Page 33 of Truth or Pack

"Excuse me, ma’am, do you happen to have books here?" I asked, giving her a smile.

"Oh, sorry. Any books that we get, we donate to the book shop a few buildings down," she replied. “It’s an amazing little shop, you should check it out.”

I honestly loved the sense of community this town had. It wasn’t something I was used to and after being in pretentious parts of town, thanks to my mom always seeking something ‘better’, I craved something like this more than ever before.

"Not a problem. We’re planning on heading there next," I reassured her. “Thanks.”

She gave me a quick goodbye as another customer unloaded a basket in front of her.

I wasn’t really interested in clothes or decor today, so I headed back to where I’d left my mate.

Matthias was still elbow deep in the electronic shelves when I stopped near him. "Did you find anything?"

"Not yet, you?" he asked as he placed another handheld gaming console in a discard pile.

"The lady said all the books are at the bookshop," I recounted as I leaned against the shelf.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked, stopping to look at me for the first time since he started his search.

"I'm in no rush. If you’re still looking, I'll just keep you company," I promised.

"Nah, we can go. Let me move these piles back and we can go to the bookshop," he told me.

"Don't stop on my account. I can wait for you," I tried to reassure him.

He didn't answer as he did start moving things back. Just before he finished, he smiled at me, placed the last VHS player where he found it, leaving him with a single gaming set that was bundled with controllers and a few games.

“So, what’s this?”

“It’s an old Nintendo, the game bundle has one of my old favorites from when we were kids, I’ve tried to find it online but it’s always a bust,” he explained, that excitement sparking in his eyes again. “We can set it up and try it out when we get back if you want.”

“I’ve never played. Mom always said that it wasn’t ‘ladylike,’” I explained, rolling my eyes at the thought. I swear anything fun or even remotely exciting was out of the question with her.

“I dislike your mom more and more every time I hear a story about her,” he grumbled as he led me to the counter and placed the console on it for the lady.

“Oh, I just got a few extra games in today, let me throw those in, too. Same price, of course.” She ducked behind the counter and came up with a stack of ten more games. “Here.”

“Thank you,” he said, already flipping through them, his smile only growing wider with each one. “This is great.”

“It’s been here too long, I’m happy it’s found a home,” she said as she rang him up. After he paid, he held his hand back out for mine and pulled me out of the shop.

"The little, old lady said that we are close to the bookstore," I told him as we moved past the next shop.

"I think we’re here," he said as he looked in the window.

It was a cozy, little place, the window painted like a whimsical scene with a twisted tree and hanging fairies, a few children’s fairytales on display with it.

Inside it was adorable. There was a set of plush chairs and little tables near the window. It was a perfect place to sit and read for a few.

If I had a storefront, this is what I'd want. Cozy, inviting, and homey.

"So, where do we start?" Mathias asked, pulling me a little closer to him and glancing around. “Oh! How about you show me those mystery book skills?”

“Alright,” I said, jumping at the chance of doing a little book match-making. “Tell me your three favorite things to read about and I’ll do my best.”

“I really like fantasy, I’m going to say romance too since that’s your specialty. I want to know what we’re getting into,” he teased, giving me a wink. “And let’s say… magic.”

“Okay, but we’re doing this Taryn-style, meaning you get to sit in that cozy little chair, let me buy it, and I’ll wrap it up. There’s a craft store next door,” I said with a grin.

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