Long Story Short (Short Stories & Thoughts)

Leatherbound (Louis)

Title: Leatherbound 

Pairings: Louis/OC

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1,173

Summary: Louis had always loved his little hole-in-the-wall bookstore. It was alwyas great for a good story and a few laughs, he just never figured he could get yet another thing out of it.

         In all truth, Louis loved reading. He loved being able to sit down in a comfy chair and crack open a good book, losing himself in the ink marked pages. It was one of his favorite activities, but he'd quickly grown tired of the books in his home and gone out searching for something new and interesting.

        Louis liked to come in bookstores or libraries and spend time reading. He also liked to challenge himself by reading upside down, plus, the look on people’s faces as they saw him with an upside down book were priceless.

           That was another thing he loved, being able to have a good laugh in any situation. All his friends knew him from that, and even those that weren't, but just knew him from afar. He had always been seen as the joker, the person who made a million jokes a day, both good and bad.  

        He never really got anything more out of going to the shop, than a good laugh, and an occasional book to take home. But that never stopped him from going, he loved the quiet sometimes, the ability to freely think and read surround by his second great love to music.

         Today, Louis picked his favorite store, a little shop called Leatherbound. He picked out The Great Gatsby from a shelf and shuffled to a small armchair, settling down and flipping open to the first page. 

        No matter how many times he read that book, he never tired of it. Scott Fitzgerald was a mastermind in his opinion, and he loved reading works from the American Jazz Age. 

          After about thirty pages, Louis decided it was time for a good laugh, and decided to flip the book upside down and read as he often did. 

           Not everyone noticed he was reading upside down, interestingly enough. He found through his little games that not very many people were that aware of their surroundings at all, for they’d pass by without even a glance. Louis was sure if he were to jump up when they passed, he’d be able to scare quite a few, but he didn’t want to get himself kicked out. 

         But every so often, someone who did notice would walk by, and Louis would get a good chuckle out of the confused or apprehensive look that would form on his or her face.

          About twenty pages later, a young worker at the shop came by with a cart of books, placing each one in alphabetical order, by author, on the shelves.

         The worker was probably just at the end of her teenage years, the final glorious, age of nineteen. She looked like a stereotypical book nerd, thick framed glasses balanced on her nose, and her dark hair pulled up into a high ponytail. 

               Louis couldn’t help but smirk and peer over the top- or bottom, depending how you looked at it- of his book, examining the girl across the aisle from him in the next alcove. 

             He wondered if she noticed that he was reading upside down, since so few did. She looked like someone that could easily notice little things like that, but she also looked like someone who could get so sucked into what she was doing that she wouldn’t notice a gunshot. 

             Suddenly, the girl turned and her eyes met Louis’.

            Taken off guard, Louis instantly raised his book higher to look like he was reading again. He wasn’t used to being caught, he was usually sneaky enough that people would think he was just as oblivious as everyone else. 

               “That’s not how you read a book you know.” 

             Her voice was light and bouncy, but still held a type of firm assertiveness that Louis liked. He could also hear the tint of humor in it, and he couldn’t help but smile.

           “Oh I know,” he said, without lowering his book. “But I like a challenge every once in a while, don’t you?”

            There was a pause that created a still silence, which was usual for the bookstore, before she spoke again. “I suppose so, but can you really enjoy your book the same way upside down?”

              “I don’t see why not.”

            There was another pause before Louis lowered his book to find that the girl was now standing right in front of him, hands playing with the bottom of her shirt.

           “The Great Gatsby is one of my favorites,” she said in a softer voice, giving him a small smile. “I’ve always thought the Jazz Age was brilliant.” 

            Louis was taken aback at this. He hadn’t met a lot of other people in the UK who were properly aware of the Jazz Age, or even cared enough to know. But here was this petit bookstore worker in front of him, stating her thoughts on the matter, just as he thought.

            “Er- sorry if I disturbed you,” Louis was jolted out of his thoughts when the girl blushed and spoke again, turning to go back to her cart of books and resuming alphabetizing.

             “No, wait,” Louis said quickly, rising from his armchair to stand with the girl in the middle of the aisle.

           He felt suddenly awkward and nervous, and Louis never felt awkward or nervous. He wasn’t sure why this specifically was, but he knew this girl had something to do with it.

          He wanted to get to know her, already, he adored her bashful smile and the way she would slightly press on the bridge of her glasses, assuring that they remained on her nose. The way her voice seemed to skip around tones like a gentle melody made him smile, and the way she played with her clothes because she didn’t know what to do with her hands made him want to just hold them in his own. 

          Plus, she liked The Great Gatsby and the Jazz Age, how could he not like her?

           “Would you like to coffee with me sometime?”

          Louis’ face fell as he realized his tongue had slipped up and left out a couple words. He never got tongue tied unless it was on purpose for some sort of joke or character he was playing. What was happening to him?

               The girl blushed and looked down at the ground before back up at him, letting a small giggle escape her mouth. “You mean, would I like to go to coffee with you sometime? I still have a half hour or so to work, but I’d love to afterwards,” she said in that soft voice that made Louis’ heart skip a beat. 

            Louis’ face broke out into a wide grin in relief. “Great,” he breathed. “By the way, I didn’t catch your name. I’m Louis.” 

              The girl smiled bashfully again, her cheeks turning a rosy color. “Call me Christine.” 

             Louis couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that. Christine. He liked that name. It was such a pretty name for such a pretty girl. 

            Turns out he could get more than just a good laugh from going to the bookstore after all.