Sunflower | h.s

16

Harry Styles

She takes my hand as she leads me into the rectangular shaped, cream coloured building. It looked quite small which is probably why she liked it, she liked things that were homy, I could tell.

"Here we are" she says as she pushes the door open, leading us into a retro looking book shop, I knew where about the cafe was because of how strong the coffee smell was, it was the first thing you smelt as you walked in.

I look around and see loads of different sections of books and along each one had a strip of literature, this was Aaliyahs home, I could tell. The light provided were from some red and orange LED lights that hung upon the wall and from a few dimly lit hanging lights. Some old music was playing in the background making me feel as if I was in the 60's. I quite liked it too I cant lie.

"Walk around a bit?" She asks as if I didn't have a choice because she was already leading me into an entrance of what to me was a row of books, but to her, they are meaning and life. To me they were just dusty old books. To her they were adventures and a place to go when she wanted to escape reality. To me, books are pointless, to Aaliyah books are a point in the direction of the right path in life that she chose to take every day.

She brushes her fingers along the spines of the book as I just follow her around a bit as I look around at the tall shelves filled with old and worn in books. Aaliyah looked so at home with the glowing smile that was on her face and the way her eyes looked deeply into the words on the spines of the book.

"You like it here huh?" I ask while putting my hands in my pockets

"Here and the sunflower fields are my favourite places."

"Oh yeah?" I say while walking a bit faster so I walk beside her.

"I've loved them ever since I was a baby. Or at least, as long as I can remember." She says while still scanning each book with her eyes

"I know you told me why you like books and what it makes you feel. But why specifically literature and not something like fiction."

She looks at me and then looks back down at the floor, deep in thought as she processed the question.

"Literature is raw." She says catching me off guard slightly

"Hm?" I say in confusion

"Literature is real. Literature is not made up. Literature is also the reason I like to write in my spare time. I write in facts because I love the shape of the stories that my mind creates with the use of them, I love the sentences and creation of different words on a page wether that be through reading or writing. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write. You only will get good ideas based off facts and how people truly feel. Not some sugar coated fantasy."

I stared at her wide eyed as she continues walking as if what she just said was nothing. The way she worded her sentences was so particular and sophisticated, but that's how literature is also written so I don't blame her.

"Coffee?" She says as she turns around and placing the book that was once under her arm into her hands

"Love some." I say as I take my hands out my pockets and intertwine my fingers behind my back.

I follow her into a wooden door that was a light mint colour. As you walk in the smell of pastries, coffee, tea, just all sorts hits you at once. It wasn't too overpowering, it was soothing if anything.

The faint sound of peoples chatter and cutlery on the plates filled the room, along with the stacking of plates, cash register and other things happening behind the counter. Aaliyah leads us into the back corner of the shop as she tucks her knees up to her chest after sitting down.

"What would you like Aaly?" I say as I still stand up ready to get her food

"No it's alright I got-"

"Aaliyah. What would you like?" I say while chuckling slightly.

"Just a decaf if that's okay?"

"That's way too much. How dare you ask for a decaf coffee, not that's not alright." I say while laughing slightly so she knew I was being sarcastic. It made her laugh slightly too. I knew all she asked for was a decaf, but this was a date I guess, what's a date without pastries?

I go up and order our coffees and food. The lady asked me to wait for my order so I just walk to the side and rest my back on the wall as I look over to Aaliyah. She had already opened her book in which she didn't look lost in, if anything she looked found.

From what I interpreted of what she said earlier, she liked literature because it was real and she knew that when she related to the words, they weren't made up, they were raw as I now understand.

Most people will look at someone who is reading and say the phrase "they're lost in the book." I used to think that too. But Aaliyah has helped me understand that people who get "lost" in books are actually found. They are home when they read. It's a new form of freedom as they escape reality and feel like they belong somewhere, which they do.

I couldn't help but smile as I look at her. Her hair fell so nicely on her shoulders as her hands gently held the book. She just stared at it wide eyed as she took in every word on the page.

I go over to grab our food and drinks and bring it back to the table. I clear my throat as Aaliyah looks up at me. She looks so excited and I knew because she couldn't stop squirming in her seat. I knew what she wanted to do

"Go on then." I say as I chuckle slightly while blowing on my coffee to cool it down

She squeals in excitement as she grabs the book and frantically looks for the page she just read.

Aaliyah reads

// once you have discovered your nutrition and found the light you need, you need to discover ways to hold onto it and don't let it go until you're ready to bloom. You hold onto it by ensuring you carry on trying to find it everyday and by preparing for it the next day when the sun is absent. you lose it when you stop looking and trying. In which case that's absolutely okay! It's just a case of knowing how to find that light again no matter how dark the soil.

You also can't depend on the other things around you to just give you the light and nutrients you need, you need to do it for yourself sometimes. Of course having the help of the soil breaking, allowing the light through for you is beyond helpful. But you need to also find it yourself. That's where you discover your strength needed to begin blossoming.\\

She read with such joy and passion. It was as if she meant and felt every word she said. The personification in that book was really good I must admit myself. I hadn't read this book in a long time.

"Isn't that amazing?"

"What is." I say while breaking of a bit of food to eat.

"This. Just this book. Everything about it I've read so far. The personification of a sunflower is immaculate. It's only described the first couple stages but my god is the detail immaculate, just like sunflowers themselves. There's just so much more to sunflowers that we'll never know. I'm still curious of the essence but I'm sure that's an unanswerable question." She says

It sounded rude but I was just blanking out everything she said and picked out the key parts she said about sunflowers. I needed this part for my journal.

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A/N: sorry my updates have been a bit all over the place. How's your day/night going? I love you <3