• Chapter Six •

Ariel

The bookstore is packed, full of teens either hanging out in the café or looking at books. Bins are full of new releases, old covers, trilogies; you name it, it's there.

"I'll be over here if you need me." Matti walks over to the history book section, quickly getting lost in the piles of Civil War and old western books. Matti is studying to become a history teacher at our local public high school. He has been interested in history ever since he was ten years old listening to Dad's stories of his days teaching at the local community college.

Our dad watched old westerns with him all the time, and his favorite game to play as a kid was "cowboys and aliens." This was a silly game we came up with that consisted of us running around the yard screaming as he pretended to be a cowboy that hunted us down. Sometimes Dad joined us by being the town sheriff, acting as Matti's backup. The "alien" aspect of it was Zach's idea, because the rest of us weren't very fond of old westerns like Matti was. The small memory brings a smile to my face as I nod over to him in acknowledgement.

I walk over to the fantasy section. There are so many different books, ranging from werewolf love stories to vampire war stories. My eyes light up as I catch sight of a book, its cover bright and vibrant. The title is dark and alluring, capturing my attention and sparking my interest immediately. I know, I know. "Don't judge a book by its cover," but I can't help but to do just that. Book covers are the quickest way for me to find a book.

I simply scan the shelves, and whichever one captures my attention first is usually the one I end up taking home with me. A vivid, eye-catching book cover is a surefire way to grab my attention. I pick up the book and hold it close to my chest, brushing my fingers across its hard cover. My fingers flip through the pages, stopping on every other page and reading a few sentences to get a taste of this other world. After just a few samples, I'm hooked and already want to know more. I shut the book and glance back at the shelf, quickly noticing that there are two other formats for it—paperback, and another hardcover but with a movie adaption cover.

My eyes widen excitedly, and I quickly pull out my phone to take a note to search for the movie later. Sliding my phone into my back pocket, I take one last gander at the shelf in front of me and decide to keep searching. Turning the corner around a shelf of books and into the next aisle, my shoulder bumps directly into a tall, blond-haired boy. The coffee cup in his hand spills over onto his shirt and falls onto the floor. I jump back from the creamy brown liquid before it can stain my clothes as well.
"I am so sorry!" My voice comes out smaller than a mouse as I step around the mess and to the boy, gasping as I take in his shirt, now covered in coffee.

He throws a glare at me and snarls, "Watch where you're walking," unsuccessfully trying to dry the stain off with the napkin he had in his hand. My shoulders slump in defeat.
Looking down at my shoes I quickly utter another "Sorry."

"Yeah, because sorry is going to fix this mess! You such an incompetent idi—"

"How about you accept the apology and keep moving. Can't you see she's sorry?" Hoodie Boy's voice cuts the blonde-haired boy off.

Blondie shifts his glare from me to him before mumbling a low, "Whatever." My eyes follow him as he walks out of sight, and then they shift over to Hoodie Boy, who is dressed in an employee shirt and apron with a mop in hand to clean the mess up off the floor.

"What are you doing here?" I question curiously, watching as the mop sucks up the spilled coffee.

He smirks and says, "You're not the only one who works, sweet cheeks." His lips peel back into a grin when my expression melts into one of disgust.

"Don't call me that." I scrunch my nose up in distaste. My mind traces back to the group of boys from the other night, a chill traveling up my spine at the mere thought of them. Gross. He gives me a smirk then nods towards the café behind us.

"I actually noticed you come in, then saw what happened." Our eyes catch and I force back a smile, trying my best not to be weird. He lets out an awkward laugh, quickly blinking and breaking our eye contact as he refocuses on his task.

After he finishes up, he begins rolling the mop and bucket towards the café, and then he gestures for me to follow him. I follow him to a supply closet that I never noticed before now. He puts the mop and bucket away and checks his watch with a sigh, running his hand down his face. I take notice of the bags under his eyes and the light dusting of stubble across his chin. He seems to not have slept or shaved for a few days.

"How long have you been working here?" I continue to observe him as he turns to lean over the counter, coming back up to hand me a small towel. My eyebrows raises in question. He gestures to my shirt, raising his own eyebrow in question of my confusion. I glance down to find coffee splattered down my shirt and across my boots. "Oh, thanks."

"A few months, but it's crappy pay." He sighs, but then smirks and opens one eye to look over at me. "I might ditch this joint actually."

"You're going to quit? Do you have another job lined up?" My eyes wander away from his to focus on dabbing the coffee off my boots. The dark brown liquid quickly soaks into the little white towel, tainting the once pure color. A rush of sadness overwhelms me the longer I stare at it; the stain reminding me of my own impurities—things I try not to think about.

"Yeah, once I quit." He barely catches the rag and shoots me a confused frown, then tosses it into what I see is a bin behind the counter. He rounds the side of it then leans against the ledge. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He shoots me a wink and a cheeky smile.

