“Tell me about your latest read then?”

I was lying vertically on the sofa, one arm in his hair, other clutching a book to my chest. He was sitting on the floor, fiddling with the laptop making a remix or something as equally fun. I loved days like this, days where we were together, and there was no working at Kyobo Book Centre – in the Starbucks cafe for him or the on the English literature floor for me. Days where I had free periods, to rest and do no work. Days where we were so lazy we did nothing but eat, sleep, read and listen.

I passed him the book, even though I knew he couldn’t read English, not a single letter of it. There was a single upside down baby chick on the cover.

“What’s it called?”

“Guess.”

“The chick that was upside down?”

I giggled, not in a way to mock him, but affectionately. “No. That’s a teeny bit obvious.”

He nodded seriously. “Yeah, that’s a weird name isn’t it? I'm stupid, sorry.”

I ignored the self-depricating comment and to my side to face his back. I admired his back muscles, so obvious in the tank top he was wearing before answering.“It’s called Flipped.” He turned to me, feeling my gaze, and then silently passed the book from one hand to another, judging its weight. “I’m just reading it for fun. It’s actually a really recent book.”

“What year?”

“2003.”

He stuck his tongue out. Turning to look at me. “That’s not recent.”

“Less than ten years ago is very recent.”

“Nahh... You just read ancient books.”

“Better than never reading.” I grabbed the book back, bonking him on the head before returning to read it. I didn't have to add that he never read anything, he got the hint and fought back.

“I read books!”

“Manga aren’t books. There are less than 10 words on a single page.”

He growled at me, being mock serious. “Take that back.” When he got no reply he jumped onto the sofa, literally lying on top of me, whilst I wriggled beneath him. “I said take that back!”

I giggled. “I’ll take it back if you read something substantial.”

His face distorted in mental pain, and he relaxed against me slightly. “Like what?”

“Let’s compromise. Yeah?” He nodded. I thought about it for a second before coming up with a solution. “Read Let Dai. It’s a manga, but one that can actually be good for you.”