It had been two days since I arrived in Lunarius and I was getting into a good routine. I woke up by 5 a.m. every day and by six I would eat breakfast so I didn’t get too hungry at work. Then I would take Chris to the training grounds because apparently he was training to be a guard and then I would go to work.
Going with Chris had forced us to bond a little and I realized that my little brother was not the little sixteen-year-old boy I had left behind. He had hardened around the edges and he was now quiet and that was a far cry from the loud and opinionated boy who used to jump on my bed in the middle of the night and cuddle with me during thunderstorms.
“Do you need me to pick you up?” I asked as we got to the training field and he shook his head. He was about to get out when I locked the doors and he turned to me. “I would appreciate it if you at least tried to talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to say, Leindra. Now please can you open the door? I am already late.”
“Why are you being like this?” I asked. “I’m just trying to have a decent conversation with you. You’re my little brother.”
“You didn’t seem to care about that before.”
There was so much anger behind his voice that I visibly flinched. He let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his dark hair in frustration. He had my dad’s hair and eyes and the older he grew, the more he looked like him. People used to say I was the spitting image of my mother and if that were true then Chris was the spitting image of our father.
“Chris, I’m sorry I left the way I did, but you knew that I was drowning.”
“So was I, Leindra. But you didn’t care about that; you didn’t care about anyone but yourself. I was fifteen and you left me alone.”
“I’m sorry, I just-”
“Leindra, please, I don’t want to do this here.”
He was facing away from me and I wanted nothing more than to force him to look my way and speak to me. I wanted him to get all the anger off his chest but I knew better than to push so I sighed and unlocked the door.
Without even glancing in my direction, he got out of the car and slammed the door harder than necessary. I watched as he walked into the fields and how he interacted with his friends. I couldn’t help but think about how different things would have been if I stayed.
He would not have been angry with me, that was for sure, but I also knew that if I had stayed, I would not have lived. It was that thought that had me starting the car and driving off to work.
I got to work a little late and Mr. Hemming was very pissed. He didn’t yell at me or anything but his face was red and swollen and the vein at the side of his head threatened to pop out. He gritted his teeth and directed me to the back of the bookstore where some boxes of returned books lay.
I arranged them quietly because I didn’t want to risk upsetting him anymore. They weren’t a lot so I finished in under an hour. When I was done, I went to the front to look for him and ask what else I could do but he was nowhere to be found. I decided to man the register for a while and just like the days before, it was just older people looking for the newspaper.
My break came around and just as I was about to go to the office to have my meal, I heard the bell. I looked up and to my shock, there stood the stranger I had seen for the past two days. He took off his shades and I was finally able to see his eyes. They were an electric shade of grey and they resembled turbulent clouds.
He was wearing black ripped jeans, a black shirt and a black leather jacket. I couldn’t help but think about those men I saw the day I arrived and how his all-black ensemble resembled theirs and I wondered if he was a friend of theirs or part of their group.
“I need help finding a book,” he said and his voice was rough but somehow soft like velvet at the same time.
I felt my mouth dry up and my skin came alive at his presence. I didn’t understand how his presence could elicit such a reaction but all I could do was nod because it was like my tongue had suddenly lost all its abilities.
“I’m not much of a reader but I’m looking for books on our history.”
I couldn’t use my words to direct him so I gestured for him to follow me. He walked at a respectable distance behind me but I could somehow feel the heat of his body and his stare. Once I got to the history segment, I turned and I was shocked by how close he was standing. There was not more than two inches of space between us and I got a lungful of his scent. It smelled like sandalwood and something earthy and I took a subconscious step back because of how overwhelming it was.
“Do you know exactly what you’re looking for?” I asked.
He nodded and he reached out his hand. I thought he was going to touch me but he reached over my head and pulled out a book. He handed it to me and I didn’t even have time to look at the title before I hightailed it out of the shelves and went to ring it up for him.
He arrived at the counter a few seconds later and I cleared my throat and avoided his gaze.
“Are you looking to borrow or buy?” I asked and he quickly responded with 'Buy'.
I checked the price and once I told it to him; he took out a fifty-dollar bill and pushed it over to me. I checked the register but there was no change and I looked up at him with a wry smile.
“I’m sorry but there’s no change,” I said softly. “If you would like to take something else then I’m sure-”
“Keep it,” he said and my eyes widened.
I was so shocked that I stared at him for a full minute. It wasn't until he drummed his hand against the table that I swallowed and quickly packaged his book for him. I handed him the bag and as he took it from me, our fingers brushed. Fireworks erupted when his hand brushed mine and I inhaled sharply.
“Have a good day,” he tipped his head in my direction.
I couldn’t open my mouth to address him properly so all I could do was nod. He didn’t leave immediately and I couldn’t help but feel like the only reason he was staying was because of me. It wasn’t until the sound of the bell cut through the air and I saw Mr. Hemming walk into the store that the stranger took out his shades from his pocket, put them on and left.
I stared at his retreating figure until he left the store and it wasn’t until the door shut behind him that I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.