If Not for the Mystery Book

004

     A few days later, Sasha received another phone call. By now, she had put Anthony's number into her phone, silently wishing he would contact her for something other than the book. She had seen him twice more at the coffee shop, but had learned little more than that he had only been living in the area for about a month. She swiped the 'accept call' icon, placing the phone to her ear.

     "Hello?" she said, even though she knew who would be on the other line.

     "H-hey, Sasha, it's Anthony," he said, his voice making her smile.

     "Hey, what's up?"

     "S-so, good news. I found the book."

     "You did?" she exclaimed happily. She heard a small chuckle on the other side of the phone.

     "Yes, I-I did. I sent in a request f-for a copy, but it looks like i-it's no longer made." He paused, making the edges of her mind creep in with disappointment. "B-but I found a copy of it for sale online. I got it for you, and it sh-should arrive in a few days."

     "Anthony, thank you so much!" she called out. "You are seriously the best, you didn't have to do this for me."

     After a moment of silence, he said, "W-we do claim the best customer service, s-so might as well live up to that."

     "Well, thank you," she said seriously. "It means a lot." Her voice had taken a serious tone, and she could only hope he didn't start to question her. It was only a book.

¤¤¤

     It was only a few days later when Anthony gave her the book. She had been sitting at his usual table, waiting for him to arrive, when something wrapped in brown paper was set down in front of her. She looked up to see Anthony, a smile clear on his face.

     "Is this it?" she asked, almost disbelieving that it was in front of her.

     "This is it," he said, walking to the other side of the table. He sat down in front of her, watching what she did. "Well... Open it," he said, sounding more excited than she thought he would be.

     Biting her lip, she peeled back the paper wrapping. Her hands were shaking with emotions she didn't know would be brought back as the cover to the book was slowly revealed. It was a plain book, old and leather bound with the title written in a cursive font. She just couldn't believe she had it in her hands. She looked back up at Anthony, expression full of gratitude.

     "Thank you so much," she said, a small smile on her lips. She pulled out her wallet, looking for some money. "How much do I owe you?" she asked.

     Anthony's hand reached out to touch hers, gently turning her down. "It's on me," he said quietly. "Th-think of it as a gift."

     "Anthony," she said, looking up at him. "Are you sure? I feel bad accepting this..."

     "Don't," he said reassuringly. "Y-your reaction was payment enough."

     Sasha bit her lip, looking at him for a while. She eventually gave in, setting her wallet back down. "Well, thank you," she said quietly. He didn't know how much the gesture meant to her.

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