Open Book (completed)

III

"On the coldest nights I'll look for your glow among the burning embers of your firey soul. I'll sift through the ashes in search of the spark that ignited my mind and lit up my heart." (poem by Christy Ann Martine)

Scott grinned when Mitch was done perfectly reciting the poem. "That was amazing," he said. "Did you write that?"

Mitch shook his head. "It's by Christy Ann Martine, but I like it." His eyes met Scott's. "It's fitting."

"Yeah," Scott said mindlessly as his cheeks grew rosey. Mitch's eyes were beautiful, framed with long black eyelashes.

Mitch giggled. "What sparked your interest in literature?" He said, leaning close to Scott. "I'm intrigued."

Even an outsider could tell how well-spoken Mitch was, and it was working wonders on Scott's heart.

"My, um, sister," he said. "Lauren. We used to read together when I was young, and as we got older, she'd suggest books for me to read."

Mitch nodded. "It sounds like you're close with her."

"Oh yeah!" Scott chirped. His hands were restless against his leg and he didn't try to stop it. As always, Scott had too much energy to sit still, but he wasn't going to let that mess up his conversation with this handsome stranger who saved him from that creepy guy. "We're so close! Every Wednesday we go for brunch together and sometimes she brings my nephew. He's amazing. I like when she brings him and I like getting to see her."

With a sigh, Mitch's eyes dropped further down Scott's face, resting on the freckle beside his nose. "I wish my sister lived closer," he replied. "But it's nice to hear that you're close with your family."

Scott started to ask if Mitch was close to his family, but was interrupted once again by people clapping across the room. "They're not even that good," Scott muttered to himself, annoyed that the poetry slam was still happening. He wanted to just enjoy his time with Mitch.

"Well, I'm up next," Mitch grinned suddenly when the noise died down, standing up gracefully. "Come and watch me? If you stand near the front nobody will bother you."

And how could Scott say no to him?

---

I love the contrast between Scott and Mitch in this book. Mitch is so confident and sure of himself while Scott is a ball of energy but he gets so flustered.

I didn't write the poem at the start of this chapter or throughout the rest of this book, but I will be giving credit to all the amazing people who actually wrote the poems. Just wanted to make this clear so nobody accuses me of plagiarism.

Anyway, what do you think will happen next? Should I double update this today?

🏳️‍🌈💞