Book Store Girl
EXO | Booklover!Kris/OC | Fluff/Romance | 1500 words |
“Excuse me?” Kris asks politely. The receptionist looks up. Kris sighs as he finds himself at the mercy of yet another hopeless fan girl. She must be new here, he notes. He clears his throat, used to this routine. “I’m looking for a book” he tells her. Her face falls a little but she hides it. “Uh... sure, Sir. Which book is it?” she asks, a little flustered. “Kafka On The Shore. It’s by Haruki Murakami” he replies. “Let me just check our database. I am sure we must have a copy somewhere” she says with a positive smile.
Kris looks around. The book store is doing okay. There are a couple of people here. He is starting to recognize the regulars. There’s the old man who likes to buy philosophy books. Then there is the usual bunch of teenage boys over at the manga section. The book club ladies just came in. They always choose classics. They alternate between authors but their favourite seems to be Jane Austen. There is a middle aged man who likes to read mystery. The last time he was here, he bought a stack of Agatha Christi novels. Hmmm... That would explain his absence today. And there are a few girls poring over the latest arrivals in the romance section. Kris hasn’t read Twilight yet. But he’s definitely been warned not to. At least not in public, Luhan had added.
Kris has learnt to take Luhan’s advice over the short time he has known the senior.
“Excuse me; I’m looking for a book.” The familiar sentence reminds him that he is in fact looking for a book too. The receptionist looks at the girl with pure contempt. Kris pities the girl. It’s never wise to get in the way of a woman trying to impress a man. (Even if the said attempt might not work.) Remembering the fact that Kris is still there, the receptionist smiles and asks her the standard question.
“Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami” the girl replies. Kris finds that interesting. There are not many people, apart from a few literature major students, who read Murakami’s works. “That’s funny I was too” he says without stopping to think. “Really?” the girl asks, pleasantly surprised. “Yeah. Not a lot of people read his books in these parts” Kris speaks up. “That’s a shame. I loved Norwegian Wood” she says genuinely. Kris smiles and she does too in return.
“I’m sorry but we don’t have that in stock right now” the receptionist says, tight lipped. “Oh...” the girl says, slightly disappointed. “I guess that’s fine. Thank you” she replies politely. She’s flawlessly polite, Kris notes. Or just really sarcastic. She must have noticed how much the receptionist hated her being there. Nevertheless, she doesn’t get irritated and he applauds her self control.
“Is there another book we can suggest in another genre for you?” the receptionist asks Kris sweetly. That’s when he realizes that the girl is gone and jumps a bit. “No thank you. I’ll just take a look around and get back to you if I need anything” he says with a charming smile. The receptionist nods and he sets off, trying to look for the girl.
It isn’t a large book store but she’s mysteriously not in his line of sight. Did she leave? Not possible, he would have heard the bells chime if the door opened. So she must be inside. Then the bells do chime and Kris looks towards the door. Is she there? Unfortunately it isn’t her. He however recognizes the mystery novel guy come in. He actually finished all those books in two weeks? The phrase voracious reader comes to mind.
Kris runs his hands through his hair. She isn’t in the romance section. Or the philosophy section. Or the classics section. He adds the text books section to the list and sighs. Maybe she did leave and he didn’t notice. He gives up and decides to browse through the new arrivals section. He secretly envies the book club. They have a fixed schedule of books to follow. His mind on the other hand, is currently blank. He doesn’t know which book to read next. And he has forgotten all the fantasy series Chanyeol recommended. And he isn’t eager for fan boy round two, so he drops the idea of asking him again.
You Can by David Archuleta begins to play in the background and Kris hums along. He has a soft spot for acoustic songs. But if anyone asks, he loves hardcore rock. Like metal and all that heavy stuff. Though he doesn’t get the big deal behind it. He is more of a lyrics man. He must like the lyrics before liking a song on the whole. He occasionally dabbles in writing lyrics too. He briefly contemplates looking up books on music history but decides just as quickly against it. He isn’t going to squander one of his few true loves under the boring weight of history. But he could read autobiographies...
Nah, he just isn’t in the mood.
As a last resort, he decides to look at the science fiction aisle. He passes two teenagers arguing over which manga to buy and smiles to himself. They remind him so much of Kai and Sehun. He briefly stops wondering if he should just simply start a new manga series or go for a novel like he planned on earlier. That’s when he sees her. Book Store Girl’s been in the science fiction section all along! Kris quickly picks up a book when she turns in his direction.
