Polished glass windows. Blackwood sills. Intricately-designed cornices. Massive, heavy oakwood doors with stained-glass door lites. Wrought iron grills. Carefully hand-painted sign.

‘We’re here,’ I smiled proudly, turning to the wide-eyed boy that had stopped in his tracks to stare in open-mouthed wonder at the sight that lay before him.

‘A bookstore?’ He turned his large eyes on me in amazement.

I chuckled a little at the awestruck look on his face.

I nodded. ‘Come on.’ Reaching for his hand, I dragged him inside before his eyes could pop out of his skull.

The antique bookstore was a magical place. A tiny brass bell hanging on the large oaken doors tinkled musically as I pushed the door open. The store was dimly lit by a single black copper chandelier that cast a deep, gold glow on the interior of the small shop. The shop was completely empty, for it was located in a neglected corner on the far side of the town. I’d found it the third day I moved here, after a neighbor told me to check it out.

Columns and columns of books covered the walls and reached all the way to the ceilings. Rows of tall bookshelves stood neatly in grids, and were similarly full to bursting with books of all shapes and sizes. An odd mix of different kinds of armchairs were placed around the room, where anyone could take a seat if they wished.

The smell of old books permeated my nose. It was the musty smell of parchment that made me think of fireplaces and hot chocolate, and reading late into the night curled up on a sofa by the hearth.

The old shop owner gave me a small smile over the top of his newspaper. I waved in greeting and he nodded before returning to his reading, pushing his tortoiseshell-framed glasses up his nose. Mr Choi knew I could find my own way around; this place was a regular haunt of mine.

‘You know him?’ Baekhyun asked in a small whisper, gesturing, wide-eyed at the white-haired shop keeper.

‘He’s my best customer,’ Mr Choi chuckled, a warm smile creasing his wrinkled face as he overheard Baekhyun’s question. I just smiled.

‘Go on, take a look around,’ I nudged Baekhyun, ‘choose anything you want.’

I watched as Baekhyun wandered off toward the music section, before heading toward the huge column of shelves right at the back of the store where the fantasy novels were. The shop was completely silent, and all I could hear was the sound of my own footsteps.

I ran my hand over the leathery spines of the books absently as I glossed over the titles, scanning them so quickly they were all a blur. There were books about everything—fairies and dragons; witches and warlocks; mermaids and magic.

Occasionally I would pull one out, browsing the synopsis at the back to see if anything caught my interest, before quickly moving on, my fingertips tracing the beautiful scripted lettering that adorned the leather-bound spines.

I was particularly immersed in a trilogy of novels about alchemy and potion-making, the bold, gold lettering embossed on their covers catching my eye, when a voice just next to my ear made me jump and nearly drop the book I was holding.

‘There you are,’ Baekhyun murmured, an almost-whisper that somehow managed to sound loud in the silence of the shop. His breath brushed the shell of my ear, making a shiver sprint down my spine, ‘I thought you’d abandoned me.’

He was so close I could smell his shampoo, and his shoulder pressed into my back. My body decided to betray me then; I could feel my neck and ears heating up from the contact.

‘I would never abandon you,’ my voice sounded embarrassingly hoarse and I quickly moved away before I could do anything else stupid. Baekhyun seemed a little disappointed but his features quickly took on a smile when he caught sight of a book behind me.

‘Whoa! Inheritance! I’ve been dying to read this!’ he beamed, his eyes becoming little crescent moons in his excitement. Sinking into a large, particularly old, wooden-backed armchair covered in vintage floral cloth with a contented sigh, he curled up like a lazy cat and began to read.

I don’t know how long it was that I stood there staring at him reading; the book propped on his knees, his long, pretty fingers absently tracing the pages, his long lashes brushing against his cheeks every time he blinked. He’d propped his elbow on the armrest and rested his chin on his palm, impatiently flicking away the tousled brown hair that fell into his eyes.

I finally came to my senses when he shifted in his seat, limbs cramped from being folded for so long. The soft rustling ruined the dreamy moment, and I was shaken out of my reverie.

Walking over, I sat myself on the arm of his chair, knocking his elbow off the armrest. He looked up at me and pouted, unspeakingly accusing me of intruding. I just gave him a cheeky smile and ruffled his hair.

He huffed and went back to his book, propping his chin on my thigh instead. I slung my arm across his slim neck, running my fingers through his smooth chocolate brown hair. It was so soft it felt like I was a duckling.

Two hours, a cramped thigh, a mini game of hide-and-seek among the bookshelves and $58.75 later, Baekhyun was giving a glowing smile to the kind old shopkeeper while clutching a paper bag filled with books. I struggled along behind him with twice of that.

All the way home, Baekhyun chattered excitedly about all the books he had bought and how he was going to show them to his mom. i was only half-comprehending his words, enthralled as I was by the musical lilt to his voice that emerged whenever he was happy, and the glow that seemed to radiate from him in his elation.

In my distracted state, I managed to nearly trip over the curbs three times, stub my toe once on a lamp post and soak my socks by stepping into a puddle on the way home. It was partly because I could barely see over the top of the large bags I was holding (but mostly I was staring at Baekhyun).

But even then, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

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I AM SO SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING FOR SO DAMN LONG.

And i know this chapter was crappy and just meh.

BUT I'M ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH THE NEXT ONE AND IT SHOULD BE BETTER SAHRY!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING!!!!

MY BRAIN IS NOT WORKING ANYMORE I SHOULD GO SLEEP K BAI