#lovethroughthepages

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Love Through the Pages | Chapter 1

Masterlist

Synopsis: Bob Floyd isn’t the man you typically find in a love story. His awkward mannerism and unusual ways don’t make him the typical heart throb, but Bob certainly has his charms. He finds love in an unexpected place when he finds a hidden message in a book that changes his life for ever. He meets the girl of his dreams but true love is not always an easy road and can they survive the ups and downs that life throws at them.

Warnings: 18+, potential slow burn, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language, smut, 18+. No specific warnings for this chapter.

Bob Floyd had never really been much of a reader as a child. Of course, he’d read books from school or something his Gran bought him for Christmas but if you asked Bob what his favourite book was he’d never have been able to tell you. It’s not that he didn’t like reading. He wasn’t an avid reader but the idea of sitting in a cosy corner with his nose stuck in a book didn’t disgust him, he just never seemed to be able to settle. He was either always working, spending time with his family or hanging out with his friends and there just weren’t enough hours in the day. So yes Bob wasn’t a reader, until now.

It had all started as a very mundane Monday. Bob yawned as he walked across town, trying to keep himself awake long enough to get to work. Jake, his roommate, had kept him up all last night complaining about his now ex-boyfriend and as much as Bob loved and supported Jake in all his endeavours, he also valued his sleep. Jake was a school teacher and lucky for him it was half term. So as Bob set off to work, Jake was still passed out cold on the sofa. He pulled at the sleeves of his coat, irritated that they had once again slipped above his wrist. It was going to be one of those days. Bob crossed the road and made his way into the office block. The corridors were long and brightly lit. Most people would squint as they walked them, but not Bob, he’d become so used to the glaring lights that he walked along with ease until he reached his desk outside his boss’ office. It was 06:30 am and the office was tranquil, free of disturbance from ringing phones, loud voices and the general hustle and bustle of the business. Bob took a moment to slump down into the squeaking desk chair that he occupied, relishing in the silence. He had about an hour before his boss would storm into the office and demand something of him but for now, he was safe.

Pushing the metal spectacles up onto the bridge of his nose, he frowned down at the paperwork in front of him, piles of unsigned documents, leaflets, and pitch ideas. Bob shuffled the papers around into piles, you couldn’t exactly call it organized but it was better than it had been. Bob decided on organized chaos as he sat forward in his chair and logged on to his bulky desktop computer. The calendar appeared at the side of the screen showing the long list of the day's events. Bob wouldn’t need to be present for any of the meetings, which he was glad about. He hated having a desk job but it paid the bills and kept a roof over his head, so begrudgingly he did it. He clicked the mouse and looked through his emails, most of which he forwarded to his boss regarding meetings or staffing changes but one caught his eye, it was from a local magazine supporting local businesses. Bob scrolled aimlessly through the online pages, his eyes darting over new housing development, a new bakery, and several new clothing stores until his eyes caught sight of a new bookshop. It was a small advertisement stating the address with a little cartoon book next to it. Jake was always telling him that he needed to get stuck into a good book.

“When you’re reading you can be anyone, anywhere, doing anything. You can escape reality, Bob.” Bob made a mental note to tell Jake about it later.

Checking the clock, Bob noticed it was nearly 07:15. “Oh shit!” Bob jumped up from his desk and dashed down the corridor to the staff room. He slammed the door shut before rushing over to the coffee machine and turning it on. The machine hummed to life, filling the room with a droning noise as Bob rummaged in the cupboard for a mug. He made the coffee as fast as if his life depended on it, and honestly, it did. Several other people had arrived now and the staff room was buzzing with life as Bob made his way back down the corridor, balancing two steaming mugs on a tray. He placed his drink on the desk, sloshing some coffee over the paperwork and cursing as he did. He scurried into his boss’office, placing the mug gently onto the counter and sighing with relief. Tucking the tray under his arm, he pushed open the glass doors just in time to see his boss marching down the corridor towards him, a stern look on his face. Mr Cain was a harsh businessman with a wealth of experience and money. He was ex-army and had built his way up from the bottom and it showed because he was good at what he did but to Bob, he was a living nightmare. He was bald and his face streaked with wrinkles, thin lips that always sat in a straight line and a glare that made grown men quiver in their boots. People often called him ‘The Hammer’ because he would knock out anyone who stood in his way. Bob gulped as he sulked back behind his desk. Mr Cain marched past him and into his office, slamming the glass door behind him. Bob let out the breath he’d been holding and flopped down into his chair when he heard that dreaded noise. “FLOYD! MY OFFICE NOW!”

Tag list: @callsign-phoenix @imjess-themess @blue-aconite @averyhotchner @mayhem24-7forever @green-socks @alexxavicry @a-reader-and-a-writer @topguncortez @maggiescarborough @callsignmaverick5 @ssprayberrythings @smoothdogsgirl @xoxabs88xox @luckyladycreator2 @abaker74 @elenavampire21 @classyunknownlover @okiegirl24 @sunlightmurdock

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Love Through the Pages | Chapter 2

Masterlist

Synopsis: Bob Floyd isn’t the man you typically find in a love story. His awkward mannerism and unusual ways don’t make him the typical heart throb, but Bob certainly has his charms. He finds love in an unexpected place when he finds a hidden message in a book that changes his life for ever. He meets the girl of his dreams but true love is not always an easy road and can they survive the ups and downs that life throws at them.

