The security guard raised his eyebrows toward Ezra like this was at least something intriguing. Then: “So no visitor’s pass?” He peered at Ezra over his reading glasses.

“I’m about to be assaulted!” Ezra shrieked, then he heard the clanging of the doors behind him, and he felt himself physically shrivel, as if he could make himself invisible and avoid whatever was about to come next.

The guard looked past him, and his face relaxed. “Oh, Zoe.” He gestured as if to indicate that she should just mosey on through. “You have a shift today?”

Ezra turned to face her, this Zoe. His shoulders were hunched, and his chin was tucked into his neck. He held a hand over his eyes and said, “Please, I’m not even bothering you anymore!”

Zoe laughed. She laughed! Ezra felt his mouth drop open in surprise—that she could be so casual, so cavalier after actually inflicting physical pain on him, and he lost track of what he’d planned to say next, how he’d planned to beg for mercy.

“Hey, Bruno,” she said, then jabbed her thumb toward Ezra. “This dum-dum is with me.”

“Been trying to get back into the library twice now.” Bruno sniffed. “I’ve explained the rules.” Ezra wanted to scream that all he did was follow the rules! And that anyone who thought he was a rule-breaker was absolutely fucking hilarious.

“I just want my phone,” he said, and his voice cracked like he was going through puberty. “I just need to call my girlfriend so I can make sure that she’s all right. So”—his voice raised an octave—“I can make sure that I can propose tonight.” He looked from one to the other. “You know, it’s New Year’s Eve. The turn of the century. I just thought it would be amazing.”

Ezra honestly thought he might cry.

“Whoa, whoa,” Bruno said, rising to his feet, holding both hands in front of him as if he were guiding a car to a stop. “Just calm down. Calm down now.”

Ezra was pretty calm, given the set of circumstances.

Zoe’s brow wrinkled. “Your girlfriend is literally right outside. She just tried to bribe me with a Night Vixen CD and a Walkman.”

“No,” Ezra said. “That’s not my girlfriend.”

At this, Zoe’s forehead folded further. “The lady you slept with last night in my bed is not your girlfriend?”

Bruno stood up even straighter, as if he were now personally invested.

“It’s a long story.” Ezra sighed.

“Well, that would certainly explain why she didn’t want me to tell you about the condoms,” Zoe tutted.

“Condoms?” Ezra heard his pitch, knew he was spinning toward hysterical, toward a full-blown panic attack.

“She thought you’d react this way,” Zoe said.

“She knew?” Ezra’s voice bounced off the ceiling of the rotunda, and Bruno turned toward the library’s interior to see if anyone had been disturbed. Given that Ezra hadn’t seen anyone come or go since he’d arrived and called Gregory (Gregory! Where the hell was Gregory?), he didn’t know who on earth Bruno thought he was disturbing.