Tear In My Heart ✔️

XI. Book Signings and Birthday Parties (edited)

"Come on, Noah!" Gracie whined as she urgently dragged me toward the entrance of the bookstore as her other hand tightly held a book to her chest.

"Seriously, Gracie, what do you eat? You can pull like a bull!" I questioned only half joking as a dull ache spread throughout my shoulder socket.

"Steroids, now come on! It's your fault we're already late!"

"I'm sorry I lost track of time. I had school work to do!" I easily fibbed. Did I have homework? Yes. Was I late because Madison wouldn't stop kissing my shoulders as I tried to finish my work? Yes. So, was it my fault? No, it was Madison's, but I wouldn't tell Gracie that of course. Especially not after her reaction to my book choice the last time we were here. Conflict still brewed in me on whether or not I should even be here with her due to the fact that she believed that I was a sin, but she'd also become like a little sister to me in such little time and I didn't want to cut her off. Maybe I could change her mindset, just maybe...

Just as we entered the bookstore, applause erupted from the thirty to forty people who were seated in the center of the store as a lean man with salt-and-pepper hair approached the podium, carrying a copy of the book that Gracie was holding. She let out a low squeal as she quickly found a seat with me following close behind her.

"Good evening everyone, and thank you for coming," the man said with a polite smile, his voice deep and rich.

"Oh my gosh, Noah, can you believe it's the Troye Jordan?" she excitedly whispered before profusely shushing me though I hadn't said anything. I let out a quiet chuckle as I shook my head. 

The man on the podium continued expressing his gratitude for all of us attending, even those of us who didn't have a choice, and I was about to get out my phone and play games until he announced he'd be reading a passage from his book. "Okay, if you guys will open to the first page of chapter one, we can begin," he said before he pulled his reading glasses out of his breast pocket as the sound of turning pages briefly filled the air. I looked over Gracie's shoulder as she excitedly flipped to the demanded page, her right knee bouncing uncontrollably. There was no doubt she was excited.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" he asked, peaking out across the crowd from over his glasses like a professor who was getting impatient with a rowdy class, though there was no annoyance in his soft brown eyes. A series of yes's filled the air, prompting him to start reading the first page. "It doesn't take much to fall in love, apparently," he started, my eyes taking up the words as he said them. "Aaron and I are a perfect example of that..." He continued reading until the end of the short chapter, each word capturing me more than the previous and leaving me wanting more. Once he finished, he closed the book and looked up at the crowd, earning a series of applause, even from me as well. I think I found a new author that I like. "Thank you," he grinned before asking, "Are there any questions?"

Almost immediately hands filled the air and questions were being asked. By the end of his Q and A, we learned that he based this novel on a personal experience with love and how when he'd first fell in love with this one girl, he'd thought she'd be his forever but it turned out that love wasn't always a fairy tale. We also learned that his advice to aspiring writers was to never force your writing, always push boundaries, and don't follow the path already set out for you. If you write stories that have already been written, then no one would be interested since they already know how it would end. We learned aspects of his personal life as well, like his three cats Harry, Beemo, and Agustus; his favorite food was chicken fettuccine alfredo, he lived in Detroit, and many other things.

Not long after the Q and A concluded, it was time for autographs and pictures. Gracie bolted up and dragged me near the front of the line and luckily I was able to buy copies up front. I bought three–one for me, one for Mads, and the other for Mr. Hill because I knew he'd kill me if I didn't–and waited for Gracie to finish before I handed him the books and asked him to sign them which he gladly did. After he signed each along with cute inspirational messages, Gracie and I took a picture with him before we left. "I can't believe we got a picture with the Troye Jordan!" she marveled, staring down at her phone screen where she was observing the picture.