The Librarian's Fun Run

It was over. Ruth fell onto her couch in her apartment. She was tired. More tired than she had been in a very long time. But, it was a good tired. The family fun run that had been organized by the Friends of the Library to raise money for the library to purchase new equipment had been a great success. As library director, Ruth had been heavily involved in the fund raiser. Thankfully she had not been the fun run's organizer. That was Dr. Peter Anderson's job. It had been his idea and he had seen it carried out very successfully. There had been a large turnout.

Because she was the library's director, she had been the lead runner when the start gun had gone off. Ruth had been training for the run, but it wasn't long before she was passed up by better runners. She had taken her time on the run. It wasn't a race, after all. When the run was over, refreshments passed out and the local entertainment performing its final song, Ruth had finally been allowed to pack up and head home. What a day. She was glad it was over.

Ruth was startled by a knock at her door. The room was almost in complete darkness. She had been so busy thinking over the day, she had not noticed that the sun had completely gone down into the horizon. Ruth jumped up and turned on a few lights. She went to the door and looked out the peep hole. It was Dr. Peter Anderson, fun run coordinator, local family doctor, and Ruth's running partner while she had trained for the fun run. Ruth looked down at her clothes. She hadn't changed yet. She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn all day during the run.

She opened the door to see Peter standing there with a big grin and a bunch of flowers. "Congratulations Madame Librarian."

"Thank you, Dr. Anderson." She always used his formal title when she was teasing him. "Would you like to come in?"

Peter came into the house. He smelled nice. Ruth noticed he was freshly showered. His dark, curly hair, was still slightly damp. She became even more self conscious about her own appearance. Ruth closed the door. "What brings you here?"

"To congratulate you." He held out the flowers. Ruth took them from his out-stretched hands.

"That's very kind of you, but you were the organizer. I didn't have much to do with it."

"Not true," Peter stepped closer to her. "You did a tremendous amount and I believe we raised enough money for several items on your library's wish list. I don't know how much, yet. It all still has to be counted and other expenses paid for first, but I think you will be quite happy when you get the check."

Ruth placed the flowers on her kitchen table. "That's great," she said, "and these flowers are just lovely. Thank you for bringing them."

"How about dinner to celebrate the fun run's success?" Peter asked.

"That sounds wonderful, but I still haven't changed since coming home. I was worn out that I just collapsed onto the couch as soon as I got home."

"You not too tired to have dinner are you?"

"Not at all. The little rest I had has done me good and I know I'll feel much better after a shower."

Peter made himself comfortable on her couch. "Then why don't you go shower and change. I'll wait for you and then we can go celebrate."

Ruth smiled, "If you want a drink, help yourself in the kitchen and the remote for the TV is right there on the coffee table." She turned and went to her room, shutting the door behind her. Her heart was pounding. Why was it doing that? She had spent plenty of time with Peter since they had begun organizing the fun run. He had even helped her to work up her running time again. At first it had been hard to start running again, but she had loved every moment of spending that time with Peter. He was kind, smart, funny and good looking to boot. She loved his sky blue eyes and curly hair that always seemed to be a mess on his head. Still, the messy curls made him look all the sexier. Ruth shook her head. Stop it! This is Peter, her friend and running partner.

Ruth took a quick shower and changed into some of her nicest casual wear, dark pants and a gem red button blouse that hugged the top of her body in all the right places. She couldn't take time to fix her hair, so she dried it as thoroughly on the towel as she could and then brushed it out.

Ruth returned to the living room to find Peter sitting where she had left him, looking through one of the magazines she had on her coffee table. He looked up at her, "You look very nice," he said.

"Thank you. So, did you have plans for this celebration?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Come on," he stood up and walked to the front door. Ruth was taken a little by surprise, but she grabbed her purse, slipped on her shoes and joined Peter at the door. He opened it up and held out his elbow. Ruth slid her hands into the crook of his arm and they walked together to his car. They chatted about the fun run as he drove.

Ruth was surprised when they pulled up in front of a small house. She looked at Peter suspiciously. He smiled and led her to the front door. He pulled out a key, unlocked the door and opened it. Ruth stepped into a neat, but sparsely decorated living room. "Would you care for a drink?" Peter asked.

