Dedicated

Chapter 3

LUNA

Milo and I walk down the street relatively quiet but it's an easy quiet between us. It's something I appreciate since most of the time, the silence I have with people stems from awkwardness and my inability to maintain a flowing conversation.

Since it's almost noon on a Monday, and we're walking on the main street, it's very busy. However, we're not stuck in the human traffic for long since we only walk for a few minutes before Milo stops in front of a bookstore that I have walked by a thousand times but have never once stepped inside.

The store, called 'Aiko's library', is painted a bright lilac with a huge window overlooking a display of new releases. The bell jingles as we step inside, Milo holding the door open for me before he follows.

It's almost as if we step into another world; the moment the door shuts behind, the sounds of the city mute immediately. The atmosphere of the store is peaceful and welcoming, with green plants everywhere and books displayed on every possible surface; not just on the shelves. A large, black cat rests on a pile of books almost the same size as me by the front door and meows its welcome as we walk by.

"Ojisan," Milo calls out for his uncle, not too loud to disrupt the peace in the store but loud enough to be heard.

A few seconds pass and then an older man peeks his head around a large bookcase. "Milo?" He pauses for a second before putting on his glasses that are draped around his neck. "It is you Milo!"

"Hi uncle," Milo grins as the older man moves forward to pat his cheek in endearment. He then turns and, in a not so quiet voice, calls out a phrase in Japanese. A few seconds later, a woman rounds another bookcase and joins Milo's uncle to his side.

"Milo!" The woman immediately pulls Milo into a warm hug. "Oh, it's good to see you! Where have you been these past few weeks?" She babbles quickly.

"Hi auntie," Milo laughs, patting the woman's back as she clings onto him, "sorry I haven't come to visit, I've been wrapped up with work."

She pulls back and tuts, "I wanted to show you the changes we made to your display."

"Well, I'm here to see it today," Milo reassures her with a warm smile, "but before that, there's someone I want you two to meet." He gestures to me standing behind him, "this is my friend Luna."

Both his uncle and aunt slide their gazes towards me as Milo says this, huge smiles pulling on their lips when I wave a hand at them both.

"Luna," Milo continues, "these are my biggest fans: my uncle Ren and aunt Aiko."

"I remember you!" Aiko remarks excitedly. "At one of Milo's birthday parties, I think it was his 14th, didn't you wear an orange dress with the frills?"

"Um," I pause as I try to think back a whole decade ago, "I think so, I did own an orange dress with frills."

"I knew it!" She gives my arm a squeeze. "It's good to see you again!"

"I don't have an unusually good memory as my wife here," Ren interjects with a laugh, "so I can't remember if I met you before, but hello dear, welcome to our bookstore!"

"Thank you." I smile. "It's lovely here."

"It is, isn't it?" Ren grins, gazing down at his wife warmly and giving her waist a squeeze. Aiko beams up at him in return, melting into his touch and I immediately want to cry at how adorable they are. "We've been running it for almost 25 years."

"It's the same age as Milo." Aiko continues, turning her smile to me, "we opened it up about a month before he was born and coincidentally Milo has always been our most loyal customer and one of the most popular authors we sell here. I have always believed that it was destined for him to be apart of this store–"