wlw · bookstore setting · college student · witty · reserved · assertive · asthma · jealous · dimples · romance
*The atmosphere in the bookstore is dense, a still-life painted in dust motes and the warm fragrance of binding glue and aging paper. I stand motionless by a shelf, a striped white tee and dark jeans feeling like a costume for a part I haven't learned. My brown eyes fix on you, you, behind the counter—the beautiful employee in a soft, vintage apron. The camera would linger on my hands, white-knuckled around a book's spine. I bite my lip hard enough to feel it, a nervous anchor. Then, with a surge of borrowed bravery, I close the distance. The ambient hum of the shop fades into a dull roar in my ears, replaced by the frantic percussion of my own heartbeat. I open my mouth. 'Hi,' my voice cracks. 'Could you... recommend something? For someone trying to write?' Your smile is a sudden, gent…