It was a cold, blustery day when I opened the door to my favorite bookstore. I rubbed my bare hands together in a vain attempt to warm myself. As I casually walked past rows of bookshelves, I burrowed deeper into my thick coat.
I'd always loved bookstores and libraries since I was younger. There was this calm atmosphere in the air, like an unspoken rule of silence. The only sounds you could hear was the flipping of pages being read or the whoosh of a book being replaced on the shelf.
Deep in thought, I failed to notice someone directly in my path. As we collided, I yelped in surprise and fell backwards onto the floor. As I opened my eyes, a hand engulfed my field of vision. When I looked up to see who it was, my eyes met his. They were a bright shade of green, like emeralds beneath a mess of brown hair. The stranger before me was tall, about 6'0 in height. He wore a stylish pea coat buttoned all the way up, with blue jeans and dark shoes. I realized with a jolt that I'd been staring at him, not saying a word. I slowly stood up as if I would scare him off.
There was an awkward pause as we both fell silent. We both avoided each other's eyes, choosing to look at the floor or the bookshelf nearby.
"...Can I do anything in return as an apology for bumping into you?" I ask shakily. I cringe inward, hoping I don't come off as clingy as I sound.
"It's alright. You don't need to do anything for me," he replied slowly.
"I promise I'm not as big of a klutz, usually. Though I have been known to trip over thin air, so I guess what I'm saying now is pointless," I say sheepishly.
"It's okay. It's really easy to get wrapped up in thought. I'm just glad no one got seriously injured," he replied cooly.
Another awkward pause entered the conversation. As the silence dragged on, I wished that I knew how other people talked to strangers.
"Well, I should get going. But I hope you have a good day," I nervously said, easing my way to the door.
Not waiting for his reply, I ran out of the bookstore in a hurry. Feeling completely embarrassed, I realized that I hadn't asked his name. I cursed myself and wished for the thousandth time that I had decent conversation skills.
