Dan was so not ready to step out of the house today. If only his English teacher wouldn't be such a miscreant for wanting the entire class to get a copy of Charlotte's Web for their class on Monday. Don't get him wrong, the poor kid just went through public humiliation in front of the entire school, and the last thing he needs would be noticed in public. Pulling on a basic hoodie and sweats, he stepped out of the house with a sigh. "Let's just get this over with," he said to himself as he walked down to the bookstore.
Allowing the musty smell of old books to lure him in, he greeted the owner with a small smile as he headed down the aisle towards the children's literature section to find what he needed. "Do we have Charlotte's Web?" he called out to the owner.
"Last shelf down the aisle to your left." he replied, placing his feet up on the desk and picking up the paper that he was reading.
"Charlotte's, Charlotte's," he murmured as he skimmed over the titles. "Ah, here," he said out loud, fingertips brushing the spine as another old tattered book beside it caught his attention.
"Hey, what's this one?" he thought as he pulled it out and flipped the pages.
Just then another male with dark brown hair had entered the shop, asking the same question that Dan had. The shop owner, being the kind man he was, directed him to the same section that Dan was in. The strange dude followed his directions and coincidentally ended up in the same aisle, in search of Charlotte's Web.
"Ahh, here it is," he said to himself, reaching out for the copy. Dan's fingers that were unconsciously placed on the spine had met with his, reaching out for the same book. Sensing the new presence, Dan dropped the book that he was holding and jumped back in fear.
"I'm sorry about that,didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, as Dan held his mildly shaking hand in shock.
"No, that's... that's okay," Dan replied, steadying himself. "Wait a minute, you're really familiar.I have seen you before, you look just like Tasha," he murmured.
"Tasha is my sister," the brown haired man said with a sigh. "I just moved back, my family needed me here."
Dan shivered. For all he knew, this person could attend his school. And that is not something that he was looking forward to.
"I'm new here, and I join this Monday..." Nate trailed off, shattering Dan's anxious thoughts.
"Oh, um, well, I'm Dan. It's nice to meet you," he said, sticking his hand out.
"I'm Nate," the And I think we share the same English class..." Nate gestured to the book.
"Um, yeah I took Advanced English this year..." Dan said shyly.
"Interesting. Have you read Charlotte's Web before? Personally, I think it has its own touch on the aspects of life and friendship altogether."
"I have, yes. I like the way Charlotte encourages Wilbur to do his own thing and not worry about what everyone else has in store for him."
"Indeed, it does talk a lot about humility and the importance of a true friendship," Nate said thoughtfully.
A silence that ensued was broken seconds later by the buzz of Nate's phone.
"Well, I better get going then. Think Tasha's waiting for me outside.I'll see you around then...Dan," he said with a wave, striding out to the exit after purchasing his copy. Dan however, lingered behind, trying to process whatever he was feeling about what just happened.
It's not everyday you see a hot male who's sweet and pretty interested in English.
Picking up the tattered book that he was previously reading, he made his way to the doorway of the store.
"Is there another copy of Charlotte's Web?"
YOU ARE READING
Flash Fiction #5 Their Hands Met
FanfictionA prompt was given out three weeks ago and these writers took it upon themselves to write max. 1000 words to blow us away. The stories were collected, made anonymous and then voted on. Everyone had three votes. This is the result of that. Enjoy!
