For the third time of November, from behind his desk in the old library he had just buy a few months earlier, Seth Rollins witnessed the same spectacle. A man of about his age, not yet thirty judging by his casual appearance, walked past his window. Everytime he stopped there a long time, watching the books in exhibition with his beautiful blue eyes, hesitating a very long moment before the front door. One hand in the front pocket of his faded jeans, the other playing with his lips, he always ended by turning around and leave. Seth wondered if this mysterious man would decide entering his shop one day. Maybe today, since he began to snow. Seth tucked his pencil behind his ear and flipped the vinyl who was spinning in his deck on the other side. The crackling sound of the disk filled the room and Frank Sinatra started to sing « Some Enchanted Evening ».
From the corner of his eye Seth watched the dirty blond man and his angelic face, he looked so shy. He prayed inwardly that he would finally step in his shop. The man was moving from one end of the window to the other rubbing his hands together and Seth forced himself to look away. He decided to make some coffee and focused his attention to the small coffee machine on the other side of the counter. While waiting for the black liquid to flow into his mug, he took off his glasses and began to clean them with the edge of his black and red plaid shirt.
He inhaled the delicious smell of coffee and put his glasses on just before hearing the old front door open. He closed his eyes and mentally counted to three before giving himself permission to turn around.
The stranger was right there, in the middle of his shop, snow quickly melting in his hair. He looked around him nervously before his baby blue eyes locked with Seth's. Rollins smiled brightly at him. « Hey ! Welcome to The Reading Corner » The man offered a shy smile before he let his answer pass his lips. « Hi... » Seth took his hot mug in his hands. « May I help you ? » The blond tucked his hands in his leather jacket pockets and took another look around him, his eyes scanning the wooden shelves full of books. « Hum.. No thanks, I'm just going to..take a look ? ». Seth nodded and smiled again, « Yeah of course,suit yourself. » The man walked among the shelves of the library, sometimes taking a book in his hands, examining it and putting in its place
Seth noticed that he looked totally lost and fought internally a few minutes to decide if he was going to offer his help again or let the man come asking for it.
He wanted to know more about this man, talk to him, hear this deep voice again.. He drank one last sip of his now lukewarm coffee and finally joined the man in the back of the shop, his black Converses squeaking on the old parquet. « Can I recommend something ? Looking for a book in particular? »
Seth watched the man who shook his head no without looking at him in the eyes. « No I don't.. » The man let his phrase hang in he air, unable to finish it. He looked terrorized and his face began to flush as Seth was searching for his gaze. « What kind of books do you usually reads ? Novels ? Sci-Fi ? Thriller ? » The other man closed his eyes brielfly then his look shifted to the books on the shelf behind Seth. « I can't- I don't know how- » The man sighted and mumbled « Sorry.. » passing before Seth and rushing to the door.
Seth didn't move for a moment, standing in the middle of his shop. Why did the man leave ? He could have helped him. That's why he loved is job. He wanted to transmit his passion of books to other people, he had read most of the books he was selling in his shop, so he could give each client a book who would match their taste. He felt disappointed he couldn't hep this man. He didn't event knew his name.