It’s a book on origami. It’s the kind of thing Chen might like. Kris recalls. His friend is into arts and crafts and the like. He may be called crazy but he is a crazy genius when it comes to that sort of thing. But Kris tends to get paper cuts a lot. And he really isn’t masochism, so no origami for him, no thank you.
As he puts his book down, he realizes Book Store Girl isn’t even looking at him. A wry smile tugs at his lips. He admits that he hoped she was looking at him. He’s always been at the chased end not the chasing one. And it’s an interesting experience. There’s a first time for everything, Xiumin had said as he tried to teach Baekhyun Taekwondo. Now that was an interesting experience, if you’re into tangled limbs and second hand embarrassment and gore.
This is ridiculous, he thinks. He doesn’t even know why he is doing what he is doing. When has he ever had trouble talking to a girl? So he squared his shoulders and walks ahead confidently. They already have common ground to talk on. And the ice has been broken. All he needs to do is swoop in, take his lady by her lips, and ride into the sunset. Okay... Maybe not that much of drama. Book Store Girl reads science fiction books. She’s just going to laugh at him.
He walks up to her. He can do this. He really can. But Book Store Girl looks up and he stops nervously. She closes her eyes, trying to decide between two Clive Cussler novels. She frowns and Kris understands her complication. Choosing between two books is never easy. So he decides to give her the time to do so. It’s a lame excuse he knows, but who is judging? He watches from the corner of his eye as she finally does choose one book and put the other down regretfully. He watches as she walks out after paying for the book.
He realizes he never got her name or number. He hits his head against the cover of a particularly thick book. (Probably the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or one of the Wheel of Time books. Because you should see how voluminous those books really are.) And she isn’t a regular. He has never seen her here before because he is sure if he would have, he would remember her. And there are very few chances of her becoming one. (No offense to the book store.)
He sighs and picks up the book Book Store Girl kept down. She reads Murakami. He could trust her taste right? He heads over to the sales counter. He doesn’t notice when the representative bills the book and starts gift wrapping the book as well. She’s too busy arguing with her husband over the phone and Kris is too busy thinking of Book Store Girl. He pays and leaves, wondering what are the chances of seeing her again. They say you can learn a lot about a person from the books they read. As his grip around the book tightens, he anxiously waits for the bus that will take him home. He can’t wait to start the book and learn more about Book Store Girl.
-The-End-
“Excuse me?” Kris asks politely. The receptionist looks up. Kris sighs as he finds himself at the mercy of yet another hopeless fan girl. She must be new here, he notes. He clears his throat, used to this routine. “I’m looking for a book” he tells her. Her face falls a little but she hides it. “Uh... sure, Sir. Which book is it?” she asks, a little flustered. “Kafka On The Shore. It’s by Haruki Murakami” he replies. “Let me just check our database. I am sure we must have a copy somewhere” she says with a positive smile.
Kris looks around. The book store is doing okay. There are a couple of people here. He is starting to recognize the regulars. There’s the old man who likes to buy philosophy books. Then there is the usual bunch of teenage boys over at the manga section. The book club ladies just came in. They always choose classics. They alternate between authors but their favourite seems to be Jane Austen. There is a middle aged man who likes to read mystery. The last time he was here, he bought a stack of Agatha Christi novels. Hmmm... That would explain his absence today. And there are a few girls poring over the latest arrivals in the romance section. Kris hasn’t read Twilight yet. But he’s definitely been warned not to. At least not in public, Luhan had added.
Kris has learnt to take Luhan’s advice over the short time he has known the senior.
“Excuse me; I’m looking for a book.” The familiar sentence reminds him that he is in fact looking for a book too. The receptionist looks at the girl with pure contempt. Kris pities the girl. It’s never wise to get in the way of a woman trying to impress a man. (Even if the said attempt might not work.) Remembering the fact that Kris is still there, the receptionist smiles and asks her the standard question.
“Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami” the girl replies. Kris finds that interesting. There are not many people, apart from a few literature major students, who read Murakami’s works. “That’s funny I was too” he says without stopping to think. “Really?” the girl asks, pleasantly surprised. “Yeah. Not a lot of people read his books in these parts” Kris speaks up. “That’s a shame. I loved Norwegian Wood” she says genuinely. Kris smiles and she does too in return.
“I’m sorry but we don’t have that in stock right now” the receptionist says, tight lipped. “Oh...” the girl says, slightly disappointed. “I guess that’s fine. Thank you” she replies politely. She’s flawlessly polite, Kris notes. Or just really sarcastic. She must have noticed how much the receptionist hated her being there. Nevertheless, she doesn’t get irritated and he applauds her self control.