"Trust me, I'm not." I roll my eyes and look away, disinterested in what he has to say next as my mind wanders. Ohh, I should go look at the New Adult section next, I think to myself.

He frowns and opens his mouth to reply, but just as he's about to answer, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around quickly to see Matti standing behind me, sending wary glances towards the infuriating boy behind me. Oh, how happy I am to see you, dear brother.

"You ready to go?" He questions, casting a suspicious glare at Hoodie Boy—who, again, I really need to get the name of—as he blankly stares right back. Well, this isn't awkward at all.

"Um yeah, I guess. I just have to pay for my book." Turning to grab my book off the counter, I reach for it and at the same time he does too. Our hands bump into each other and a small squeak quietly escapes me as I rip my hand away from his. He winces at the awkward moment and quickly hands me my book, his eyes flicking back and forth between Matti and me.

Matti gently grabs my arm and pulls me closer to him, pushing his shoulders back to make himself seem bigger, but it is useless because Hoodie Boy is twice his size. My eyes take a second to note how fitted his red work shirt is under his black apron. While Matti does have some muscle, he's nowhere near as toned as Hoodie Boy is. He obviously must dedicate some time to the gym. I wonder if it's a stress relief. Or maybe a distraction from other things?

Just then my eyes lock onto the shiny black name-badge pinned to his chest, and my breath catches within my throat. Axel.

Axel's deep, raspy voice interrupts my thoughts as he says, "Hey don't worry about the book." Our eyes meet, and I blink stupidly as I process his words, my mind still focused on the fact that I just learned his name.

"I'm sure those tips will cover it."
His stupid smirk returns, his brown eyes full of mischief. My mouth drops and I quickly shoot him a glare, then spin around and storm out of the little café. I am no longer concerned about what his name is. In fact, I wish I hadn't just found out. Then I wouldn't be further acquainted with this...this infuriating boy!

His laughter follows me like the plague, sinking into my skin as I groan with frustration, hurrying to the registers so I can get away from his taunts. Boys are stupid. A loud yelp jumps out of me when Matti wraps his arm around my shoulder while I'm waiting in line at the checkout. He shoots me a concerned frown and gently pulls me into a side hug.

"You okay, sis? You ran off awfully quick."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I sigh heavily and lean into his embrace, "just annoyed is all." My eyes trail off towards the café where they meet Axel's large brown ones staring directly at me. My eyes widen and I hurriedly glance away, clutching my book tightly as I try to ignore awkward tension building up within my chest. Oh gosh, he totally just caught me looking at him. Matti notices my avoiding gaze and rolls his eyes, taking the book out of my hands and paying for it himself before dragging me outside to our car.

"Who was that?" He asks after we're both in the car, buckled up and ready to go. He glances over at me.

"His name is Axel," as I've just recently discovered. "He comes into the coffee shop once in a while." I stare down at the book in my hands, gently running my fingers over the words on the cover. A small smile forming on my lips as my eyes scan across the white pages, finally a sense of calm washing over me for the first time since I bumped into the guy with the coffee.

"For someone who only goes there 'once in a while,' you two seem to be pretty cozy." His voice is laced with sarcasm. "And by 'cozy,' I mean totally out to get each other." He raises an eyebrow and glances over at me, his eyes quickly flipping back to the road ahead.

"He's been...nice to me." My own voice comes out bitter and annoyed as thoughts of Axel return. "And by 'nice,' I mean rude and slightly annoying." I sink down in my seat and cross my arms as I begrudgingly add, "But he did help me deal with some other rude customers so he's not entirely obnoxious."

Matti chuckles softly. "Well, that's guys for you." His small smile turns into a look of concern, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. "But if you have any issues you just let me know, alright?" I finally look up from the book and rest my hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be okay, Matti. I know I have you guys to back me up." I smile over at him and pat his shoulder. He reaches up and places his hand over mine, gently squeezing it. I take my hand away and rest it back on the book. We both fall into a comfortable silence, staring ahead as the cars and trees pass by.

I will be okay.

~•~

        • Author's Note. •

Updated note!

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And another Happy Friday to you, my good readers *bows in greeting* I seriously love writing this book!

Another beautiful made by theworddealer ❤️❤️❤️

Omsqueee!! Axel works with Ariel now!!! And he sprayed her with coffee 😂😂😂 Poor Axel was probably so embarrassed 😂😂😂

Alright, question time! If you could choose any nickname for your SO to call you (sweetheart, cupcake *wiggles eyebrows*, etc.) What would it be?
Personally I wouldn't mind choosing cinnamon bun, precious dark overlord, kitten, or strawberry cause I think they're super cute 😂❤️

Also, just a friendly reminder - THERE WILL BE NO MORE WARNINGS BEFORE MINOR CHAPTERS. Please read at your own risk guys, it's gonna be a bumpy ride and I don't want anyone falling off the wagon and dying. Please please please be careful while reading!!

Song added: Why
By: Sabrina Carpenter ❤️

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                              Much Love,
                                 ~Molly

Written 10/27/2016