Nowhere to hide

4. how can i help you?

the girl really had nothing to do with her day. saturdays have always been great, but this one seemed very blank and dull. and to add to that, she finished her favorite book. kind of tragic since there's only one part left of it which she does not have in her mini library at home.

which means... book shopping!! great,, she knew she'd finish that last book during the weekend and one trip to the bookstore is better than none, so her final decision was to find some more books she would like for her to read while she sulks away at home for the next 40 hours or so, or at least until she goes to work.

she picked out the simplest outfit (or at least for what she usually wore, it was quite simple)- a white button up on top of a black tank top below it, matched with brown pants and a pair of black doc martens.

her car was still getting fixed so she had to take a taxi, or at least the subway for what it's worth, although she wasn't so fond of that idea, which caused her to get herself an uber and wait patiently for its arrival.

the subway kind of scared her. she wasn't so sure of what it was about it, but the idea that she'd have to go underground in a huge, packed crowd of strangers wasn't one she liked to think about too often, for her own well being, of course.

as her uber pulled into the neighborhood, she was ready to get into the car and start thinking of all the books she'd be interested in getting.

before she knew it, she was out and standing in front of a random book store on flatbush. weirdly enough, brooklyn had a lot of places that satisfied her inner will to live in italy in a small village on a mountain. it was a very strange desire, but considering shes an artist, it would be easier to say that this is expected from her by people that know her artistic side, and rather appropriate for her secret inner self.

of course, brooklyn could never compare to italy. she missed it with her whole heart and despite not having spent much time of her conscious life there, she had a love hate relationship with her birthplace. it's hard to believe how much the memories made her contemplate wether it was the best time of her life, or the absolute worst. nonetheless, the place itself is beautiful.

her family, scattered across italy, making it hard for her to tell where most of her family history lies, had to move past the horrible memories that happened in that beautiful country and move to america, the one place they were never expected to be. bergamo and verona being the only places jocelyn called her true home in italy. despite what everyone knows, ashley and jocelyn have known each other their whole life, however no one knows anything further than their label of best friends.

now that all is in the past, she was caught up in that big city life style, which turned her into what she is seen as now- badass and a bit too fancy for what most considered to be normal.

she found herself getting closer and closer to the building. it seemed to be attracting her with it's beautiful architecture and the amazing color scheme. as she pushed the door open, she couldn't help but catch the scent of new books mixed with the sweet smell of some freshly baked bread and pastry.

it was then that her eyes fell onto a familiar silhouette. the boy. the one from the coffee shop. his eyes were focused on the books and his hands were reaching into a shelf, fixing the books into order, taking them out and putting them back in one by one.

as he turned his head to catch the girl staring, his glasses slid down his nose and joy could do nothing but turn her head hastily, as if she was scared to be seen staring so rudely. reasonably enough, she thought.

"can i help you, ma'am?" the outline of a british accent caught onto some words, making up the most perfect accent to ever exist, accompanying his beautiful voice. she seemed to be in a trance, and barely found the strength to reply-

"hi, yeah, do you work here?" she asked, not entirely sure if he actually wanted to help her or just wanted to let her know he wants her to stop staring. could be both, really.

"i do indeed" he smiled, exposing a small dimple on his right cheek. he walked up to her and repeated what he had previously asked.

"welcome to greenlight, how can i help you?" her eyes lit up at his words and she started explaining what she needed. before she even finished, his head slowly tuned to the left, away from the entrance and to a row of tall bookshelves. he muttered a follow me please and walked off into that direction, leaving the girl to go after him.

he stopped in front of the last section of the row and tilted his head so that it would be looking up to the tallest shelf. she watched him take out a small ladder with a few steps that he easily climbed, grabbing the book with ease and getting back down to hand it to joy.

she thanked him and headed towards the other section to get a few other books. she thought she would get a novel, much like the one the boy handed to her a few moments ago, however decided against it when she noticed "the world's wife" laying on the shelf, looking as lonely as ever. she couldn't say no to a collection of poetry, especially by carol ann duffy. that would be a sin.

she put the books on the table, preparing to pay for them as she hears the boy say something while observing the cover of the poetry book she chose.

"the world's wife? that's an excellent choice. you surely have an eye for art that has to be appreciated, madame." he said, looking up at her.

"thank you. i saw it on the shelf and thought i had to take it." she slightly smiled at the blue eyed boy who was taking in her features, slowly but very confidently.

"of course, would've been a sin if you wouldn't." he smiled back, handing her the book, which she gladly took, putting into her bag.

she payed for the books as she thanked him, which he did in return, but right as she was about to walk out of the store she heard him call out from behind her. "by the way, next time you wanna stare, do it more discreetly. although, i can't say i mind" he said with a wink and walked off into a door behind the check out table, leaving joy absolutely speechless.