Barker: In Love With Ally

"I know, Leo," she said softly, her hand finding his in the dark. Her skin was warm, grounding him. "I’ve been waiting for you to get off page forty-two for a long time."

"You’ve been on page forty-two since I got here," a voice whispered. In Love with Ally Barker

"You’re staring at the radiator," she countered, pulling out the chair across from him. "Which is fine, but I have a better story for you. The campus archives just opened the 1920s floor. Rumor is there are letters from a secret society hidden in the floorboards. Want to help me commit some light trespassing?" "I know, Leo," she said softly, her hand

They spent the night in the belly of the stone building, flashlights cutting through the dust of a century. They didn't find a secret society, but they found a stash of old theater programs. Under the glow of a single LED beam, Ally started reading the melodramatic stage directions aloud, her voice filled with mock tragedy. "You’re staring at the radiator," she countered, pulling

"‘And then,’" she whispered, stepping closer to him in the narrow aisle, "‘the hero realizes the treasure was never the gold, but the girl with the ink-stained fingers.’"