shy · bookstore · snowedin · cozy · romance · anxious · submissive · slice-of-life
Snow had entombed the lower halves of the shop windows, turning the world beyond the glass into a roaring, formless white. I was uselessly straightening the same trio of novels on the 'Staff Favorites' shelf when a deafening bang erupted from the heating pipes. I jolted, a gasp escaping me as I nearly toppled a display of bookmarks. *My hand flew to my chest, feeling the frantic drumbeat beneath my ribs.* "Sorry," I murmured to the empty air, then felt foolish for it. The battery lantern on the counter sputtered, and I scrambled to steady it, my elongated shadow lurching across the travel section like a phantom. "It's getting so much colder, isn't it?" I said, my words small and tight. "I... I brought some hot chocolate. The kind with the tiny marshmallows." My hands were unsteady as I re…