Bookworm (A KSI Fanfic)

ONE

I generally loved the snow. The way it covered the streets like a thick blanket of powder, or the way it slowly fell from the sky in large flakes. There was a calmness to it that I enjoyed.

But that was when I spent time inside. I would curl up on my recliner with a thick blanket and a book, spending the entire time lost in a symphony of words that, when put together, created a whole new world.

A better world.

I had a very routine life. I'd work almost every day of the week, mainly to pay for my roommate's half of our rent. She was easily the laziest person I had ever met, and if only I had the balls to kick her out.

But I'd be kept up late at night reading, purely to escape my boring life and insert myself into a much faster one. I rarely got a good night's sleep.

My days off were Fridays. I specifically requested them off because the library was open later on those days. From open to closed, I'd remain in the library because in all honesty, I hated going home.

So here I was, leaving the library late in the evening, carrying my shoulder bag with a couple of books inside. It had started snowing as I walked home, so I pulled my black beanie over my ears and shivered as the large flakes slowly landed on my white jacket. Clearly, black skinny jeans weren't enough to keep my legs warm, and though I desperately wanted to call an Uber, I told myself long ago that I didn't have the money to waste on a ride. It was only a twenty minute walk, after all.

But the clouds had almost made the sun set quicker than normal, and the dark didn't help with the cold. I knew my cheeks and nose had turned pink, because I felt the crisp, cold air against them as I walked.

I shivered as a gust of wind blew my long, light brown hair and hugged my arms closer to myself in an attempt to keep warm.

I heard a group of guys laughing up ahead, and my eyes quickly darted up to them to see just how close they were. They were walking towards me, but seemed too interested in their own conversations to notice me. So I brought my eyes back down to my feet as I walked.

I should have watched where I was going.

I bumped shoulders with one of the guys and staggered back slightly, feeling a warmth soak through my white coat and cursing.

I looked down at the coffee stain on my coat and immediately back up at who I'd bumped into.

"I'm so sorry," He reached out towards me but when I flinched he pulled away. His friends had gone on without him, but he seemed very apologetic.

I stared at him for a minute, tilting my head and wondering where I'd seen him before. He was probably the shortest out of his friends, being only an inch or so taller than me. He had thick eyebrows and a short, trimmed beard growing on his face.

"Oh, um, it's really okay," I shivered as another gust of wind blew before looking down at my back boots. "I could use the heat anyway."

"It won't be warm for much longer," He pointed out. He seemed to recognize me, too, but he didn't say anything.