Cloud nine (Romance)

Chapter 10: Wiser Time

(Pov Naomi)

The day's activities are complete. Minh and Max have left. Tyler was at my bedside shirtless. Poor Tyler, always exhausted and staying in late. He's so cute the way he snores. I quickly and quietly get out of the bed and slowly put his arm off of me so I can do what I want without harming Tyler and his sleep. The time has come to sit down, and unwind. I grab a book from the table as I lean back into my chair. The fireplace in the corner crackles and pops. Warming my skin from the cool, winter-like chiliness. The cushions sink in as I push myself into the right side of the chair, cross my legs, and open up the book. The words jump out towards me, as I slowly lose myself in the stories being told. Time passes by me, the minutes tick by like seconds. And the real world slowly slips from my mind, until I slowly start to drift off. The room is still and quiet. The peace of the room is interrupted by the sound of the door bell.

The ringing brings me out of my daze. The sound of silence encasing the room. I get up from my seat and walk over to the door, my eyes adjusting to the light. As I approach the door, I hear a voice call out from the other side. "Hey, it's Max!" "I think I forgot my phone here." I quickly open up the door and we do a little side hug. I tell him to talk a little bit quieter because Tyler was still asleep and he's a light sleeper. He quickly picks up his phone. "Sorry Naomi, I noticed because I couldn't find it as I was going to work." We both laughed it off and waved goodbye as he walked out the door. I close the door, and lock it afterward. I hear a little jingle in my phone shortly repeating.. good lord, I forgot it was a monday! I change my shorts with blue jeans and wear my book store work shirt colored in a deep army green. Before I walk out the door, I go back to the living room to see Tyler before I leave. I see he's tossing around slightly so I know he's awake. "Bye Tyler." He replies with "Bye Naomi.. I love you." I'm slightly in shock. We've only been dating for a couple months but that was nice to hear. "Ok..s-see ya later Tyler.. I love you too.." I leave through the front door being a blushing mess. That was so nice. As I snap back to reality, I open up my car door and drive to my workspace. I get in the parking spots and see the illuminated sign "Birchwood Reads".

The doorbell chimes as I enter through the door, and the aroma of scented candles rushes towards me. The smell reminds me of my grandmother's house. I walk past the front counter, the cashiers waving to me as I proceed toward the bookshelves. My job for today is to put the new book in stock onto the correct shelves. I start gazing at the books, the sheer amount of them almost overwhelming me. My hand leans into a shelf, as I pick through a few books. Trying to find one of interest. My eyes skimming the books as I pass by them. I find something that piques my interest in the search. As I am looking through, I see someone walk towards me. Their footsteps beat with Lofi's music playing throughout the store.

"Hey Naomi, just wanted to stop by." I turn to see Max. Walking towards me before outstretching his arms. "Hey!" "Wacha doing here?" I say as we embrace. "Well, I just wanted to say thanks for bringing me and Minh together." " I wanted to tell you this earlier this morning, but I assumed you had work." He responds while scratching the back of his neck. I give a slight smile. "No problem!" "Friends have to help each other out," I say while playfully laughing. Max smirks. "This reminds me, I got you a little gift," Max says as he pulls out a wrapped gift from his bag. "It's not much, but I thought you would like it." I take the gift from his outstretched hands, a look of curiosity coming over my face. "You don't need to get me a present for being your friend," I say to Max jokingly. "I know..." "I just couldn't help getting it for you once I saw it." "Go ahead, open it!"

I slowly untie the red ribbon from the box, the weight surprising for its small size. As the ribbon falls off, I carefully open the lid. I see a large book inside of the box. The words on the cover popped out to me as I read them. "The Wiser Time of our Lives," I whisper to myself as I examine the book. "It's a memoir by Mike Farre." "I remember seeing you reading about some of his works one day." "Isn't he the guy that does the wildlife morning show? Max asks while looking at me, trying to see if the present was thoughtful or just fell flat. "Yeah!" "I love reading about his work," I say while leaning over to Max, and hugging him. "Thank you, Max, I love it."