Bookshop *(h. s)*

one

{edited}

She sat in the same place she did every day for the past four years; in the window in the bookshop. I know. It seems silly for a blind girl to be sitting in a bookshop where you are supposed to see to be able to read, but she has her headphones, and Margaret, the shop owner, recommends books to her to read, and helps her download them, so she can listen to them. She was currently reading Everything Everything; one of her favourites. One thing about this young girl is that, even though she cannot see, she likes to hold the book she's listening to in her hands, so she feels normal. It's a bit strange considering she can't see, but even the texture of the pages against her fingertips makes it seem normal.

No one ever talks to this young girl sitting in the window of a bookshop. No one ever takes a second glance at her; only newcomers who wondered why she was sitting there and not in one of the seats. They don't know she's blind and that there are seats; she just can't see them. A few locals would come up to her and say the usual 'good morning', then carry on with finding whatever book they were in search for. Like the old seventy-two-year-old man who was looking for a copy of Green Eggs and Ham for his granddaughter's birthday. Or the young teen who needed a copy of Pride and Prejudice for school. Always so polite, these Canadians.

One man, however, was new to the area. He has loved books all his life and wondered if he could find the book he had been looking for, for quite a while now in this shop. He quickly spotted the book, but it wasn't on a shelf. No, it was in the hands of the young girl in the window seat of the bookshop. There, she was holding Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon; a love story about a young girl who cannot go outside but does so eventually; running away with her true love. Typical, but lively, nonetheless.

He approached the girl who was in possession of the book he had been wanting to read for ages. Once he was stopped in front of her, he noticed she was staring blankly at the pages; her eyes unmoving. He also took notice to the fact that she had headphones in. Is she listening to music while reading? He thought.

She was still staring blankly at the pages; her eyes unmoving and her audiobook still playing. The only time she really moves is when she needs to turn a page when the audio says to. She didn't notice the presence standing in front of her until she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She paused her book and looked up. She couldn't see where she was looking, though.

The man's breath hitched when she looked up at him. She has long, wavy, brown hair that went down to her waist; her eyes a foggy blue colour. He wondered how someone's eyes could be that colour.

The person still hadn't spoken so she timidly asked: "May I help you with something?" In a gentle voice.

The man seemed to have come back from his dazed state and re-focused his attention on the female in front of him. "Yes. The book you're reading. I was wondering if there was another copy or something?" She now knew that the presence was a man.

This was in fact true. At first, he wanted to just ask if he could have the book, or at least borrow it, but after seeing the woman, he decided she looked so peaceful reading and didn't want to disturb her like that; rudely.

"Oh, no. This is actually my copy of the book, and they don't have it in Canada stores yet, " she said; suddenly feeling guilty that this was the only copy, and how they didn't have any in Canadian bookstores. She had to buy hers online.

"Oh, that's alright. I'll hopefully find it somewhere else. Maybe online." She heard the man start to walk away and, feeling more guilty than ever, the girl stopped the man.

"You can have this copy, if you'd like. I've read the book many times, so it's no big deal," she offered.

He turned around at the sound of the girls' voice. "Are you sure?" the man asked carefully. He didn't want to make her feel guilty for giving him the book or pressured in any way.