Aubade

Part 2: The Return

At first, the entire incident had puzzled Clarissa deeply. She'd spent her weekend working on the project for school, absentmindedly. She wondered who this boy was and what he needed the book for. She even found herself having bizarre dreams in which he was the main character. Dreams about ruined mansions and wide open fields he never seemed to want to go into.

Eventually, the thoughts of him became less frequent and she continued on with her life. She went to school, worried about her grades, and of course, worked at the bookstore. She never mentioned the incident to Mr. Brown. There was nothing worth mentioning.

On this particular Thursday morning, Clarissa had started her first day of thanksgiving break. The mornings were always slow so she'd spent a few hours stocking the shelves and moving books around. The noise of the bell surprised her but she didn't look up from her work.

The books in the store were quite beautiful. Many were covered in dust though so Clarissa worked to restore them to their former glory. She shuffled to the next shelf and paused when she realized there was someone staring at her.

She turned her head toward the door and saw the boy. The boy who'd wanted the book with no title. She nearly dropped her feather duster. He was indeed staring at her. A little too intently for her liking.

Clarissa noticed he was much cleaner this time. He had on a pair of dark jeans and a button up shirt. His hair was combed back and the circles under his eyes were less noticeable.

The seconds went by effortlessly as she stared at him. What was she supposed to say? Thank you for scaring me last time? Are you here for another book?

And she was surprised and taken aback to see his face break into a smile.

"I'm glad to see you here." He said.

She watched as he shoved his hands into his pockets. And rocked back and forth on his heels. Was he nervous?

"Well, I work here. At least you picked a more appropriate time to come around," she said.

"That was a dark time for me. I hope I didn't scare you too much." He said, a crease forming in his forehead.

Clarissa shook her head, unsure whether to pry into his business or to let him browse the books.

"That book helped me tremendously, you know. You helped me tremendously. You could have just ran or called the police," he said slowly.

"What was the book for?" Clarissa blurted.

Too late now. She'd made up her mind to be nosy. She didn't expect a specific answer.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said with a small smile.

Something seemed sad about it though. Something seemed sad about him.

"Alright," Clarissa said, moving past him to get to the register.

"Would you like to get lunch together sometime?" He asked.

She spun around and cocked her head to the side. He looked completely serious and the small smile was now gone.

"How about today? I could close early," she said slowly. Somehow that felt right.

She was sure Mr. Brown wouldn't mind. He was always telling her to expand her horizons and relax.

"Now?" He asked.

She nodded her head and quickly grabbed the keys to the bookstore. She had a feeling he had a promising tale to share.

He exited the bookstore and she followed closely behind, locking the door before they left.

As they headed down the street, she watched as he kept his hands in his pockets and stared at his shoes. Maybe he was already regretting asking her out.

"We could have lunch at Maria's?" She offered.

"I love that place," he said with another of his small smiles.

"Maria's it is," she said, feeling a mixture of unease and excitement.

Was it coincidence that they'd met twice already? Or was he seeking her out for ulterior motives again? Clarissa realized she was going to find out soon enough.