Forums » General Roleplay » Meet Cute: The University Library (Closed)

This thread is a private 1x1 RP between Jeremy Woodall and Rebecca Kennedy as part of February 2024's 'Meet Cute'.
If anyone is wanting to write this or other RP stories with Rebecca, feel free to DM me!

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At the University Library...

The old university library was where Rebecca found herself that Saturday morning. The place was quiet with very few others around. Most of the students were off enjoying their weekend, which was why Rebecca was there... she preferred the peace and quiet.

Dressed in a gray cardigan and with a coffee in hand, she looked quite studious as she sat down at an old oak table that was likely as old as the late 19th century building. It wasn't long before Rebecca was tapping away at her laptop as she wrote her latest story. It was a freelance piece she was writing for an open story submission and she wanted to get it right in hopes her story would be picked for publication. Needless to say she was focused and took little note of anyone else that may have come and gone by her.

Once Rebecca had a rough draft done, she proofread it and found a couple mistakes which she corrected. Reading it on a computer screen was one thing, and looking at it so long had a tendency to make things appear correct. It was time to print it and read it on paper. Checking to see she was wirelessly connected to the library printer, she sent it before locking the screen on her laptop and getting up to walk over to retrieve her copy....

...except there was no copy to retrieve. The printer was out of paper. Rebecca quickly grabbed a fresh ream from the boxes stacked nearby and reloaded the paper tray and the printer whirred to life. It printed a couple pages before the printer decided to jam. It wasn't long before a very frustrated Rebecca sitting on the floor in front of the printer with its service doors open, working to pull crinkled bits paper from its insides, cried out her frustration. Of course, the printing cue beeps as more print jobs came to the printer...

Jeremy was keeping to himself sitting at one of the computer terminals along the wall. Now Jeremy didn't go to the university, but he found the campus library the best place to do research. It also seemed the best place to access some of the more extreme anarchist websites since the usage is high and university students tended to 'research' a lot.

He had taken a break and walked outside to the small coffee cart that was set up outside the main door of the library and got himself a double iced mocha. He was standing to one side and looking at the clouds building on this warm humid day and could tell a thunderstorm was coming. 'Best to stick around the library a while longer' he thought to himself as a low rumble of thunder rolled a deep growl in the distance. He was glad he had worn his hat.

Stepping back through the big oak doors of the old building, Jeremy started up the stairs to get back to his computer terminal. He left his jacket on the chair, and there wasn't many people there in the summer; he thought it would be ok. He stopped part way up when he heard heels clicking behind him. Stepping aside, he leaned against the rail of the first landing and took a sip of his coffee.

The heel clicks came from a woman dressed very studiously in a Harry Potter sort of way heading up the stairs. As far as he could tell, she didn't notice him... a guy in faded blue jeans and a plain khaki t-shirt. He was pretty good at the art of stealth and blending in... and he waited for her to round the landing and get several steps up before heading up himself.

Seeing her sit down at the old table, Jeremy turned right as soon as he came in the door and took a circuitous way around to his terminal. He filed the view of her and where she was sitting away in his mind and got back to researching old phone hackers of the 1970s, called phreaks.


Time sort of got away from him as he dug into some deep articles, and it was right when he clicked 'print' on a webpage that he heard some banging and grumbling. He got up to go to the printer where he found the source of the noise. The cute woman was squatted down at the printer with the service door open pulling out jammed paper. He thought about offering to help, but seeing her closer, she had a determined face and he didn't want to interfere with her efforts. Her frustration must have paid off with the forceful push she gave the toner bay and it locked in. The printer hummed back to life.

"These shared uni printers always seem to lack maintenance. You seem a natural at keeping it going." Jeremy gave her a slight smile, unsure if his voice and demeanor came across well or not.

Being satisfied with her engineering skills, she stood up as a guy started talking to her. She smirked coyly aas she replied, "Well, considering I left my glasses at my table, there is a wonder in that."

With Rebecca's print job finishing, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she felt herself at a loss for words. He was nice, and nice-looking. Older she guessed. As she collected her sheets from the tray, the printer whirred again and she suspected it might be something this guy printed starting up.

She took a slight intake of breath and smiled, "I do hope it keeps working for you now..."

She looked at the pages in her hand and saw she was missing one, and she reached back to pull the remaining sheet from the output tray. She inadvertently grabbed the first page of what was being printed now. She looked at the title of the page and paused to read a little of it before shuffling the page and sliding it back in the output tray. She didn't get it back in before the second page came out so he was going to have one page out of order. Glancing up at the guy, Rebecca nervously smiled quickly before walking away to he seat.

