Statuelike

Chasing game

Nekt knew he was being followed. He wasn't entirely oblivious as his personal stalker might have thought. He recognized the danger he was in even when he walked into the bookshop and stopped by the shelves, looking for some interesting titles.

It was Monday again. Since that incident with the noret hunter he kept doing everything exactly the same way he would have if nothing had happened. He spent his Friday teaching and after that he went for a good dinner into a restaurant not far from the school. The weekend was used to rest and prepare for the following week at school.

Nekt noticed the metaphorical shadow behind him lurking around and sticking to him like a plague he couldn't get rid of. He was well aware that the shadow carried a heavy hammer always ready to strike and possesed the ability to control fire. It occured to him that one day his apartment could just get swallowed by flames with him inside, even this bookshop could turn into ashes at any given moment. But so far it hadn't happened, at least not yet.

"Coffee?" Mrs Evans asked him from the counter and he turned around to look at her.

"Yes, please," he smiled softly and nodded. "But I'm not in a mood for much talking today, I'm really sorry."

Usually they'd talk during the time he was drinking but today wasn't safe for that. It was risky enough to let her make a coffee for him as that hinted on them having some kind of a relationship, a friendship even.

"It's fine," she waved it off. "Hard day at work?"

"Yeah," he lied. "Had some stand in lessons with badly behaved cheeky students."

"I've always told you that a highschool teacher is not the best of jobs. Even when you were studying to be one," she pointed out what was true. No matter how many times he had told her that he really cared for the job, she always reacted the same.

"Well, if I ever get fed up I'll just become your employee. You'd need help anyway," he smirked playfully.

"I wouldn't be able to pay you, my dear." He heard from the back room in response.

Nekt then decided to move back to the shelves with the newest additions. Immediately he fell deep in his own thoughts. He brushed his fingers over the book spines and stopped at some of them to put them out of the line and look at their cover, then he'd just put them back. None of them looked appealing. Or maybe they did, he just wasn't paying attention at all.

Then he heard footsteps coming back to the shop. His hand reached out and grabbed one of the books automatically. He had no idea what it was about but he still took it.

This would've been the first time in many years he'd be so distressed to leave the bookshop empty handed and he couldn't let that happen. He was not that nervous, why would he be? What even was the risk here, dying? No, he always kept his composure.

"I'll take this one," he waved it slightly and rushed to put it on the counter.

"You're going to cook? You said you don't," Mrs Evans raised her brows as she handed him the cup.

Nekt glanced at the the cover and internally sighed in irritation. It was a cookbook. Out of all the books, he had to pick out a cookbook.

"Eeh, I decided to try it just recently," he mumbled, his hand reached to scratch the left side of his neck.

"Okay then," she laughed. "Bring something you cooked over here some day," she teased him as she rang up the price. "It's 9.90£"

"By card please," he asked and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He waited a bit and then paid for it.

"Well that's that then," he took the cup in his hands. It was his usual coffee in a bookshop order, with milk and three sugars. He liked his life sweet.