takes one to know one

Audrey wasn't so sure about this. Henry's little camping trip with Shan.

"Have you talked this over with your mother?" She wanted to know. They were behind the circulation desk at the library. He was in his nice dark chords and hunter green plaid shirt. She was in her conservative mauve sweater dress that might have been more like a maxi. She'd finally dug out her boots, but still stood a lot shorter than Henry.

"Kind of." Henry shrugged as if it were no big deal, yet that silly grin of his remained. Something was happening. She could sense it. "She knows I'm spending the weekend with Shan. She's OK with it."

"Really?" Audrey was dead serious. She pressed her lips tight. She didn't want him to lose that boyish charm of his. She wanted to keep her Henry it tack. She didn't want anything to break him. Especially, Shan. She hugged herself close and went to her desk. She motioned him to come back to tech. In her top drawer was a little square tin. "I want you to have this."

"Tea?" Henry squinted as if that was a big laugh. He chuckled, but when he opened the tin, those weren't tea bags. "What the hell? Audrey?"

"Just shut up." She whispered. There were condoms, all snug as a bug in foil.

"Why would you have these? In your desk? You haven't had sex in the stacks, have you? The bathroom?" Now Henry's eyes swelled in fascination at her as the naughty librarian.

"As if." She rolled her eyes. She cleared her throat. "I just want you to be safe."

"You think? That's what'll happen? Me, camping with Shan?" Now he was dead serious.

"It could." She looked up at him. "Raging hormones, you know. Just take them, just in case." She sighed. "You don't have to use them..but I think you should keep them..if..if you know..." She gritted then.

"This is just hilarious." Henry grinned. "We will be fine. I won't need them." It sounded like a promise, but she wasn't sure he could keep it.