character sketches

Adrian’s POV

The weather always became more emotional as autumn fell upon the city. I did not mind much. It gave me a chance to break out the old combat boots I loved so much. The ones with frayed laces and soles that I gambled would hold out through another winter. My friends all told me I should get a new pair, but these were my mother’s…how could I let those go?  I was on my way to the bookstore this morning to acquire new books and some candles – quite a short walk from my apartment. Halloween was right around the corner, and I needed a new aura encompassing my room, appropriate for the spooky season and for relaxing after work.

The air bit my cheeks as I stepped out the door. Charcoal clouds left a gloomy feeling over the city and the breeze kicked up against my legs. Probably wasn’t the smartest idea to go with a dress, but my jacket was helping a little. I knew the bookstore would be warm, so I quickened my pace down the dampened sidewalk.

When I had finally reached Ellie’s, I smiled slightly. The outside shone with a warm, orange glow from fairy lights lining the inside of the windows, and small pumpkins, fall leaves, and ghost figurines dancing along the windowsill. A small bell jingled, indicating my arrival as I opened the door, and the smell of warm vanilla and old leather were welcome fragrances. An older woman stood behind the register counter; a dark grey Irish Fold sprawled lazily across the counter in his signature spot.

“Hey, Ellie. Hey there, Poe.” Ellie returned a greeting with a smile, and Poe raised his head with a gurgled meow to accept an affectionate pet. “Anything you recommend today?”

“Adrian, the sequel to Vrana’s first book is back there,” Ellie points to the corner of the store. “I know you were waiting for that.”

            I thanked her, and continued to the back of the bookstore, the lanterns on the ceiling creating an eerie glow the farther I strayed from the natural gloomy light coming through the windows. I rounded a corner of the shelves and made my way to the edge of the horror genres to look for my intended read. Locating my sought after Vrana novel and pulling it from the shelf, I continued to scan the others for anything of interest, pulling a few other novels from their respected places, when another girl strode into my peripheral, standing a few feet to my left. She had Poe stretched across her shoulders contently, like a shawl, and was intently staring at the row of Stephen King novels. Good choice. We both stood in silence for few minutes, browsing but I let my eyes peer over as far as they could without it becoming too obvious and take another look at the girl next to me. Her chest rose and fell softly with every breath, letting the sterling silver necklace catch the dim light every few seconds – there was a pendant on the end – a raven skull. My favorite animal. Her entire outfit, entire persona, really, was quite mysterious. But interesting all the same. She reached up, grasping a book in long, slender fingers decorated with silver rings and pulled it from the shelf. She continued to pull a few books from the shelf with intense focus. Her arms were full by the time she pulled another one from a higher point on the shelf, and with a sudden gasp, she dropped it. The book hit the carpet with a thud, and the cause of her mistake meowed as he jumped from her shoulders to chase something in the shadows. The girl cursed softly at Poe, as I kneeled down to retrieve the book, and her shoes caught my eye.

“’99 Criticals?” I asked, continuing to stare at them, almost out of jealousy as the leather shone brightly, and the laces sat perfectly perched against the tongue, not a single thread out of place.

“Oh…yes! I found them at a thrift store,” she said as I stood up. “Just my size, and almost perfect condition. I see you’re wearing the same ones.”

I nodded, smiling…so she had been looking at me too. “They were my mom’s. She wore them down pretty good but they’re still my favorites.”

She smiled beautifully, her blue eyes looking right through me. I feel like she could see everything I was thinking. We stood there for a few seconds staring at one another before I reached my arm out. “Here. I never knew Poe could be that much of an asshole.”

She took her fallen hardcover from me, smiling again, tucking hair behind her ear shyly. “Thank you. Yeah, he may be old, but he has it in him, apparently.”

We chatted for a few more moments here and there as we continued to scan the array of books in front of us. Her name was Lily. She was a student here in the city working on her law degree. Her favorite colors were red and black. Her favorite movie was Alien. Her only roommate was a German Shepherd named Ace. She had a knife collection that had steadily surpassed seventy-two. And she was into reading the classic horror novels at the moment, so Stephen King was the next interest on her list.

I shifted the small pile of my books I had accumulated over to one arm and reached my other empty one out to her. “Hand me your books. I don’t mind.”

She stood silent for a few moments; her eyes widening for a second before her eyebrows furrowed as she seemed to be in conflicting arguments with herself.

