His Wild Blue Air

Day 3

Adam was a devastatingly handsome man. Almost too handsome. He was tall, well-built, nice hair, great smile and perfect dimples. He was too nice to be true. He went to the old folks' home which was an hour away from here every Sunday to help out. He donated to the WWF and Unicef every month. Instead of getting a job with his engineering degree, he'd decided to help out with his father in his old bookstore. His eyes were dark brown and soulful. He couldn't hide anything with those eyes. To put it simply, he wore his heart in his eyes.

Which was actually how she knew that he had more than platonic feelings towards her. But she didn't acknowledge it. She didn't made it known to him that she knew about his feelings for her. One, because she just wasn't ready for a relationship. Two, she just didn't like him that way.

"He's like a man," she said vaguely with a shrug, completely focused on categorizing the books.

"Is he nice?" Adam prodded.

She looked up, two books on her lap. "Adam," she started. He nodded. "There is no need to get a profile on my guest."

He then started to look sheepish and he gulped, ducking his head to avoid her eyes. "I just want to make sure you're safe," he muttered.

She couldn't help but be touched by his gentleman ways. "I sleep with a taser on my bedside table. Trust me, Adam, I know how to protect myself." She placed her palm atop his softly and smiled. "Thank you, though."

He offered her a rueful smile before they went back to work.

Yes, arranging books in an old bookstore was the job she was talking about. She came here on weekdays and helped out with Adam Kingston Sr and Adam Kingston Jr with their bookstore. Somedays, she was the cashier. Somedays, she was the promoter. Somedays, she was the one hunkered in a corner categorizing books andd arranging them.

Most people would think that it was a task. They would think that it wasn't worth it to do so much with such a low pay. And maybe they were right: it wasn't worth it. Nevertheless, she wasn't here for the pay; she was here to fill her time and because she truly enjoyed her job here. She loved books; she loved the smell of books; she loved that inside these books were pages printed with letter blocks that would draw out extraordinary stories and fill someone's life with joy and distraction.

She'd been working here four years. When the cabin was finished and she found a lot of time on her hands, she started wandering the town, asking around for jobs. She'd worked as a barista for Aunt Rita; a receptionist at the hotel she'd stayed in the first year she came here; even a waitress at the diner downtown. But she never stayed long for any of them because she had no passion for any of them.

And then one day, she met Adam at Aunt Rita's cafe and as per usual, Aunt Rita had tried to push the both of them together. Skylar had refused and offered her friendship to Adam instead, to which Adam didn't hesitate to accept.

Adam had just graduated from Yale University but chose to come back here to help out with his father. When he knew that she was looking for a job, he offered a position at the bookstore. She jumped at the opportunity and she couldn't happier that she did because she loved it here.

He probably thought that they would have a chance at being more than friends if they knew her long enough. To be honest, Skylar might have had that thought too. It wasn't that she couldn't survive on her own, because she could. She was strong enough to survive for so long; she didn't need a man to help her. But she missed the companion of a man who would care for her and take her out on dates and give her flowers.

But she wasn't ready though.

So now, four years later, her and Adam were still just friends and most possibly wouldn't be anything more despite the misunderstanding of many others.