Shiall one-shots

Half of my soul

Summary: Shawn falls for one of the booksellers, but is too shy to speak to them. One day, he buys a book with a note tucked inside.

Type: short story (words: 1790)

THIRD-PERSON POV:

Shawn was a shy guy. Once you got to know him, he maybe opened up a little.

He didn't have a lot of friends and was mostly hanging out just with his friend Camila and her girlfriend.

And then there is his anxiety following him everywhere he goes. He doesn't like to speak about it much or speak much in general.

"Yes mum, I promise I won't spend all my money on books, of course, I love you too" Shawn hung up and stepped into the bookstore.

He looked around and went to the first bookshelf with excitement bubbling inside of him.

Shawn loves to read. It is like an escape mechanism for him. When things get too much, he picks up one of his comfort books and dives in, forgetting about everything else.

He reached for the random book with the title: We were liars.

He placed it down after reading the back and his legs automatically went to the LGBTQ+ aisle.

He reached for Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo. Then he pulled out his phone and searched for some recommendations on the booktok.

At last, he found himself with three books: It End With Us, The Midnight Library, and already mentioned Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Near the register he also grabbed From Blood and Ash, deciding to give it a try.

Then he remembered what is about o happen now. The awkward silence with the cashier, counting the money a thousand times, looking anywhere else, and then exiting with the quiet mumble nobody heard.

When he saw him, all the thoughts fell out of the window and died (or at least fell in a coma). (Lmao wtf is that joke)

The cashier. Most beautiful human being he has ever seen. He had brunette hair and the prettiest bluish-greenish eyes.

He was chatting with an old lady Shawn has seen around before.

His smile was marvelous and you could hear his laugh from across the room.

As he neared them, he heard the thick beautiful Irish accent.

He could probably fall in love with the laugh only. Yes, it was that beautiful.

The old lady slowly left just in time as Shawn stepped to the cashier.

A casual cashier-customer conversation played out and Shawn paid for his books then left.

He couldn't stop thinking about the handsome cashier.

Damnit. He forgot to check the name on the tag.

He made it his mission to go to the store again next week at the same time, even tho he preferred shopping online.

So the next week he found himself coming into the same bookshop looking for some more books (and the handsome cashier).

He took his time searching for some books and finally decided on these five: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Cemetery Boys, I Wish You All the Best, The Hating Game, and Spanish Love Deception.

The first thing he did when he stepped in front of him was check his name tag.

In Shawn's luck, he had his name and surname are written on it: Niall Horan. Almost as beautiful as his appearance.