“I don’t think you’re weak if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said, laughing shortly. “I’d just like to help if you want to look at anything else.”

She finally let her pile of books fall into my arms and turned back to pull one more from the shelf. “Fine…but don’t think I owe you any favors.”

“Never,” I said. The lighting may have been dim, but I could see her cheeks flush as she shyly stepped around me. Her words were tough, but they were dripping with more introverted sweetness than she wanted to admit.

“If you’re ready, this is all I want.”

“Lead the way.” I smiled at her.

Ellie’s POV

It was quite a slow day in the bookstore. While autumn is a time for warmth and comfort, this gloomy Saturday was not a first choice for most to stroll down to my shop for some coffee and heavy reading. Except Lily. I could always expect her.

Lily was a regular here. She came in almost every other week, if not more than that. Always asking for the newest recommendations for novels – mostly horror or sci-fi. Horror novels suited her best – she was always dressed in black, rarely anything else, and her red hair always stood out against that. It was either a full face of dark makeup or none at all, but her beauty shone through either way. Lily did not stray towards romance novels as most young women would, and I liked that. She would always tell me romance was boring, both in real life and in between pages. “The day I fall in love is the day I stop coming in, so I don’t have to hear all your mushy questions.” I would laugh every time she said that with a straight face, but I could see a hint of a smile whenever she turned back to the bookshelves. There was a romantic in there somewhere.

If someone were to ask me if I had a favorite client, I would say no. But it would most definitely be her.

Lily strode in a little past 2 o’clock, dressed in her usual color palette. Her black leather jacket and black boots complimenting all the colors of fall laced into her hair. She greeted me and Poe, who excitedly arose from his signature spot on the counter. She smiled and picked him up, chatting with him about what she was looking for today as she strode towards the back corner of the shop. She may talk about never finding love, but I swear she’s going to marry that damn cat.

I had a few other customers stroll in after her and watched them retreat to their favorite genres among the shelves.

Lily had been gone for quite a while, and I began to wonder if a book had swallowed her entirely. She abruptly rounded a shelf corner at the back of the store, with Adrian walking next to her, carrying two sets of books in hand. They were both smiling, though Lily tried her best to hide it.

Adrian placed both piles of books on the counter and threw a fifty-dollar bill down. “For me and her.” she said.

I took the bill and began placing the books into their rightful owner’s bags, watching Adrian stare at something to my left.

“Ah, I almost forgot.” Adrian said, stepping to the side of the counter to peruse the assortment laid out on a tiered display. She turned back slightly to look at Lily as she held two different candles in her hands. “Which one do you like?”

Lily stepped up next to her. “I enjoy the cedarwood and tobacco ones.”

Adrian placed the one in her right hand down and handed the black candle in her left to me.

While I finished bagging the candle and the rest of the books, Adrian took a sticky note from the pile on my desk and a pen and begin scribbling. I pushed each bag to the end of the counter for the girls to pick up on their way out, dropping the change into Adrian’s bag the way she always wanted. Poe unexpectedly jumped up onto the counter, weaving between both bags and purring loudly.

There was a small silence as Adrian finished writing and presented the sticky note to Lily, who took the paper slowly with an inquisitive expression.

“I would really enjoy some company tomorrow morning for coffee, or even later this week depending on your schedule with law school. Now you don’t have to call me at all, no feelings would be hurt. But there’s just something about you that I’d really like to get to know more.”

Lily stared at the paper while Adrian spoke, then raised her eyes to look at her, mouth slightly open. I almost wanted to giggle in delight, watching her crumble to pieces in front of this girl laying it all out on the table for her.

“Friendly coffee date, that’s all. Just let me know. And enjoy your reads.” Adrian smiled, picking up her bag, before strolling out of the bookstore. The small jingle of the bell on the door was the last of her presence before Lily and I basked in shocked silence.

After a few moments of being frozen in place, she turned to look at me. “I…You know…I just….”

I believe my smile was so large it might tear my face apart, but I didn’t care. “So…you’re going to stop coming in now I suppose?”

Lily shot me a daggers, but a smile still played on her lips. “Never.”

She placed the sticky note into one of the pockets of her jacket, double checking that the zipper was closed before picking up her book-filled parcel. We said our goodbyes and I watched her stroll out of my shop, her suave saunter having an unusually playful bounce to it.

A sight I thought I’d never see.