He finally twists the last beam out of the way but it's like the pain's nothing, the pain's far away in a tiny distant window of light. He lifts her off the gritty mud that's been digging into her skin for the past few hours, and she was expecting it all to hurt more, but it doesn't.
"I got ya, I got ya. OK. Don't worry," he's saying.
His green eyes twinkle at her over the edge of his book. He'd caught her looking. She quickly glances back at the shelf in front of her, the battered Neil Gaimans lined up in alphabetical order.
She reaches out a finger, touches the spine of Fragile Things. Has she read this one before? For some reason she can't remember.
"That's a good one." His voice snaps her out of her reverie. "There's a novella in the back. Sequel to American Gods if ya ever read that one."
She turns to look at him. She comes to this used bookstore fairly often, but she can't remember ever seeing him here before. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"
He looks taken aback. "Don't think so." He shrugs. "Just wanted to help out a fellow reader."
She arches an eyebrow.
"I wasn't comin' onto you or nothin'," he clarifies awkwardly.
"Of course not."
They stand watching each other for a moment, her hand still on the shelf.
"We could get coffee sometime," she says, her face pressed into his damp shirt. The blood on her cheek is drying hot and sticky, and his big palm is smoothing her tangled hair, the ache at the back of her head.
"I gotta get you outta here," he's saying. "So you're asking me out on a date?" He tucks his book under his arm.
"I wasn't coming onto you or anything," she teases him. She pulls Fragile Things from the bookshelf. "We can go Dutch."
"Juliet -- it's me." His grip on her tightens.
"James?" The pain is so far away, it's like it's not even there.
"Yeah."
It seems to be getting darker and she knows she's almost out of time. But she wants to leave, wants to get back to that sunny, dusty bookstore. "Kiss me."
"You got it, blondie. You free after this?"
"So what if I am?"
"That a yes or a no?"
"Yes."
"Well, hot damn, that just might be the first time a woman's ever given me a straight answer."
"Enjoy it while you can." She grins.
"Wiseass."
She starts to walk to the front of the store when he tugs at her arm.
"You sure we ain't met somewhere before?"
"I just asked you the same thing and you told me no. What's your name?"
"James."
"Hi, James. I'm Juliet." They're at the checkout when she turns to him. "I have to tell you something. It's really, really important."