Reading Between The Lines | Basil Hawkins x Reader

05 - Coffee Break

It had been about a week since you began working at Robin's bookshop.

Things were going smoothly, it was a very enjoyable work life and comfortably slow-paced. Everyday, you came in with coffee for the both of you and got on with your work. Whether it was scanning, stocking, stacking or anything else; you enjoyed it thoroughly.

However, after one particularly long day with a lot of customers, Robin decided to give you a day off. You were extremely indebted to her already and said that it was okay, but she insisted you take the day for yourself.

You had already gotten used to the schedule of working, so much so that you woke up around the same time everyday without an alarm. It was like your body had its own personal clock, pulling you awake when you needed it.

Since you weren't going into the bookshop, you decided to pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, which was more casual than what you wore working. Robin didn't mind what you wore to work, but you wanted to respect the usual work ethic know throughout the city. It had actually gotten warmer through the week, making it so you ditched heavy overcoats for lighter jackets and the like.

Another thing you had been doing was an online course. Working at the shop wasn't too intense since Robin let you take breaks and you felt like you had more free time than needed. You liked to be kept on your toes. The course was a couple hours each week, granting points towards any higher education if you ever wanted to do it in the future. For now, that was enough.

After grabbing your laptop and shoving it in your bag along with a pair of wireless headphones, you double checked that you had the sheets you printed out for the course. Your printer had actually broken halfway through printing, it took a lot to get it back on track so you made sure you didn't leave them. Locking the door of your living room for extra measures, you descended down the stairs and went out the front.

You followed the usual route as if you were going to work. There were more cars than usual as it was a little later on in the morning. You took the time to enjoy your stroll, gazing out on the people who walked the streets and looked all quite jolly. One old man had a dog which looked like a mini version of him; just as slow and peaceful as his owner. A couple also went by, chatting about this and that. The lady had flowers in one hand and the other was held in the man's. Sweet, really.

From across the street, you saw one of the young men who sometimes came into the shop waving at you. He had pink hair and wore round glasses on his forehead, a little bit of a bashful man but extremely sweet. Coby, you remembered his name was, as you returned the wave.

Birds called from the trees and the sun was peeking out from over the houses and buildings. In the distance, you could see the city centre as the skyscrapers towered high; light reflecting off of their windows. You wondered what it would be like living that high up. It was a nice thought but the apartments were a little too modern and shiny for you, not to mention extremely expensive.

"Good morning."

Stepping into the cafe that you had taken to as your daily stop off, you gave a smile in the direction of Law. As per usual, his laptop was in front of him as he hammered away at the keyboard. However, he put it aside when he saw you.

"Usual?"

Shaking your head, you took a seat nearer to the back of the room.

You liked the comfortable bench and thought it was a great place to sit, though you often didn't stay as long as you would do today. You would definitely take the time to enjoy the quiet as there was only a couple people in apart from you.

"Just the latte..."

You looked over and something in a case caught your eye.

"And one of those."