b o o k s t o r e
« c h a p t e r 1 «
I WAS ABSORBED in reading a book called, “Fall” until I heard you walked through the door as the bell jingled. You caused me to lose my page as I was nearing the end of a chapter, but that didn’t matter as soon as I heard your voice—soft, like the November leaves whistling through the wind–and strong, like a maple tree withstanding the cold temperatures—as you greeted Ace, one of the employees at the store.
Surely it was not only your voice that caught my attention. The way your shoulders held low as if you had a rough day and the creases shown on your forehead supported that as well. Your scarf wrapping your neck suggested perhaps one thing, either—you were a shy and quiet person or the much obvious reason, you dressed for warmth in such cold weather.
You moved your feet to the counter as one of the employees finished helping a customer, asking if they had a copy of a book, however; the title was incoherent for me because of the long distance as to where I was.
Leaning on a book shelf, I saw you thank the lady, heading towards the same shelf I was at. You scanned the others with certainty to find that book, accompanied by a hint of a smile on your lips. I sipped the straw of my vanilla milkshake, accidentally allowing it to pass the through wrong tube. For that mishap, I knew I couldn’t prevent—
Hiccup.
Without my permission, the horrid, loud sound escaped from my lips, which managed to grab the attention of some people, including you. You abruptly stopped scanning books and instead, looked for the subject who caused the sound. Then your eyes landed on me.
It was the first moment we looked straight into each other’s eyes—yours hazel like the sand that washes upon the oceanic beach on a summer’s day—mine grey, the heavy and uttering stoic cloud upon a perpetual storm, hoping for just a little of sunlight to brighten the eerie scenery. I just didn’t know that it was–
You.
Your hint of a smile tilted upwards, forming a little smirk. I felt the blood rushing up to my cheeks as I looked down to my book and pretended to read, even though I didn’t remember where I left off, since you interrupted the narrative playing in my head. Mind you, it was fine since you held much more importance than a book I read countless times.
Hearing you chuckle and your feet scraping off the floor, I presumed you walked away. Confirming my suspicions, I lifted my head and didn’t see you. My heart couldn’t help but deflate a little and I didn’t know why—why I felt this weird feeling in my heart because of a person I haven’t even met.
This was just the beginning.
The beginning of you and I.
