Until Eternity BxB

chapter 8

Chapter 8

I was foolish, foolish enough to think that perhaps Maddox didn't know it was me , or at least foolish enough to hope that Maddox didn't know it was me . I smiled a bit and replied with a simple "Hi". I was a bit angry that was all I could come up with but you can't really blame me , imagine if your crush came up to you and said hi , how would you react? Maddox sat down in the chair next to me and put his cane beside him. Today he was wearing black jeans and a white hoodie with a black wolf on it . He tends to wear the same jewellery and shoes everywhere he goes . "so" He started "Do you come here often?" He asked with a cheeky smile and I laughed , The pick-up line actually fit this situation pretty well considering the amount of times i had heard it used in the wrong contexts .

"Actually I do" I replied honestly "I come here a lot , i've been a customer here for years " It seemed to brighten the smile on his face but then again he also started to become more nervous as he played with the charms on his bracelet. "um so you know the place well? and you like books? I like books , well I collect books , I can't really read but I do enjoy to support he author as I like to say..." Maddox trailed off a bit as I raised my eyebrow , which he probably couldn't see but i hummed in acknowledgment and agreement , I liked his rambling , From t #he short amount of time i had spent with him I had learnt that rambling means that he is comfortable talking around me . "do you mind, showing me around ? I would get my mam to do it but she's sat over there" He pointed in the direction of the seating area across the room "and you know this place better then she does probably ..." He trailed off a little bit at the end , I assume that he was expecting me to deny his request but I had nothing else to do today so I might as well... I started to stand up and Maddox watched me, sometimes the look of defeat in his eyes makes me wanna hug him , there is no reason why he should be feeling defeated or rejected but I think he always expects the worst. "sure!" I chirped , trying to cheer him up a little bit "I'd be happy to show you around! where do you want to start?"

Maddox had asked to start at the self-help section , I told him what the different shelves mean and that the shelves are in a somewhat awkward order for a lot of people , but it's well organized . He sat on the floor- he seemed to not care about the dirt or things brought in on people's shoes - and looked through the books by touching them to see what size they are and looking at the cover of the front. It was rather fascinating watching him bring the book so close to his face and then decide to not take the book , it seemed that he had experience looking through the different books on the shelves and knows which authors write well and which do not. Another factor which amazed me was his knowledge on the self-help things. As the section included crystals and meditation and many other things. Sometimes he would open a book, scoff and put it back straight away . I can't decide if this was because he didn't like the format, the writing was too small or he disagreed something inside.

I will never forget the look of happiness on his face when i told him that some of the books that he had chosen were on sale , he gave an excited "really?!" before standing up so that I could show him the rest of the store , he payed particular attention to the teen fiction books , listing a few that he had at home or that he had read online. Watching someone be so happy about books reminded me of myself when I first found this shop , I studied every shelf and read almost every single title that interested me. He almost lost it when he found out that there was a merchandise corner and I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my face. He looked at all of the notebooks and pencils , trying to figure out if he really needed them whilst finally settling on a notebook and a pencil case. My mind was brought back to one of the conversations we had whilst waiting for his taxi, we were talking about study methods and i had suggested that he get a notebook to just write everything down that happens in the lesson, whether it'd be something funny that the teacher says or if it was notes from the lecture. My heart warmed as i thought about him taking my advice and listening to what I had advised. well that's basically the same thing and it is for his benefit but i would like to think that he took my opinion on board.

We had made a tour of the entire place before We went to pay for Maddox's stuff . Thomas smiled knowingly at me 'hello there! are you new in town? I would recognise hair such as yours anywhere!' This caused Maddox to blush which I found adorable of course "yes sir, I just moved here , but It's not too far away " Thomas chuckled as he put Maddox's things through the till "and it seems that you've found a friend in Mr. Chester? I assume that you are in the same classes?" I decided to step in and answer that "Maddox this is Thomas, He and his wife Jessica own this bookstore, yes Thomas we're in the same class." My interruption seemed to humour Thomas as he gave a chuckle and gave Maddox his books in a paper bag "You've got to keep your eye on this one Mr. Maddox this one has all the girls drooling over him in the store ." I knew he was trying to tease me , but Maddox got all flustered and started blushing , that didn't sop the grin from gracing his face as he replied with a "oh does he now? well I will make sure to keep him in my sights" which caused us all to laugh . I wasn't totally sure if thomas knew that maddox was blind but the white cane in his hand was a very big clue so I would assume that he put two and two together . We waved goodbye to thomas and walked over to where his mother sat.

Now that I was closer I could tell that Maddox looked a lot like her , she had red hair , freckles, brown eyes and she seemed to be the same height as maddox . I could tell that she had been watching her son for a while, glancing up sometimes from her phone to make sure that he was okay . She smiled at us as we neared her and Maddox sat down next to her . I stayed standing because i didn't know if they had planned to stay ."Mam, this is Chester , he is the one I was telling you about who actually talks to me and stays with me, Chester this is my mam-" He was interrupted by his mother who gave me another smile and said "Savannah, I just wanted to thank you for making sure that Maddox is okay, it's been rather difficult for him coming to university so late and you never know with these support companies."

I held my hand out when she was introducing herself which she shook, she seemed shocked at my gesture but decided to shrug it off. I was a bit distracted over the fact that Maddox had been telling his mother about me , was it really that rare for someone to talk and help to Maddox? The thought of that made me angry but I held my anger in and presented a smile to Savannah. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Miller, honestly I see Maddox as a friend of mine and he is a wonderful person to talk to and be around , if he needs any help he can come to me." I could see Maddox's cheeks turning redder as he gained compliments and his smile grew immensely when I said that I saw him as a friend . "Well, it's still very nice of you Chester , now we've got to go, your father will be wondering where we are." They stood up and I stepped back , almost falling into the small table. "see you soon Chester! I might message you soon!" Maddox exclaimed happily even though I felt like he didn't want to leave, I can't blame him this si a brilliant place . "I'll speak to you soon Maddox, have a good evening." I smiled as I watched the pair retreat out of the door , I turned around to the counted and I only just caught a glance of Thomas smirking at me.