Novel & Cerita Page 42 Bookstore

I watched the five teenagers walk away and enter a phone store. We entered the bookstore and checked out some books, looking at the faces of the people entering and leaving the store. "Do you want to buy a book? Pick as many as you can, I will buy them for you," he offered. I looked at him, wanting to know if he was serious about his offer. I forgot to bring my wallet and phone. "I will buy two books," I said to humor him. "Go ahead," he said. I went to the romance section book and picked up two books, a fantasy book and a romance thriller book. I read the interesting synopsis, flipped through the pages. I like the glossy cover.

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End of Chapter 45 ---

It concentrated heavily around a small, newly opened bookstore on the corner. Jax kept his distance, slipping silently into the darkened alcove of a closed bakery across the street. He watched the glowing storefront with unblinking focus. The hanging wooden sign above the door read *The Bound Page*. Inside, the warm glow of fairy lights and brass reading lamps illuminated the cozy space. Jax’s gaze locked instantly onto the figure moving behind the front counter. She was completely unaware of the predator watching her. She was beautiful in an understated, frustratingly ordinary way—soft, slightly disheveled hair, determined eyes, and an aura of quiet, stubborn independence. She was stacking

she insisted. “That’s not how bookstores work,” Alex replied. “It is now.” Edith watched them, amused. “Young people,” she murmured. “Always rewriting the rules.” *** By late afternoon, the bookstore had transformed. Everything was in place. Neat. Warm. Inviting. Alex stepped back once more, taking it all in. “This… feels right,” he said. Amara nodded, standing beside him. “It does.” There was a brief silence between them. Not awkward.

“There’s a bookstore that stays open late.” Emma turned toward him. “Now?” James shrugged. “Just briefly. I want to walk.” Emma nodded. “All right.” They parked along a quieter stretch of road. James lifted Ethan carefully, letting the small head rest against his shoulder. Inside the bookstore, the scent of paper and old wood greeted them. Soft white lights made the shelves feel like corridors of time. Emma wandered toward the section of notebooks and journals, her fingers brushing spines until she paused at one with a simple cover.

The realization almost made Lois laugh. The man who negotiated billion-dollar deals appeared intimidated by a bookstore. Or perhaps by one particular employee inside it. "So..." she said. "So." "You have your coat." "I do." "And yet you're still here." Walter studied a shelf behind her. A shelf that clearly wasn't interesting. "I've never been here." "To a bookstore?" "To this bookstore." Lois folded her arms. "That's your excuse?" His eyes returned to hers. "It wasn't an excuse." "It wasn't a very good reason either."

Years of pretending I wasn't awkward had taught me well, one thing I learned the minute I stepped into New Jersey was that a perfect smile to hide whatever broken pieces was buried inside. Number one rule of Zian. Never let the room read you first. Inside, however... I was as usual, already planning my escape. The bookstore occupied the corner of a busy street in downtown Vegas. Floor-to-ceiling window wrapped around the front of the building, allowing sunlight to spill across rows of shelves and displays. Strings of warm lights hung from the ceiling, casting a cozy glow over the polished wooden floors. Banners featuring my books decorated the walls while stacks of signed editions sat neatly

I flipped the page of my notebook, leaning down to grab my textbook from the door beside my chair. And that’s when the idea struck. Slowly, deliberately, I let the book slip from my fingers. It hit the floor with a soft thud. “Oh—" I bent down immediately to pick it up and the classroom suddenly felt very quiet. Very still. I didn’t rush. Instead, I took my time reaching for the book, my skirt shifting slightly as I moved. A risky move. A deliberate move. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then— Jeff cleared his throat sharply.

I knew that one was far outside of my price range, but I flipped through the pages until I got to the more interesting bits. I didn't have all that much time, so I put the book back and found a box on the ground marked ‘Used Romance’. I kneeled beside it and dug through them until I found a couple I liked. They were all marked as ".50", so I could get four whole books to bring back with me. I was so overjoyed I nearly pranced on my way up to the cash register. The old man looked up from his book, and gave me a hard stare with his steely gray eyes as he wrote the titles in his ledger. "You're not from around here." He spoke with an accusation in his voice. "No, I'm not." I agreed. "Just visit