So this is the outtakes from, or the companion story for, 'The boy in the bookshop', which is the main story I'm currently writing, but it'll probably be fine to read as a stand alone story as well.

The link to the main story: s/12454695/1/The-Boy-in-the-Bookshop

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This is set before the first chapter of the main fic.

Sooner or later, I was going to get caught staring. The guy came in here a lot, and I couldn't focus on anything other than him as soon as he did. It didn't help that he was always really nice to me when I served him, and didn't snap at me like a lot of the other customers did. It was a miracle I'd managed to behave myself this long, really.

"Eyes on your work, Cullen," my manager murmured, laughing and shaking his head at me as he passed. It wasn't exactly a secret that I was gay, but it was still a little jarring to hear my coworkers acknowledge it after I'd been trying to suppress it for so long.

Instantly my face got hot and I ducked my head, unsure whether I should apologise or just pretend I was paying attention to what I was supposed to be doing the whole time. Thankfully, he disappeared into the back offices a moment later, which gave me all the time I wanted to focus on the guy I apparently had a creepy obsession with. God, he was going to take out a restraining order against me if I wasn't careful. At least I only had another half hour or so until we shut, and then I could return to the safety of my flat and avoid making an ass of myself.

As he wandered around the shop, I watched from behind the counter, pressing my fingers into the wood in front of me as a reminder to be good. Maybe the rain was driving me stir crazy, but I was sure he was more adorable than usual. It wasn't helped by his habit of biting his fingers when he was lost in thought - something that I'd always felt a little disgusted by, but for some reason it had become irresistible over the last month.

Realising how fucking insane I sounded, I groaned. I hadn't meant it to be audible, but he turned to look at me at the sound. My cheeks started to heat up again. Shit.

Still, I hoped he had someone to tell him how cute it was; I didn't like the thought of that boy alone. He seemed shy, and I couldn't deny that it didn't make me want him all the more.

"Are you alright? Would you like me to leave so you can close?" he asked politely, visibly confused by my stupid behaviour. No, there was no way he could be alone. There was no way that he didn't have someone at home who loved him; he must have. He was too considerate not to.

"No, it's fine," I corrected quickly. "I'm just an idiot." I grumbled the last bit under my breath, but he heard it anyway, chuckling to himself.

"You work in a book shop, you can't be an idiot," he corrected, still watching me. A smile tugged at the edges of his lips.

"Intelligence isn't a prerequisite of the job, fortunately." Why was I trying to make myself look bad in front of the boy I had a crush on? Jesus, Carlisle. Someone needed to hit me with their car on my way home from work to put me out of my misery.

He laughed, and my knees weakened at the sound. Oh my god, I really was insane. Or maybe he was just gorgeous.

I was definitely insane.

Standing on my toes, I unconsciously leaned a little closer to him as he stood in front of the counter, passing me a news paper to scan. The smell of his aftershave was making my head spin, and I wasn't really listening to what he was saying, just watching his face instead. Fuck, he was cute. And he was always so sweet to me, I could have cried.

As his smile faded, I realised I'd been standing there too long, and that he was waiting for me to react. Again, I had to fight to keep the warmth out of my cheeks as I hurried to serve him. Thank god for the wood between us, otherwise I would have been throwing myself at him. I was sure I'd melt into a fucking puddle if he ever kissed me; my heart was already beating too fast, and my whole body was too warm. Why I was even thinking about that was another issue entirely; it was unnecessary torture.

Dammit. I was a moron.

"Enjoy the rest of your day." I handed it back to him, 'accidentally' letting my fingertips brush his. Knowing that he'd most likely be back tomorrow gave me a little bit of comfort; I could deal with being snapped at all day if he came in at some point.

I watched him until he disappeared out our front door, and then only just stopped myself from smashing my head against the desk; I didn't even know his damn name.

"Cheer up, kid. He might have a nice ass, but there's plenty of fish in the sea," my manager called out from the back, noting my sudden silence.

"Doesn't matter how many there are if you can't hook any of them," I grumbled to myself, starting to tidy up the desk for the end of the day.

He heard me and started to laugh. "Maybe you're just using the wrong bait."

"I don't have any other bait." Despite being in the country for a month after moving from the UK, the only person I knew was my flatmate, and then the friendship was forced because he had to live with me.

"Fishing takes practice; you'll snag something eventually."

While he couldn't see me, I rolled my eyes; the analogy was shit and I wished we could drop it - fish were slimey bustards anyway. The only thing I wanted to 'snag' was my long term, and most likely straight, customer, and I really wasn't getting far. Discussing my sex life with my employer wasn't exactly comfortable either, although he was pissing himself laughing. Damn him and his happy marriage.

The would be so much easier if I was straight.

Ugh.