Different

Zodiac signs 🐏

Omniscient
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He'd walked by the bookstore dozens of times before even noticing it was there. It was on a street he went down nearly every day, but the entrance to the store was tucked away in an alley and the sign wasn't big or flashy.

"Anarchy Books" it proclaimed in black hand lettering, with a little red pentagram underneath. He probably never would have gone in if not to look for a birthday present for his little sister, who never shut up about zodiac signs. He wasn't much of a reader.

It was a tiny store smelling faintly of marijuana. Seemingly every possible surface was crammed with volumes under subject labels like "Spiritual Healing," "Revolutionary Ideology," and "Crystals." In the corner, an iron spiral staircase lead up to a second balcony level. He ventured further into the store looking around for any employees, but finding none began to peruse the titles feeling more than a little lost as to what exactly he was looking for. Frustrated, he picked one at random and began thumbing through it.

"Are you a big fan of the occult?" The voice made him jump. It was dry and slightly sarcastic, low but distinctly feminine though he could not make out the speaker.

"Sorry?"

He looked up to see a woman taking the stairs two down at a time, which seemed unwise given the thick platform shoes she was wearing. Despite the shoes she was several inches shorter than him and overall quite petite. She was pretty, very pretty, with a pale, heart shaped face framed by shoulder length black hair and dark make-up heavily applied around her green eyes.

"I said are you a fan of the occult?" She nodded toward the book he was holding and he glanced down at the cover. The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages.

"Oh. Ha. No, not really."

"I never would have guessed."

He laughed, in earnest this time, and put the book back on the shelf. Nothing about his shaggy hair, open, friendly face, or relaxed style suggested "witchcraft." He was a surfer boy type through and through, and he looked it.

"I'm Dylan."

She cocked her head with interest and sized him up.

"Wendy."

Before he could continue the conversation she turned and made her way - carefully so as not to disturb any stacks of books - to the little checkout desk and slid behind it.

Dylan followed, intrigued.

"Wendy, would you happen to have any books on uh...what do you call it...astronomy? Like zodiac signs and shit?"

"Astrology. Upstairs."

"Right." He gave her a curt salute and headed toward the staircase, which seemed like it might crumple under his weight. Upstairs he browsed the small selection under a sign hand-painted with little stars and a goat with the tail of a fish.

"You know," he said, loud enough for his voice to fill the whole store, "you don't look like a Wendy."

There was a short pause, then "I get that a lot. It's just because I don't look right out of Peter Pan."

"You got that right," he said to himself, and picked up The Little Big Book of Astrology. "Hey you got some pretty cool signs around here."

"Oh. Thanks. I painted them."

"For real?" He leaned over the rail to look down at Wendy. "That's sick. I like this goat-mermaid thing."

"It's a Capricorn."

Dylan made his way down the stairs, which shuddered ominously underfoot, and set The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology on the checkout desk. "That's one of the signs? You know a lot about this astrology stuff?"

She took the book and shrugged. "I guess so. You'd be surprised how accurate it can be. $14.49."

"Oh yeah? You think you could guess my sign?"

Wendy leaned forward and looked at him hard. He noticed for the first time a delicate silver hoop through her septum, as well as several piercings on each ear. He wondered if she had any other piercings.

"Taurus."

Dylan reached for the book and flipped through it. "April 20th to May 20th, damn you nailed it. Although I was almost," he turned the page, "a Gemini. Alright, Taurus traits. Persistent. Stubborn. Grounded. Romantic." He glanced at Wendy with raised eyebrows, "not bad. What's yours?"

"If I tell will you leave?"

"No promises, but it's worth a shot." A slight smile flickered across her face and was gone just as quickly. Dylan grinned. "I'll take it."

(Again this is not my story the story is on literotica you can find the person who made it at @nerdycocklover)