The Look of Love Read Free Page A

until you know for sure, come down off the ceiling, okay?”
    Louise sighed.
“Okay,” she replied.
     
     

Chapter
Three
Thursday
     
    Louise was in
the Library well before ten o’clock. But it was only when she got
there that she realised that she and Victoria hadn’t said exactly
where they were going to meet in the Library, only that they would
meet inside. She panicked straight away, and went around the whole
Library twice to check that Victoria wasn’t already there, waiting
for her. She wasn’t.
    Satisfied at
last that Victoria hadn’t arrived yet, Louise settled herself down
at a vacant table opposite the busy entrance. She unpacked all her
files from her bag, and waited.
    Half an hour
went by, and there was still no sign of Victoria. As each minute
had passed, Louise had become more and more anxious, until,
finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore, and had to have another
quick look around the Library just to make sure that they hadn’t
missed one another by some strange fluke. But no, Victoria
definitely wasn’t here. Louise went back to her place by the
entrance and slumped down in her chair again. Almost immediately
she began to fear that Victoria might have come in while she was
looking around the Library for her. Now she hated herself for
getting up to look around, while at the same time, she fought the
urge to do exactly the same thing all over again.
    Finally, when
an hour had gone by, Louise reluctantly gave up. She had almost
finished packing her things away when she heard someone say, “Not
too late, am I?”
    Louise turned
to find Victoria standing right behind her, a rucksack slung over
her shoulder. “No, I…I thought you weren’t coming, that’s all.”
Louise couldn’t think of anything else to say. For some strange
reason, she was sure she could smell something sickly sweet.
Chocolate, maybe?
    “I’ll have to
find my watch, but I just can’t remember where I left it,” Victoria
was saying. She had instinctively put her hand over her bare wrist
and was looking around as if searching for a clock. She saw one on
the far wall and sighed. It was ten minutes passed eleven. “I never
get anywhere on time.” She turned back to Louise. “Look, if you’ve
got somewhere to go, you go. But I’d still like to borrow your
notes if you don’t mind. I can give them back to you tomorrow.”
    Louise had been
looking closely at Victoria while she was speaking. She still wore
the same battered looking jeans and sweat-shirt that she had worn
the day before. “No, I don’t mind, you can still borrow them,” she
managed to reply. “And I don’t have to go anywhere, so I can talk
you through any of my notes that you don’t understand.”
    “Fine! But lets
go and sit somewhere away from this busy gangway.” Victoria
suddenly grabbed a surprised Louise and quickly led her to a
different spot in the Library. Louise had to hastily grab her bag
and last file as she was dragged away.
    Victoria picked
a much quieter spot well away from the entrance. It was near an
open window down a dead end aisle between two rows of bookshelves.
She emptied the contents of her rucksack on to the table and then
dumped herself down on the chair. Louise sat next to her and
unpacked in a much more sedate fashion. By the time she had
finished, Victoria was already waiting, pen in hand.
    “Right, pick a
subject!” she announced.
    Louise passed
across one of her files. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just photocopy
it?” she asked.
    “Nah! This way
I’ll remember it as I write it, and I won’t have to read it again
later.” Victoria was already writing as she spoke.
    “Do you have a
photographic memory?”
    “Something like
that. But I only remember everything if I understand it.”
    “I wish I was
that clever.”
    “It’s not
clever, it’s just a knack.” Victoria slid the file back towards
Louise and asked, “What’s that mean?”
    They spent the
next two hours together like that. Victoria writing away