𝙐𝙎 | Joe Goldberg ✓

22

1 Year Before

It's cold, snowing, but I like it. It's new, and fresh in this dry and lonely city, shaken by the busy traffic and lives.

My first time In New York. A solo ticket so I can escape from that madness. So I can focus for the first time on myself.

It's different from my hometown, people here are distant, mere serious faces in a grey crowd. Colder than the snowflakes that fall above my face, melting slowly, as a memento so I can take it home with me.

I don't know why I stopped. Maybe it was destiny, I believe it to be. How life made me stop in front of that shop, and enchant myself with the many books displayed on the windows, making me approach them.

But it was there, through the windy air, the white snow, and the warmness of Mooney's that I saw it.

You.

You have the brightest of the smiles, the charmest of  the laughs, as you walk around holding a couple of books in those veiny, big hands of yours. Something made you happy today.

Okay,  let's see...

Your hair seems like pure cotton, fluffy brown strands that fall in front of your chocolate sweet eyes, while you're dressed in black, with an apron covering your chest.

New York is indeed different. You are different.

I must admit, few captivated me like this. All I observe now is you, lovely stranger, a bit tall, with dilligent eyes observing the shelves and working from time to time.

You are not those classy, fancy guys, you are real, and you stick to it, I can see it by the way you dress simply, casually, but not effortlessly.

You must work here for a long time, you don't even look at the signs to know where you should go. No, you've got it memorized, also, something tells me by the way you stare at those shelves, that you have a hidden passion about all of this. All these books and the hidden silence within them.

You are discrete, try not to bring attention, but is attentive to each movement around you, when a client asks for something, you reply straight to the point. Has incredible social skills, but obvioulsy don't want to usem. A functional extrovert, a natural introvert.

I could enter and try to say hi, but what would be your reaction? Probably indicate me a best seller, if you are that type of salesman, wich you don't appear to be. No...you seem to be more intriguing, to wonder for something deeper into knowledge, that has an unique essence to it...Paula Fox.

I could say hi. But I'd rather read you better, my new book.

Once I entered this store, I realized that it was way warmer than outside, not just by the weather, but by your presence.

No one noticed me, I just entered with my head down, sneaking through the shelves making my way towards you. For an attentive guy, you barely heard me approaching you, well, my sneakers are pretty silent, so I'll give you a break.

And what is written on your badge? Your name must be unique as well. Not something weird, but something that suits you. Maybe a short name, a name that sounds like a whisper out of someone's lips. It would be a delight to pronounce your name, Mr. Mysterious.

Someone calls you back to the cashier, you seem so busy, but yet in a lighten up mood. I wonder what caused it, or if you are indeed a happy person.

Well, no one can be happy all the time.

And that smile, for my misfortune, seems to be caused by an irritating lovebug.