Warnings: 18+, potential slow burn, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language, smut, 18+. No specific warnings for this chapter.

Working a night shift was like living in one of the seven levels of hell, the never-ending abuse and criticism had you collapsing onto the locker room bench. You knew when you took the job in the ER department of one of the busiest hospitals that it was going to be stressfu,l but the night shift was even more hellish. The stream of patients was never ending and the doctors had been even more demanding than ever. You shut your eyes, bringing your hand up to shield them from the glaring lights as you lay flat on the bench. 12 hours on your feet and you still had to get up and walk home. Groaning, you rolled onto your side, propping yourself up on your elbow and reaching across to your locker. You grabbed your bag quickly, pulling your hoodie over the top of your scrubs and shoving your stethoscope into your rucksack. Just as you reached for the door one of the junior doctors rushed in smiling at you. Her name was Natasha, she was kind and hard-working and you’d warmed to her quickly. Being a nurse it was nice to work with a doctor who respected you and Natasha was just that. She always treated her nurses fairly and so you never minded working with her.

“Hey Nat, you finished for the day too?”

“Yeah,” she said a little breathlessly. “I dashed to the locker room before someone tried to rope me into doing something else.” You both laughed, knowing how easy it would be to become drawn into another case and never leave.

“I don’t blame you. Have a good one, Nat.” You waved her goodbye as you exited the room and made your way down the crowded corridor. People pushed and shoved against you as you fought to make your way to the exit. Outside wasn’t much better, the ambulance bay was packed, with EMTs running around, and there were patients seated in the back of the vehicles waiting to be admitted. Sighing you shook your head, weaving through the vehicles and onto the street. There were queues as far as the eye could see, rush hour traffic back to back. Each car contained a bad-tempered face as they watched the clock tick by while staying stationary in the sea of cars. This was the bonus of walking to work, you only lived a few blocks away so it seemed pointless to be driving anyway. Today was a special day, a new bookshop had opened on the corner of Main Street and you just so happened to know the owner.

Bradley Bradshaw had been your best friend since High School, you’d been joined at the hip and had only spent a handful of days apart since you’d met. While you’d gone off to med school to become a nurse, Bradley had studied English Literature and History. You’d been college roommates, but Bradley had moved in with his boyfriend shortly after college so you shared with Mickey and Rueben, two airline pilots who were so rarely home that you basically had the place to yourself. Bradley had broken up with his boyfriend three months ago and so had decided to fulfil his childhood dream of owning a bookshop.

The walk to the shop wasn’t far and you reached it in record time, pushing open the wooden door and letting yourself in.

“Bradley,” you called out, trudging down between the isles of books, running your hand along the leather-bound novels, paperbacks and hardbacks, encyclopedia and dictionaries. You’d always loved reading, thinking of nothing better than sitting in a cosy corner with your nose stuck in a book. It was one of the main reasons you and Bradley had become friends, bonding over a book you were reading in the school library. A loud bang came from the back of the store and a rather frazzled-looking Bradley appeared in the doorway. His disheveled brown hair was sticking up at all angles and his eyes were wide. He called out to you in surprise before rushing over and pulling you into a hug.

“Alright big guy, steady on, I’m post night shift and barely functioning.” He laughed as he walked into the back and you could hear him put the kettle on.

“What happened to the girl I knew in High School who could go out to party until the early hours of the morning and still sit her anatomy exam the next day.”

“I got old,” you moaned, sagging down onto the worn red sofa that occupied the corner of the shop. Bradley gave you a bemused look before going and making you both a cup of coffee.

“Oh, my life source,” you hummed, taking a small sip from your drink. “This is what gets me through the day.”

“You have got to drink more water, Sweetheart.” You smiled at your nickname, it had been the one Bradley had used since the start of your friendship and you loved it. You’d only ever had two boyfriends but neither of them called you ‘Sweetheart’ as Bradley did.

“So you got any new books yet?” You asked, looking at Bradley out of the corner of your eye as you drank. Bradley snorted, throwing his arm over the back of the sofa.

“I literally opened the shop today, you’re my first customer.”

“But do you have any new books?” You looked at him quizzically and he sighed, standing up and collecting a cardboard box from the counter.

“Here’s a few new ones I haven’t put out yet, but don’t…” It was too late, you had already dived into the box, ready to devour whatever new novel you found. There wasn’t anything exciting, some you had already read and others just didn’t hold your interest but one you noticed was one of your favourites, a book you’d loved since your childhood, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

“I knew you’d like that one,” Bradley beamed at you. You grinned back, picking the book up and flicking through the first few pages. This book was new and shiny, the red leather binding was not worn and the pages were not creased. Your copy has been well used and well loved and it showed, but you read it again regardless.

“You can take it if you want,” Bradley nodded towards the book carelessly. You looked down at the book again, fighting the urge to stuff it into your bag.

“No, I can’t. I want someone else to love it as much as I do, but maybe we could have a little fun with it.” Bradley’s brow furrowed as he watched you draw a pen out of your pocket and start scribbling on the front page of the book. He looked even more confused when you snapped the book shut and placed it carefully back into the box.

“What was all that about?” He gave you a bemused look and you just smiled. He groaned, “please tell me it’s not another one of your clues you do. None of the guys ever responded in college when you did it. No one else manages to crack your codes.”

