In the Romance Section of a Bookstore

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jade was minding her own business trying to act cool: as if she didn't care who saw her perusing the romance section of the bookstore. She looked up self-consciously when she made eye contact with a hot boy around her age. At that point she looked back down reminding herself to ignore the hot boys in particular, because they would never like her; she'd be lucky if they saw her let alone anything else. At that thought she disheartening continued to look at the books determined not to look up again.

Max was just looking at some comics when he felt the sudden urge to look up. When he did he made eye contact with a beautiful girl who, too quickly for his taste, looked away obviously embarrassed. When she looked away from him her black hair, as dark and night, covered her red cheeks as she looked back at the stacks which he noticed were the romance stacks. He smiled to himself and continued to look at his comic determined that if he saw her another time he would talk to her. Put the decision in the hands of fate he thought smiling to himself.

The day after she was at the bookstore where she sadly didn't find anything that caught her attention, Jade did her best to not let the feeling of drowning overcome her as she was studying at her university's library. She did the only thing she could and breathed through the feeling, trying not to let it consume her. Just keep breathing she thought. That is when he decided to walk up to her, when she felt the most vulnerable.

Max was going to find somewhere at the university library to study when he saw the girl from the bookstore sitting alone at a table with books and paper and such scattered all over her table; however, she didn't seem to be working at all just breathing. He told himself he would say hello if he saw her again and that's why he found himself walking up to her and saying "Hey"

She looked up at him with her big dirt colored eyes that looked panicked.

"Hey are you alright? Do you need something?"

"No" she managed to stutter out, "Just give me a moment."

With that Max took a seat across from her and left her be to get herself together.

After a few minutes of her breathing and making a fist with her hand she looked up at him. He was so worried so to see her look up at him with only embarrassment and maybe a touch of shame in her eyes he felt better. She was alright. Noting the embarrassment and shame he decided to act as if nothing unusual happened, he didn't know her well enough to talk about it.

"Hi, I saw you at the bookstore the other day and thought I'd come by and say hello, my name is Max."

"Uh, hi, my name is Jade, nice to meet you."

"So what are you up to this fine" Max looked outside laughed and said "I mean dreary day?"

That caused Jade to smile which just about took the breath out of Max. He smile was spectacular, it drew him in. "I am just doing some research, what about you?"

"Well I was going to attempt to find a table to write a paper."

Jade shyly looked down and said, "Well, if you want, your more than welcome to join me at this table there is more than enough room," Then she looked up and added, "Only if you want of course, no big deal if you don't."

Max smiled at her and said, sure.

Hours passed and Max thought he would talk to her not write his paper, that was what he was hoping at least, but she was very into her research. Part of the time he spent writing his paper, the rest he spent watching her expressions change as she did her research. Watching her face was fascinating to him, her face made it so easy for him to see half of her thoughts. Just like that hours passed. His paper wasn't due for a week, he expected to come to the library and goof off and end up writing the paper the hour before it was due, but watching Jade study made him study. He had to say, it was one of the better papers he had ever written. That's what he was thinking about when he noticed Jade packing up her things.

"Hey, where you off to?"

"Oh!" Jade said clearly startled. "I was just off to get some dinner and then head home."

"I had a great time studying today, mind if I get your number, maybe we can study together again."

Jade was confused why anyone would want her number but she internally shrugged and thought, whatever, just another number he won't use in his phone. "Sure, give me your phone and I'll add it."

He gave her the phone, she added her number, smiled at him and left.

She was just finishing the sandwhich she bought while watching tv on her computer when her phone lit up with a call, it was a number that wasn't in her phone, but she picked it up anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jade, I was wondering what you were doing tonight? I was just sitting around and thought it maybe fun to watch a movie or something with a friend."

Jade was shocked he called her, but she decided why not, her roommates and her only friends were in the common area doing something or other, but they could watch something in her room on her computer.

"Uh, sure if you want, thought we would have to watch it in my room on my tiny computer. Also I refuse anything scary!"

Max laughed, and said, "Sounds good! Where do you live? I'll head over now."

She gave him her address and then looked at her sweats and ratty old t-shirt. She thought about changing, but then realized the most he would want was a friend, which was fine, but there was no point in pretending he would want anything more than that.

A few minutes later he was walking into her apartment. He noticed that some people were in what was clearly a common area playing cards against humanity. He didn't say anything and simply followed her down the hallway until they walked into her room. He noticed that her room had many stuffed animals in it and a bunch of posters on her walls.

"What were they doing out there?"

"Oh they were playing cards against humanity."

"And you didn't want to play?"

"I wasn't invited."

"What? Are they just your roommates and not your friends?"

"No they are my friends."

"What the hell!"

"Um... I don't know, they never really invite me to do anything... I don't know... I mean I don't drink so that's generally why."

"But they weren't drinking."

Jade responded by simply shrugging her shoulders. Max couldn't believe it, how could they not want to hang out with her? He had a blast studying in the library with her! That's when he noticed the sandwhich wrapper on her desk that she was rolling up and throwing away. He noticed when he walked by the common room that they had Buffalo Wild Wings on the table. He just had to figure it out so he asked, "Do you not like Buffalo Wild Wings?"

"What, no, I love B-Dubs!"

"Well then why did they have it and not you."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I wasn't invited." She saw the look on his face and couldn't quite understand it so she said, "Do you not want to hang out with me because I'm a loser and the few friends I have don't invite me to stuff? If so no big deal! I can show you out no problem! Really you don't have to stay!"

At those words Max just about broke into a million pieces. All he saw when he looked at her was a gorgeous girl who he was starting to realize was broken. However, broken or not, he noticed she was worth it, the time and effort. He knew from the scared look in her eye that she was trapping him. She was special, she just didn't know it. That was fine he thought: I'll show her. He never felt as connected to anyone as quickly as he did to Jade, but something deep in his gut was telling him that she was worth it and that he needed to stick it out with her; and his gut was NEVER wrong.

"Of course I wanna stay! What are we watching?" He said with a big smile knowing that something amazing was going to happen here, not that he knew what. But that was what his gut told him and that thought alone made him smile as they picked a movie.