A One Direction Christmas

Chapter 7 | Niall

Niall approached the bookstore with excitement in his step. He loved to read, despite not having much time for it, and the idea of sitting down with a good book in the middle of a snowstorm sounded too good to pass up. The Page Turner was written out on both the glass of the shop door and the forest green awning hanging above the entrance. A rather clever name, he thought to himself. The shop had a beautiful window display, with stacks neatly lining the bottom of the window and others placed on small tables, their covers facing outwards towards whoever peered in. Lush green garlands rested upon the stacks, and little ceramic Christmas villages sat upon the tables, lit up from within. It appeared incredibly cozy and festive.

A bell jingled softly as he stepped inside, and a rush of warm air enveloped him. The inside of the bookstore was even better than the outside, to Niall's delight. Shelves lined every inch of the walls, stocked to the brim with books, which he noticed were organized by color. A few tables were sprinkled around, each with a pile of books and a handwritten sign. "My Personal Favorites," one read. An assortment of large, comfy-looking armchairs sat in one corner, begging to be enjoyed with a book.

A flicker of light caught Niall's eye, and he looked up to see candlesticks and books quite literally hanging from the ceiling. Or perhaps floating was a better word. Niall could see no string attaching them anywhere, and so it appeared as though the candlesticks and open novels were frozen midair. The whole store felt magical.

There was a counter towards the back of the shop, but it was empty. In fact, he seemed to be the only customer. He started to browse the nearest table when something brushed his leg. Startled, Niall turned to see a brown and white corgi blinking up at him happily. He broke into a smile, reaching down to rub the dog behind the ears. "Why, hello there."

The corgi barked in reply and nuzzled his hand, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the pets. "You're a rather cute fellow. What's your name? And what on earth are you doing in a bookstore?" He kneeled down to try to get a look at the dog's collar.

"I see you've met Noodle."

Niall looked up with a start to see a young woman standing behind the counter. She was wearing a brown turtleneck and high-waisted, rust-colored jeans. Her hair, which was golden brown, fell right below her chin, the waves tucked behind her ears to reveal a variety of hoop earrings on each one.

"Erm– Noodle?"

She smiled and nodded, gesturing to the creature who was now licking Niall's hand. "He seems to like you. Noodle is the official bookstore pet."

Niall grinned and gave Noodle another pet, who took this as an invitation to flop onto his back and beg for belly rubs. "Nice to meet you, Noodle."

He looked back up at the woman to see that she had stepped out from behind the counter and was approaching him. "Oh, and welcome in, by the way! Can I help you find anything today? We just got in a new batch of best sellers," she said, pointing to a nearby table.

"I'm not really sure what I'm looking for yet," Niall shrugged sheepishly. "I haven't had time to pick up a book in awhile."

"Well, browse as much as you like," she smiled. "And if you need any help, I'll just be around shelving, so feel free to come find me."

She started to turn back towards the counter when Niall asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"

The woman's eyes, which were a deep blue-green, lit up as she grinned. "Oh yes! I have quite a few." She started to lead him towards the "My Personal Favorites" table when she paused and turned to look at Niall. "Actually, I'm getting ahead of myself. What type of books do you like? Any specific genres?"