Now she was distracted. She organized her sheets and put a clip on them, but despite trying to type out something, she kept glancing at the guy still at the printer. Was it her natural curiosity about what he was printing and why? Or was it he was rather attractive? She shook her head like it would help clear her jumbled thoughts and slipped her glasses back on before starting to type again.

After a good burst of words, Rebecca glanced up and saw the guy was gone. She picked up her pencil and made a note on the page of her spiral notebook of the time and day, and the name of the website she had read on his printed sheet. Why? She was going to look into that website... She nearly entered the url into her laptop but decided she should use one of the public computers instead. It was something she would do later. Of course, her mind was reviewing the interaction she had with the guy.

She was only interrupted by the buzz of her phone that was sitting on the table. It was Jay. 'heading to Portland with Adrian. won't be home when you get back. 💖'

Rebecca put her hand up to her temple and leaned into it as she tapped back a reply, 'I'm wrapping a story today and then doing a photoshoot tomorrow at Hermosa. Likely be home Sunday night. 💋'

Jeremy stood back and listened to the woman as he took in her features. She had a very expressive face, and the sound of her voice seemed to match it. Yes, she had glasses on before. Now, she didn't. He glanced over at the table where she was sitting and nodded.

"I'm sure it will work fine now that you saw to it." He watched her flip through her pages and saw she had one of his she slipped back to the printer. He gave her a smile in return to hers and he didn't try and cover the fact he watched her walk back to her table before turning to the printer. It was only another minute before his print job was done.

Collecting his pages, he walked back to the computer terminal where he had been sitting, he collected his notepad and went to sit back by the wall where he had left his backpack. It was nice he had a clear view of the woman across the library, and of the main door. Once he started to look at his printed pages, He saw the one that was out of order, but there was another one stuck to it. Pulling the extra sheet off, he stacked his papers neatly and slid them in a small looseleaf notebook he had pulled out of his backpack before putting it away and zipping it up. He then had a look at the wayward page...

He read some of it but quickly looked down at the bottom of the text. It looked like the woman had tagged her v-card as a signature to the end of her paper. He now had her name, both printed and cursive, and her email to put to the face! He picked up his phone and scanned the QR code by it and he got a whole lot more information about her.... her phone number and her home address. Now Jeremy wasn't a total creep, but his nature was finding out all he could about certain people he met. It was just this woman ... Rebecca Kennedy.... made it too easy.

Getting up, he could see she was looking around. He had just stepped around a shelf when she looked toward where he was sitting. He came around behind her and stepped up to her table and let the page drop by her. "One of your print pages got stuck to one of mine."

Rebecca jumped at the man's voice behind her just as she sent her text. She looked up at him with a serious grouch expression, but as soon as she saw it was the guy at the printer, she spread a smile as she looked down to his hand with the sheet of paper in it.

"Oh... uhm... thanks..." she managed to say as she took it from him. Maybe she paused a little longer than she should have, but the man's physique was quite stunning to her. She took in a longer breath before turning away blushing. "Sorry... you just kind of surprised me there..." she added as she took a sip from her coffee cup only to find it empty. 'This was getting awkward. Talk to him Bec before he disappears again. You know you want to.'

"Hey, so I'm uh... out of coffee. . . and I'm done here for now. Uhm.... would you like to walk with me down to that coffee cart out front by the library stairs?"
Great Bec, that was bold. You have no idea what this guy thinks of you, and you don't know anything about him...'
'Shut up you. Bec, go on, see where this goes...'
"That is, if you want to, I mean..." Rebecca just needed to shut up and shake the inner voices away, for she was making things worse...

Jeremy did his best to remain stoic and look genuine when she jumped, looking as if it was accidental. In fact, he used the situation to keep his stealthy skills sharp. That had clearly been a success and he was pleased by the outcome.

She seemed to settle quickly, and when she took the sheet from him, their fingers inadvertently caressed each other's, causing them both to pause. Jeremy gave her a slight nod as she finally pulled her hand back to put the sheet in order with the others she had.

"I didn't think I would startle you miss... my apologies." Jeremy was technically sincere in his words. He wasn't sure if she had been watching for him or not as he hadn't really noticed her looking in his direction after their brief meet at the printer. He turned and was going to retrace his steps when she started talking to him again. He paused after a couple steps and turned back to face her.

"Um, yeah, I want to. I could always use a fresh coffee. Could I make it up to you for startling you by buying you the drink of your choice?" He stepped back toward her and had a gentle twinkle in his eye as he held out his hand. "I'm Jeremy, by the way..."

