I usually worked alone at the bookstore, but sometimes Eleanor would be there with me. She owns the store, she’s owned it for a very long time actually. She doesn’t work much these days because of her age, but she would often come and check up on me or whoever was working. But despite her not being there much, she began to notice Harvey’s presence.
She mentioned it to me one day. She was curious as to why he came in so often since it seemed he wasn’t all that interested in books. I didn’t want to admit that he came because he wanted to see me, but I told her anyway.
“I don’t like him,” she whispered to me as Harvey browsed the shelves of mystery books on the other side of the store. I had been ringing up another customer, so he had wandered off while I was busy.
She said he gave off a vibe that she didn’t like. And she thought it was odd how he came in to see me all the time. She had met Lysander before, and liked him very much, so she obviously disapproved of me speaking to Harvey. I assured her that I would speak to him about it. That seemed to satisfy her, so she left for the day.
Harvey spent that entire day with me in the store. After I closed and locked everything up at the end of my shift, I stood with him outside. I knew I had to keep to my word and talk to him; otherwise Eleanor would get even more suspicious than she already was. And I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea of what was going on with Harvey and me. Nothing good would have come from her thinking there was something more going on than there really was.
“I need to talk to you,” I said eventually. It was the only thing I could think of to say to begin that conversation.
I told him that he couldn’t come to visit me so much anymore. I explained about Eleanor and about how it just didn’t look right for him to be spending all day at the store just to be with me. I told him that I was flattered he wanted to be around me so much, because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but that I was serious and he needed to stop.
I thought that telling him that would be the end of it. I thought perhaps he would come in occasionally still, but that those occasions would be few and far between. I didn’t think he would be so persistent, but he was.
“When can I see you then?” he asked me.
His relentlessness scared me. I didn’t know how to deal with it. He was so unnerving. Just being around him set me on edge. I wasn’t sure what it was about him, but I just knew there was something deeper going on there. But I had no proof. No evidence. And because I felt bad for judging him so harshly without any reason to, I agreed to meet him for dinner the next night.
When I left the store after my shift the next day, he was waiting for me outside.
A/N: Here it is - the third chapter. Thanks to everyone who's been reading/reviewing/adding this story as a favorite. Your encouragement means a lot to me! :)
Printer Friendly Version
