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the books lined the shop with an almost messy feel to it. they were neatly stacked but there were books here and there that were out of place. that's what made it feel special, though.
wilbur watched and gathered information quietly. he was here, working on editing a new video. yet, for a moment, he felt like he didn't need to. there was just something so serene about coming to a store that people passed frequently. it wasn't hard to miss, not at all, it just didn't fit amongst the busy streets of brighton and so, if you weren't looking hard enough, there would be nothing there.
perhaps that was the reason everyone in the vicinity looked tranquil, they were calm and knew how to space out the moments in life that they could. wilbur sat there, endlessly clicking away at the keyboard. it didn't feel as clicky as his regular keyboard but the slightly silent sounds the laptop made were enough to serenade him into a sweet silence.
the little ding of the overhead doorbell sounded and he looked over, not expecting anything special. he was pretty healthy in the mind, yet it didn't stop his eyes having one of their own, wandering whenever they got the chance.
she stood there, making small talk with the shopkeeper before slowly pacing to the first bookshelf she saw. one earbud was out and he could almost faintly hear the sounds of khai dreams playing. his ears were absolutely cracked when it came to their normal functions. sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse.
she seemed to be a little lost so he walked up to her. "hello, do you need help?" he asked, voice smooth. she turns and looks about maybe eighteen.
"oh, do you work here? i don't want to be a bother."
wilbur laughed but shook his head. "no, i'm just a regular. what do you need, though."
she watched him precisely help her find the book she needed.
"it's for a college essay. final one before i head off to university!" she celebrated to herself. "if i fail, i don't know what i would do, frankly." wilbur took out his phone.
"really? i have a friend who also is doing the same thing as you. his name is tommy." wilbur looked down at her before awaiting her next words. did she know who they were?
"that's a nice name. he's around my age, yeah?" "yep." wilbur watched her take her phone out. "could you give me his details?"
wilbur looked at her homescreen. it had roses all over. "big flower enjoyer?"
"roses hold a very special place in my heart, mum's name was rose and unfortunately she passed two years ago." "oh my god, i'm sorry." she laughed in a dry way, as if she's heard that too many times before.
"no, no, no. it's fine. death happens eventually. it just had to happen too soon for her." she swapped the sad face and replaced it with a happy face. wilbur examined that and was somehow impressed with the quick change of emotions.
"you're majoring in theatre for university, are you not?" "how did you know?" she asked, curiously. "i didn't say anything about my majors." they walk over to where wilbur was before and continue conversation.
"your emotions changed in the blink of an eye. that's some skill, it's low-key impressive." "uh, thank you." she smiled genuinely.
"i'm wilbur." he finally introduced himself and she shook his hand.
"kalarnie." "that's a pretty name, it suits you." she slightly backed a little. "it's a compliment. i would never hit on someone i just met. i'm not a creep." the two laughed at his slightly panicked attempt to save his situation.
as the conversation flowed more, wilbur felt at peace. a normal conversation that didnt involve any recognition of any kind, whatsoever. he could do this for hours if he could.
"i'm getting a call, can we continue this in a second?" "oh, yeah, go ahead." she smiled as he stood up to take it.
kalarnie was a curious soul. meeting someone new felt exciting to her and it was the same every time. she calmly watched wilbur take that phone call. she could faintly hear a rather loud, obnoxious voice on the end. it juxtaposed the older man's calm voice almost perfectly. it was like they almost were brothers of the sort.
"no, tommy, i'm busy right now. can't you call later? righto, goodbye." wilbur walked back and kalarnie smiled again. "sorry about that, friend of mine."
"no worries, wilbur. sounded like a nice fellow." "oh trust me. anything but, to be quite honest." "honestly? wow."
the two smiled in sync.
wordcount: 792
(an:
i hope you guys liked this! it's my first self written book since maybe twenty nineteen! and yes, kalarnie will meet tommy next chap :)
remember to vote, comment and follow me if you're enjoying this so far!