The sharp gaze Rebecca was giving the guy softened as she smiled and reached for his hand. "Rebecca.... " she hesitated some because she was going to say it was nice to meet him, but it was just too early to tell if it was or not.

"And sure, I won't say no to free coffee." she quipped as she stood and put her papers and laptop into her satchel bag before slinging it over a shoulder and her neck. She was ready to go.

"So... ready when you are....uhm, what are you researching here again? My curiosity wants to know."

Rebecca's curiosity also wanted to know more, for there was a air of intrigue and a sort of clandestine vibe to this guy. Without saying a word, she decided she would try and pursue a story here. It might be nothing and it ends with the fact she met an interesting guy. If there is more... then it would be interesting to see where it all leads.

Jeremy liked the vibe he was getting from Rebecca. There was an air of intellectualism around her striking beauty, and being she intends to be a journalist, maybe they had some common interests. He did need to maybe instruct her on letting go of her personal information though. He got it way too easy.

"Yeah, sure, I'm all packed up. That was when I found your paper." He walked over to where he had sat down, and as quick as he could grab his pack from the chair along with his boonie hat. He then followed her out the door toward the stairs he had first seen her coming up.

"It isn't raining yet is it?" He glanced at the old window by the landing. It looked gray, but there was no rain. "I was out there earlier and it was looking and sounding like a storm was coming. I can smell it actually."

"We might be able to beat the rain..." Rebecca silently noted that he didn't answer her question and instead turned to the weather. She'll ask him again later. "We should probably hurry."

They set off down the stairs of the old building; her heels clicking her every step into a light echo. When they got to the bottom, Rebecca asked again, "So, seriously, what are you researching? Or are you a secret government type and can't talk about it." She gave him a playful smile to let him know she was just teasing him. "I truly am curious."

She pushed the door open and the heat and humidity hit them in the face. The sky was darkening with the ominous rumble of thunder rolling by. They got to the coffee cart just in time as they were going to close up before the rain came. "I'll get an iced double mocha please."

Jeremy remained tight-lipped as they went down the stairs and he listened to Rebecca ask questions. As they gotoutside and were ordering coffees, he said in a deep growl just after she got done giving her order, "I could tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya..."

He gave her a smile and a wink when she looked at him, and he looked to the barista and said, "I'll get the same." They stepped back a little but there was nobody else there. The first raindrops started to fall and the wind came up at the same time, and they huddled back under the small roofed canopy that was attached to the espresso van.

"Guess we didn't time it well..." he said, not minding the rain himself. The barista gave them their coffees and almost immediately closed the window, causing them to lose their roof. With a sudden flash and thunder clap, the rain whooshed down on them before they could react. Jeremey took Rebecca's hand and they ran to the doorway of the library.

"Far between sundown's finish, an' midnights broken toll, we ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing..." he sang as they made it to the relative shelter of the building. He looked to Rebecca and said.... "It reminded me of a line out of an old song I heard recently.. Now.... about me, I'm not a government secret agent.... quite the opposite actually. I'm more on the other end of the spectrum and am probably on the lists of names government secret agents investigate."

He took a long drink from his mocha and smiled and winked at Rebecca. "Maybe they sent a cute Harry Potter schoolgirl to investigate me?" He sipped his mocha really quick before pulling the door open for them to get in out of the rain.

“I know that song…. Bob Dylan? Roger McGuinn did it better?” Rebecca said as she thought about it as a bright flash of lightning blinded them, followed almost immediately by a hard low boom that trailed off into a rolling growl. They hadn’t been in the rain long, but it was hard and Rebecca felt the water dripping from her hair.

She reached up and pulled it back behind her shoulders before shaking it and switching her coffee to it. The rain fell even harder and the quick drop in temperature had Rebecca shiver as he opened the door and they went in. As the door closed, it grew relatively quieter, and Rebecca walked over to a stone bench to sit down.

“Sort of wished I got a hot mocha now.” She set the cup down and pulled off her wet cardigan and draped it over the back of the bench before she stood up. She picked up her coffee and sipped it as she looked at the man who stood by the end of the bench.

“So… you’re a real live Weatherman then… you know… the 1970s domestic terrorist group. Tell me, if this April O’Neil dressed as a Harry Potter girl investigated you, would she find out you bombed some places?” She smiled and chuckled lightly, clearly joking with him.

