‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
Taylor Finley knew three things.
1. After her parents died and she had a not-so-fun breakup with her ex, Taylor knew she needed a fresh start. Not a new style or a different state; no, she moved countries. From Texas to Brighton, England, she was now in a small but charming apartment near downtown.
That brings us to the next thing.
2. Taylor knew the second she saw the 'help wanted' sign in a quaint bookshop downtown named 'Honey's Reads,' she had to work there.
That's why on Monday, just a week after her move, she entered the store, a name tag attached to her light brown sweater and a big smile on her face.
She was instantly greeted by the owner, Honey Piper, a short older woman with big, gold-framed glasses positioned on her face and silver, curly hair neatly styled on her head.
"Oh, so glad to see you received your package with the manual and nametag!" She said excitedly, in her sweet, British accent.
"Thank you for choosing me! I'm very excited to start! Your shop is so peacefully homey," Taylor complimented.
"Well, thank you, dear," she started. "Firstly, if you go to the front checkout desk, you'll meet Thomas," she said with a smile, pointing at the counter. "I gave him your schedule, just let him know who you are. I must be going back to my office now, but if you need any help, ask Thomas or your other co-workers, sweety."
And with that, Honey was off towards the back of the shop. Taylor scanned her surroundings. A few customers were looking through books on the dusty, filled shelves. Looks of approval, curiosity, or dissatisfaction plastered on their faces at each book they examined.
It was such a sight to behold. Readers choosing their next piece of literature to indulge themselves in, putting so much thought and consideration into their studies of each cover and description.
The shelves held endless options for Taylor to pick and read in her spare time, and hidden tables and couches were littered around the aisles for her to sit and indulge in a book or people watch.
The walls were adorned with old-fashioned, faded, flowery wallpaper, covered with paintings and prints of all sorts.
The wooden baseboards and furniture gave it a rustic feel, one could tell Honey put so much care into the place for many years. It reminded Taylor of her late grandmother's study; in a retro, nostalgic kind of way.
Soft, classical music played over hidden speakers, creating the perfect atmosphere. She noticed another girl with a name tag readjusting books on the opposite side of the shop.
After her brief examination of the shop, we're brought to the third thing Taylor knew:
3. She was going to love it here.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
Taylor walked over to the front desk, where Honey had pointed at a young-looking boy earlier, however, there was no one at the counter.
There was a little bell sitting by some pamphlets. Taylor pressed the bell once, the noise ringing throughout the mostly quiet store.
"Oh, for fricks sake!" a voice muttered from the ground behind the desk before a body popped up from behind the counter.
This slightly startled Taylor, making her flinch, but she regained her composure when she realized it was the boy she had seen there earlier.
The blonde looked her over before realizing she had a name tag on.
"Oh! You must be the new recruit!" the boy concluded cheerfully through his British accent. Taylor shouldn't have been surprised by everyone's accents as she was literally in England, but she was a Texan first.
He reached his hand out, prompting her to shake.
"Taylor Finley. You're Thomas, right?"
"Tommy Simmons. If you call me Thomas, I will not let it go," he threatened, deadpan, before smiling big again.
She chuckled at this 'threat,' immediately gathering that Tommy was a jokester.
"So, how old are you? Where'd you come from? You have an American accent. Do you have a partner?" He rapid-fired questions at the Texan.
She drew a breath before answering his questions, matching his energy. "Twenty-five years old, Texas, and no, definitely no boyfriend," she answered, wanting to move on from the boyfriend topic.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
She and Nick were the closest of friends. They started dating a year before she moved and were absolutely inseparable. So, a little less than a year later, when Taylor's parents died in a fatal car crash, their relationship took a left turn. Taylor was in a very challenging mental state, with her only remaining family dying at the peak of her and Nick's relationship.
Day after day, Taylor's attitude only went downhill. She took her sadness out on Nick. At first, he didn't blame her. She'd had a hard enough life already. When Taylor was twenty, her older brother Alex tragically passed from cancer, then of course, her parents three years later.
Nick let her vent, he let her have her moments of weakness and anger. However, her negativity became so contagious that it spread to Nick himself.
Taylor did a lot of self-reflection and evaluation, realizing that she was part of the reason for their downfall, however, Nick had become verbally abusive, every word from him becoming more and more aggressive. After major clashes and fights, mainly started by Nick, Taylor decided it was best that they broke up. She wasn't in the right, but Nick had become a manipulator and abuser.
Everything in Texas reminded Taylor of her family and failed relationship. So, within the span of a short time, she got out of her lease, packed her stuff, and moved to England, specifically Brighton.
Her beloved grandmother had taken her to the Brighton Palace Pier when Taylor was a young teen, and it was the best vacation she ever had.
The choice of where to go had been obvious to Taylor after reflecting on their memories there, which in retrospect, was ironic considering she was leaving her current place of residency to escape memories.
Whatever. These were good memories.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
She snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to Tommy.
"So, how old are you, where do you come from, and do you have a partner?" She asked, copying him.
"Nineteen, my parent's house a few blocks away, and yes, my girlfriend, Molly, works here," he answered with a smile.
"I think we're going to get along quite splendidly, Taylor."
"I think so too, Thomas," she said, instantly laughing as he smacked her with a pamphlet.
"Never again!" He whisper-shouted.
Yes, she was most definitely going to love it here.
A/N: First chapter! Hopefully, this was a good intro! Wilbur will come in very shortly.
Have a great day/night, and don't forget to interact, as it motivates me!
YOU ARE READING
Written In Ink ↬ Wilbur Soot
Fanfiction"Every tear-soaked page reminds me of you in the best way possible." ___ Taylor Finley, a new resident of the UK, starts a job at a quaint bookstore. Everything is normal until she meets a tall, curly-haired boy who starts frequenting the shop... ↬...
