The Truth About The Many Worlds Of Printed Pages

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They treaded their way around the white house and the wild vegetation concealing it from the curious eyes of the passersby, the muddy puddles of the riverside path turning into waterlogged gravel as they walked along the side of the villa, and finally the cobblestones of the pavement as they reached its front facing the street.

James pushed the tall, ornate, wrought iron gate open, and they walked through the garden, reaching the front door even as it was opened for them.

"Well, hello," Alicia greeted them, smiling brightly. "Here you are, just as I thought you would be. They were all worried when you didn't call, but I knew you'd turn up in your own time. In you come, the rain's awfully cold."

The old woman pressed a grandmother-like kiss to Siena's cheek, surprising her, then stood on her tiptoes in front of James, waiting for him to bend down to be able to repeat the gesture, making him laugh.

"Did you sleep well? Have you had lunch before coming here?" Alicia rattled on, indicating a place in the corner of the gloomy hall for them to leave the dripping umbrella and damp jackets and the large doormat they were standing on to clean their shoes.

Siena shivered as she removed her jacket, this house felt colder than their cosy garden flat. She smiled to herself, realising that she had already fallen in love with the flat, with the entire idea of being a Bibliophile and a Book Traveller, and the companion they had chosen for her. It was all so incredibly exciting.

"We are great, thank you, Alicia,"James replied for both of them after he glanced at Siena, seeking permission to speak in her name too. She smiled; it almost made them look like a couple.

"Are you all here?" Siena asked as they followed the old woman down a gloomy corridor lined with opened doors offering glimpses of empty rooms which looked like a cross between laboratories and offices, into a large, homely looking sitting room.

It was beautiful, much nicer than the office they were received in the day before. The décor was Victorian, matching the old building perfectly. The wild vegetation from outside seemed to have spilled within at some point, and sat in large brass pots that created spots of warm, reflected light in the shadows next to the window and between the pieces of furniture. A small, golden-and-cream coloured sofa was placed in front of the window with an armchair close to each end, surrounding a glass top coffee table, and a love seat stood next to the fireplace where a small fire burned, banishing the humidity of the rain flooding the world outside.

When Alicia sat down into one of the armchairs, Siena chose the loveseat, revelling in the pleasant heat of the flames, the exquisite feeling taken to a whole new level when James came to sit next to her without the slightest hesitation, as if it was where he belonged, close by her side. She knew well that he could hear the hitch in her breathing and the thumping of her heart every time he came this close to her, and it made her blush, but she liked to hear his own heart speeding in response. It was so unexpected, pleasant, and distracting at the same time, she had never met anyone with whom she had this much chemistry...

Alicia smiled contentedly at seeing them, and Siena recalled that one of the Bibliophiles mentioned yesterday how it was important to find an appropriate couple, two people who would get along well and be able to work together. Well, she and James seemed more than suitable this way. It was only a day since they had met, and it seemed like they couldn't stay apart.

James smiled at Siena, who didn't realise she was staring at him until this moment, his smile making her faint blush deepen. He would give anything to know what she was thinking.

"Are you all here?" he repeated Siena's question that somehow got lost on their way to this room, turning to Alicia and finding her looking at them, her eyes filled with mysterious joy.