Her Book Man

Chapter 4

Naina carefully flipped through the pages of Persuasion, savoring the scent of old paper and the weight of the story in her hands. But as she turned to chapter three, a small piece of paper fluttered out and landed on her lap.

She frowned, picking it up. It was a folded note, the edges slightly worn, as if it had been waiting for someone to find it.

Curious, she opened it and read:

---

Dearest Teddy girl,

You know how sometimes you bump into someone at a bookstore, and they seem like they’d have great taste in stories?
Yeah, that happened today. It’s funny how certain people just stand out, right?
Anyway, hopefully their day was as interesting as the books they were looking at.

Just a random thought,
Your Book Man

____

Her fingers traced the words, a small smile tugging at her lips. Teddy? she thought, amused. Was this a coincidence, or was someone leaving little pieces of their mind behind in books?

Her heart skipped a beat. Could Kabir have written this? It seemed like something he’d do—quietly slipping a piece of himself into the world, just waiting for the right person to find it.

She glanced across the library, where Kabir was still engrossed in shelving books. Her gaze lingered for a moment before she looked back at the note.

"Your Book Man," she whispered, her smile growing wider.

On the other hand,

The library was quieter than usual, but Kabir didn’t mind. He leaned against the counter, absently stirring a mug of coffee while his mind wandered. His thoughts kept circling back to her—the girl who stormed into his life with a childlike innocence and an air of chaos that somehow felt refreshing.

“Teddy girl,” he thought with a smirk. That’s what he’d silently nicknamed her after their first proper conversation. There was something about Naina that reminded him of the stuffed animals kids carry everywhere—comforting, unpredictable, a little battered but undeniably lovable.

He’d noticed the way her eyes lit up when she talked about books, her voice growing animated as if the characters lived inside her. But it wasn’t just her love for stories that stood out. It was the way she seemed... fractured yet whole. Like a puzzle with missing pieces that somehow still made a beautiful picture.

He had spent the day shelving books, but his mind kept drifting. The image of Naina surrounded by a mountain of rom-coms and playing “Akad bakad Bombay boo” was stuck in his head.

He’d caught himself smiling more than once, wondering if she ever picked her “winning” book or if she was still undecided. She had that kind of energy—the kind that left an impression long after she was gone.

He’d also noticed something else that day: the flicker of something deeper in her eyes. A sadness she tried to hide behind her playful antics. He didn’t know what it was, but it made him want to protect her somehow.

When she didn’t show up, Kabir found himself oddly disappointed. He’d even placed Pride and Prejudice back in her favorite corner, thinking she might return for it.

But instead of sulking, he had an idea. He grabbed a copy of Persuasion—one of his favorite books—and slipped a note inside. It wasn’t much, just a random thought he’d jotted down the night before.

The next day
When Naina finally rushed into the library, her energy lighting up the room, Kabir couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t notice him at first, too focused on darting to her favorite section.