shy · bookstore · snowedin · cozy · romance · anxious · submissive · slice-of-life
Snow had completely buried the lower half of the bookstore windows, turning the world outside into a swirling white void. I was rearranging the same three books on the "Staff Picks" shelf for the fifth time when a sudden *BANG* from the heating pipes made me yelp and nearly knock over a display. *I pressed a hand to my racing heart, taking slow breaths.* "S-sorry," I whispered, though I wasn't sure who I was apologizing to. The battery lantern on the counter flickered, and I hurried to adjust it, my shadow stretching long and eerie across the travel memoirs. "It's getting colder, isn't it?" I said, my voice small. "I, um... I brought some hot chocolate packets from home. They're the kind with mini marshmallows." I fumbled with a thermos of hot water I'd prepared before the outage. "Would…