Eun-Jeong "Elle" Sa

              HE read the book when she held it up and frowned a little. not because the book didn’t sound interesting, but just because the book made her sad so there had to be something going on there. honestly seeing her cry was sadder than feeling sad yourself. though he really wasn’t sure if that made sense or not.

his mouth formed an “o” when she explained a bit. he still wondered why it was so specifically relatable, but he told himself she probably didn’t want to talk about it since it sounded so personal. so instead he smiled and nodded at her question. “ yep! loved the ending just like you said! ”

Elle didn’t consider herself to be a private person, but unless people explicitly asked, she didn’t vocalize her problems or past.It just wasn’t in her nature.

“Glad you did!” she responded, genuine happiness causing her voice to sound more normal and her eyes to dry slightly. “Tell me honestly; did you drop it in shock? I did when I found out about her sister.”

her idea does, indeed, prove to be effective. he follows along silently, once more going over what exactly he’s in the mood for—- maybe some kind of sandwich… or an omelette… her voice pulls him out of his food trance, where he giggles and shakes his head, “oh, that’s alright. i’m poncho,” he introduces himself and gives her hand a gentle shake. “it’s very nice to meet you, elle.”

“Same to you, Poncho,” she smiled before her curiosity got the better of her as they sat down. “Is that a nickname? Or do you just have very creative parents?” She wondered, and part of her hoped, that he had a “difficult to pronounce” name so he went by something easier, like she did. But that was a long shot, and she knew it.

“Hey!” Lily smiled, she had been looking for ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, but it was okay that the other didn’t notice. “It’s fine, really, What are you reading?”

Elle smiled as she recognized the woman. Lily, the mayor’s daughter. She had come in a few times before. Elle lifted her book so Lily could read it. “This is like the fourth time this year I’ve reread ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ but I don’t care,” she giggled.

Dorothy wasn’t a big reader and as a result wasn’t a big library go-er either. Still, it probably should’ve occurred to her that bringing Toto was a bad idea. She walked into the shop, Toto running in front on his leash. When the owner greeted her Dorothy smiled and replied with a cheery “Hello.” before Toto spotted Elle’s white cat and begun a chorus of loud high-pitched barks. “Oh God.” Dorothy scooped up the little dog in her arms. “Toto! Quiet, please.” She scolded, her cheeks flushing red, she turned to Elle, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him in. I just wanted to look around.” 

          MUCH to a lot of people’s surprise ( at least as far as he always assumed ), jay loved reading. he grew up living for the next adventure and the next story and as soon as he learned all he had to do was rely on a bunch of pages, he was addicted to finishing one after another. for a long time he read only when no one else was around, but eventually he was just reading openly. sometimes he risks tea stains and reads at work. as a whole this sort of filled the hope that one day he’d be able to make something out of it at a university. but for the time being, he was just reading and saving money when he wasn’t buying books.

so he became something of a regular at the book store. more than enough of one for the cat and him to develop a mutually respectful dislike. when he entered the shop he was greeted with the usual hiss, but elle’s voice was sad. his eyebrows knit together in a mix of confusion and concern. “ what’s wrong elle? ” he eye-ed the book near her. “ readin’ something sad? ” though part of him had a feeling it was more than that.

She chuckled, wiping her eyes again with the back of her hand. She carefully placed a bookmark in between the pages and closed the book, not wanting to cause damage to it with her tears. She held it up so Jay could read the title “Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock” for himself.

“This is the first book that’s made me literally cry in a while,” she admitted before sniffling. “It’s so sad, but incredibly relatable. Well, at least to me.” She chuckled once more before asking “So, you finish my last recommendation already?”

it’s so loud in granny’s, and it’s a good thing; nobody will be able to hear the loudness of his poor, poor, hungry tummy. he’s here alone, but that doesn’t bother him; in fact, being alone is, admittedly, quite nice. his hands are folded behind his back, the smell of food insanely appetizing and he simply can’t wait! he’s going over the menu in his head when the blonde in front of him turns to face him, his brown eyes flicking over. he smiles, before speaking, “of course!” he hums. “that wouldn’t bother me at all. um, you can speak to me if—- if you would want to,” he spares her from another ‘of course’ and settles for a smile. “i wouldn’t mind.”

Elle smiled and nodded before raising her hand, trying to politely get the hostess’ attention. The waitress noticed and started leading them to the nearest open table. Elle then turned her head to face her new companion. “I completely forgot my manners, I’m sorry, I’m Elle,” she introduced, holding out her hand.

She was at the climax, and the feelings of hopelessness and self-loathing in Leonard Peacock’s dialogue was causing her to cry. She sniffled before she heard the bell to the door ring and she quickly wiped her eyes, recognizing one of her regular customers. “Oh, hey Jay.”