Nick hopped off the counter, landing without a sound on the old wooden floors. He crossed the small room towards me, a smile spread over his face as he noticed my outfit.
"Nice shirt," He acknowledged, gesturing at my shirt. I looked down subconsciously, forgetting entirely what I put on that morning.
"Thanks," I replied, my eyes roamed the room and explored the endless possibilities of pure literature. I caught a figure in the corner of my eye, which appeared to be a gumball machine. I walked towards it, examining the sign above it that read: Poems.
That made me smile. The old town bookshop had a gumball machine for poems. I dug into my bag, searching for a quarter. Nick moved beside me, smiling, and said, "It was my idea, the poem machine. I find poetry very moving, you see." I nodded as I inserted the quarter into the machine. I turned the silver knob, and watched a plastic container with a slip of paper spiral down to the base of the gadget. It hit the bottom with a single clank. I picked it up and popped it open.
The lettering was small, the poem longer than I had expected.
Lo! where the Moon along the sky
Sails with her happy destiny;
Oft is she hid from mortal eye
Or dimly seen,
But when the clouds asunder fly
How bright her mien!
Far different we--a forward race,
Thousands though rich in Fortune's grace
With cherished sullenness of pace
Their way pursue,
Ingrates who wear a smileless face
The whole year through.
If kindred humours e'er would make
My spirit droop for drooping's sake,
From Fancy following in thy wake,
Bright ship of heaven!
A counter impulse let me take
And be forgiven.
-William Wadsworth.
I recited the poem, and Nick followed along over my shoulder. Once I finished, I reread a few lines again in my head, then pocketed the tiny scrap of paper. "That's amazing," I mused after a moment. I turned to Nick, watching his eyes light up. He gestured for me to follow him and I did.
"Why don't I show you around the shop?"
"Yeah, okay." I smiled up at him as he lead the way around.
We walked side by side, he pointed out sections of the shop to me, and I smiled, sometimes commented. He took us up the stairs, to the young adult section. Immediately, I noticed the spines of some very dear books. The Divergent series in blue and green and red, the entire Harry Potter series, with the addition of The Tales of Beedle and Bard, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I saw multiple copies of each series resting atop the shelves.
We moved over to the far wall, where the singular novels were held. I noticed the collection of John Green books, including Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, and many others. Also inserted on the shelves were The Fangirl and Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, and If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
For a small town bookshop, this is a fairly stocked place. And with that thought, I realized that I wanted to work there. Not only would my coworker be Nick Grey, but also books would surround me all the time. And that was something I wanted to have.
The problem was, I had no idea how to approach the matter. I was awkward and therefore did not want to ask him. But you can't get what you want if you never ask. So I gathered up all my courage, and asked.
"Is there a... vacancy here?" Nick cocked an eyebrow at me, confused for only an instant, until he understood, and smiled widely.
"That depends," he replied, and I could tell he was trying to hold back his excitement. "Are you up for the challenging art of caring for a book store?" I laughed and nodded once I simmered down.
"Good. I need to get Rory to set up an interview for you and then you can work here!"
"Great! Who's Rory?" I questioned, unable to contain my excitement.
"Oh, he's my boss. He's the finance manager and the creator of the place."
I looked around, and noticed there wasn't anyone else around. Rory must be in the back, but is there anyone else?
"Does anyone else work here with you?" He grinned at my concern, but he nodded. "There's another guy here every other week. Leo. He's pretty cool, we hang out sometimes."
"Oh, okay cool!" We went down the stairs again, and he took me to the back, where we could find Rory. Nick and I rounded the corner to a secluded hallways. There were a number of closed doors on either side of the compact corridor, each labeled with a different tag. The closest on the left read Rory Simons- Manager.
Nick brought his knuckles to the door and knocked twice on the blistering wood. A faint voice sounded from the other side, drowned out by the unyielding noise deriving from a large ceiling fan.
Inside the room was bright, lit up well by a window facing the busy street. Sitting in a worn leather chair, feet casually resting atop the desk was a fairly tall boy who looked to be around 18 or so with cropped blond hair. He looked expectantly over at Nick and I. He retracted his feet from the desk, sat up, and began a conversation with Nick.
"What's up, Nick?"
"Not much Rory, but I met this girl, Jessica," he gestured to me and Rory flashed me a charming smile before Nick continued. "and she wants to work here."
Rory motioned for me to sit in the chair in front of his desk. I sat in the old leather and watched Rory as he took out a slender moleskin notebook with compact, scrolling letters. He cleared his throat, then began an interview.
"What experience have you had in the book field?" I thought for a moment, attempting to remember if I'd had any experience at all.
"Well... I uh helped the librarian shelve books in middle school during study hall..." He nodded, muttered a slight, that counts I guess, and then moved on to the next question.
"Have you ever had a conflict with a teacher or boss?" I shook my head immediately. He skimmed the paper for the next question.
"Last question, why do you want to work here?"
"Books are my life. I read every day and to be surrounded by books would truly be an incredible experience." He closed the notebook, smiled at me, and said, "Jessica... what did you say your last name was?"
"I didn't, it's Tatum." I replied. He congratulated me on getting the job, told me that I would start on Saturday, and how much I'd be paid per day. I thanked him, shook his hand and told him I'd see him Saturday. Thankfully, he gave me the same hours as Nick.
He lead me into the main room. He took a seat behind the counter, and I sat on the edge of it, facing him. "You know, it'll be nice to have another regular here. It gets fairly lonely, given that not many people enjoy the simple pleasures of old bookstores."
"Yeah," I breathed out, my voice soft and understanding. People just couldn't fathom the joy I could get from books. Nick was a unicorn- a rare creature. A popular looking attractive boy who somehow loved books.
Early on in life, (middle school), I didn't believe I could find a guy who shared the same passion for books as I did. But I found Nick, and he was honestly the most amazing guy I had ever met.
I stayed in the shop for a while. Nick and I talked and laughed, and got to know one another more. Seemingly out of nowhere, he asked,
"Would you like to hang out tomorrow night once my shift is over?" His voice was unsure, and while asking, he looked down at the floor. Nick looked up again, and I smiled. "Of course! Sure! Have anything in mind?"
He grinned, thought for a moment, then responded, "Well... we could go see a movie or walk around downtown... go to the park?" I giggled at his lack of confidence, but agreed to hang out with him tomorrow night.
Nick requested my phone number, and address, which I happily complied, trying my hardest not to give way to my fangirlish emotions. He told me that he'd pick me up at 8:15 and he'd surprise me where we were going.
I bade him goodbye, and charming as ever, he told me, "Until tomorrow, Jess." And as I walked out of the bookshop, a smile plastered on my face, I had to keep composed, and not squeal as I so often did.
