Bookstore Girl

Chapter 1

The sound of rain trickling on the pavements felt new to Charlie. It has been a long time since it rained in his town, the hot summer has evaded his months for so long to the point that it annoyed him. Today felt like a breath of relief to him, it rained and he has no work to do. He just wants to rest for now, in other words he wants to go to his favorite place, the bookstore.  

Charlie stared at the store, thoughts of relief and relaxation came to his mind. The bookstore was old and rusty, he loved the way and the feeling of comfort just by looking at it. He came inside the store pushing the door.

The sound of the creaks made by the old door and the endearing ring of the store bell harmonized as he walked his way inside. He closed his umbrella then swished it to remove tiny droplets of rain. Oh how he missed this place. The interior of the bookstore still looks ever the same, plants lined up by the entrance, rows of dark oakwood bookshelves staggered across the area. 

Charlie greeted the lady at the counter, this lady have had known him for quite a while due to his frequent visits. 'It's been a long time Charlie, I was wondering why you haven't visited for so long.' 'I have been too caught up with work.' Charlie replied with a smile and the lady nodded as a sign of response. 

Charlie strided along his way to the shelves, trying to remember where he hid the book that he hasn't finished yet. Charlie remembered that he put it somewhere in a closed off area, just to make sure no one really gets to find his treasure. He tries his best to foster the exact location of the book. 

He walked up to every row running his fingers on the spines of the books. Charlie focused on finding his book not minding whatever may be in his way. Bump. Books sprayed over the floor, papers flying, pens clinking and girl? Girl? 

He stared at the girl he just bumped into, her side bangs were sprawled over her face due to the impact that had happened just seconds ago. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail with small hairs erect in place clearly showing that she had done her hair in a not so meticulous way. Their height difference was evident, her head was leveled to his neck. 

He thought she was cute. Charlie watched the girl pick up her thrown off books off the floor. Now that he only realized it, he cleared his thoughts and helped her pick it up.'I'm sorry' the girl muttered quietly to Charlie 'No, I should be. I should've been mindful of the place.' Truly this was his fault, he was just too immersed with the thought of his hidden book. 'Here.' Charlie handed the papers that was just sprawled over the floor to the girl. 'Thank you.' girl bowed to Charlie and then left the isle they just bumped into. 

He watched her walk away from him and leave the bookstore. He thought she was cute, he could've asked for her number. She looked like she was in her early 20's. He assumed that she was probably a university student finding some research sources within this bookstore. It was evident, just by the pen and the papers he could easily tell. He has gone through that before he graduated obviously. 

Shit, Charlie thought. She was the girl of his liking. He has dated before but none of them really clicked. Plus most of the girls he dated was back when he was still in Highschool. He never dated seriously during his adulthood, but he did go to blind dates. Which never worked out very well in the first place. 

Charlie shook off the thoughts of the girl. He wanted to go back to finding his lost treasure. Then again his thoughts just went back to the girl he bumped into. Oh my, he mentally sighed and thought that he must have been lovestruck at first sight. Can he even call it lovestruck? Maybe he just liked the way she looked? Or he just found her adorable? Ugh, Charlie groaned quietly, his hands still running against the book spines through every isle. 

Charlie was finally on the last row, he hoped that he could find his treasure since this is the last row. This time he didn't run his hands against it instead he pulled every book to make sure if his treasure is here. 

From book to book and nook to nook, finally he found his lost treasure. The book, as far as he remembered, still looks the same as before. Well he noticed the pages had now evident yellow spots over them. He did not mind, he thought the greatest thing a book could ever bring to a person is it's content. The words inked through the papers, the images he sees when he reads it is his favorite.

It is his only escape from reality, reality may seem harsh but that's just how life works. Though fantasizing for a few hours does not sound so bad. Well, lets say not fantasizing but rather imagining? Imagining an alternate life and story does not sound so bad. Either way, Charlie liked a book that could make him escape from the reality he faces. His life isn't so bad but good. He sometimes have bad days, like any other person does, and he also has some good days. However his good days are countable, the stress added by his work plus he is also focusing on getting a doctoral in his degree which adds more stress.

He does not mind though, Charlie thinks stress is only temporary but his achievements are imprinted within him. Back when he was at Highschool, he wasn't really an academic achiever. He just wanted enjoyed his teenage years while it lasts, he tried not to push himself off to his limits. But when College came in his life, he was stressed, stressed-STRESSED. He would drink caffeine in the morning, he hates coffee by the way, in order to relieve and wake his thoughts. He developed new habits during his college days all because of stress and pressure.

It wasn't the fault of his professors, rather it was his fault. He always had this thought set in his mind, that when he goes to College he needed to excel and achieve more than he did in High School. In which he did, but he felt like shit in college, everyone does but he felt really shitty. Sometimes he wanted to dropout of college and just leave the country. That idea was stupid, he recalled, he had no money anyways plus his parents stick with outdated cultures so he never executed that plan.

Well hell, that idea was the result of his stress and he couldn't stop himself from chuckling whenever he remembers how his young, uptight and stressed college self was. Going back to his book, Charlie opens the book and reads the remaining pages left within it. 

Now that he started reading it again, after a few weeks of "abandoning" it, he feels stupid because he vaguely remembers the chapters he had read. Instead of giving up, he just forced himself to read it. He went all in just to find his "treasure" and even met a cute college girl on the way. That's why he can't just leave his treasure and permanently abandon it in an obscured area in the store. He doesn't want the book to feel pathetic, technically a book is lifeless and does not breathe, but since Charlie has feelings and he's also a big empath he just wants the book to be "happy".