Beguiling a Bookworm

Chapter One

The book made the loudest thud a book could possibly make on the thin carpet floor. I felt my whole body turn hot and tingles erupted over my neck and cheeks. Embarrassment bled out over my blurry eyes and shaking hands as I bent down to pick it up.

Any possible way to make myself known in this world, I take it. All of the nerves I possess dread their existence the moment I leave my home for the stress I will undoubtedly be putting on them. Just as I am sliding the book back where I think I remember it belonging, I meet the eyes of a worker. And cue another shot of tingles and heat that rushes through my body.

I am never returning to this store ever again. Nope. Never. Nobody will ever see this clumsy face again. Goodbye Cruela street.

I wander the store for another five or so minutes to try and make my swift exit seem less apparent. I imagine no one truly noticed me, but my nerves took over and instructed my path to the car. There are half a dozen Sire Books in a rough 300 mile expanse. They just suddenly were around one day. Everybody behaved as if they had always been in the area but the actuality is that they just suddenly popped up one Saturday evening. I seemed to be the only one that questioned the appearance of these massive bookstores. Although, it did not last long as my love for books outweighed my curiosities on how they came about. It is a good thing that there are so many of them anyway, I was running out of places where I could go. I already embarrassed myself out of 4 locations.

As I pass the doors to a breath of freedom, I hear an alarm suddenly start up. I plunge my hand in my purse and grab my keys. I fumble to quickly press the unlock button and the car quiets. Apparently, today is going to be one of those days. I take a long breath and slump into my driver's seat. I pull the small sun shield down and prop open the mirror. My brows are furrowed and my eyes appear a little wider than normal. I take another breath and my face softens, slightly. I brush my fingers through my black waves of hair and try to lessen the frizz on top. After a few pats, I decided to just pin it up.

I just wanted a book! Or five. That's all. Why can't one day go smoothly? Why can't I just have a normal day where something goes right!? Just once. I look at my features again. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I wish I could see what I saw before. Why...I shake my head roughly and slap my hands on my steering wheel.

"Knock it off Sena, let's just go. On to the next!" I breathe out and roll my windows down. The drive takes a little over an hour, but the feeling of going into a bookstore is like nothing else, so each minute is well worth the wait. This one sits on the side of a massive hill and there is a nestling of trees in the back that expand out further than I can see. Peaceful. I park and leave my car unlocked this time.

I walk in and the smell of mint hits my nose within seconds. The atmosphere here appears slightly more dim and calm. There are only a handful of customers in this one. I head to the fantasy section and do my best to keep away from shelves or people. Even the air seems cooler than the other bookstores. I begin perusing and reading synopsis after synopsis. They have a massive collection of books! I love it here! Please don't mess this one up Sena! I can feel my grin widening and I do my best to shove it down. If I am over here grinning all alone, I am going to look like a mad woman. I wander around for roughly two hours and decide that I have all that I want. I heave the four books I picked out in my arms and head to the cashier.

The woman smiles warmly at me as I enter the queue. I take the smile as a sign to come up and place my books on the counter. Her loose curls bounce with each movement. "Did you find everything you were looking for? Or more?" Her voice comes out high and excited.

I chuckle my agreement enthusiastically. "I actually meant to only purchase two even though I set aside enough money for much more than that. I am under budget for once."