“Just wait and see, maybe there will be a guy that’s smarter than those idiot college boys you dated.” You stood up, dusting your scrubs off and picking your bag up off the floor. “And anyway the code isn’t even that hard.”

“Easy for you to say. You're such a hopeless romantic. I’m afraid to say it but life isn’t like all those romcoms you watch. People don’t meet the love of their life in a bookshop, love, it just doesn’t happen.” Bradley had a point but you weren’t about to agree with him. You’d been on multiple failed dates and had even let Bradley sign you up for online dating, which you hated and deleted almost immediately. You loved the idea of love, where the characters had a meet-cute and fell hopelessly in love, there had to be some drama but then it always ended happily. You sighed. “Well, I better be heading home. Post night shift and all.” Bradley shook his head, he’d always found it amusing how often you’d remind people you’d done a night shift even if you weren’t that tired, it was like your get-out-of-jail-free card.

“Alright, hard-working, woman of the world. I’ll see you later, yeah?” You nodded at him, waving goodbye. Bradley called after you. “I’ll let you know when Mr Right buys the book.”

Tag list: @callsign-phoenix @imjess-themess @blue-aconite @averyhotchner @mayhem24-7forever @green-socks @alexxavicry @a-reader-and-a-writer @topguncortez @maggiescarborough @callsignmaverick5 @ssprayberrythings @smoothdogsgirl @xoxabs88xox @luckyladycreator2 @abaker74 @elenavampire21 @classyunknownlover @okiegirl24 @sunlightmurdock @airedale17 @basiccortez @flashyourgreeneyesatme

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Love Through the Pages | Chapter 7

Masterlist

Synopsis: Bob Floyd isn’t the man you typically find in a love story. His awkward mannerism and unusual ways don’t make him the typical heart throb, but Bob certainly has his charms. He finds love in an unexpected place when he finds a hidden message in a book that changes his life for ever. He meets the girl of his dreams but true love is not always an easy road and can they survive the ups and downs that life throws at them.

Warnings: 18+, potential slow burn, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language, smut, 18+, swearing. Nothing too specific for this chapter.

Your hands glided over the silky red fabric, smoothing out the creases. You’d been staring at yourself in the mirror for the past 5 minutes, willing yourself to grab your jacket and leave your apartment. You felt so self-conscious as your hands slid over your curves, the low v-cut neckline showing off more cleavage than you thought was appropriate for a bookshop opening night. Slipping on your heels, you clicked down the hallway, sweeping up your jacket and purse. You let out a deep breath before pulling open the door and heading out into the cool night. Your apartment was two blocks from the shop and you made it there in record time, ready to help Bradley set up any last-minute bits.

Once inside you popped up to Bradley’s apartment, dropping off your bag and coat before going back down the stairs. Bradley was talking to the band who had just arrived. You spotted Natasha there too and made your way over to see her.

“Hey Nat, what are you doing here? I didn’t know you knew Bradley.”

She laughed, “I don’t know Bradley. My girlfriend’s in the band.” She said, pointing towards her. The girl was of average height with brown hair. She was smiling and chatting with Bradley.

“Her name is Sophie,” Nat said, smiling over at her.

“Oh, I’ll have to go and introduce myself.” You and Nat continued chatting until Bradley and Sophie came over.

“Hey Sophie, it’s so lovely to meet you. I’ve been working with Nat for 2 years and I’ve heard so much about you.” Sophie blushed slightly, her nose wrinkling and she laughed. “Not too much I hope.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve only told them the good things,” Nat said, linking her arm around her girlfriend.

The night went by quickly, the band playing softly creating a calming atmosphere and the dim lights casting an ambient glow across the room. Bradley and Jake had been chatting in the corner for what felt like hours, sharing soft kisses when they thought no one was looking. Bradley held Jake close as he wobbled slightly, laughing like children. You watched them smiling, Bradley looked so happy. You’d not seen him this happy in a long time.

“They look good together,” a strange voice spoke from behind you. Turning around you came face to face with a friendly-faced man. His blond hair was neatly kept and his silver-framed glasses balanced precariously on the bridge of his nose. He smiled shyly at you, his cheeks dusted with a light pink glow. You smiled sweetly at him, following his gaze to where Bradley and Jake were laughing together.

“They really do.” You turned back to him. “So do you like reading?”

“Umm… I'm not a big reader but recently something has changed. A book I read changed me and I loved every second of it.” You nodded at him knowingly. You understood that feeling, immersing yourself in another world, somewhere you could lose yourself if only for a little while. You chatted easily with the stranger, you laughed freely at his jokes. But you couldn’t help that growing feeling in your stomach that you were betraying the Code Breaker. The guilt inside you twisting, were you really betraying him? You’d never actually met him. He complimented your dress and you explained how Bradley had begged you to wear it. “He’s hoping I meet this guy I’ve been talking to,” you laughed. “I don’t normally wear things like this.” You tugged at the hem of the dress.

“Well if it’s any consolation I was hoping to be meeting a girl I’ve been talking to tonight. My friend, Jake, promised me she’d be here. He told me I shouldn’t wear my glasses to meet her. Apparently, they look like ‘birth control goggles’.” You laughed with him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

“Oh no. I think they look good. I like men with glasses.” You gave him a sweet smile, watching the pink hue spread across his cheeks. You felt a warm fuzzy feeling growing, something you had never felt before.

