𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣'𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙣

𝒔𝒊𝒙

Calvin
• • •

I had no way of confirming that Saturn would come to the shop today, but somehow, I was certain she would.

I hadn't taken her phone number, her email, or anything of the sort. I just had a feeling she would show.

I unlocked the shop during my free period after lunch. The little bell dinged overhead. I scowled. I'd been meaning to get rid of it since the moment I began working at the shop last month.

I flipped the sign to "open" and made my rounds through the shelves, checking that there were no books out of place.

Saturn, what have you done?

Somehow, in the short hour I had her working here, she had managed to rearrange the entire store by genre. This would simply not do, as I needed to have each author and their location on file for the shop's records.

Letting out a frustrated breath, I decided to leave the books alone. When she arrived, which she inevitably would, I would make Saturn put the shelves back in order.

I began my work at the desk. At the shop, spreadsheets were my strong suit, so Mum had me doing all the shop's accounting work. It took hours, but the pay was worth it.

The doorbell sounded.

I glanced up from my computer screen, only to see Saturn walking through the doors as if she'd worked here for years. Her appearance made my cold expression falter. She looked...majestic. Her small lace-trimmed dress hugged her at the hips. Her pale skin looked stark against the black of the dress and her hair. I didn't speak as she crossed the store. She had stolen every critique off my tongue.

"Hello," Saturn said, standing over my desk. I stood. I much preferred looking down on her.

"Afternoon," I said curtly, coming around the desk, "follow me, please."

Saturn followed me closely. Her obedience made up for her lack of sense. Still, I needed employees. There would be weeks when I wouldn't be able to work at all, and I knew Saturn would keep the shop in order, even if it meant adding her own spin here and there. I wondered if Zaire would show. I needed him trained before October came.

I stood before the first bookshelf. "What have you done to my bookshelves?" I asked.

Perhaps this came across as rude, because Saturn frowned. I hadn't meant to upset her. "I organized them by genre," Saturn said softly. She was so shy, it amused me.

"Did I ask you to organize them by genre?" I asked, wondering how far I could take this before she began to cry.

"No," she mumbled, staring at her shiny black shoes.

I allowed the silence to consume us. I wanted her to consider her actions. It was intriguing to watch her react to my words.
"I've decided to keep it this way," I told her after many moments of contemplation.

Saturn looked up from her shoes. "Really?"

"Yes, finish it, now," I replied, turning my back on her. I heard her begin to resume her work eagerly. I smiled to myself. I enjoyed how quick she was to do as I asked.