasha smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "Come on, Axel. You've been sneaking glances at the entrance all day. You're practically willing them to appear with the power of your mind. Just admit it—you're waiting for someone."

"I'm not," Axel said firmly, though the heat in his face betrayed him. "I'm just... keeping an eye on things. It's part of my job as the librarian."

"Right," Sasha said, drawing out the word as if she didn't believe him for a second. She leaned in close, her voice lowering like she was about to share a secret. "So, who is it? A new crush? Or maybe an old one?"

"Sasha!" Axel groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "Can you please stop? I'm not waiting for anyone, and I definitely don't have a crush."

Sasha straightened, chuckling as she stepped back. "Whatever you say, Mr. Not-a-Crush," she teased, giving him a playful wink. "But you might want to wipe that lovesick look off your face before someone else sees it."

She strolled away, leaving Axel sitting there, caught off guard and a little embarrassed. He slumped back in his chair, running a hand through his dark hair and muttering under his breath. "Ridiculous," he grumbled. "Absolutely ridiculous."

As the silence of the library settled around him once more, Axel couldn't help but replay Sasha's teasing in his mind.

Love? A crush? The very idea made him scoff. He didn't have time for things like that. There were bigger things he needed to focus on. Romance had no place in his life.

And yet…

Axel's gaze drifted toward the entrance again, unbidden. A small part of him—one he wasn't quite ready to acknowledge—had been hoping to see Raelynn walk through those doors. Not because of anything romantic, of course. He was just curious about when she'd come back to return the book she had borrowed. That was all.

Right?

Axel let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "It's not a big deal," he muttered to himself. "She probably just hasn't finished reading it yet. Or maybe she's busy."

But even as he tried to rationalize his thoughts, he couldn't shake the image of her from his mind. Her warm smile, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she loved, the way she quietly focused on her books in the library caught his attention. There was something about her presence that lingered, even when she wasn't there.

Axel shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts. "I'm being ridiculous," he said aloud, though his voice was barely a whisper in the vast, empty space. He picked up his pen and forced himself to focus on the ledger in front of him. For a while, he managed to immerse himself in the familiar rhythm of his work, the scratch of the pen against paper grounding him.

But inevitably, his thoughts would drift back to Raelynn. He told himself it was just because she was an interesting person. She had a way of standing out, even in a place as quiet and subdued as the library. He was simply curious about her, that was all.

Still, as the hours passed and the sun began to set, Axel found himself stealing one last glance at the entrance before returning to his work. Maybe tomorrow, he thought. Maybe she'd come back tomorrow.

But as her image lingered in his mind, another figure crept into his thoughts.

Elion Vaelorian.

The name alone made Axel's chest tighten. He didn't realize he'd clenched his jaw and made a fist until it was too late.

The edges of the paper beneath his fingers crumpled as his grip tightened, the sharp sound of the paper snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts.

Axel stared at the ruined page, his breath shallow. With a low sigh, Axel smoothed out the crumpled paper, though it did little to ease the tension in his chest.