Ruth nodded and Peter disappeared into what she guessed was the kitchen, and returned moments later with a glass of bubbling liquid. "Sparkling strawberry water," he announced. Ruth smiled, took the glass and sipped the cool water. It was her favorite drink. Peter knew that. "I'm sorry, I can't cook and there hasn't been time today, anyway, so I ordered take out. I thought it would be nicer to eat here than at a crowded, loud restaurant."

Ruth followed him into the kitchen. It was bare. Only the necessities - table, two chairs, microwave, coffee maker, and a dish rack. Nothing on the walls. The table was set for two.

"Would you mind?" He asked, holding out a plate of spaghetti to her. She took it and placed it on the table. "I hope you like Italian," he said.

"How can you not like Italian?" she laughed.

Several minutes later, they were seated at the table, sharing ideas about the future of the library, swapping stories about school, and telling childhood dreams. Dinner was excellent, but the company was better. They sat long after the food was gone, chatting about everything. At some point they moved into the living room, getting comfortable on the couch. First they sat on opposite sides of the couch, but as the evening got later, they slipped closer and closer together. Peter's hand wrapped itself around hers. Ruth felt her body start to tingle. They sat shoulder to shoulder, fingers entwined. The hours were passing and Ruth began to get sleepy. Their conversation gradually became more sparse, but their bodies got closer together.

Ruth snuggled into Peter's chest, his arms wrapped around her. She felt Peter's warm breath on the back of her neck and turned to face him. Their eyes locked onto each other for a moment before they both moved in and lips pressed lips. It was a tender and sweet kiss. Her hands went to his face and she felt his freshly shaven cheeks. They were soft and he smelled so nice.

Their kiss lasted for a long time as they felt each other's faces and lips. Finally they broke apart. Ruth was breathing more heavily than usual. She looked into his eyes. Those beautiful sky blue eyes. They were staring into hers. She could think of nothing. Nothing except those eyes and that kiss. He leaned down and kissed her again, but this time she broke off the kiss long before he was ready.

"Have I upset you?" Peter asked. He looked very concerned.

Ruth turned herself around, so she could face him better. "Not at all, but sitting in that position was giving me an awful crick in my neck. I just wanted to get more comfortable."

He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Perhaps I can massage your neck later," he whispered. "Work out that crick I gave you."

"That would be nice," Ruth's lips hardly left his own as she spoke. Several minutes passed before he laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her back around so she faced away from him. His hands rubbed into her shoulders and neck. She could feel the knots in her body being worked out under his touch. "Is this something you learned at medical school?" she teased.

"We learned the power of touch and how it can have an amazing healing effect when properly applied."

Her muscles began to relax and she only felt the warmth of his hands on her shoulders and back. Her eyes drooped closed. It felt so nice.

A noise woke her up. It sounded like a pan being banged against another pan. Ruth's eyes flew open. Sunlight was shining through the window. She was laying in an unfamiliar bed, still in the clothes she had put on the night before. She was laying on top of one blanket with a smaller blanket pulled over her. She remembered the night before, getting a neck massage by Peter. She thought harder, but couldn't remember anything beyond that. She got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Peter was standing at the stove, cracking eggs into the pan. He looked up at her, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you? I didn't mean to."

"It's alright. Did I sleep in your bed?"

"Yes, I was giving your that massage and the next thing I knew, you were asleep. I guess you were exhausted after yesterday's run. I carried you to my bed and put the blanket on you. I promise that is all I did," he smiled.

"I'm so sorry I kicked you out of your bed."

"It's quite alright." He went back to attending the eggs in the pan. Ruth sat down at the table. She didn't know what to say. Last night they had shared such wonderful kisses. She wondered if he regretted it. She wondered if she did. No. No, she didn't. She had loved every moment of it. Ruth opened a cupboard and found plates and cups. She set them out on the table. Peter brought the pan of eggs and placed them on a hot pad on the table. He awkwardly walked closer to Ruth and looked at her. She met his gaze. She wanted him to kiss her again, so badly. She took a half step closer to Peter. Their toes touched and their faces were only inches away from each other. They both leaned in at the same moment and lips made contact with each other. Arms wrapped around each other. When they pulled away, they were both smiling. "That was as good this morning as it was last night. I hoped it would be."

Ruth smiled and kissed him again. "I'll second that," she said. For several minutes the eggs were forgotten. When they finally sat down to breakfast, they each grinned at each other. Feet were intertwined under the table and Ruth realized the fun run had brought a greater reward for her than all the money the library would be receiving. Yes, she had a much better reward than money could buy.