“Is there another book we can suggest in another genre for you?” the receptionist asks Kris sweetly. That’s when he realizes that the girl is gone and jumps a bit. “No thank you. I’ll just take a look around and get back to you if I need anything” he says with a charming smile. The receptionist nods and he sets off, trying to look for the girl.
It isn’t a large book store but she’s mysteriously not in his line of sight. Did she leave? Not possible, he would have heard the bells chime if the door opened. So she must be inside. Then the bells do chime and Kris looks towards the door. Is she there? Unfortunately it isn’t her. He however recognizes the mystery novel guy come in. He actually finished all those books in two weeks? The phrase voracious reader comes to mind.
Kris runs his hands through his hair. She isn’t in the romance section. Or the philosophy section. Or the classics section. He adds the text books section to the list and sighs. Maybe she did leave and he didn’t notice. He gives up and decides to browse through the new arrivals section. He secretly envies the book club. They have a fixed schedule of books to follow. His mind on the other hand, is currently blank. He doesn’t know which book to read next. And he has forgotten all the fantasy series Chanyeol recommended. And he isn’t eager for fan boy round two, so he drops the idea of asking him again.
You Can by David Archuleta begins to play in the background and Kris hums along. He has a soft spot for acoustic songs. But if anyone asks, he loves hardcore rock. Like metal and all that heavy stuff. Though he doesn’t get the big deal behind it. He is more of a lyrics man. He must like the lyrics before liking a song on the whole. He occasionally dabbles in writing lyrics too. He briefly contemplates looking up books on music history but decides just as quickly against it. He isn’t going to squander one of his few true loves under the boring weight of history. But he could read autobiographies...
Nah, he just isn’t in the mood.
As a last resort, he decides to look at the science fiction aisle. He passes two teenagers arguing over which manga to buy and smiles to himself. They remind him so much of Kai and Sehun. He briefly stops wondering if he should just simply start a new manga series or go for a novel like he planned on earlier. That’s when he sees her. Book Store Girl’s been in the science fiction section all along! Kris quickly picks up a book when she turns in his direction.
It’s a book on origami. It’s the kind of thing Chen might like. Kris recalls. His friend is into arts and crafts and the like. He may be called crazy but he is a crazy genius when it comes to that sort of thing. But Kris tends to get paper cuts a lot. And he really isn’t masochism, so no origami for him, no thank you.
As he puts his book down, he realizes Book Store Girl isn’t even looking at him. A wry smile tugs at his lips. He admits that he hoped she was looking at him. He’s always been at the chased end not the chasing one. And it’s an interesting experience. There’s a first time for everything, Xiumin had said as he tried to teach Baekhyun Taekwondo. Now that was an interesting experience, if you’re into tangled limbs and second hand embarrassment and gore.
This is ridiculous, he thinks. He doesn’t even know why he is doing what he is doing. When has he ever had trouble talking to a girl? So he squared his shoulders and walks ahead confidently. They already have common ground to talk on. And the ice has been broken. All he needs to do is swoop in, take his lady by her lips, and ride into the sunset. Okay... Maybe not that much of drama. Book Store Girl reads science fiction books. She’s just going to laugh at him.
He walks up to her. He can do this. He really can. But Book Store Girl looks up and he stops nervously. She closes her eyes, trying to decide between two Clive Cussler novels. She frowns and Kris understands her complication. Choosing between two books is never easy. So he decides to give her the time to do so. It’s a lame excuse he knows, but who is judging? He watches from the corner of his eye as she finally does choose one book and put the other down regretfully. He watches as she walks out after paying for the book.
He realizes he never got her name or number. He hits his head against the cover of a particularly thick book. (Probably the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or one of the Wheel of Time books. Because you should see how voluminous those books really are.) And she isn’t a regular. He has never seen her here before because he is sure if he would have, he would remember her. And there are very few chances of her becoming one. (No offense to the book store.)
He sighs and picks up the book Book Store Girl kept down. She reads Murakami. He could trust her taste right? He heads over to the sales counter. He doesn’t notice when the representative bills the book and starts gift wrapping the book as well. She’s too busy arguing with her husband over the phone and Kris is too busy thinking of Book Store Girl. He pays and leaves, wondering what are the chances of seeing her again. They say you can learn a lot about a person from the books they read. As his grip around the book tightens, he anxiously waits for the bus that will take him home. He can’t wait to start the book and learn more about Book Store Girl.
-The-End-