"I won't argue with that assessment. Roger did seem to have the voice to make Bob Dylan's prose sound good." The loud thunder had Jeremy duck a little before they got inside.

"Yeah, that storm front really cooled things off quick, didn't it." Jeremy looked back at the door as rain blew hard against it. They got inside just in time. He stood by the bench while he watched Rebecca pull off her cardigan. Her white shirt stuck to her around her collarbone, and he wished he had a towel to give her. Instead, he kept his eyes and attention elsewhere as he listened to her talk. She had a nice voice...

"No no no, I'm strictly non-violent." he answered before taking a drink of his coffee. Although I have been in the heated end of protests a few times, but I usually stay in the background." Jeremy paused as he sat down on the front edge of the bench, not wanting to lean back onto her cardigan. "So uh, what are you writing about? I didn't read any of that last page, just your signature. You know, you should probably be more careful with that... having your personal details being printed out like that."

Rebecca took a deep breath as he asked what she was writing about. She was not sure she had the spoons to explain it in detail to a man if he asks, but she would throw out a brief overview…

“I’ve actually written two separate articles, but they deal with the same issue, and that is religious intolerance toward women.” She sipped her coffee as she leaned over to straighten her cardigan.

“I was in the midst of that protest downtown awhile back for Mahsa Amani… the Kurdish woman who was killed in custody by the Iranian police. It was mostly peaceful until the cops decided they had enough and started tossing teargas.”

Rebecca rubbed her left eye with the back of her free hand. The memory seemed to cause her eyes to itch. “I wrote about that as well … ‘Inside a Protest’ it’s titled. I haven’t finished it yet. Maybe if you want, I could interview you about your protest experiences? It would be nice to have another perspective.”

Setting her coffee cup down on the bench, she put her left foot up on the bench and leaned over to pull her stocking up.

Jeremy inhaled as he nodded while Rebecca talked. She was a social activist. He liked that. "Yeah, I was on the edges of that protest. I was surprised the LAPD went off so easily. It was almost like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was giving them orders."

He wasn't close to where the tear gas was going off and the push and shove was happening, but he could relate. He took a long sip off his coffee as thunder rumbled by. "I would be more than happy to talk ...to be interviewed by you Rebecca ... on and off the record."

The roar of the rain had subsided and the sounds of water running down pipes and dripping out replaced the rush of the downpour, and Jeremy looked at the window. A flash filled it, but it was much further away now, and the thunder took its time to rumble by them. "Looks like the storm has moved on. I have nothing going on the rest of my day. Would you like to do this interview now?"

Rebecca looked at Jeremy and pursed her lips as she nodded. "I have nothing on this afternoon since the rains came. I need to get back to my hotel room and change and make some calls and such, but we could meet somewhere this evening?"

She thought about it as she looked over at the window when a feint flash of lightning blinked the lights. I have an idea. we can meet at the restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel.... say six? I'll make a reservation for two and we can talk about all this there. Does that work for you?

Rebecca stood up and sipped down her coffee. She had drank as much as she was going to, and she walked over to the bin and dropped the cup in. She turned to Jeremy and added, "If that doesn't suit, we could catch up tomorrow night. The next day I'm heading home." She gave him a coy look as he pondered the information she had given him.

"I have nothing on this afternoon since the rains came. I need to get back to my hotel room and change and make some calls and such, but we could meet somewhere this evening? If that doesn't suit, we could catch up tomorrow night. The next day I'm heading home."

Jeremy smiled. "Sure, later this evening works best for me. Six sounds perfect. It will give me a chance to make myself look not so industrial!"

Removing the lid and downing most of his coffee, Jeremey too went to drop his cup in the recycle. "And should the interview go long or you have some follow up questions, I will be available in the morning tomorrow, but will have to head to San Diego later in the day. "

He walked back to the bench with Rebecca and sat down and got out a notepad and a pencil. He scratched something down and tore off the sheet and handed it to Rebecca. "You can reach me at this number.... in case you have a need to cancel or something."

Rebecca took the note Jeremy handed her and looked at it and smiled. "I'll load that in my phone and text you. I'll see you at six tonight then. I do have to get going though. I have a photoshoot scheduled."

Rebecca slipped the note in her purse and put her damp cardigan back on. "Thanks for talking with me! You're an enlightened enigma Jeremy!"

With a wink and a smile, she left him there to go do on with his day as Rebecca walked the wet sidewalk up to the corner where she hailed a cab. She would be back at the Renaissance in about fifteen minutes.

(This concludes this 'Meet Cute 2024' scene. The next chapter will be written privately on DM)