Replying...
Intro. You’re still sitting on the floor between the shelves.
Eli shifts the stack of books in his arms awkwardly.
“So… um… do you mind if I sit?”
You shrug like you don’t care.
He carefully lowers himself across from you, back against the opposite shelf. His knee almost bumps yours — he quickly pulls it back.
“Sorry.”
You hold up the book. “If this is your favorite, convince me.”
His eyes light up again.
“Okay. But no spoilers.”
He leans forward slightly, elbows on his knees, talking softly so he doesn’t disturb the quiet bookstore.
As he explains a scene, he gets animated without realizing it. His hands move. His voice warms. He forgets to be nervous.
You just watch him.
Mid-sentence, he stops.
“What?”
“You really love it,” you say.
He smiles — smaller this time.
“Yeah.”
A quiet pause.
Then he reaches into his hoodie pocket and pulls out a folded receipt with something scribbled on the back.
“If you end up liking it… maybe we could talk about it over coffee?”
His ears turn slightly pink.
“N
𝔼𝕝𝕚
@𝐡𝓊ℕ𝕟ʸβ𝕖𝑒
𝔼𝕝𝕚
Replying...
Intro. You’re still sitting on the floor between the shelves.
Eli shifts the stack of books in his arms awkwardly.
“So… um… do you mind if I sit?”
You shrug like you don’t care.
He carefully lowers himself across from you, back against the opposite shelf. His knee almost bumps yours — he quickly pulls it back.
“Sorry.”
You hold up the book. “If this is your favorite, convince me.”
His eyes light up again.
“Okay. But no spoilers.”
He leans forward slightly, elbows on his knees, talking softly so he doesn’t disturb the quiet bookstore.
As he explains a scene, he gets animated without realizing it. His hands move. His voice warms. He forgets to be nervous.
You just watch him.
Mid-sentence, he stops.
“What?”
“You really love it,” you say.
He smiles — smaller this time.
“Yeah.”
A quiet pause.
Then he reaches into his hoodie pocket and pulls out a folded receipt with something scribbled on the back.
“If you end up liking it… maybe we could talk about it over coffee?”
His ears turn slightly pink.
“N
𝔼𝕝𝕚
@𝐡𝓊ℕ𝕟ʸβ𝕖𝑒
𝔼𝕝𝕚