It was December. The morning was blissful and wintery. The sunshine was cutting through the light misty fog. Amelia Clark got up in her bed and looked at the lawn outside her window. “No snow! Yes!”, she exclaimed and jumped out of her bed to freshen up. Amelia a.k.a. Amy was a very jovial, enthusiastic and playful spirited girl. She was living in Kent, UK away from her home to complete her degree. She lived alone but she was a very free spirit. Easy to impress and impressed from, she had many friends and colleagues. Amy was and athlete but even being so she was a huge foodie. 5’2” with short black hair, brown eyes and wide smile, Amy loved to cook and eat different dishes. But her main interest was reading. Amy was a bibliophile, and that too a crazy one. She had habit of going to libraries on Sundays and spend most of her day there reading books. She sometimes also took her lunch to library.
It was after two missed Sundays that Amy was going to go to library that day. She checked her wrist watch to notice it was 9.30 am. “Huh...Okay. Still got time to have a nice breakfast.” Amy had her usual tea and a light bread butter and bacon breakfast and started for the library by sharp 10. Amy was a regular visitor from last one and half years and librarian Mrs. Jones loved having Amy around as she could always suggest her new books of her choice. “Hello, good morning Mrs. Jones”, said Amy as she entered the library.
“Good morning dear! It’s so good to see you after so long. How are you?”, said Mrs Jones with a big smile.
“Oh Mrs Jones! Thank god that you had me have those books as spare ones last time or else I don’t know how I would have survived with books. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome dear. So, what you want to read today?”
“Umm...I am thinking to go with a love story. It’s been long since I read a love story.”
“Oh good. There are some new arrivals in that section. You might want to check them out.”
“Okay. Thank you, Mrs jones. I’ll be on my regular spot.”
Amy went up to her regular reading spot which wasn’t anything more than a couch and a table and took her coat off. Then she went to the Romance section and started looking for the novels she wanted. Just as she was about to pull a book, the book slid to another side of rack and from the space between her eyes met another pair of eyes. Amy felt a chill go done her spine. In those eyes blue and deep as sea, she could see the same appetite for books and feel the same need to wander off in fantastic stories just like hers. Amy had this weird, different feeling, something that she hadn’t felt before and was lost in thoughts for a second. “Sorry, do you want this book?” she heard a voice.
“Oh no. its fine. I will grab something el- “, just as she was about to finish the sentence, she saw the person to whom those eyes belonged. He was a boy. Just an inch or two taller than her, dark brown haired with wheatish complexion. “Hey, I am Andy. I mean Andrew Traynor.”, Andy shook hands with her.” Amy, Amelia Clark.” Amy replied shaking his hand.
“It’s surprising to see boys in here, in the romance section. Are you new here? I’ve never seen you before.”, enquired Amy. “Oh yeah! I’ve just shifted in this neighbourhood. I am pretty much a bibliophile. I love to read. All genres. None specific.”, Andy replied. “Oh, me too.” “You want to have this one? I am okay with anything else.”
“No, I am fine. I can take something else.”
“Can I ask for a favour?”
“Yeah sure, go on.”
“I am still new here. Not much of friends. None book lovers to be specific. Would you mind reading this together?”, asked Andy with a blush. Amy felt butterflies in her stomach. She was used to people but no one had ever asked her to share a book with her. She felt some sort of strange connection with this Andy guy already. “Yeah sure. Why not. Let’s go to my spot.”, Amy replied smiling. They went to her spot and started the novel. After an hour or so Amy started feeling strangely comfortable with this new connection she had with Andy. They finished reading nearly half of the book by the time for lunch. “So, what you want to do for lunch?”, asked Amy. “Still a new comer here. What do you suggest?”. Amy suddenly felt the want of going back to the apartment. She asked Andy, “We can grab some burger and fries from the place around the corner and then if you won’t mind, we can head back to my place?”. “Are you asking me to accompany you to your apartment?”, Andy teased. “Just for finishing the novel because it’s a bit uncomfortable for two people to sit here. Also, I would like you to see my bibliophilic collection.”, Amy said visibly blushing. “Okay sounds great!”.
They grabbed their lunch and went back to Amy’s apartment. They had lunch and Amy showed Andy her book collection. “Oh, that’s impressive.”, remarked Andy. They settled down in drawing room to finish their novel. “And stepping out from behind the table, I straightened my bag on shoulder and set off down the street towards the parfumier and the whole of Paris beyond.”, Amy finished the novel. She closed the book and saw Andy’s eyes were wet too. “Oh Andy, its so good to have a person who feels just the same way about books just as you do.”, Amy remarked patting his hand. “Yes, I do feel the same way just as you do.”, Andy smiled. Amy blushed. The insides of her stomach went butterflies again. She thought about the strange feeling she felt for Andy. Amy had dated a boy once back in high school but this wasn’t dating. From the moment her eyes met his Amy felt the world turn around her.
“Amy...Amy...Amy!”, Andy shook her back from her thoughts.