Later that day, Seth was sitting in a brown leather sofa, his legs folded beneath him, a mug of coffee in his left hand, The Catcher In The Rye by Salinger in the right hand, one of his favorite book. He had a dozen of clients that afternoon, which was a lot on snowy days like that, but he was still bummed he couldn't help the man he met earlier. Sinatra was still singing the background, and by the windows he could see a storm outside. He looked at the big clock suspended above the counter. In over a little hour he would close his shop and go back to his little apartment. As he returned to his reading, the front door opened. Seth closed his book and mechanically started talking to the client. « Welcome to.. » He stopped as he saw the face of the beautiful blue eyed man. Snow was falling from his hair, much more than earlier in the day, and steam escaped from his thin lips as he breathed the warmth of the shop. Hands in his jean's pocket, head down, he shifted from one feet to the other nervously. « Hum..Sorry for earlier.. » Seth rose from the sofa and walked to him. « It's nothing. Would you..Like some coffee ? » The stranger nodded as Seth slided behind the counter. For a moment only the sound of Sinatra singing « Come Fly With Me » and brewing of coffee filled the place. Seth liked this kind of silence between them. It wasn't uncomfortable, and he could feel the man's eyes following each of his movement. He choose a black mug and filled it with coffee. He reached out and gave the mug to the stranger. Their fingers brushed lightly and seth felt electricity. « Sugar ? » he asked. The man answered quickly « No,thanks. ». Seth studied his face as the man took a sip of the hot beverage. He had light stubble covering his cheeks and his curly dirty blond hair were falling on his forehead. He looked awesome. He wanted to know more about this man, at least his name. He extended his hand to him. « I'm Seth Rollins, did you come back to find a book this time ? » The man shook his hand and chuckled. « Dean Ambrose. I.. No, not searching for books.. » Seth was intrigued. « Well, what where you doing in a library if you weren't looking for book ? » He spoke softly, afraid that the man, Dean, would leave like he did earlier. « I..was curious.. I suppose.. » Dean ran a hand over his face and apologized again « I'm sorry I don't wanna bother you, you probably have much better to do.. » « NO ! No.. » Seth cleared his throat mentally cursing himself. « I mean.. You're not bothering me.. I'm pretty much lonely here.. » Dean smiled, revealing his dimples. Seth found it adorable. « You work here alone ? Do you.. Own that place ? » the blond looked around to emphasize his point. « Yes. It's my bookshop, » Seth answered proudly « and books are my only friends. » Dean smiled sadly. He didn't have many friends either. And non of them were books. « That's a beautiful place..Sometimes I wish I could.. » Dean stopped himself before asking « What do you find so amazing in books ? » Seth furrowed his brows and answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. « Every book has a soul,each and everyone of them teach something about life. When you open a book, you know you're going to travel somewhere you've never been. » Dean smiled at this answer. Seth looked so passionate about his job. « I wish I could travel like that.. » Dean chuckled and finished his coffee. « What do you mean ? Choose a book, read it, travel. Easy as pie. » Seth was curious about this man, why did he choose to enter here ? He didn't seem to like books at all.. « I.. » Dean chewed his bottom lips as he avoided Seth's look « It's not that simple for me.. » He looked at his feets. « I can't..Read. I can't read. » Dean repeated, closing his eyes as he let out one of his biggest secret. Seth starred at him, mouth agape. He never met someone in his life who could not read. Childrens, yes, but not grown up people. As Seth fell silent, Dean felt the need to explain himself. « I.. I have dyslexia.. I never learned to read properly. » Seth was taken aback. To him, it was unimaginable to live without reading. Books were his life. « I'm sorry Dean,I.. » Dean shook his head. « No, don't be sorry, please,I do'nt want your pity. I came here because the place looked welcoming and... I was curious. Still am. Curious about what I am missing.. » Seth felt sadness wash over him. He could not even begin to imagine putting himself at Dean's place. He would be lost if he could not read. It wasn' pity he was feeling for the man, but empathy. He wanted Dean to know what it's like to open a book and live an adventure out of it. He smiled at Dean while Sinatra finshed his song. « Let me teach you. »
Six month later.
Dean stripped himself from his clothes and joined Seth in bed. The brunette was half asleep but had waited for his lover to return from work. Dean slipped under the white sheets and Seth wasted no time hugging him, arms around his waist and head on his torso. Dean pecked Seth's lips and tucked some strands of his hair behind his ears. « Are you going to read for me tonight ? » Dean smiled. « Of course baby. What do you want me to read ? » Seth smiled and closed his eyes. « The Catcher In The Rye is on the nighstand.. » Dean reached his arm and took the book with the red covers from the nighstand. « Is that.. The book you where reading the day we met ? » Seth was impressed. « Yes. You remember that ? » Dean kissed his forehead. « I remember everything babe. » He made sure Seth was comfy under the covers as he oppened the book and started to read. « If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me... » Seth started to drift to sleep. Dean closed the book, put it back on the nightstand and turned off the light. He was glad he met seth that day in his bookshop. After that, everyday when seth closed the shop, they stayed there two hours, Seth teaching him how to read. Soon, it all started to make sense in Dean mind. Letters where so much easier to decipher, words were beginning to puzzle out and 3 months later, he had read his first book alone. It was a children's story, Hansel and Gretel, but he didn't care. He was finally proud of himself. Throughout the weeks, Dean and Seth became good friends, then this feeling who was there from the beginning started to show up. Dean had kissed Seth for the first time on valentines day. He truely loved him. And he would never thank him enough for what he did. Dean kissed Seth one last time as he made himself confortable in their bed. They were happy together, writing their own story.