All Our Sensitivity

chapter one - mr. book

The smell of old paper and mahogany was the first thing that Nate noticed when he entered the warm bookshop. The air was ripe with moisture, but not so much that it suffocated you like mildew, and it felt comforting compared to the dry coldness that filled the air outside. The doorbell chimed, a piercing pitch that only slightly upset Nate's sensitive ears, but ceased after a couple of seconds. The floor was hard and creaky; whoever did the interior of the shop slapped a thin layer of airport-like carpet over very hard wood, and didn't care about how it would feel. In the distance, he could hear a clock ticking away the seconds and minutes. Other than that, the shop was still. No vibrations through the floor indicated that anyone else was present. Soft jazz—he recognized as Nat King Cole—ever so gently played through speakers strategically placed throughout the shop. Something about bookstores had always felt calming to him, even if there were never any braille books.  It was nice; Nate being seldom in a store always made him feel at ease, especially when the only sounds ensuing consisted of good music. He could stand there by himself for a good hour on that day. Well, not exactly by himself.

"So what are we looking for exactly?" Amiel stated as he nudged Nate's side, indicating he was speaking directly to the brown-haired man despite them being the only two in the shop.

Amiel was one of Nate's closest friends. He had thin wire glasses that always slid down his nose no matter how much he pressed them up, and light blonde hair that always flopped in every direction. He was pansexual, being the third out of the five friends that were queer in one way or another. Amiel was also Jewish, which always seemed to surprise people since he was blond. He didn't take his religion as seriously as his parents thought he did. Of course, he loved his culture, but Judaism was not his cup of tea. He wouldn't dare to admit it, but he was an atheist. Overall, the man was a bundle of sweetness and humor.

"Um... Here lemme pull out my phone," Nate replied, letting go of Amiel's arm and reaching into the back pocket of his jeans. "Just go into my notes, the name of the book is in there somewhere".

Amiel grabbed his phone from him, and a loud electronic voice echoed as soon as he touched the screen.

"AH, WHY IS IT TALKING?" Amiel shrieked comically, violently turning the volume button down.

Nate laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Sorry about that. The voice dictator is on, just double-click the power and volume buttons".

Amiel sighed as he let out a soft chuckle, following Nate's instructions, trying to find the name of the book that Zivia had been raving about for months. Her birthday was coming up, and Nate knew he had to buy it for her. He loved hearing her happy. It was probably one of his favorite sounds in the world.

"Sweet. It's called 'Gender and Sexuality-The History and Power'," Amiel spoke. "Yep, that sounds about right.

Nate chuckled at Amiel's bluntness towards the fact that that did sound like a very Zivia thing to read such a book. After all, she was a gender and sexuality studies major.

Amiel had begun to walk a little too fast as he tried to find the corresponding section. In total fairness, he was just as bad at finding things as Nate was. Either way, the blind boy was along for the ride as he held on to Amiel's forearm, sliding his cane across the textured terrain.

They came to a sudden halt when the blond man's phone rang. The ringtone was the Adventure Time theme song, naturally. 

"Oh shit it's my grandma," he stated. "Hold up."

As soon as he answered the phone, the loud voice of his grandma boomed. Nate laughed silently, chuckling about the call that was yet to happen. Amiel's grandma would call him every week to rant and gossip about the drama that happened at her yoga class. She barely lets him get a single word in the entire time.