Shields- A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction

Chapter 25

One Month Later... (Don't kill me)

"Welcome to The Bookshelf." I say automatically from my spot behind the counter. The customer murmurs some sort of greeting that I don't really pay attention to.

"I am still pissed at you." Holly's voice pierces my eardrum, and I sigh, pinning the phone between my shoulder and ear.

"I know."

"Didn't I go to all of that trouble to get you that interview at the Mail? Why aren't you there instead of working at the first place you saw..." Her voice trails off, and I sigh again.

"I know."

"Say, 'I know' one more time, and I will kick your arse to next Tuesday." I can nearly hear her snarl. "Anyways. Have you thought about my proposition?"

"Which one?"

"You know... the date?"

"Ugh, no." I roll my eyes, opening a box of newly shipped books. "I have no interest in dating." I begin pulling the books out of the box, noting which ones were being held for certain patrons and setting them aside.

"You can't keep this up forever." Holly snaps at me, and I find myself scowling at an old copy of Melville's Moby Dick. This'll sell for a bit.

"Keep what forever?" I reply shortly, checking to make sure that I didn't have someone waiting on me. "If you remember, I am a stubbornly persistent person."

"Believe me, I remember. I remember your two years of nunship."

"Nunship? Is that the best you can come up with?" I sigh quietly. "I have customers to help. I'll talk to you later."

"Fine. This conversation is not finished, though." With a roll of my eyes, I turn my attention to the man who has stopped in front of me, taking a sip of my water bottle.

I nearly choke.

"Sebastian?! What are you doing here?" I ask the actor between bouts of coughing. He stands there, wordlessly. Once I have finished coughing my lungs up, I straighten, testing my shields. Battered, but still holding. They've been in place since the instant Tom said that word.

"I came here for a book. I have a friend here in London, and I am buying them a birthday gift. I'll be gone by tomorrow." He sounds guarded. I clench my jaw, nodding once.

"What book are you looking for?" I ask, turning to scan the shelves. "We have old editions, those are more expensive, mind you, and new releases. Special editions with unique covers, and even autographed books." I look over my shoulder at him. "You'd be surprised what people sell us, and for what price."

Sebastian nods, sighing quietly. "Well, she likes romance. And classics. She's also a fan of that one series... the one with a sparkly vampire?"

"Twilight," I reply, grinning slightly.

"Yeah, that one."

"Well, the romance novels are over on that far wall, they are alphabetical by the author's last name. You'd be looking for Meyer. The classics are there," I point to a shelf behind the main counter, deeper in the store.

"Okay, thanks, Alice." Sebastian walks around the counter and disappears among the bookshelves.

Once he is gone, a rush of anger fills me, and I bite my tongue to keep from cursing his name to the moon and back. I begin labeling books and making a list of those ready for pickup.