Page 10 of Little Wing
“Right…” I closed my laptop and moved it off my lap and watched as Mateo straightened his tie. He was more dressed up than normal. “Where are you going?”
“Quinn.”
“Booty call?” I asked, waggling my brows.
Mateo rolled his eyes. “That’s my wife you’re talking about.” He paused before grinning. “But yes. We’re grabbing dinner and then just hanging out.”
“Hanging out,” I chuckled. “That’s what they all say.”
Before he could counter, I yanked my phone off the couch and shrugged once I pulled up the article I had saved on my phone earlier that week. “Well, there is a bookstore in town that managed to make it onto some list highlighting popular events. Apparently, Sylvie Reverie has another book coming out and Fairhaven’s Black Cat Scribes is hosting a midnight release party.”
At the sound of the vampire authors name, Mateo jumped off the couch and rushed to smack me on the arm with the back of his hand.
“Ow! The fuck?”
“Reverie!” Mateo exclaimed. “Shit dude—Quinn loves those books! They’re supposed to be some romantic fantasy books with a bunch of sex.” He rubbed his hands excitedly. “You thinking of going?”
I shrugged. While Mateo spent time with Quinn regularly, I preferred to get my work done and relax. Though on the nights when I did go out and meet someone, I always kept encounters unattached. Mateo might have projected his emotions for Quinn, but I never felt an ounce of that for another person. After glancing at my phone again, I rolled my shoulders and looked at my brother. “Yeah, I think I’ll go check it out. Want me to pick you up a copy?”
“Fuck yeah! That would be awesome.” He leaned forward to ruffle my hair. In seconds, he was already down the hall, clearly eager to get out of the house. Because the sooner he left, the sooner he’d be in the company of the woman he couldn’t get enough of. I didn’t blame him, which fortunately urged me to get out of the house as well.
Friday night in Fairhaven was surprisingly busy for such a small town. Whether it was the book event causing this movement tonight, or maybe I just didn’t pay enough attention any other day, I really couldn’t tell. In this case it might have been the book event, because it wasn’t long before I began to blend into a crowd of people dressed in capes carrying fake swords. At least they weren’t running around with fake fangs hanging out of their mouth, or claws that resembled the result of vampiric bloodlust. According to the blurb I read on the way to town, the main character in this new book was a vampire. Still, it was strange seeing humans dressing up like us, as if vampires weresome caricatures. Halloween was already a spectacle for that reason alone. Thanks a lot, Dracula.
Regardless, the excited chatter from the crowd of people I followed mindlessly made finding Black Cat Scribes very easy. For a moment I considered heading over to the nearest vampire bar for a drink. Sure, Mateo would be disappointed that I didn’t get him and Quinn a book, but I’m sure it would pass. As I teetered between going in and walking away, I stopped to take a quick look inside and—holy shit!
Past the crowd of young men and women waiting patiently for their copy of the new Reverie book was a woman whose hair shined like onyx in the light of the bookstore. The enigma from the human bar. I would have to thank whatever divine power existed for allowing my path to cross with hers again.
I just needed another look, another chance to peek at the woman whose face I wanted to memorize.
Without waiting a second longer, I slipped through the modest crowd to get closer to the excitement. People dressed as their favorite characters were buzzing with conversation about plots, theories, and their favorite fan fictions involving odd character pairings. Clearly this was their element. Offering polite smiles, I slithered deeper into the store until I finally settled against a concrete pillar in the middle of the room—my perfect vantage point to observe the elusive woman in her element.
“There you are…” I muttered under my breath. Tonight, finally became interesting.
“Thank you for coming.” I smiled politely at the young woman dressed in pointed ears and a maroon cape before handing her the canvas tote bag with her purchase. “Your copy of the book is inside along with some fun items from Ms. Reverie. Would you like your receipt in the bag or with you?” I asked, pulling the thin paper from the printer.
“In the bag is fine. Thank you,” the woman responded, squealing with glee as she clutched the bag in her arms. She quickly retreated to her group of friends who were also dressed up like fantasy characters.
The store was certainly full of excitement. Everywhere I turned I could find someone either showing off their costumes or discussing the new book. Noticing the theme of their dress, I looked down at my outfit—a simple black dress with purple wildflowers, a grey long-sleeved cardigan, and my trusty black Doc Martens. I wasn’t in costume, but at least I didn’t stand out like a sore thumb. Each of us working the event tried to dress up in something more whimsical than normal in order to help immerse ourselves and our customers in the world of Reverie’s fantasy. Reina truly went above and beyond with her red off-the-shoulder dress with a black corset belt to accentuate herwaist. Even Heather and Darrin, our part-time coworkers, wore fake elf ears and capes to play along.
Once another wave of customers checked out and went back to socializing, I signaled Heather across the store to take over on the register. I needed a break from all the interactions with the young men and women. It was wonderful to see them enjoying themselves, but I couldn’t say I enjoyed all the potential staring that happened as they talked to me.
I lowered my head quickly and wandered into the center of the store where I swiftly located Reina. Her heartbeat was pounding in my ears. Her blood smelled sweet. Her scent—Mocha… Mint… Adrenaline.
“Hey, Lo!” she beamed. “How are you holding up?”
“Well, if another person asks who I’m cosplaying, I may just head on home.”
“Oh hush, you!” She stepped in front of me and spread her arms as far as she could without hitting anyone. “Look at how incredible this is. We’ve had a steady flow of people all night and they’re sticking around and talking.” She grabbed a stray book lying on the table and brought it to her chest. “We’re down to the last two boxes of the new books. I can’t believe I’m even thinking this, but we may sell out.”
My eyes widened at the thought. Yes, the event was going incredibly well, but never in my time working at the store did we sell out of a book like that.
“That’s amazing,” I admitted.
“Damn right, Lo. I mean, clearly the size of the store isn’t keeping anyone from just looking around either. It wouldn’t be too bad if we hosted more events like this, right? I don't see how the owner would object to bringing in more business. At least until we finally get our own bookstore up and running.”
Reina stopped to look at me as I tried to mask my disdain. Sure, I loved being able to help her and the business, but the reason I loved Black Cat Scribes as much as I did was for the fact that traffic was slower and that I got to spend my evening hours with books that were possibly older than I was.
The idea of opening our own bookstore presented conflict that I wasn’t ready to confront. Sure, it would be nice to do something like that with my best friends, but talking about it was one thing. Making the moves to make it a reality made me realize that I didn’t know if I could tie myself to something so solid. So… real.
