Hazel grinned at a specific novel in her palms. It was an older copy of the first Harry Potter book. It brought back some memories from when the wizards overcame Voldemort in the end. The man from moments ago had already moved on, seeming as if he worked here. Dismissing the thought, she began reading the inside cover for one of the newer copies, The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston.
Satisfied with her find, she slides it into the crook of her arm before looking for her next book. The dystopian novels were kind of mixed in with the fantasy, and Hazel grinned at the title Red Queen. She had been meaning to get her hands on a copy for a long while now. The series was already finished but she had yet to start it.
Carrio snaked the cart down the isle. He wondered if this recipient would be as excited as he was to find these new novels, since she already found two of the newer ones. He hastily continued shelving the books, knocking his thick glasses askew in his excitement.
Pushing up her lenses, Hazel ended up seating herself on the floor. It wouldn't be polite to simply take all of the new ones…
Glancing up, she found a novel she had been meaning to check out a few weeks ago, but would always get distracted by others. Red Rising.
Despite not being completely new, it gave off the scent of one.
Carrio shook his head a little, his nose aching slightly. He rubbed the buttoned, flat nose of his, checking for blood. He always knocked into his nose, it was a miracle he didn’t break it. He was forced to buy cheaper, thicker framing for his glasses so he didn’t break those, either.
(All the books I've listed I actually wanna read. Minus Red Queen and HP as I've read those)
"Four so far…" Hazel murmured to herself. Not having the room in her arms, she slid them into her now empty yellow bag. She had also slid a classic, Fahrenheit 451, in there as well.
(Awesome. I don’t have much of a reading list other than SK.)
Carrio slid in the last new book into the shelf and gave a happy sigh. This job didn’t pay too well, but he got to work with books, his favorite things ever. He pushed the cart out of the isle to go sort out the romance section.
Finally standing, Hazel took herself over towards the next isle. It was horror. She wasn't the fan of being horrified out of her mind, but could appreciate the crisp look of a new cover. She brushed her fingertips over the spine before glancing at the mystery novels.
Carrio shelved all the romance with ease. It wasn’t much, since the romance was so popular he could just heave them up into the shelves in their empty homes. He smiled as he shelved, happy for the books to see them back in their little spots safe and sound.
It was always amusing to look at each individual cover of the books with their designs and fonts. Even if they weren't fancy didn't mean the book would be bad. Thinking this to herself, Hazel decided to give one of the horror novels a chance. The only thing was she had no clue which one to pick.
Carrio carted his way to the horror section. He only had a couple books to shelve here, but they were very hard spots to insert without damaging a cover. He found the spot and carefully slid in the book.
Looking up, she noticed the man from before. He pushed in a novel a few away from her. Hazel thought about asking him for his opinion since he worked here, but looked away. Her mind started scolding her for thinking such things. There was no need to bother someone over something she should do herself.
Carrio shook his hair out of his face and grabbed a second book. Mystery. Belongs in the N’s… He glanced up to see the regular looking confused and lost. He walked over, holding the book carefully.
“Excuse me, I need to shelve this book.”
"Oh, I'm sorry," Hazel apologised quickly. She scooted backwards timidly and waited for the man to finish. For some reason she felt her anxious thoughts explode in her mind upon seeing him. Everything told her not to bother him and to move along. Having nothing better to do, Hazel began twisting her braid needing to distract herself.
Carrio hummed softly and kneeled, shelving it. “That’s alright. Do you need help? You look rather confused.” He rose back up and moved out of her way, smiling warmly.
Returning her focus back to him, she released her hair from her grip. Her mind was a buzz of thoughts and feelings and she couldn't control them.
"I'm okay," she felt her mouth say. It was a routine to always say those same two words despite if she meant it or not. Were she to have worn a short sleeved shirt, it would be quite obvious with what she really dealt with.
Carrio raised an eyebrow and looked at the shelf. “I’d recommend this book.” He pulled out Girl on a Train, a classic mystery-romance and stuck it out.
“Judging by what you usually get, this looks appropriate.”
Taking it, she looked down at the cover. It was a slightly worn copy.
"Oh. Um t-thank you," Hazel said quickly, remembering to make eye contact. His eyes were kind of pretty…
Carrio met her gaze with a slight grin. He liked the way they looked, the pretty patterns around her pupil. He liked her glasses frame, too.
“I like your glasses. They look really nice on you.” He smiled.
Hazel felt her cheeks warm instantly. I… look nice…?
The young woman was unsure as to what to do with herself and could only respond with, "Um, yours too."
She mentally wanted to slap herself since she was probably making a fool of herself.
Carrio gave a gentle laugh and shifted his glasses on his face. “Thanks. They’re not too impressive, though. Oh, a book came in that you might like. It’s over in the romance section, I just shelved it.”
Hazel had yet to smile at the librarian, following his lead towards the romance section. Despite this, her cheeks were still a light pink. She was greatly unused to kind gestures, especially compliments. That was partly her fault though as she didn't socialize much.
Carrio grabbed a book he just shelved and handed it to her. “There you go. It’s the only Romance I’ve actually read and understand.”
(I'll be back in a few. Gonna watch a movie with my mom while she's finally off from work)
Carrio grabbed a book he just shelved and handed it to her. “There you go. It’s the only Romance I’ve actually read and understand.”
Hazel took the novel, casting a quick look at the cover before looking back up at the man. She offered a quick timid grin before thanking him yet again. That completed her pile of six. There was no need to bother this man any longer. "Thank you again…" she trailed off as she walked towards the front desk to have them signed out under her name.
Carrio gave a slight nod and followed her to the desk, walking around to his computer. He signed them out, then handed them to her carefully.
“Happy reading. Take good care of them.”
Hazel nodded in return before going on her way down a few blocks. She had just enough time to make it to her job in a small coffee shop. It was mostly so she actually had money to take care of herself and earn a living, but it was also a way to help her social interactions. At least that's what it was supposed to be doing. She still struggled with speaking much more than the regular short script for customers, but it was a start. It was also nice that she got an occasional free coffee. Walking inside, she heard the tiny chime of a bell signaling her entrance.
After clocking in, she tied on her turquoise apron. Setting her bag of books down into a safe spot, she made her way behind the counter to begin taking orders. Luckily, she'd have the next day off after her shift.
(Time skip? Sorry about the short answer, nice paragraph.)
