"You weren't here yesterday," a voice said in front of me. I slowly lowered the book and shifted in my comfortable bean bag.
He was right, I wasn't at the library the day before. Apparently I wasn't feeling well when I woke up that morning, so I reluctantly made the decision to stay at home, worried my condition would get worse. But I wouldn't dare mention it to him.
My eyes were casted upward to meet with green orbs. "Do I need to apologize for my absence?"
"No," the brown-haired boy before me said with a small grin, "just a simple explanation will do."
He held up his hands while he also added, "Not trying to be creepy; I'm just awfully curious. What could've possibly prevented you from visiting the wonderful place of books?"
Holding my gaze with his, I shortly replied, "Just... some stuff."
He nodded his head in response, seeming to accept my extremely specific three-word account. I heard the bean bag beside me give out a soft 'squish' from the weight brought upon it. I was occupied reading a page that had a list of the possible causes of a crashing computer, but the boy beside me made it rather challenging to do so provided that he was humming a tune I once heard on the radio.
Turning towards him, I politely asked, "Do you have any books to read in mind?" I was attempting to get him find a book of his own, so that he would stop humming that catchy tune and wallow in silence such as I.
He stopped humming, and I watched as his gaze landed on the ceiling, probably contemplating any interesting book he wanted to view.
"No," he finally said, shaking his head. "Can you suggest any? I'm sure you've read some good books."
I was a bit startled for the question that he suddenly directed back to me. Then it was my turn to mull over the thought. One book popped into my thoughts.
"Actually," I stated, "I have." The boy slightly leaned forward to hear what I was about to tell him. His eyes sparked with interest. "The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry."
He blinked. "That sounds interesting."
Putting down the book, I said, "That's because it is! I simply loved the book and the illustrations, and it holds a lot of deep thought. I'm telling you this right now – you won't regret reading it."
He nodded slowly. Suddenly he stood up. "Well, time to find that book you suggested." I watched with curiosity as he walked to the nearest computer to type in the title of the book.
He really was serious.
His hands were flying across the keyboard of the monitor, typing swiftly. Then he pressed the button of 'enter' when he leaned forward, probably reading where the book was located in the library. If there possibly was a book like it in here.
His body turned to face me, and a wide grin magically plastered on his features. Maybe he did find where the book was in the library.
My assumption was confirmed when he strode off and disappeared behind some bookshelves. I let out a soft sigh, and resumed reading. It was for another few minutes until I felt the same presence return to the beanbag near me.
"It's a thin book." I heard him say softly. I nodded in response, not looking up from the page.
"And it will be worth your while," I voiced.
His silence a few moments after told me he had already started leafing through the pages.
YOU ARE READING
It All Started with a Book
Short StoryEven if she doesn't want to admit it, she's only staying for the summer. Although he can't bring himself to say it, he wants her to stay forever. They don't know how everything will end. And yet everything started out with that simple book. Cover cr...