Suddenly there was a crash from behind you and you watched in horror as Jake tripped backwards into the piano Sophie was playing. Bradley tried to grab his hand but it slipped through his fingers and Jake crashed into the stage, laughing hysterically. Bradley laughed too but you couldn’t help but feel utterly embarrassed at your friends, who had just annihilated Natasha’s girlfriend’s performance.

“I’m so sorry I should go help them,” you rushed forward and the stranger followed you. You tucked your hands under Bradley’s arms and pulled him up, as he laughed. “I think Jake’s had too much to drink.”

“Yes I think so too,” you couldn’t help but smile as you watched the stranger help pull Jake up, supporting him against his side.

“I think we should get you home, Jake. Come on.” You helped him guide Jake toward the door, carefully weaving through the crowds of people. You sent Sophie an apologetic smile and she smiled back reassuringly.

When you reached the door, Jake turned, slurring a thank you to you before promptly bending over and vomiting on the pavement. You wrinkled your nose and made eye contact with the other man. You gave him a sympathetic smile as you hoisted Jake up. “I should get him home. Thank you for the lovely evening.” He grinned at you and you smiled back, the warm feeling spreading through you.

“No thank you. I had a lovely time…” you paused waiting for his response.

“Oh umm I’m, Bob,” he stuttered out, nervously. You went to reply but Jake leaned over and vomited down Bob’s leg. You watched as Bob screwed his face up as Jake started rambling apologies. You waved as he waddled off down the dimly lit street, Jake clinging tightly onto his arm.

You stepped back inside, shivering as the warm air hit your skin, causing goosebumps to flair up along the pale flesh. Bradley came over to you, he’d been talking to Sophie, and you hoped he’d apologized for Jake’s actions.

“Do you realize who you’ve been talking to all evening?”

“Yeah, it’s Bob,” you said, matter of factly.

“Oh, I’m so glad you realized, I thought I was going to have to spell it out,” Bradley sighed with relief but you just stared blankly at him.

“Realised what?”

“It was Bob,” Bradley said, raising an eyebrow at you. Why was he repeating something you’d already said? “Code Breaker Bob.” Your eyes widened as Bradey spoke and you looked back around to the door he’d just walked through.

“You mean you're telling me I’ve been speaking to him all evening and you didn’t tell me!” You explained, smacking Bradley lightly on the arm. He feigned injury, but just laughed at you.

“Honestly, sometimes I wonder how you’ve lasted so long without me. Good job I got Jake to give me his number earlier.” He waved a crumpled piece of paper at you and you snatched it out of his hand quickly, glancing down at the ten-digit number Jake had scrawled across the page. His writing was nowhere as neat as Bob’s. You dashed up the straits for your phone. “You’re welcome,” Bradley called after you, but you had already disappeared.

Tag list: @callsign-phoenix @imjess-themess @blue-aconite @averyhotchner @mayhem24-7forever @green-socks @alexxavicry @a-reader-and-a-writer @topguncortez @maggiescarborough @callsignmaverick5 @ssprayberrythings @smoothdogsgirl @xoxabs88xox @luckyladycreator2 @abaker74 @elenavampire21 @classyunknownlover @okiegirl24 @flashyourgreeneyesatme @sunlightmurdock @basiccortez @airedale17 @callmemana @shadowolf993 @dhwanishah09 @wkndwlff @topguncultleader

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Love Through the Pages | Chapter 6

Masterlist

Synopsis: Bob Floyd isn’t the man you typically find in a love story. His awkward mannerism and unusual ways don’t make him the typical heart throb, but Bob certainly has his charms. He finds love in an unexpected place when he finds a hidden message in a book that changes his life for ever. He meets the girl of his dreams but true love is not always an easy road and can they survive the ups and downs that life throws at them.

Warnings: 18+, potential slow burn, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language, smut, 18+, swearing. Nothing too specific for this chapter.

Dear Bookshop Girl,

It sounded like a very fitting name for you and I’m not sure who else to address this to. First of all I’d like to say thank you for the book. I found it uplifting, although I don’t know whether I’d have been as brave as the Pevensie children. I’d also like to praise you on your ingenious code, it had me stumped for nights and I was losing sleep over it. Somehow cracking it was all I could think of. I’d like to learn more about you. What do you like and dislike? Your favorite food? What job do you have? I have so many things I want to ask you, to get to know the real you. I thought I’d share a little something about myself. My name is Bob. Well my full name is Robert, but only my Gran calls me that, so I feel like it’s weird for anyone else to call me Robert. What’s your name? I want to get to know you more, Bookshop Girl. Yours sincerely Your Code Breaker

You smiled down at the crumpled letter in your hand. You’d read it over and over, feeling the words seeping into your soul like the ink on the page. Bob’s words swam through your mind at every waking moment and accompany your dreams. You’d been trying to write a reply, you wanted to tell him everything, how much you desperately wanted to meet him, but that would have ruined the mystery of it all. So far all you had was ‘Dear Bob’, but that didn’t make for much of a letter. You sighed, placing the letter down on the table.

“Still no luck?” Bradley asked, looking up from his laptop.

“No,” you groaned, placing your head against the table.

“Well, good job you’ve got me here,” Bradley turned the computer screen towards you smiling. “It’s only a draft so you can add and change what you like, but I thought it was a start.”

