Fluffy Phan Oneshots

Cute lil Bookshop

Dan

It was a rainy afternoon sometime mid-September when I first saw him. Okay, if we're being honest, it was 3:52 pm on Monday, September 18th. I wouldn't dare forget that moment. It was the first time I locked eyes with the raven-haired man.

I ducked into the small bookstore trying to avoid the rain, desperately trying to flatten the curls already beginning to form. It was only sprinkling, but you could tell it was about to get worse. Of course, the one day I actually had somewhere to be, I forgot a jacket to deflect the rain.

The bookstore was one of those small, up-and-coming stores. It smelt like used books and roasted marshmallows, a scent that instantly brought a smile to my face. I stood in the doorway, looking out through the windows trying to catch a glimpse of the weather. It seemed to be pouring heavily at the moment, so I decided to walk around the store, texting my manager that I was going to be a few minutes late to the shoot.

After looking around a few shelves, I heart a warm voice asking if I needed anything. I dismissed him with a shake of my head and replying "no, I'm just browsing. Thank you," but I didn't turn around to fully look at him.

The main word that popped into my mind upon entering the bookstore was "homey." It just had that sort of comforting feel, like once you walked through the door, it just felt as if someone was holding a warm blanket, ready to give you a hug. I roamed the shelves some more, admiring the old books and magazines. There were also lots of trinkets around the place. They looked like little things from cartoons or video games, but it was cute, and I found myself picking one of the colorful characters up, rolling it over in my hands. I set the little guy down and went into the next isle. I wondered why I had never come by this shop before, I had passed it every day on my way to work before, but maybe I was always too busy making sure I made it on time, since I was usually running late on a normal day. Then, on the first day I left early enough not to be late, the rain came, but I wasn't upset about it. I actually enjoyed the little store, and I found myself wishing that I didn't have to go to work today.

Looking out the window, I saw that the rain had lightened up enough that my hair wouldn't get too messed up. I felt the small frown before I realized what was happening. He must have seen the small scowl, as I heard his voice pipe up once again.

"Are you okay?"

Turning towards the sound, I saw the cashier at the register. He didn't look too much older than me, and he had the prettiest ocean colored eyes. His dark hair swept over his eyes, just like mine, but in the opposite direction. He seemed nervous, as if he felt bad for asking. I found myself drawn to him. Walking over, I gave a small shrug. "I just don't want to leave yet. I like this place. It feels like home."

"Then don't. Unless you have somewhere you really have to be," he said with a slight question in his voice. For the first time in a long time, I found myself wanted to skip work. I didn't want to be in a cold, small, brightly lit white studio while designers threw their newest item my way. I didn't want to have to deal with the bright flashes and the photographer telling me how to pose. I just wanted to stay here, in this warm and homey book store with the nice man across the counter from me.

Biting my lip slightly and scrunching my eyebrows, I found myself contemplating what I wanted to do. It must have been a while, since he spoke up, quickly retracing on his sentence. "I'm sorry, you look like you have somewhere important to go." He flushed slightly, but I turned towards the windows, looking one last time out the window before finally making my decision.

"Nah, I don't have anywhere to be. It's raining pretty hard, isn't it?" I looked back at the man, who now seemed more relaxed, and offered a small smile. His eyes lit up, and from a closer distance, you could see specks of green and yellow mixing in with the light blue.

"Yeah, it's supposed to rain harder for another hour or so, and then it will lighten up a bit. Oh, my name's Phil by the way," he said, offering his hand.

"I'm Dan," I replied, grasping his warm hand in mine.

Over the next two hours, we found an extra chair in the back and brought it out to the front so Phil and I could sit and talk between customers. Thanks to the rain, it was a fairly slow day, so we got a lot of talking in. I felt like I had known him for years; there was just something so special about him. I was glad I put my phone on silence: I didn't worry about missing my shoot completely, and I was able to give Phil my undivided attention. We discussed everything- from reasons why he was a weird kid, to me dropping out of Law School due to one to many existential crisis's to become a model, even though I still wasn't the actor I wanted to be. I wanted to sit and talk to him forever, but the night did have to come to an end eventually. We traded phone numbers and promised to hang out again, and as it turns out, we lived a block apart. We walked home together in the chilly night, huddling together for warmth. By the time we made it to my place, I didn't want him to leave.

"Do you want to come in for some coffee?"

"I would love nothing more."