The first time you noticed him he was wandering through the bookstore, blending in with all the other customers. You wouldn’t have paid any mind to him if it weren’t for his green-haired friend trailing him.
The two kept glancing around and whispering to each other as if watching something or someone. No one else seemed to care, neither did you at first, seeing it as entertainment to your boring days.
The first week was nothing unusual, people often returned as it was the only bookstore in the neighborhood and everyday you would see the two of them. It was same the routine; he would come in first and look through the shelves until his green haired friend showed up, the two would stay for an hour examining the store before leaving.
On the second week, you noticed the change immediately. The stranger would come in and wander around, watching the customers but he stopped looking at the books and his friend never showed up. You tried to ignore it, thinking his friend had grown bored and refused to show.
The third week came around and nothing had changed at first. But by Wednesday, you realized he was staying longer and even began reading a book.
It was a slow roll but Friday finally came around and you were ready to go home for the weekend. You weren’t supposed to close early, it had gotten you into trouble many times before, but the manager had already left and you were determined to leave soon.
There was only one problem.
He was there. You had grown fond of his presence through the weeks, but your patience was growing thin as the clock ticked in the background.
He was sitting in the corner, and just like every other day was reading the same book.
‘What is even so interesting about that book?’ You had seen him finish it multiple times, but he still chose the same one.
Despite the frustration growing, you waited for him to make a move. ‘He should leave any moment, right?’
He stayed, waiting until the last minute to leave. You were rotating between looking at the same sentence in a book, the clock, and the man sitting in the corner hoping for the time to pass, willing for the clock to move to 12:00 a.m.
The abrupt thump made you jump and immediately you looked up at him. He seemed just as surprised as he stood, his ears lightly turning red as he quickly placed the book in the chair, nodded to you, and left.
Sighing, you pushed off the counter and walked over to pick up the book. You were just about to put it on the shelf when you noticed. It was small, you didn’t even see him put it there, but a little note stuck out the side of the book.
“You looked beautiful with your hair up, you should wear it like that more often :) -Hyunoh”
You stood there dumbfounded, it wasn’t the first time someone had flirted with you at the store but no one left notes. Once you regained your composure, you slipped the note into your pocket and closed the shop.
Within the next few weeks, you found yourself checking the book everyday. Like a force of habit, you would look through the shelves to find the book and everyday you would have another note.
You always watched the door, looking, waiting for him to come in. On the days he did, you would wave at him and he would smile in return and even when you never saw him with the book, the notes would be there, waiting for you to read.
The seventh week came and you had finally decided, today you were going to approach him.
The day should have gone by normally, customers came in, flipped through a few books, and left. However, it was 11:50 p.m and he still hadn’t come in. Thoughts swirled through your head-
‘Did something happen to him?’
‘What if I scared him off?’
The last few minutes before closing felt like eternity and your disappointment weighed heavily on your shoulders.
You were absorbed in your thoughts on your way back home, not minding the shadows around you. Chills shocked your body, it wasn’t cold out but something forced you out of your thoughts and anxiety to rise. Picking up your pace, you suddenly wished you had lived closer to the store, looking into the dark street around you to find no one.
When you finally spotted your apartment you let out a sigh of relief and slowed your pace. You were about to turn to walk into the building when an arm was quickly wrapped around your shoulders and someone whispered into your ear “Just trust me and follow.”
You started to panic as the stranger pulled you away from your apartment building when you finally looked up at him, “Hyunoh?”
He smiled but kept looking around, walking at a leisurely pace. Despite your conscious screaming for you to run away, you walked with him in silence.
A few minutes had passed and you no longer recognized the area but you had also noticed a figure walking in the shadows behind you. Hyunoh never said a word to you until you saw another figure at the end of the street.
“We should be safe soon.” He let go of your shoulders and waved at the figure. You continued to walk toward the figure when you recognized the green hair, his friend smiled at the both of you.
“Figured you got lost or something on your way here” His joke went unnoticed as Hyunoh whispered something in his ear. The two became serious as they talked, leaving you out as they turned away to discuss.
You, on the other hand, were tired with little patience and decided to listen to their discussion. The whispering made it difficult to hear everything but from what could be heard
theartofmadeline
andulkaphoto
origamiaround
gummygunk
izzy806
