love woven through pages

4

I take in the rest of her appearance, taking note of the branded items that adorns her. A hefty looking Rolex wraps itself comfortably around her wrist and her hair is tied back into a low ponytail that screams elegant. There was little doubt that she could cough up quite the sum and at her age that seemed more or less around mine, I wondered how on earth she managed to attain such level.

"Do you come to this bookstore often?"
"Yeah, pretty much every day if I can."
"That's funny, I've never seen you before. I come in quite a lot too –– more in the afternoons though."
"Ahh, that makes sense. I'm usually here in the morning and gone by noon because it gets busy. Not my ideal environment."

There's a small gap of silence that seals the understanding, and I take another sip of my latte just to avoid further awkwardness. I pull away from the straw when I come up with something to say.

"Books are so expensive, it sucks. I would own a lot more by now if they were cheaper."
She drums her fingers on the wooden surface of the table and it produces satisfying clicks in a strangely addicting rhythm, "They're expensive?"

I blink, thinking she's completely oblivious to a world beyond luxury. Does she even check the price tag?

Glimpsing my dumbfounded expression, she sheepishly grins, "Sorry, I don't really check the price tag."

Question answered.

I scratch behind my ear, a fond habit when I'm faced with something that makes me speechless. Or in this case, someone.

"How.. Aren't you a college student too? I hope this doesn't come off weird.. but are you that rich?"

The question doesn't seem to bother her, much to my relief. Instead, she leans in a little closer like she's intrigued by my own curiosity. Her shoulders slump slightly as she takes a breath before answering.

"I'm in my third year of college and I have a couple part time jobs. I've been working a ton of them since high school and I recently started a small business so there's a lot of income coming from that too. However, I do get some allowance from my parents, but most of it is my own."

She emanates a proud glow; and rightfully as well for I think she might just be the coolest girl I've ever met.