Give Me a Break

The Bookstore, II

I gazed up at the tall doors of the shop, studying the ornate wood carvings and the carefully shaped glass doorknobs. Each swirl in the grain of the wood held my eyes, and as I brushed my fingers over the whorls and arches, I leaned in closer, picturing an old man carving out all of the figures that were frozen in the wood.

"Hey there."

I jumped, nearly hitting my head on the iron lamp that hangs above. Braden laughed and grabbed my shoulder, ruffling the snow out of my hair.

"Snowing again, huh? Seems like every time I see you, it's snowing again." His hand was warm and strong on my shoulder, and suddenly, I had trouble taking in breath. "You okay, Vi?" He asked, his brows twisting in a concerned manner.

Talk, Viola. Say something.

The snow drifted down his honey-brown hair in the most lovely way, and I couldn't help but notice the blood flushing his cheeks. It must've been from the cold.

"Oh, no... sorry, I'm fine. It's just- I was- you startled me," I rushed, the words falling out of my mouth in a confused jumble as I struggled to take my eyes from his. He reached down to my hand, taking it, and I could feel the heat of his palms through the thin fabric of my gloves.

"God, Vi, you're freezing. How long have you been out here?"

My indignant nature kicked in, and I took my hand from his and crossed my arms, remembering how long he had taken.

"I've been waiting for nearly half an hour, which, mind you, is nearly how late you are."

"Viola." Braden burst out laughing, nearly doubling over.

"What?!" I sputtered, blood flushing my face.

"Why..." He chuckled once more, then grinned, effectively stopping my heart for a couple of seconds. "Why didn't you just go inside?"

I raised my chin, frustrated again. "They were closed."

Braden cocked an eyebrow at me skeptically, and reached over to the door to test it. Surely enough, the handle rattled and didn't open. He sighed, his breath crystallizing from in between his flushed lips. "Well," He said. "That's an issue."

"I know," I replied. "I just didn't want you to think I stood you up- even though that's what I thought of you for a while."

Sighing, Braden reached inside his beat-up satchel and carefully took out a couple of books, placing them in the bin labeled 'Night Return.' He turned around, and began to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I run after him, grabbing his sleeve, suddenly aware of how much taller he was than me. "I waited for you for a while, I'm not just letting you walk away from me."

Braden turned around, a smile tugging on the edge of his lips. He took my hands again, leaning down so that his face was level with mine, only a few inches away. "Viola. I'm going to get a scarf for you from my car. Calm down." My cheeks flushed again, and I pulled away, embarrassed by my reaction.

"Oh... I- I'm sorry- I just-"

His mouth slid into a grin again, dimples tugging on the corners of his pearly-white smile. "You're fine, Vi. Wait here."

I stood in the snow, for fourteen seconds exactly, before Braden came huffing back with a fluffy-looking red scarf. He draped it around my neck, then stepped back and smiled larger.

"You look like a red marshmallow."

I crossed my arms once again.

"Lovely," I laughed loudly, amused by the entire situation and unable to keep it in any longer.

"Truly," Braden whispered under his breath, barely loud enough to hear, his smile vanishing and his lips hanging open. I stopped, glancing from his eyes to his mouth and back up again, and the snow seemed to hang in the air, suspended.

"What?" I breathed, nearly inaudible, and the snow began to move again. Braden took a step towards me, so that he was only inches away.

Slowly, he moved his hand to my face, cupping my cheek, and I didn't dare to take in a breath.

"Nothing," he mused quietly, starting to smile again. "Just that..." the snow stopped again, and my eyes were locked on his. "You're a very kind of crimson red marshmallow," He laughed, moving his hand away and walking toward the sidewalk again.

I stood in the street, tiny flakes of ice swirling around me, my heart pounding, my eyes flickering from the scarf around my neck to the street below to the bookstore to Braden. Licking my lips, I took a step toward the sidewalk, ears ringing, when I saw Braden whirl around, fear contorting his face.

"Viola!" I heard him shout, starting to sprint towards me, and everything began to slow down again. When I turned, I saw the silver van behind me, skidding on the ice, and the street below, and Braden running all at once. When my hands flew up as an automatic reflex, I saw the driver of the silver van wildly spinning the wheel in fear, and the grille of the car smashing into me, and the terrified look on Braden's face as I flew backward into the snow, blood spattering the red scarf around my neck.

All at once.

Hi guys! I am SO SO SO SO SORRY I took so long to update! Like, seriously. Multiple months. So sorry. Since it's now Christmas break and I just got a new computer, I'll be updating more often. And, as always,

Happy reading!XX