Your face broke into a wide grin and you pulled your friend in for a hug.

“Thank you, Bradshaw.”

“Anytime, Love.” You and Bradley continued to work on the letter for the rest of the afternoon. You wanted it to be perfect. It seemed strange to think that you had never met this man and yet you wanted to pour your heart and soul into a letter for him. You managed to restrain yourself, keeping things simple. Bradley headed home shortly after and you continued to work on your letter to Bob. The more you wrote about yourself the more you felt connected to him.

Dear Bob,

It was so lovely to receive your reply the other day. I had almost lost hope that you wouldn’t write back. My name is y/n and I’m an ER nurse. I wanted to be a nurse since I was very young as my brother spent a lot of time at the hospital. Considering we met because of a book you can probably tell that I enjoy reading. Narnia has been one of my favourite books since I was a child, so I’m really glad you enjoyed it. I’d love to learn more about you Bob. Tell me what makes you an individual, Bob. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours Sincerely Bookshop Girl

Elated that you’d finished your letter, you sealed it neatly and planted a small kiss on the envelope, leaving a lipstick mark. You placed the letter carefully into your bag.

—————————————————————————-As the weeks went by the letters came and went. You learnt that Bob was a personal assistant to some high up boss of a newspaper company. You learnt about his parents and his sister and you loved the stories of his grandmother.

You told Bob about your family and your brother. You told him about his cancer and how that had cemented your choice to become a nurse. The more you talked the more you found yourself falling for him.

You’d never felt like this about anyone before and even Bradley could see the change in you. The way you smiled as you read his letters and the way you were so excited when talking about him. Jake saw the same change in Bob. He no longer seemed to walk around like a shadow but had a new lease of life. Jake even found the letters from you tucked under Bob’s pillow. ——————————————————————————The bookshop's opening night was coming around quickly and Jake and Bradley decided to make a plan. “I can’t take it anymore, Bradley. They need to meet each other. I’ve never seen Bob so in love.” Bradley smiled at his boyfriend. “Me neither. It’s like she’s a completely different person. I haven’t seen her this happy since her brother died.” The two decided to create a meet cute. “Bob loves rom coms and is a hopeless romantic, so this is perfect. Meeting the girl of his dreams at a bookshop. There will be music so they can dance and food. It’s perfect, Bradley.” “Don’t worry, Jake. I have the perfect plan.” ——————————————————————————

Bradley had been harassing you all week about what you were going to wear to the open night. “I don’t know, Brad. I was debating whether to wear that green dress I wore last year to my work’s Christmas party.”

“What!” Bradley choked on his coffee, spluttering the warm liquid down his shirt. “You can’t wear that,” he gasped. “It’s not at all sexy.”

You raised your eyebrow at him. “Brad, it’s a bookshop opening night, I don’t think there’s going to be anything remotely sexy about it.”

“Babydoll, trust me, please. You gotta look sexy.” He thumbed his way through the clothes in your wardrobe, pulling faces at some of them before pulling out a red dress. It was short and had a low cut neckline. “This is it. This is the one,” Bradely thrust the dress towards you.

“No Brad, I can’t wear this. It was an impulse buy, I’ve never even worn it…”

“Which is why this is perfect. If you're not turning up in this dress then I’ll wear it myself.”

You laughed at the thought of Bradley trying to squeeze into the red dress. Bradely looked at you sternly and you buckled. “Ok, fine. I’ll wear the dress.”

Bradley pulled you into a hug, lifting you off the ground. “Yes. You are going to look perfect.” You giggled as he set you down, cupping your cheek in his large hand. Bradley had always been a hands on sort of guy and you loved him for it, being embraced in your friend’s arms had always made you feel safe. You wished that you had someone who hugged you like that in the ‘more than friends’ way. You hoped that one day Bob would hug you like that, but then you’d have to meet him. You wanted to ask him to meet but you were so nervous that you wouldn’t live up to his expectations that you’d chickened out. Bradley could feel your shoulders tense and he could almost read your mind.

“You’ll find him one day, Love. I promise you.”

“Thanks, Brad. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Tag list: @callsign-phoenix @imjess-themess @blue-aconite @averyhotchner @mayhem24-7forever @green-socks @alexxavicry @a-reader-and-a-writer @topguncortez @maggiescarborough @callsignmaverick5 @ssprayberrythings @smoothdogsgirl @xoxabs88xox @luckyladycreator2 @abaker74 @elenavampire21 @classyunknownlover @okiegirl24 @airedale17 @sunlightmurdock @basiccortez @flashyourgreeneyesatme @callmemana @shadowolf993 @dhwanishah09

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Love through the pages | Chapter 8

Masterlist

Synopsis: Bob Floyd isn’t the man you typically find in a love story. His awkward mannerism and unusual ways don’t make him the typical heart throb, but Bob certainly has his charms. He finds love in an unexpected place when he finds a hidden message in a book that changes his life for ever. He meets the girl of his dreams but true love is not always an easy road and can they survive the ups and downs that life throws at them.

Warnings: 18+, potential slow burn, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language, smut, 18+, swearing. Nothing too specific for this chapter.

