Stories Unknown

A Form of Poetry

Kai cursed loudly as an unabridged copy of Les Misérables fell off the stack in his hands and right on top of his foot. "They call you The Brick for a reason," Kai muttered, nudging the book aside so he could set the heaping stack of books within his arms down on the nearest shelf.

He leaned down and picked up the battered copy of Victor Hugo's infamous book, trying to fold back a creased edge. His foot was grateful that the nearly 3,000 page book was in paperback, but his mind was distressed on the profitability of such a hard-worn book.

Of course, it was a second-hand bookstore, but still; he tried to take in only the best quality of books at Prince's Paperbacks. Or, at least that was what his father had instilled in him from his youth, before he died when Kai was nineteen and left him to care for the store all by himself. But Kai had never minded his father's work ethics— in fact, they were what he attributed the store's success to.

Well, past success.

The door opened with the soft tinkle of a bell, and Kai almost dropped Les Misérables on his foot for the second time in a minute. He set The Brick down before it could do any damage to him and his limbs, and walked to the front of the store with his customer-pleasing smile plastered to his face.

But when his eyes landed on the person— the woman— the goddess— who had just stepped through the door, Kai felt his smile slide from his face. It was her— Selene Blackburn, quite possibly the most beautiful and talented actress on the planet. The one who he had watched on the big screen since his teens. She had been pretty stunning then, but somehow she was more lovely to look at now despite the decades that had passed.

She gave him an almost embarrassed smile, and it was only then that Kai realized that he was staring at her. Well, staring didn't quite cover it— gawking, was probably more accurate. Jaw-dropped, eyes wide, with the possibility of red upon his cheeks.

"Hi," she said, waving her hand before him, but less in a way of greeting and more in a way of saying snap out of it.

Kai blinked, his professional grin returning within an instant, though a tint of scarlet still colored his face. He walked toward her, wiping his hands over his button-down and jeans as if he were covered in dust, which in all actuality was a possibility.

"Hello," Kai returned the greeting. "Welcome to Prince's Paperbacks. I'm Kaito. Well, actually just Kai— Kai Prince," Kai sputtered. He tried to place his hand on a bookshelf to steady himself, but somehow his fingers missed the wood and he stumbled to the side.

"Ah," Selene said, pulling at the strings of her black hooded sweatshirt. Kai couldn't make out her eyes behind her dark sunglasses, but from the inflection of her voice he could tell she wasn't belittling him. "You must be the owner then."

"That's Kai— I mean, that's me."

Her lips quirked up, and Kai felt his heart sputter. Even with her blatant attempts to disguise herself, from the sunglasses and beanie to her baggy sweatshirt and jeans, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That grin— he was almost positive that he could stare at it forever, even if it was just the teensiest bit lopsided.

"Well I'm Cinder," she said, lying to him despite the obvious fact that he very-much recognized her. Of course he did— he'd only been a little bit smitten with her since he was seventeen and she starred in the Star Wars TV series remake with Carswell Thorne and Jacin Clay. She was the girl that everyone had had a crush on.

But she still lied to his face for reasons he didn't think the stars could fathom.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Cinder," Kai choked out her pseudonym. "Like I said, let me know if I can help you."