Cornelius' POV
I was fixing some of my things in my room and realized I have not eaten breakfast yet. I grabbed my sling bag and locked my room. I went out to go to the nearest café to order French toast and a cup of cappuccino. I got my food and ate at the table near the entrance. After eating, I checked the map of this town and I saw that there is a bookstore at the corner of the street across the café. I finished drinking my cup of coffee and left the café. I jogged going to the bookstore until I accidentally bumped a girl and we both fell down.
"Oh, sorry miss. I didn't mean to bump into you.", I apologized.
"It's okay, it's okay. I wasn't looking either. Sorry sir.", she said.
We both stood up and I saw her face. She looked really pretty and young. She might be close to my age.
"It's alright. I'm Max. Max Garner.", I said.
I held out my hand.
"I'm Harper Stevenson. You can call me Harper. Where are you going? You looked like you were in a hurry a while ago.", she asked.
"I wasn't in a hurry. I just wanted to take a quick jog. I'm on my way to the bookstore.", I replied.
"Hey, same here. Wanna go with me?", she asked.
"Sure!", I smiled.
We started walking along the street, on our way to the bookstore.
"I haven't seen you around here, Max. Are you new here?" she asked.
"Yes, yes I am. I just moved in at an apartment close by. I'm interested in looking for new sights to see and explore by going around.", I replied.
"Oh okay. Just so you know, there's nothing much interesting here in this town. To me, everything is the same. Everyday, I look around and everyone is busy doing their own thing. I hope you find something good here though. What made you want to explore though?", she said.
I was about to say that I wanted to be free from royalty for a while. But I couldn't reveal my identity as the Prince of Scotland.
"I just got bored at my hometown, you see. Nothing much going on there. And it's fun going elsewhere for a change.", I explained.
We finally arrived at the bookstore and we went our separate ways. She went to the young adult section while I went to the historical fiction section. I love reading books involving history. It keeps me engaged to read them. I found a book which had a history of World War 1. I read the summary at the back and the story is quite interesting. I found another book that was interesting too. It had a history about Egypt. I brought the two books with me and lined up at the cashier area.
Harper lined up behind me and had three books with her.
"You like reading historical fiction?", she asked.
"I do. History is interesting for me.", I replied.
"I'm not a big fan of that genre. It sometimes bores me out.", she groans.
"It actually depends. I got bored reading some of them so I would look for other genres to change things up a bit.", I said.
"I guess you have a point. I love young adult books. Especially the dystopian ones. It's interesting how they try to survive living in an unfair world.", she smiled.
"I like reading those books too. It's one of my favorite genres actually. It never gets old for me.", I said.
It was my turn to pay so I went to the counter. I paid for the books and went outside. I waited for Harper to finish paying and she exited the bookstore after a few minutes.
"I'll be heading home now. It was nice meeting you, Max. If you want to hang out, find me at the park on Wednesdays or Fridays at around 3 PM. I'll introduce you to my friends someday.", she smiled.
"You too, Harper. I guess I'll get going now. I have to buy some groceries. Bye!", I beamed.
We both said our goodbyes and I walked to the nearest grocery store to buy some instant food. I found some canned goods as well for my breakfast in the next few days. I did not want to keep eating instant food, so I bought some ingredients to make Smoked Haddock Chowder for dinner tonight. I also bought some bread, butter, milk, and eggs for breakfast. I looked for some oatmeal as well. I paid for the items at the counter and left the grocery store.
I let out a sigh as I walk back home. The sun was already setting and the skies were partly orange. I reached the apartment and said hello to Ruby who was about to leave.
"Hi Max! How's it going so far? Enjoying Edinburgh?", she asked.
"It's been great! I made a new friend today at the bookstore.", I replied.
"That's good! Hope you make more memories here. Well I should be leaving now. Don't want to miss my flight. I'll be visiting my family back in Seattle. Have fun!", she smiled.
I said goodbye to her and went to my room. I placed all of the groceries at the small kitchen area and placed the milk in the fridge. I started making the chowder for dinner. Since I had an extra bowl, I decided to give it to Markus. I called him on the phone to come by to my room.
He knocked on the door and I opened it.
"Good evening, Max! What's up?", he asked.
"I have an extra bowl of chowder for dinner. Want to eat dinner with me?", I asked.
"Sure. Thanks for the meal.", he replied.
We ate our food and he asked me how my day went. I told him I met a new person at the bookstore and I am enjoying my stay in Edinburgh so far. He smiled and told me to have fun.
"Do you know where I could get a job? I was planning to work somewhere for the time being before I go back to my hometown.", I asked.
"I can ask my friend for help. I'll let you know as soon as I get a reply.", he replied.
I nodded and said goodbye to him after eating dinner. I laid in my bed, staring at the ceiling and smiled.
Harper Stevenson. I'm glad we met today183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKQL2gpcQW
