The Smell of Rain

iii- intrigued

After three days of having no will to get out of bed, and three days of gooey pasta that his mother practically force fed him, Joseph decided to take a trip to his second home.

The bookstore. Sapid Sanctuary, a quaint, old English style bookstore that stocked all books from those just released to ancient classics.

He practically lived in the sci-fi and comic book section, which also was the section of dystopian future novels and inspirational books. It was his favourite section by far, and he'd always head over to it first. It was also usually empty, which was a plus as Joseph wasn't a fan of socialising. He didn't know the workings of a normal 17 year old boy's brain, and couldn't talk to anyone his age very well, without getting peeved off and angered. Which in hind-sight wasn't all that bad, as it was better than numb. But he figured it was better for everyone if he just kept to himself. Less people to care about. Less people to leave behind. Less people to leave you.

But as the wind blew his hair askew and he opened the door to Sapid Sanctuary, he sensed that something was different. Because instead of each book being neatly a lined as he walked towards the sci-fi section, numerous were thrown carelessly onto the surrounding plush, velvet, sofa chairs. And as he walked further into the section he noticed the shift of the smell. It wasn't the usual dust, old parchment and moth balls, but a distinctive lavender scent, which he found most endearing.

It would seem that his vacant area was no longer vacant.

So, even though his sociopath and hermit ways screamed otherwise, he walked forward, further into the lavender scented section of sci-fi.

To see a girl. He saw a girl.

Now, Joseph came to the bookstore every day that he could get out of bed. Even if it was just to browse or to read a book from a shelf or one he had brought from home or to even do some homework, (on the rare occasions he thought that there was a point to life and academics, and felt the need to try), and never once had he saw anyone younger than 50, who wasn't losing their hair at a rapid rate, and who didn't sport a beer belly in this section of Sapid Sanctuary, let alone a girl. And an attractive one at that.

She was sitting cross-legged in front of the very books that Joseph had come to the store to look at. She held a copy of 'The Feminine Mystique' by Betty Friedan and seemed completely immersed in it. (That book obviously was part of the inspirational books). She was just sitting there in the middle of the aisle, reading. She looked so at peace. As though she hadn't a care in the world, which was actually quite a contradictory statement considering she was reading a feminist book and had her free hand clenched. And her long copper hair, (which was arguably bushy) seemed to only magnify the fire in her eyes but then with her mismatched clothes this only added to the presumption that she didn't care.

But she was quite a sight. But not in that hot seductive way, more intriguing and artful and dare he say quite severe looking, with her sharp features. She was most definitely a sight for sore eyes, Joseph concluded.

So instead of standing there and staring at her, or leaving the shop (which seemed the best thing to do in that moment, as Joseph had never been good around those of the opposite sex) he walked over next to her and looked at the books.

She looked up from her book, but didn't say anything. So when Joseph reached over her head and lifted the book off of the shelf, the one he had come in to look for, he had no idea that it would sprout their beginning and his end.

This book, 'Shadow of the Giant' was the eighth and last of the Ender and Shadow saga. Joseph had been looking forward to reading it for some time now. It was war science fiction and brilliant in his opinion. But he didn't agree with the views the author harboured.

"'Shadow of the Giant,' I've never met anyone who's read the sagas." She said, or should he say, just about whispered in this beautifully raspy voice, that would make reggae singers jealous and that had him mesmerised.

So he replied, rather awkwardly might he add, "Yeah, I've read the previous seven but I prefer the Shadow saga than the Ender, I don't know, I feel like...'

This is where she interrupted him, and cut in, "..he's brainwashing you to convert to Mormonism?" again in that voice only a bit louder.

"Exactly. His books are brilliant sci-fi, but I don't like having anything forced onto me. And I don't agree with his views.'' He wasn't sure if she caught the underlying message in his words, but if she did, she didn't show it, she just said,

"I'm glad you agree and yeah I prefer the Shadow ones too."

And that was their first conversation. Joseph then read the blurbs of a few other books, once even having to step over the girls legs (he noticed that she had on a pair of the wackiest, spider web creepers) and then paid for his copy of 'Shadow of the Giant' all whilst she remained sitting there in that same position reading that same book, with that same intensity.

Joseph was intrigued by her.

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A/N-

And this is dedicated to rivieras for being just too perf.