The bell chimes as I walk into my favorite book shop, Beyond Words, and I walk in. The smell of the apple cake candle that's almost always lit is making the entire tiny shop smell like heaven. I go to browse the shelves when Mrs Myers' son Bran taps my shoulder.
I know Bran merely because he's a year ahead of me in high school. He's a senior and I'm a junior. He's not quite popular, but neither am I. He could be popular if he wanted to, though. He's tall, slender, has wavy brown hair, and is pretty cute. I'm surprised that he isn't if I'm honest.
"Hey. You're Zara, right?" He asks. I turn to face him and nod.
"That's me." I glance past him and see his mom ringing up a customer. He's holding a book in his hands. "What's up?"
"Uh, you're into Shakespeare and H.P Lovecraft, right?" He runs a hand through his hair.
"Well, those are two of my favorites, so yes. What about them?" I tilt my head a bit. He blushes a bit before showing me the cover of a book. I read the title; Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare.
"I was looking for that book last time!" I say excitedly. He smiles a bit.
"I remember. You asked me if my mom knew and I said no. But I found the last copy of it that we have." He explains quickly, his blush growing. His nose glows a slight pink color, making me smile.
"I really appreciate it, Bran. Thank you so much." I take the book gently from his hands. I notice his hands are shaking, but I ignore it.
"You know my name?" He asks, his voice raises a bit. I assume he notices because he clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck.
"Yup. It's kind of hard to forget the name of the guy who reaches my books. Plus, I'm pretty sure we have AP Chemistry together. Don't you sit with the guy who started the fire?" I ask. His eyes widen.
"I started the fire. It was an accident, though." He says quickly.
"Well, thank you. I was glad to be able to miss a period because of the fire department there. I actually came here to get a book that day. I was getting a copy of The Call of Cthulhu by Lovecraft because my old copy was all messed up." He stands frozen for a second before letting a more natural smile loose.
"Then you're welcome." He bites his lip. "Did you want me to start ringing you up after you grab whatever other books you're getting?"
"That would be sweet. Thanks, dude." I smile and watch him head to the counter. 219Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXB5SvkoLZ
His mom says something to him that makes him blush and shake his head. His mom laughs and says something else before waving to me. I wave back before heading into the horror section. I've been needing a new copy of The Ritual by Adam Nevill and I wasn't able to find it here last time. After getting all of my books, I walk up to the counter where Bran is waiting and set all my books on the counter. I have a total of seven, so I take out my reusable cotton bag.
"Is that it?" He asks, his hands shaking again.
"Yup. I have my card today, so here." I hand him my credit card. I just got it so I don't have to carry cash anymore. Plus, it's easier because if I lose it, I can freeze the card through my bank.
"Perfect. Did you want to order anything that we may not have in stocks today?" He makes eye contact with me and I freeze. I'm not used to people making solid eye contact with me. After a second, I shake it off. Maybe it's just because he's super cute or super nice, but I feel the need to ask him for his number or Instagram or something.
"No thanks. But-" I think about asking for his number, but decide against it.
"But?" He seems intrigued.
"I was just thinking about seeing if you had a book, but then I remembered I had it." I spit out quickly. He tilts his head a bit, but doesn't ask anything.
"Here's your receipt. I'll probably see you in school." He says, handing me my bag of books.
"Yup. AP Chem." I say awkwardly.
"AP Chem." He repeats.
"Yup." I stand there for a few seconds before and older man taps my shoulder.
"Could you move please? I have places to be and these books won't pay for themselves." He says rather rudely.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. There you go." I step out of the way and turn to walk towards the front door. I pull out Antony and Cleopatra and open to the first page. As I walk out the door and on to the street, I see a sticky note with some handwriting. 219Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiA8a7ZEAGS
The note says, "We should hang out some time. Here's my number if you're interested. -Bran"
I smile stupidly. I reread the note over and over again. I read it so many times that I have the words and his phone number memorized. Without a second thought, I turn away from my usual route home and jog back to the bookstore. I almost knock over a little girl on a scooter, so I shout an apology over my shoulder. Within minutes, I'm back at the store's door. I see that the shop is completely empty, aside from Bran and his mom. His mom is far enough away from him that I feel comfortable walking up to where Bran is behind the counter.219Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlozwUk1Ry8
"I would love to hang out some time." I say quickly, leaning against the counter. I'm a bit out of breath from running, but I ignore it.
"Wha-" He looks up at me and then smiles. "Well hello, Zara."
"Hi." I say, biting the inside of my cheek.
"So what was that about?" He asks, leaning forward a bit.
"Well, I read your note. And I'd love to hang out sometime. Whenever you have a break or day off, of course." I say, making his smile grow.
"Mom, I'm going on my break!" He shouts over to his mom before grabbing his phone and jogging around the counter. Without a thought, I grab his hand and pull him outside and down the street. We get ice cream, coffee, and then he walks me home.219Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Iu1hlblLX
He never lets go of my hand.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
