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Seeing Elliott at the library wasn’t surprising; he spent most of his time there anyway. What made it surprising was the fact that he was stocking the shelves with books. He was wearing his regular clothes, but now his outfit was complemented with a little nametag on his chest. You were there to return a book and to check out another one, but you stopped in your tracks as soon as you saw Elliott working.
“Hi Farmer! Can I help you find anything?” He greeted you while organising a shelf that he hadn’t packed full yet.
“No, I’m just surprised to see you here.” You smiled at him.
“Really? I spend a lot of time in the library.”
“Yeah, reading, not working.” You rolled your eyes at him playfully.
“Gunther needed some extra help with the new shipment, so I volunteered.” He explained, opening another box full of books. “It’s a blessing and a curse; I am surrounded by books all day; however, my ‘to be read’ list keeps growing longer and longer.” He let out a tired sigh, thinking about all the books he should read to finish his list.
“Oh, maybe you can recommend something to me!” You said cheerfully.
“What were you reading?” He asked, trying to catch the title of the book you were holding.
You suddenly felt shy and embarrassed. The book wasn’t scandalous, and even if it was, you doubted that Elliott would care. But you felt silly with your little fluffy romance book in your hands.
“I-it’s nothing special…”
“Every book is special.” He gently corrected you with a reassuring smile. “So, what is it?” He raised one of his eyebrows.
“This.” You held the book out for him to look at, while your gaze was fixated on the floor.
“Ah, I love this one.” He took the book out of your hands and ran his fingers across the cover.
“Really?” You were stunned by his words. He didn't seem the kind of guy to be into this kind of romance book. You’ve imagined him as more of a historical or fantasy romance kind of person. The genres that required a lot of knowledge or time to make. But maybe his ‘every book is special’ mentality extended to small-town romances, too.
“Yes, the way the banter flows between the characters is a masterclass of writing. I hope to get to that level one day.” He mused on the book in his hand. You let the sentence hang in the air as you thought it through. Elliott really did like this book; he even envied the author's skills. “But enough about me, let’s find your next adventure.” He beamed at you as he started to move between shelves, trying to figure out what book to give you.
“Adventure?” You felt puzzled by his word choice as you followed him through the rows of books.
“Every book is special, and every story is an adventure.” He amended his motto while giving you a gentle smile. “This row,” he gestured at it with his free hand. “Is for the same author. That shelf,” he nodded to the adjacent wall. “Is the same genre. Pick your poison, I will return this for you.” He winked at you before disappearing towards the frontcounter to give back your book to Gunther.
“A special, adventurous poison, I guess.” You muttered under your breath as you looked at the spine of each book. “Or a special, poisonous adventure.” You mumbled as you picked up a book with a poison vial on the cover. “Yeah, that will do it.”