“Yeah, yes. What do we do now?”, Amy asked coming back to reality.
“I guess we could go for a walk. Then pick up some groceries and head back to my apartment. I can cook for dinner. I am a good cook.”, Andy replied.
“Oooh. So, you are asking me to accompany you to your apartment?”, Amy repeated Andy’s words.
“Just to show you where I live and that I am a good cook.”, Andy laughed.
They walked back from Amy’s house, through the park to the supermart. Andy picked up some vegetables, spaghetti and hot dogs. Amy was surprised to see Andy pick those things as Spaghetti with hot dogs was one of ger favourite dishes. Amy asked him, “Are you random picking or do you have something in your mind.” “Oh yes. Spaghetti with hot dog is one of my favourites and specials too!”, Andy replied. Amy smiled with a thought in her mind. They went to Andy’s apartment. It was a small place with a bedroom, Small kitchen counter connected to dining room. But Andy had kept it very neatly. Only thing Unlike hers Amy realised that Andy was a tidy and neat freak person whereas she could never keep stuff so neatly. “Such a lazy ass Ames.”, She murmured to herself.
While Andy made dinner, Amy helped him and the discussed about the book they read. “It was so funny how the female character had your surname and the male had mine.”, Andy put forth. “Yeah sure, but the Will died. So, I guess you should too!”, Amy gestured to kill Andy with a knife. They had lunch discussing other books, and their backgrounds, their interests, everything. Amy understood that Andy wasn’t either from Kent, had come here for degree and got a job here itself. Andy Asked Amy if she wanted some champagne after dinner and that moment Amy realised that their hangout was turning into a date. “Uh...umm...no its okay”, Amy fumbled. Andy saw the expressions change on her face and asked, “Is everything okay? You seem to have fathomed something I guess.” “Oh no... It’s just that its late and I need to get back before it starts to get chilly.”, Amy tried to hide her expressions. “Okay. I’ll walk you to the corner.”, Andy replied. They got their coats and went out the door. Amy was fascinated how Any was turning out to be. Booklover, Passionate cook, sweet and sensitive even though not so smart. “Andy is such a gentleman.”, Amy thought to herself. Just as they reached the corner, they exchanged their phone numbers and Amy saying good night, left for her home. Amy reached home, changed into her night suit and got into her bed. She couldn’t stop thinking about Andy. He was the first ever person with whom Amy felt so close and realistic both at same time and in such short period. There was something that made her think about him constantly. But what. Next morning Amy awoke with the same thought in her head. She checked her phone to see there were two messages from Andy.
“Good morning.’
“Thank you for yesterday. It was a real pleasure. I felt really good to have someone like you.”
Amy saw herself in the mirror. She was visibly blushing again. Then her eyes went to the book lying to the corner of her bedside table. ‘And He met his soulmate’ she read the title and a wide grin appeared on her face. Amy knew what it was. She had met her soulmate. She was in love with Andy. She remembered Mrs. Jones saying, “Honey, first sight love happens to quiet a lot of people, but first meet soulmate is a very rare case. Doesn’t happen to everyone and neither does everyone realize it. But if you ever do never let go off the chance.” Amy smiled again. She knew she had her chance. She texted Andy to meet in the library in and hour and got out of the bed. Amy got dressed in finest of the clothes but then realising that this wasn’t at all her type she went back to wearing a simple black jeans, a blue sweatshirt and let her short black hair be messy than combed. She went to the library earlier than the time she called Andy and Narrated the whole incident to Mrs. Jones.
“Oh. Dear! bless you my child. If you feel you’ve found your soulmate you grab him with both hands and never let go!”, Mrs Jones exclaimed. Amy whispered something in Mrs. Jones’s ears and went to the rack from where they had taken that book out. She waited for Andy. As Andy appeared on the other side of rack their eyes met once again, but not with a strange feeling this time. Amy placed the book back in shelf and went to Andy. To her surprise Andy was holding the exact same book on her bedside table and was displaying the title to her.
“And he met his soulmate”, Amy read with a big wide smile.
“Amy I was about to, but I couldn’t say it last night. I couldn’t say it either now, but thanks to that librarian that she gave me this book. This is exactly what I feel about you Amy. I have never felt something so strange yet so familiar kind of feeling in my life, and now I am going to acknowledge it.”, Andy said. He looked at Amy who was all red and visibly blushing.
Andy continued, “Amelia Clark, I never believed in fist sight love but I kind of have found my first meet soulmate. We don’t know each other yet; I feel like I have known you from ages. I love you Amelia Clark and I have found my soulmate in you…...And I am never letting you go.
Amy was all wet with tears but still managed to reply, “I love you too Andrew Traynor and I am never letting you go of either. I would love to continue my further journey with you. So..will you move in with me?”, She smiled.
Andy hugged her tight and replied “yes” in a whisper. They pulled back from the hug and kissed each other. Amy looked up at Andy and their eyes met once again.
