Chapter Text
The store is never quiet, at least, not for Andrew. He has a single earphone in as he works, blasting Metal, or blasting K-pop, or blasting Gaga. Just blasting, he owns the damn store, if anyone dares to complain. Headphones in. ‘Drop In’ is the one place he can have as much control over as possible, from the way everything is arranged to the music that plays both outside, and in his ears.
The store is usually quiet for other people, soft instrumental music, hushed conversations and the sound of pages turning. Sometimes the odd over excited child. Andrew does not like the odd over excited children. But those parents buy a lot of things. A book for the child because it is a bookstore, and some of the educational toys, maybe even the hot wheels if the child is persuasive.
Today he doesn’t get that peace. A customer comes to Andrew and points anxiously to a corner aisle. Andrew doesn’t even need to pause his music to find the source of disturbance. It is two grown adults and a child on the floor, though the child stands quietly much apart playing with a small plushie, making it read one of the many books littered on the floor beside them. One of the adults is perhaps as short as Andrew and has got the other person, whom Andrew recognises as someone he has catalogued, and who is a full head taller than him, cornered.
However, they are not fighting as Andrew had thought they would have been. Instead, they are having a whispered discussion. “Kevin Day, I swear to god, just because I asked for your autograph does not mean I am interested in reliving our university days.”
“But it would be good to grab a drin-”
Andrew can see how the short person’s face twists in annoyance. “I don’t drink, plus I have a child. I am sorry, but we really are running late”
“ Neil , at least take my number?” Kevin Day, whom he can finally place as the author of the Raven trilogy, is insistent and grabs a hold of the other man’s hand. Andrew steps closer but everyone except the child, who is now staring at him intently, seems to be unaware of him.
“Alright. Fine.” Neil hands his very old model of a phone to Kevin, who types in his number with one hand, still not letting go of the shorter man’s hand.
“Also, I didn’t realise you had a kid? Do I know his mother?”
Okay, that’s quite enough , Andrew thinks as he sees Neil’s eyes start to flash and mouth form a retort that might not be very polite. He approaches the men and they look to him, Andrew flicks his head towards the kid.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret. Especially not here.”
He gestures with his hand to the door, the men look contrite as they walk to it. Andrew follows them just to make sure they leave.
The redhead abruptly turns to Day and speaks, “Hey Kevin, do you know--”
“Outside.”
-
Kevin is not used to being so wrong footed in a bookstore of all places. There are many things about his life which make him feel like he does not quite belong. He’s perpetually over stressed and nit-picky. But a bookstore is like a home field for him, people recognise him for positive reasons, they come up to talk to him, and Kevin is really good at small talk. It is like talking in interviews except, even easier. He signs the copies of his books that he sees, and the smell of books is comforting.
This was the first time he felt like crawling out of his skin in one.
But this was also the first time he saw Neil Josten in a bookstore. This was the first time he saw Neil Josten after years of radio silence. Kevin had spent years shoving down his feelings, but seeing Neil again brought back all of the longing he thought he was over. This was the first time he had seen Neil with a child. Kevin had looked down for a ring, but Neil had never been the kind to wear jewellery, he would probably just hang his wedding ring besides his Swiss army knife. That train of thought had probably been his undoing there.
He is not used to rejection. Even when he had sent his niche manuscript out to publishing houses, he was one of the lucky ones who was rejected only a few times before someone took his work from the slush pile.
He goes back to the store, after calling his agent, Jeremy, who in his sunny way reminded Kevin that bad impressions with indie bookstores, while not detrimental to his career as a whole, were damaging the ethos of it. Kevin had smiled at himself, listening to Jeremy rant about the need the industry had for bookstores that were not bought out by large chain stores, and the soul of the book publishing industry. Jeremy was one of the people whose convictions endeared him. It made him feel better, and the speech was enough to make him toughen up as he walked inside.
The man who had kicked him and Neil out is sitting on the reception desk as last time.
“Hello, I wanted to come back and apologise for my behaviour yesterday, it was not acceptable to bring my personal issues to the store. I hope you can forgive me?”
He had rehearsed this. He had rehearsed this on call with Jeremy. And so, he knows this is a polite and nice thing to say, “a perfectly acceptable apology,” as Jeremy had called it. But the blond guy keeps looking up at him, an eyebrow cocked. As if waiting for more.
And Kevin does not have any more to say, but he takes a chance.
“I am willing to make repairs for bad behaviour?”
This makes the man smirk, look him up and down.
Kevin blushes as the implications of what he had said actually hit him.
Make repairs for bad behaviour.
He needs a Ctrl+Z for his mouth. But this is done, he had said the words, no take backs. "I can pay damages. Or get you food.”
“Andrew.”
“Andrew, I am Kevin. Kevin Day.” He extends his hand and then feels flushed as Andrew ignores it in favour of more staring.
“So, food. Get me ice cream and we will consider this settled.”
And so, he does, Kevin quickly turns and leaves to go to the nearest Ben and Jerry’s, damn social graces, and gets a few different flavours. Cherry Garcia because he likes it, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough because many people like it, Vanilla Caramel Fudge to play it safe and a few adventurous flavours because what if the shopkeeper is actually one of those really strange flavour profile people.
He is not sure about the etiquette of food in the store, but that’s fine, most probably.
Andrew’s eyes narrow in to the huge bag Kevin is carrying. He gives a smile so quick Kevin would have missed it if he were not looking for it specifically. Kevin is struck for a second, and he thinks about how Neil would have reacted to the same amount of ice-cream. Neil had been known to dip carrots in the dessert at times. Kevin used to call him a rabbit due to the habit. Now he was back to calling him Josten.
Andrew snaps him out of his revere, “Are you going to hand that to me?”
Kevin does.
“I think this is not quite enough ice-cream,” Andrew says as he fishes out a spoon from somewhere to dig into the Cherry Garica. Kevin wonders if the man should be doing it while running a counter, but he does not say anything about it, the conversation with Neil yesterday reminded him of just how Not His Place to Comment On some things are. Andrew makes steady progress with the ice-cream and Kevin watches him for a minute, before realising that this is probably creepy. He clears his throat, which has somehow dried up in the time he spent looking at Andrew.
“Would you like me to sign my books?” This is usually not so awkward.
“Go ahead. You have a pen?”
Kevin nods, and moves to the aisle where he stood yesterday. He signs the copies, doodling little chess pieces which corroborate with individual protagonists on each. It is soothing, and then he hears a voice, “Excuse me?” on his shoulders is a young kid, they look to be 16 or so and hopefully hold up a battered copy of his short story collection to him. Kevin takes it.
“Whom should I address it to?”
The kid gives a smile, “Maya!”
“Which is your favourite among these, Maya?”
The kid thinks for a second, “I think The Nightly Courting. When I was a kid, I had this playground I would sit at when, uh. When I didn’t want to be home. And when Hannah thinks about how she is so much safer there where every direction is closed off, I think I understand that.”
Kevin wonders about the past tense in her words, “And home is better now?”
They speak quietly, but with a very firm voice, “Yes. Yes, it is.”
That’s what he writes on their book,
‘ To Maya, to safe homes, and familiar places .’
He draws a goal post, and a small stick figure sitting leaning against it, knees pulled up and its not the best drawing but Kevin likes it. After a moment of deliberation, draws a small smile on the figure’s face.
That is what is on his mind as he finally leaves the store, tipping his head to Andrew on the way out.