Love and Books

CHAPTER 02 :

🥀 Mary 🥀
Mary had nothing to do now since their little daily meeting was canceled. She walked down the street until she found herself instinctively going to her favorite library, it was her haven after all.

She entered and paused in the doorway as she took in her favorite view, the library was two stores, stacks and stacks of books arranged on the nice black polished bookshelves, the walls painted in crimson, art works and painting with golden frames hanged, the spiral staircase on both her right and left which led to another floor of bookshelves and corridors with tables for reading.

She looked to her right to find the white haired old woman that was sitting in the circulation desk, as if sensing her stare she looked from the large dictionary she was reading and smiled warmly at her.

Mary knew Louise for years now since she visited the library so often, the lady is nearly seventy years old now, she and her husband Marcus had been taking care of the shop for more than twenty years. Their kids were married with grandchildren, so they were alone with only the company of each other, books and old customers who come to gossip sometimes.

-"Good afternoon beauty, how are you doing ?" Asked Louise even though she had only seen her before yesterday, she actually always asks about her even if she saw her that morning.

"Good afternoon, Mrs.Chapman , I'm doing fine thank you, how about you ?" Replied Mary approaching the desk where Louise sat, the desk was well-organized as always.

The large reference book sat aside with a pen inside it, a paper next to the dictionary she was reading, written on it were long weird words like flabbergasted and obsequious, Louise loves learning old-fashioned and peculiar words, there was also a pot with a cup that perhaps smelled like ginger.

-"Honey, I'm great, care for tea ?"
-"Thank you but I just bought hot chocolate."

-"Never mind, you already finished the book ?" she said pouring a glass of tea.

-"A few more chapters and I'm done, so I thought I'd come and browse a little bit since I have nothing else to do."

She shrugged looking at the upper level, Mary glimpsed a white shirt and broad shoulders, probably a boy, even so she frowned, usually the library is literally empty at this hour of day.

Louise noticed her frown and flicked her eyes to that direction. "I found it weird too, for a boy to come at this hour, he didn't say anything he just walked in here and asked for a book, he's been there for almost an hour." she said smiling one more time before she took her dictionary.

Mary left with a thank you and climbed the stairs, she went to her usual young adult and science-fiction section when she caught the white shirt again, powerful back muscles pierced through it, she couldn't really see who it is or really cared since he was giving her his back but she noticed the long messy black hair and strong jawline, this was the Classics section, the stranger was holding an open book in a hand while the other drummed on the bookshelf.

She turned away and started to browse.
Mary spent three hours there, she finished her book and started the next one. She returned to Louise at five o'clock with the rest of the book series she was reading.

There was some old and middle-aged people who usually come to the library after work, she recognized most of them but the stranger was nowhere to be seen.
                  
                       🥀
Vote so we can have tea together.