* — 𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌 ,

𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖘 · 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 · 𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 · 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙

FOR: open to all! LOCATION: a random starbucks

“What’re you ordering?” Adrian turned to the person behind him in line and smiled, lifting up his debt card with a little wave. “It’s on me.” He was having a particularly good morning and thought he would pay it forward for once, maybe rack up some good karma for a good deed and make someone’s day just a tiny bit better. “I know the pumpkin spice lattes just came back if you’re in the mood for that? If anyone calls you basic, I’ll just fight ‘em for you,” he promised with a chuckle. “Especially because that’s what I’m getting, and I’ll be offended if anyone calls me basic”

she’d been chewing the inside of her cheek  for the last three minutes,  staring up at the signboard behind the cafe counter,  half-reading,  but mostly just zoned out.  when the guy in front of her turned around she nearly bit down hard enough to draw blood,  but stopped herself at the last second.

“ wow, uhm, ”  she paused. “ matcha latte with oat milk. ”  pause.  “ please. ” pause. “ also you know you don’t have to do this… but thank you? very very much. ” she laughed a bit at his comment,  then shrugged a shoulder.

it hadn’t been long since alex knew arin, but she was quickly becoming one of his favorite people around the city: definitely the greatest thing to come out of his decision to get back into skateboarding. whenever they got together to practice, he could just forget about his worries for a bit, so here he was again tonight: 15 minutes before her shift ended. because alex could be many things, but he wasn’t a late person. making his way inside the bookstore and approaching her, her reaction caused a giggle to escape his lips.

“oh, c’mon now! i know my knee is bruised, but i’m okay now. you won’t suffer the same fate, i promise”, he playfully reassured her. “don’t tell me you forgot about our lesson tonight? now you got me looking and feeling like a creep who showed up unannounced”, he joked, letting out a chuckle. “maybe i could help you though? so your shift isn’t unnecessarily longer than it should. or i could just stay here in the corner being pretty instead while you do your thing, your call”, he teased, though he was already reaching for the books scattered all around. 

a smile appeared  as soon as she’d registered that it was alex. “ i’ve been out of it all day,  i swear, ”  she said.   “ i get too in my own head on quiet days. ”  taking the books alex had picked up and slotting them back onto the shelf in alphabetical order,  she nodded.  “ if you don’t mind me putting you to work for a few minutes,  then i can get the rest of this shut down quicker. ”

if you’d told the arin of five months ago that she’d one day be shelving john irving and michael chabon alongside alex park she’d have laughed you off,  or possibly ( and more embarassing ) have replied, wait, why does that name sound so familiar?. now whatever feeling of the tangential six-degrees-of-kevin-bacon she had to fame had washed away ; alex was just a great guy,  and she was glad to have him helping her out,  tonight especially.

to say that the evening had been quiet  would be putting it mildly.  usually there was some flow of street traffic,  the odd person popping in to browse or ask if they had this book or that book,  but tonight,  nothing for hours.  she’d set about reorganizing the fiction section,  the one most often left in disarray,  and had an earbud in,  music cranked too-loud.  which would explain how she didn’t hear the cheerful jingle of the bell above the door or the person approaching until she’d accidentally knocked into them,  scattering the novels in her arms all over.