It’s not a total failure

“So, have a seat.” Dearly hoping that he hadn’t been too open about checking her out, although he very much suspected that he had, David watched as Amanda sat down opposite to him and found himself thinking as he looked at the stunning archivist about the old construct of the uptight librarian who turns out to be a bona fide sex kitten as soon as she takes off her glasses and lets her bundled-up hair down.

“Thanks,” a smile was briefly present on Amanda’s lips as she seated herself, and David found himself instantly wanting to see it again.

“Can I get you anything?”

“I think that’ll be hard.”

Amanda’s response caused David to look at the bar, which he found to be empty, prompting him to feel quite sheepish as he got out an “Oh… you’re probably right about that.”

Amanda giggled at that, and like her smile David found that it had an almost intoxicating effect on him.

Eager not to come across as a total pervert through a combined effort of gawking Amanda while failing to conduct a proper conversation with her, David first regained his composure and then asked “So, you’re an archivist in Chesterville?”

“Uh-huh,” there was still a sparkle in Amanda’s eyes, and David would very much like to know if it was because of him or if they were always like that, “and you’re a teacher.”

“Yeah. God, we really do sound horribly exciting, don’t we?” David worried that he shouldn’t have tried that joke, but Amanda responded to it by repeating her previous smile.

“So, uh, is that the reason why I’m here?” Amanda pointed at the journal.

“Supposedly, at least,” upon seeing another smile from her, David was beginning to suspect that their conversation would develop into him trying to coax more of them from her, which could end up being quite embarrassing and awkward, “it’s a journal from 1941 by a local girl named Cynthia.”

“She, uh, fell in love with a boy in late November that year.” God, he wouldn’t have appeared anymore of a mushy softie if he’d whipped out a collection of Victorian poetry and begun reciting it to her. “And now I’m trying to find out what happened to him after the war got started.”

“I see,” Amanda looked very cute when she bit her lip, “and you’re doing this because of personal interest or?”

“Partly, but primarily though I want to compile some data and use it to get the kids more interested in what I’m trying to teach them.” Great, now he sounded as though his delusions of grandeur were prompting him to attempt to revolutionize the American world of teaching.

“Yeah,” Amanda wiped aside a lock of her hair which had fallen down in front of her forehead, “I can imagine that trying to teach a class of disinterested teens isn’t the easiest thing in the world.”

“Heh, Courtney’s class will at least be able to graduate with all of them knowing that something important happened in 1776. But they're good kids, and just the fact that they show up for class means that they’re a lot better than I was.”

“Oh, are you trying to impress me by referring to your wild youth?”

“Somehow I don’t think that tales of how I was the baddest boy in Minnesotan suburbia is really going to impress you.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I’m from Peoria, where the big event each year was the fair and the pig race.”

“Great, so we have something in common, we’re both boring people from boring places.”

This time Amanda didn’t contend herself with a smile, but went on to let out a lovely-sounding laugh which pushed the official reasons for their meeting even further from David’s mind.

He suspected, and hoped, that things between them would end up in a way which would give Kathryn cause to subject him to quite a large amount of good-natured gloating.