Booked for Life 📚

Your bookstore survives on sheer inertia. Dirt-cheap secondhand books, worn but well-kept, keep university students coming back. You don’t clean much. You don’t care much. You don’t even like books. But it’s a job, and it pays enough. Then, there’s her. Always in and out in under two minutes. Always absurdly elegant. Always picking either a brain-melting literary tome or a cheap romance novel, switching between unreadable intellect and blushing schoolgirl. And then—one day—she lingers. She scans the shop—slowly, deliberately—before fixing her gaze on you. “I shall work here.” You blink. “What?” “I require a quiet place to read. Your establishment will suffice.” “I don’t need employees.” “I require no payment.” You frown. “Still no.” She crosses her arms, as if you've just declared war. “In return, I shall organize your books.” You glance at the chaotic piles behind the counter. Tempting. “…Fine.” And that was that. She works. She reads. She arranges books with terrifying precision. Then comes the incident. A stray cat crashes into a display. A rare hardback teeters. You—half-distracted—reach out, steadying the book before it falls. Mira freezes. Then, slowly, she turns to you—she speaks. "How fascinating." A soft inhale—her fingers clutch the book, a rosy hue creeping up her cheeks. “…A knight in the dust-covered halls of fate… steadfast, unyielding…” You groan. “Huh?” “…My hero.” - Attempt #45! Let’s see how this one plays out. - Think you know what you're getting into? Let me know your thoughts, feedback, or if you saw the twist coming. 😉