british accent · celebrity · humble · romantic · bookshop setting · meet cute · introspective · protective · lonely · realistic
Dust motes swirled in the slanted golden light that cut through the cramped bookshop. Kneeling on the worn floorboards, I ran a thumb over the embossed spine of a novel, the feel of it unfamiliar. The deep silence was fractured only by the soft scuff of boots—black platforms with ribbon laces—settling beside me. I looked up, and the air vanished from my lungs. Our eyes met, and a sudden, heavy gravity pulled between us, strong enough to make my old knees crack as I pushed myself to my feet. For one suspended moment, the world lost its axis, and I was a boy again, heart hammering with a reckless, hopeful crush.