Page 23 of The Fate Of Us

Don’t judge me.You know you want to read it.

Running a brush through my hair, I let my mouth curve into an unconscious smile,internally thanking my Sunday self for washing it. The skin care ritual I’d done the night before made my make-up glide on with ease, my pearly skin glowing underneath. I finish it off with a lipgloss of gold and pink shimmer, the one that catches the light in the prettiest way when the sun finds me.

I twist my hair into a claw clip before skipping towards my closet, pulling the door openand marvelling at endless choices.

The outfits were arguably the most important part of my Monday’s. It’s true what theysay—that there is no better motivator than a good outfit. A cute outfit. An outfit I’d see on another woman and think, ‘Boy, has she got her shit together’. So with that goal in mind, and a glance out the window and seeing a whisper of sunlight and a speck of blue up in the sky, I opt for a pair of light wash jeans, ones that are frayed on the edges and hug my thick thighs nicely, a baby yellow lace hem cami, one that shows just the tops of my double D’s, a chunky white cardigan over the top and a matching pair of baby yellow Mary Janes.

If I saw me walking down the street, I’d think I had my shit together.

As for the activities for the day? Well… that’s the best part.

Because New York is just a constant hotbed of tourists, there’ll never truly be a day whenall the streets are clear and I can walk them freely without being stopped or spotted three times a minute, but after being a city veteran for almost seven years now, you learn things, and I’ve found that Mondays tend to be the quietest days.

But if I’m honest, once you’ve experienced a December in New York, where the crowdsfeel purposefully large and you can’t move without twenty people stepping on your shoes at once, the months that follow always feel clearer, and calmer.

I leave my apartment building, saying a quick goodbye to Robbie, the nicest securityguard in history, before stretching my headphones over my head, making sure the usual swarm of paparazzi that like to conjure here are nowhere to be seen and jumping straight back into my playlist.

The first stop on my list isFlo’s,naturally. I slip through the doors ten minutes beforeopening for my weekly catchup with my best friend, also saying hello to Cora and Rory, who still freak out every time they see me, and leaving a few minutes later with a custard tart and coffee.

With my breakfast devoured and iced latte in hand, I make headway for my second stopof the day. It’s a relatively new stop on my Monday journey. It’s about a ten-minute walk fromFlo’sto the new spicy book store that opened on Lexington Avenue, and because it was so new, the foot traffic outside there is never enough that I get spotted. I feel the rush of gratitude tingle down my spine when I remember that, my eyes lapping up the empty sidewalk.

I could do without making the headline of every gossip site and newspaper in the world,one that read;

Actress, Adaline Moore, Has Been Spotted Getting Her Fix Of Steamy Books From Dedicated Erotic Bookstore In New York.

Yeah. No thanks.

And because the owner, Josephine, is an absolute doll, she closes off the store for me, justin case my nightmare comes to life and someone with a camera and online influence sees me here.

Not that I’m ashamed to read books like this. I love it. I write them for crying out loud.And I’ve showcased what I’m reading on my socials more than enough times to know my fans love it when I share stuff like that. I just think a picture of me leaving here with a handful of smutty fantasy and erotic cowboy novels would be enough to make me never show my face in the world, or to the people I know, again.

The bell above the door chimes as I walk in, the sound bouncing off the bookshelves and waking up thesleeping Josephine, who I can see and hear snoring behind the counter, her head embedded between her folded arms.

She jolts up once the bell chime reaches her ears, eyes all wide and mouth gaped. “Oh,Adaline!” she stretches. “How lovely to see you.” Her yawn blankets her words, but her deep-rooted New York accent still comes through and warms me like a hug.

“Late night?” I ask her, closing the door behind me and heading straight for the newreleases table.

I can bet you that the ones with the pastel pink covers and deceiving titles will be thefilthiest. Always the way.

“You could say that. I had a break-in at my other store in Midtown.” My head whipped upfrom the blurb I was reading. “I’ve been up all night with the cops doing paperwork and all other sorts of crap.” She yawns again, dog-earing the page she had her head resting on a few seconds ago and placing it to one side.

“Oh my God, are you okay? Is the store okay?” I ask, my voice all shaky.

“Oh, honey, of course I am. We lost some cash from the register, around a thousand bucksor so, but whoever it was took a tote bag with the store’s logo on to put it all in. And you know what, I don’t see a robbery. Because you know what I see?”

The grin on her face should not be on the face of a woman describing a break-in. “What?” I entertain her, the corners of my mouth already rising.

Her head starts rolling back as a laugh escapes her throat, before she yells, “Freeadvertising!” and her cackle deepens.

I let a laugh leave me too, just in pure admiration of her. This woman just got robbed, andshe’s laughing about it. Not because the money doesn’t mean anything to her, I’m sure it does, but she’s taking something horrible and still seeing the good in it.

Another one of the reasons I’m so happy Flo introduced me to JoJo when she did.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Glad your stores are okay too.” I say, picking up the bookwith the pink cover and heading over to another shelf of smut.

“To be honest with you, Adaline, I’m just glad it wasn’t this one. I’ve always wanted toopen a store like this, and when I’d finally saved enough for a year’s rent on this place, I said, fuck it! I’ll open up a sexy bookstore and turn it into a safe space to pick up some forbidden romance and have a glass of wine while you do.”

Oh yeah, did I mention this was a boozy bookstore as well? Perhaps that was why it wasMonday approved too.

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