It was another lazy Sunday. Lazy streaks of sun floated through the windows, illuminating the dust-thick air of the bookshop. Bobbi flipped through an old copy of Hamlet, wondering how someone could’ve given up such a gorgeous old printing of it. She set the book down and had started to wander to the next shelf when the door opened, causing the little bell tied to it to tinkle pleasantly. In walked Alexander, wearing an oddly appealing orange scarf that was typical of his style. Bobbi tried to look away, but their eyes had met before she could. He started to make his way over to her, getting over the inevitable meeting. “Uh…hey…Bobbi.” He rubbed his untidy brown hair, disturbing the dust particles that had settled around it.
“Hey Alex. Uhm…so…how are you doing?”
“I’m good. Yeah, pretty good. How are you?”
“I’m fine, yeah.”
“How’s…your career?”
“It’s good, really good. Yeah…I just got a lead role in a play. We’re doing it next…year. Not in the city though. You know off-Broadway kind of…smaller. Thing.”
“Oh, good. What play?”
“Uh…Hamlet. Yeah.”
“Good, good. Congrats on the lead and all…Hamlet. Pretty nice.”
“Yeah, well, you know…not a whole lot of strong male actors in the company or anything.”
“Yeah.”
“Uhm…how’s your life? I mean…you know…career and relationships and all that.”
“It’s good. Work is good. Yeah, I’m seeing someone.”
“That’s great, yeah…getting back out there and all that.”
“Yeah, yeah. Her name is Eleanor…Ellie…yeah.”
“That’s great.”
“Mm hmm. Uh…how about you? Seeing someone or…?”
“Yeah, yeah. Claud…Claude. Yeah. He’s French.”
“That’s good, good.”
“Uh huh.”
“Yeah…”
“Yep. So…I have to go now…you know, best to beat traffic and all. I mean, by the time I walk to the station and all. Yeah. So…it was nice…seeing you then.”
“Yeah, you too. I guess I’ll see you…sometime…later. Around.”
“Uh huh, like wise. Good luck with the…work and Ellie and that.”
“Oh yeah, you too with Claude. And the play.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah…well…bye Bobbi.”
“Bye Alex.” Bobbi exited the store, the tiny bell on the door pleasantly announcing her leave. Alex exhaled and turned to the shelf next to him. Several books on Eleanor of Aquitaine stood there, and across from that were Shakespeare’s anthologies and plays. Alex bit his lip, nodded a bit, and proceeded to the modern fiction section.