Palace to Plunder (AMBW)

4 RAR

I was starting to think that I should probably try and start a conversation with him. Seriously. Why? Because every other day I passed by this fountain after work, I saw him sitting on the stone benches reading. Did his man even have a job? Either way, it was starting to bother me that I saw him hanging around this area so much.

I watched as he flipped through the book carefully. His eyes narrowed as he read through the pages. Was it a sign for me to introduce myself? Probably not. But it was a worth a shot.

I took one step towards him, but it's as if he noticed. He slammed his book closed, and looked up. I turned around as quick as I could so he wouldn't think I was watching him. I almost broke my ankles turning so fast.

He stood up and stretched his arms, before making his way to the bookstore. I decided to follow him inside. I waited for him to walk in first, and after he was at least 3 meters ahead, I tip toed after him.  I felt like I was an agent on Mission Impossible.

He walked towards the counter, made a sharp right turn behind a shelf and disappeared.

Where in the world did he go? He was like a ninja, disappearing in the shadows. I strolled after him and stared down the empty isle of books. I took a step forward and ran my fingers across the bridges of many titles. It was the Historical Genre section. The tip of my finger stopped at a particular book I had recognized from last year. The one about Blackbeard.

I sighed and bit my lip in irritation, rubbing my index finger and thumb against the bridge of my nose. I might as well leave. What was I even doing here in the first place? It felt like I was wasting my time again.

Before I could turn on my heel and head for the exit, a hand rammed against the shelf directly next to my face. I jumped back and let my shoulders hit the shelf as I turned around. It was him.

"Crap." I muttered. He leaned forward with narrowed eyes, and his lips pressed into a thin line. I tried to step aside but he pinned his other arm to prevent me from leaving.

"What are you doing?" He spat, anger dripping from his venomous tone. "Why are you following me?"

"Uhh.." I trailed off, racking my brain for ideas on what to say. I had been caught, and I wasn't sure how to get myself out of this situation. I closed my mouth and lowered my head in shame.

"I'm getting sick of you Asia-boos following me around. I don't care what music you listen to and what group member I look like." He hissed. "I'm not a model, so please," His lips turned into a fake smile. "Back off."

He was hinting towards something I didn't understand. Was there others who had followed him?

He sighed, ran his hands through his hair and pushed himself away. He turned away, chose a book from the shelf and headed for the front counter. A deep part of me felt like I shouldn't let him leave knowing me as some type of weird stalker.

"Excuse me," I cleared my voice and called after him. He stopped and turned his body half way, turning his head slightly. I exhaled and began to speak "I'm sorry, I wasn't following you to be weird or anything. You just.. remind me of someone I knew."

"I hear it all the time, lady." He snorted sarcastically and began to walk away. He strolled over to the front counter and placed his book down. I grabbed a random magazine and followed him in line.

How do I make it up to him? Maybe I could treat him to a meal as an apology? Or not, my funds were running low. Or what about inviting him to  go see a movie? No, then that would seem like a date.

I wasn't taught on how to deal with these kinds of things. I needed more friends besides my mom. I walked over to another cash register and handed my card over to buy the magazine. I didn't want anyone to think I'd only come in this store for nothing. It was true, but I didn't want people to think that.

It was quite embarrassing to admit that I only came in here to follow him.

"Here's your change." A white woman with a face full of makeup skidded his coins across the counter, putting her hands in her pockets.

"Thanks." He mumbled and took his money into his palm.

"Have a nice day." She replied in a dull tone, not even bothering to give him a glance. He took his book and was about about to walk out the exit. I grabbed my item after I paid for it and jogged after him.

He opened the door, and let it close before I could walk out. I guess he wasn't a gentleman.

"Wait!" I exclaimed and skipped over to him closing our distance. He groaned when I blocked him from moving forward.

"You guys just don't give up, do you?" He snarled and shoved past me. I almost lost my balance and fell. I caught myself and grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket.

"Could you just wait a moment and listen to me?" I huffed. "Don't be such a prick!"

"What do you want?" He clenched his teeth and glowered at me.

"I already apologized. But it seems it wasn't enough for you because you're still mad at me." I placed my hand on my heart. "I want to make it up to you. I'll.." I bit my lip and my eyes flickered to my feet nervously. "I'll treat you to a meal."

When I looked back up, I noticed he had his head slightly tilted in confusion. "Are you asking me on a date?" He coughed. My eyes widened at his assumption, before I could quickly correct it he spoke. "You're asking me to go out with someone like you?" He looked me up and down in disgust.

Was he being.. rude? What did he mean by, 'someone like me'? Was he talking about me in that way because of my skin color?

"You do realize that you're putting me in a weird situation. I don't even know who you are, and you don't know me." He snapped at me, cutting me out of my thoughts. "I don't think it's wise for me to accept a date offer from a complete stranger."

Oh. That's what he meant.

"I'm not!" I frowned. "It's only for apologetic purposes. I promise."

His eyes remained on me as he pondered on what to reply. Eventually, it looked like he came to a conclusion and rested his eyebrows from furrowing. "What's your name?" He sighed.

"My name?" I blinked at him, almost forgetting for a second. "Um.. it's Charlotte." I gulped. "What's yours?"

"Levi." He rushed out his reply monotonously. He placed his hands in his pockets. "I get to choose where to eat, right?"