The Girl Who Read [And the Boy Who Kissed Her]

c h a p t e r 1 ; merely observing

CHAPTER ONE, The Girl Who Read [And the Boy Who Kissed Her]: merely observing

❝You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.❞

― Dr. Seuss

She looked even more angelic in her pale blue, lacy sundress.

Her long, golden hair flounced around her face as she bent over a stack of books, snagging the thick Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix book. Her bright, blue eyes sparkled in joy as she smoothed her hand over the cover.

Sighing happily, she laid (stomach-down) on the white, furry rug with her mile-long, tanned legs crossed in the air. Her dainty, slender finger tucked back a strand of curly blonde hair, which had been covering her beautiful face, behind her ear. She bit lightly into her rosy red, bottom lip and furrowed her slightly bushy eyebrows.

She scrunched up her adorable, button nose, with her freckles like stars in a constellation dancing across her cheeks. He could see the indent of a slight dimple forming on her right cheek as she giggled, her eyes in a trance as they traveled across the pages of the books.

She was gorgeous.

His heart tugged at the sight of her in the bookstore. He supposed you could call him a stalker, but he preferred the term 'observer'. 'Observing' her every day never did much harm.

Right now, he was peering at her from behind one of the bookshelves, and had been for about forty minutes so far today. Merely observing, he told himself.

He couldn't help but stare at her. She was unique, special. The girl had just closed the book; she stretched her legs and arms, yawning loudly, sounding like a mewing, adorable kitten. Walking over to one of the smaller bookcases in the bookstore, she rummaged through some papers on top of it on her tiptoes. Squinting her baby blue doe eyes, she found a spare #2 pencil and placed it behind her ear, moving a couple pieces of her thick, golden locks behind it as well. She rummaged around some more until she grabbed a thin, battered, black notebook. She started slowly walking away.

This is my chance, he thought. I've been practicing in the mirror for days; I'm ready.

And he slipped out of his hiding spot [behind the bookcase in the third row in the children's section] and quietly, stealthily, walked over to her.

"H-hey!" He yelped in a high-pitched squeak that was supposed to come out manly.

"Um, hi..." She said questioningly, quirking up an eyebrow. He blew a bit of his unruly, curly brown hair out of his eyes and leaned against the tiny bookcase.

"Um, s-so I was wondering..." He took a deep breath and placed his right foot on the bookcase behind him and crossed his arms (trying to look cool). "If you would w-want-"

"Spencer!" She cried out in warning, dropping the worn-out book as she ran to him, grabbing his arm, as the small bookcase collapsed behind him.

Books flew left and right, miscellaneous papers scattering all over the floor, and Spencer, since he was leaning against the bookcase, lost his balance and fell on top of it, stumbling onto his back. Someone's long-fingered hand was wrapped around his bicep, and he realized that she had fallen on top of him.

Her big, widened, baby blue doe eyes were inches away from his hazel ones. Her fingernails scraped against his arm, sending magnificent tingles reverberating down his spine, the ones he always got around her. She didn't dare move as he rolled over, with her in his arms, to help ease the pain of the bookcase digging into his shoulder. He rolled over so that she was still on top of him, one hand securely wrapped around his bicep, and the other planted above his head.