Bob’s number had been in your phone contacts for over a week now and you still hadn’t used it. You drafted 16 different messages to him and tried to call him 10 times but still hadn’t worked up the courage. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to talk to him, you did desperately, but somehow this made you even more nervous. You’d poured your heart and soul into those letters and felt like you knew everything there was to know about Bob and yet now he felt like a complete stranger. Bradley had been pestering you to just call him.

“You’ll feel better once you’ve done it,” he kept telling you and he was right, once you made the first step everything would fall into place. But you still couldn’t do it.

You glared at the message you had written out while stirring your now cold pasta with your fork. You wrote a new message out to Bob during your lunch break, but once again hadn’t worked up the courage to send it. Natasha was sitting opposite you, she’d eaten her lunch and was now answering emails, occasionally glancing up at you when you kept sighing. When you sighed again she snapped her laptop screen shut, glaring at you in annoyance.

“Just send the damn message, please. It will put us all out of our misery.” She shuffled her chair round the table snatching the phone out of your hand and pressing send.

“NO!” You gasped, grabbing the phone back and staring in horror at the now blue message. It had been delivered. That was by far not the best message you had written, it wasn’t witty or friendly or anything like what you had written in the letters. It was simple.

“Hey, Bob. It’s Y/N. Jake gave Bradley your number, who gave it to me. I thought I’d reach out to say hi. Feel free to give me a call if you fancy a chat.” It wasn’t well written and you felt like you'd just spewed words out, but now there was nothing you could do. Natasha looked at you smugly like she’d won. “They owe me 20 bucks each,” she said plainly, shrugging her shoulders.

“What!?” You looked at her exasperated.

“We all had bets on how long it would take you to message Bob. Bradley thought you’d do it straight away and Jake thought after a week. Sophie bet a fortnight but I had more faith in you.” She smiled at you as you let out another sigh.

“But Nat, it wasn't the perfect message. I’ve been writing them and writing them but nothing seems to come out right.”

Natasha sighed, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, “it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be true. Hopefully, he’ll give you a call by the end of the day.”——————————————————————————“Shit! Shit! Shit! Jake come quickly, I need your help,” Bob half gasped, half shouted from his room. Jake appeared in the doorway wrapped in a towel, water still dripping down his body.

“What? What is it?” Jake asked, hurrying towards him while trying to stop himself from tripping over his towel.

“She sent me a message. She texted me,” Bob's eyes were wide and full of worry. He gulped.

Jake raised his eyebrows, “I’m sorry, but you didn’t just make me run in here halfway through my shower because a girl messaged you?” He used his sarcastic voice and used quotation marks with his fingers as he spoke. Bob groaned, this was a big deal for him, it was the next stage in your relationship and it frightened him that someday soon you might meet again in person. Bob had only had a few girlfriends before, nothing serious and none of them had lasted more than a few months. With you this was different, it was special and he was desperate for it to be more. Jake must have seen it in Bob's eyes because he sat down carefully on the bed, not worrying about making the sheets damp.

“Bob, there’s nothing to be scared of. You really like this girl and you’ve known each other for months. You’ve told her some of your biggest secrets and now you're frightened to message her back? That's not the Bob I know.” He raised his eyebrows and looked at Bob sincerely. “The Bob I know fights for what he loves, so message her back. Just meet up for coffee or something.”

Bob nodded slowly, pulling the phone back out from where he had hidden it under his pillow and opening up the message. He wrote a simple reply asking if you’d like to meet up tomorrow. He stared down at the message nervously. His stomach churned and he could feel the bile rising in the back of his throat, his palms damp with sweat. With a deep breath, he pressed the blue arrow and the message zipped on to the screen. Delivered.

“Atta boy, Bob. I’m proud of you.” Jake sauntered out of the room, his towel hanging low enough that Bob diverted his eyes awkwardly, shaking his head. He’d done it.

Bob stretched, pushing himself off the edge of his bed. He pulled his pyjama top over his head, running his hand through his unkempt hair, his spectacles balancing on the bridge of his nose. Grabbing his towel off the radiator he moved towards the bathroom when his phone rang out. He turned slowly, hardly daring to pick it up off the table. The screen lit up, revealing a picture of him and Jake when they went to Disneyland for Jake’s birthday. Jake had set the picture as his lock screen when he fell asleep on the way home and Bob had never bothered to change it. There were two notifications, one reminding him that he had to pick up Mr Cain’s suit from the dry cleaner, Bob made a mental note to do that on his way to work. The second message was short and sweet, simply stating: “I’d love to. See you at 11 am at the bookshop,” with a little heart-shaped emoji next to it. Bob blushed fiercely, averting his eyes from the screen and trying to contain his smile. His heart swelled at the thought of finally meeting you. Bob could honestly say that he’d never felt this way for anyone before, and yet he felt like he’d known you his whole life.

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[footprintsinthesxnd]

Love through the pages | Chapter 11

Masterlist

The first thing that Bob could remember was the light, it was a piercing light. The kind that caused you to squint and shield your eyes. It was bright and white. The slow beeping of the machine was next, it entered his brain and stayed there, beeping incessantly. His body felt heavy, like it was being weighed down, Bob felt like someone was laying across his chest, restraining him. His eyes struggled to open, heavy eyelids twitching as his eyes adjusted to the light. He lay in the bleach-white room on the crisp bed sheets. Bob's eyes fluttered shut again and he fought to open them, trying to concentrate on his surroundings. A pale blue curtain hung limply on the chrome railing, encircling his bed. Bob’s eyes focussed and he saw you sitting next to him. You looked exhausted, face crumpled and tear-stained. He tried to reach across to you but his chest erupted in pain like someone had replaced his heart with a hand grenade and pulled the pin. The machine beeped violently next to him and he groaned again, desperately trying to ease his discomfort. He felt you stir next to him and watched as you shot bolt upright in the chair.

