Aubade

Part 3: The Invitation

Clarissa had been staring at the boy for the past half hour. He was a peculiar eater. He shoved his food around his plate, sighed, put the fork down, and repeated the ritual several times. Clarissa wondered if he didn't like the food. She herself was enjoying the sandwich she had bought.

She cleared her throat. She was ready to get down to business. The conversation had mainly consisted of small talk. Curiously, most of the questions were directed at her.

"Wait, what is your name?" She suddenly asked, her brow furrowed. Why had this slipped her mind?

He paused for a few minutes. This wasn't a difficult question, Clarissa thought.

"William. Or will to my friends." He finally admitted, a little sheepish.

For some reason, this amused Clarissa. She thought his name would be fancy or unique. Instead, it was an ordinary name for a strange man.

"So, you nearly robbed me a few weeks back. Did you find what you needed?" She asked, earnestly.

"Yes..I'm forever grateful," he said, rather seriously.

"I, it's nothing," Clarissa said, suddenly embarrassed.

"I've been struggling with something for many years now and that book is a key part of the solution," William continued.

Clarissa leaned back in her seat, examining his facial expressions. She felt like the truth was buried deep inside that head of his and he wouldn't let go of it so easily.

"Well, doesn't everyone struggle with something?" She finally conceded

"That's...very true," he agreed.

Clarissa felt sheepish again. Here she was probing into the life of a stranger. She had the bad habit of analyzing people, sometimes pushing too far.

"Well, it's been a pleasant lunch but I should probably get back to the bookstore," she said, beginning to wrap the rest of her sandwich in napkins. College had made her frugal indeed.

"I really enjoyed talking to you. Can I see you again sometime?" William quickly asked.

Clarissa paused, unsure of what the situation was or will become. She'd always been very cautious in her life. This matter was no different, but he sure was intriguing.

"I work most days of the week. Your best bet would probably be Saturday. It's the one day I don't work or focus on homework," she said.

William nodded, that smile of his spreading from one corner of his face to another. He did have a lovely smile, Clarissa contended. And a shady past, she chastised herself.

"Isn't there a local club in town? What's it called? The iron eagle? The hawk?" He stumbled around the words.

"The golden robin?" Clarissa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that. I could bring some friends so you don't think I'm a loner who plans on killing you. And you could do the same?" William said. It seemed like he chose his words carefully.

Clarissa groaned inwardly. She was the loner herself but she supposed she could drag her more social friends....

"11 o clock?" She said, standing with sandwich in hand. She dug in her pocket for her half of the bill and left it on the table.

William nodded, looking distracted. Clarissa said her goodbyes and walked out of the restaurant.

On the way to the bookstore she realized two things. He hadn't eaten anything and she'd forgotten to ask for his number.

As she unlocked the door to the bookstore, she also realized another thing. William kept a piece of paper tucked inside the pocket of his button up. An old, yellowing paper. Was that the book he'd bought last time? Clarissa shook her head, what a waste of a rare book.

She closed the door behind her as she stepped inside. Until Saturday.