“Bob?” Your voice was barely above a whisper as you reached towards him. Your hand felt cold against his cheek and his whole face stung as you gently ran your fingers across his cheekbone. “Bob?” You asked again and he tried to give you a weak smile.

“Hey Love,” he croaked, his throat feeling raw and dry. Tears began to stream down your cheek and Bob tried to reach up to wipe them away, but moaned in pain. He’d always hated seeing his girl cry.

“I’m so sorry, Bobby,” you cried, voice straining with the effort as you tried to hold back the flood that was threatening to fall. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Love. None of this is your fault,” he hated how weak he sounded. “If anything I should be… I should be apologizing to you.” He erupted in a fit of coughing, causing searing pain to spread through his body. Your face filled with worry as you disappeared from the room, Bob reached forward trying to stop you from leaving. “It’s ok, Baby I’ll be right back I promise.”

The nurses hurried into the room, followed by a doctor. They busied themselves, talking to you but never talking to him. “What’s happening,” Bob kept mumbling, but no one replied to him. Somebody stuck a stethoscope to his chest, the cold metal causing Bob to wince. One of the nurses checked his vitals while a doctor he recognised as Natasha was talking to you in the corner. Bob felt so confused, a dizzy feeling circling his head and his eyes began to feel heavy again. He soon slipped back into the peaceful darkness. ——————————————————————————

Bob lay peacefully in bed. His face relaxed and his heart beating quietly through the ECG. You watched as his eyes moved below his lids as he slept, waiting for him to open his eyes again. Natasha and Dr Mitchell kept coming in to check on him, but it was mainly just you sitting and watching his pulse spike up and down on the machine. Your mind was so busy concentrating on the beeping noise that you didn’t notice Bob was awake until he squeezed your hand softly. “Bob?”

“Hello, Love?” He smiled at you, this time a little brighter.

“How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” You stood up, placing your hand on his forehead and brushing the stray blond locks away from his eyes.

“No, I’m ok actually. I think whatever they gave me earlier is working,” he gave a small laugh but winced instantly. His voice was still croaky so you handed him a glass of water, which he drank gratefully. “That’s what Morphine does for you, My Darling.” You continued to talk to Bob softly, explaining what happened in the accident. “You gave me quite the scare, Bob. I thought I’d lost you.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Your conversation was interrupted by Dr Mitchell entering the room. He smiled softly at the pair of you as he approached the bed.

“Good morning, Mr Floyd. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a truck, Doc.”

Dr Mitchell smiled, “he’s still got his sense of humour then? That’s good to hear.” You tried to laugh at the joking but you knew Dr Mitchell had come to discuss Bob’s condition and you already knew the conversation was going to end in tears. You braced yourself as Dr Mitchell discussed the extent of Bob’s injuries with him. Bob nodded along with the small awkward smile he always wore when he was worried. You squeezed his hand reassuringly as the doctor spoke.

“Mr Floyd, I’m afraid to tell you that due to the severity of your injuries that you're unlikely to ever be able to walk again. Now when you feel better we can set you up with physio and hydrotherapy to try to help build up the muscles but I’m sorry to say you are never likely to have full function of your legs again.”

“Ok,” was all Bob replied and both you and Dr Mitchell looked at him completely shocked.

“Bob? Honey, do you understand what Dr Mitchell’s trying to tell you?” Bob nodded at you still with a small smile on his face.

“Sometimes it takes a while for the news to set in. I’ll leave you two to talk but if you need anything let me know.” You thanked the doctor, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Bob, I don’t understand. Are you not upset about this? Baby, you might never walk again, do you understand?”

“I understand. I already knew. When I woke up I couldn’t feel anything below my waist and the look on your face told me that my suspicions were right. I can’t remember exactly what happened. I can’t remember much from the past few days, to be honest.” You let out a broken sob and Bob reached forward for a hug. You placed your head gently on his chest and cried. How could he be so calm about this?

“It’s ok, Baby. Please don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it.” You rubbed your eyes with the sleeve of your jumper, no longer caring if your makeup was smudged. “How can you be so calm?”

“Because I thought I was going to die and never see that beautiful face of yours again,” Bob said sincerely, a large smile gracing his lips. “Could you grab my coat, there’s something in there I want to give you.”

“Baby, you should be resting…”

“Please (y/n). Just do it. Stop going all nursie on me.” You both laughed at this. Whenever Bob was feeling slightly under the weather you always treated him like one of your patients, fussing over him.

You moved across the room, picking up Bob’s coat before taking your seat on the edge of the bed. He held it protectively against him, rummaging in the pocket, you saw him physically relax as he found what he was looking for. You cocked your eyebrow at him but he just smiled.

“So umm… I’m really sorry about how I acted the other night, it was childish. I was just upset but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” He had tears in his eyes and this caused you to start crying too, the events of the last 48 hours were catching up with you.

“It’s not your fault, Bob, it’s mine. If I hadn’t let Jared in, none of this would have happened. He said he just wanted to talk. I didn’t know he was going to kiss me.”

Bob grasped your hand as tightly as he could considering his frail state.

“I forgive you. It’s ok.” He beckoned you forward, kissing your lips gently. You tried to avoid the cut on his lip and you rested your hand carefully against the back of his neck, avoiding the bandage that was secured around his head. When you pulled back Bob gave you a crooked grin. “ I had something to ask you about and… well I guess the moment’s kind of ruined now,” he gestured to the room and you let out a soft laugh.

“But well, I guess there’s never going to be a perfect time because life is messy and it’s not perfect. Nobody is, I’m certainly not. I’ll always remember the saying from that film you like, ‘you like because and you love despite.’ I like you because you are an incredible person, (y/n) and I love you despite your obsession with the ‘Mission Impossible’ films.” You laughed, ever since your drive-through cinema date, you made Bob sit through all the films with you, multiple times.

“I love you so much and I don’t want to spend a day apart from you.” Bob took a deep, shaky breath, pulled a small box out of his pocket and presented it to you.

“So will you make me the happiest man in the world and say ‘yes’? Will you marry me?”

You gasped, your hand covering your mouth as you tried to contain your excitement. You tried to reply but the words just wouldn’t come. Bob sat there, his smile still on his lips but the longer it took you to reply the duller it became. You took a deep breath. “Yes,” you whispered but Bob heard you. “Yes,” you repeated a little louder, leaning forward and kissing him deeply. Bob laughed, pulling the ring from its box and pushing it onto your finger. It fitted perfectly. “I borrowed one of your other rings for size. I wanted it to be perfect.”

Bob was forever the hopeless romantic.

“This is perfect, Bob. I love you so much.” You kissed him again and he grinned widely up at you.

A knock at the door disturbed the comfortable silence that had fallen upon the room. Jake and Bradley stood awkwardly in the doorway, a large bunch of flowers in their hands and Jake had a small teddy bear in his other. You could tell that Jake had been crying and by the look of Bradley’s red face you could tell he was trying to stay strong for Jake.

“Sorry, are we interrupting?” Bradley asked awkwardly, looking between the two of you. You smiled at Bob as he replied, “ oh only my proposal to my girlfriend. SHE SAID YES!” Cheers erupted around the room and both Bradley and Jake hugged you tightly. Bradley shook Bob’s hand congratulating him, while Jake carefully hugged his best friend. Both men sat at the end of the bed, facing you both.

“Bob, I’m so sorry…” Jake began, choking slightly on his words. His eyes welled with tears again and Bradley held his hand tightly.

“Bob. I don’t even know what to say… I…”

“It’s ok guys,” Bob reached forward, taking your hand in his and squeezing it the best he could. “We’re going to get through this together.”

Jake sniffed loudly, wiping his nose in his jacket sleeve.”I don’t know how you can be so brave about this Bob. When (y/n) told us I couldn’t stop crying. This is so unfair, you don’t deserve this.” Jake gulped, struggling to look Bon in the eye.

Bob patted the side of and Jake moved to sit next to him. “Life isn’t fair, Jake. And yeah this is really shit but I guess I'm just glad that I'm alive. I'm glad I got to ask (y/n) to marry me and I'm glad that I'm still here with you all.” Bob looked at all three of you in turn. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too, Bob.” Bradley had moved round the bed and was now standing behind you with his hand on your shoulder. “And we are going to help you through this. Whatever you both need, we’re here for you.” You smiled weakly at Bradley in a silent thank you. Despite the good news you could help the painful feeling in your chest. It had numbed for a while when it felt like everything was ok but it wasn’t ok.

“Still congratulations to you both. I'm so for you both.” Bradley was admiring your ring and you saw him mouth ‘good job’ to Bob who was looking very pleased with himself. You should have known that Bradely helped pick out the ring. The room fell into a comfortable silence with Bradely and Jake occasionally talking while you stoked Bob's hair.

Bob’s parents and his sister arrived a little while later and you gave them some space, choosing to sit with Jake in the waiting room while Bradely went to find some coffee. You rejoined Bob in his room, talking to his parents. You had always loved Bob’s mum, she was one of the nicest people you could meet and you saw where Bob got his kind heart from. She was so pleased about the engagement and despite the heartbreak you had all gone through she gave you a big hug and a smile. Bob kept trying to crack jokes and you could tell he was doing it for everyone else’s sake so you tried to laugh along with him.

Dr Mitchell popped in again later to check on Bob and soon cleared everyone. “This is a hospital, not a circus.” But you could tell from the smile on his face that he didn’t really mind. He checked all of Bob’s vitals and explained that all being well and that if the tests all can back clear over the next few days Bob should make an almost full recovery. Dr Mitchell allowed you to stay the night with Bob, he wouldn’t normally but considering you were a nurse he thought Bob was in safe hands.

You curled up into Bob’s side, trying to avoid knocking his ribs. Bob sighed contently as you hummed to him.

“Is that Taylor Swift?” Bob asked quietly and you snorted, “maybe…”

“That’s ok, I’ve grown to love Taylor Swift too.” You soon heard soft snores from behind you and you tilted your head to see Bob, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open. He looked so peaceful and at that moment it seemed like nothing from the last 48 hours had happened. You placed a small kiss on his cheek, smiling down at your fiancé. “I love you, Robert Floyd.”

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