Authors Note: Hey guys! My awesome beta reader pointed out that I switched perspectives near the end of the chapter so I just updated it. Nothing new yet, but I will definitely update within the next 4 days. Happy reading!
Arthur walked happily into the bookstore, his sanctuary from the noise of life. The usual look of pure bliss on his face, the dark bookstore appealed to him even more, after what had happened.
Jenna saw him come in and called out "Hey Arthur!" ignoring the handsome man who entered after him.
Arthur saw her, and tried to scowl, she was eating cereal in a bookstore. What if something happened? "Hello Jenna." he said, unable to give his voice a curt edge, the British accent coming out soft and gentle. He walked over to her, still valiantly trying to scowl.
Jenna waved her pointer finger at him, and said, "Tsk tsk." She checked on the other man again, and nearly laughed when she noticed his awe filled stare. Looking around like she was afraid if getting caught, she pulled out a stack of books from behind her, and gave them to Arthur.
He offered her the slightest of smiles, and she grinned in return. Still teasing him, she groaned, "Do you know how long it took me to find these for you?" She crossed her arms and huffed.
Arthur rolled his eyes slightly, and in that same soft voice, he said, "Thank you, Jenna."
She shook her head, and gave him a look of petulance. "No! You're supposed to guess!" she whined, melodramatic as always.
He sighed, and without thinking, offered, "Three hours?"
Jenna grinned, snickering a bit, and held up two fingers. "Two minutes." Tapping her head as Arthur went oh, she said, "Remember! Photographic and eidetic memory!" By now she had determined what the strange man was doing, curled her finger, beckoning Arthur towards her.
He sighed again, and asked, "What?" walking closer.
She curled her finger again, and when he was close enough, whispered in his ear, "I think you have an admirer. Don't look now but he is right behind you, and he is looking at you like you are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen."
Arthur raised his head slowly, and, ignoring the man, and keeping a straight face, said, "Is that so. May I read now?" His voice was even but there was a faint flush in his pale cheeks, making him look even more adorable, fuzzy eyebrows furrowed together in a ruffled manner, forest green eyes glancing over to his secret reading spot.
Jenna grinned again, and made a large sweeping motion over to it with her arm. "Enjoy, Mr. Kirkland." she said, knowing that the boy had heard everything she had said, and now knew Arthur's full name.
He gave her a slightly larger smile, truly grateful for the books, and the continued use of what Jenna called the Anne Frank room.
Once he was seated, and immersed in one of the books, Jenna looked up at the boy, and took another bite of cereal. Once done, she called out, "Hey dude." having determined that that was the best greeting based in his dress. Nonchalantly, she added, "Nice tags. They could get you anywhere, right?"
He looked slightly startled, and walked over. Jenna smiled to herself. This was going perfectly. Scanning the outside street, her suspicions were confirmed.
"Pardon?" he asked, once he got to the clerks table, a look of guarded confusion on his handsome face.
"My apologies. I am pretty good at noticing details." Steeping her fingers, she nodded her head outside, and asked, "Your government friend looking for you after you played hooky?"
He spun around and looked outside, and Jenna mouthed at Arthur, who had looked up from his book for a moment, he's hot! Arthur blushed, and went back to reading, and the boy turned back around. Now a look of suave charm hidden by just a natural friendliness dominated his face.
"May I hide from him in this fine establishment?" he asked, using more charm than he needed, since Jenna would have gotten him in the Anne Frank room eventually.
Jenna pretended to groan, before giving him an all American smile, and jerking her thumb at the small alcove where Arthur was sitting.
He looked like all of his wishes had come true, and hurried over to sit in the chair adjacent to Arthur's.
Jenna said, "Don't worry about disturbing him. Once he starts reading, the corporeal world he knows melts around him, leaving him on an existential journey through the fiction world." The boy had picked a random book to pretend to read, but Jenna saw his eyes flicker to Arthur constantly. She finished, "His sixth sense turns off usually. One time, as an experiment, I stared at him nonstop until he finished the book, and he didn't notice."
Arthur's eyebrows crinkled slightly, as he tried to figure out what Jenna was talking about, but decided he didn't care, and when the boys eyes flickered back to him with unbridled joy at the hidden message Jenna had hinted at, his face was back to normal, smooth and calm.
Jenna sighed contentedly, glad that the boy had gotten the fake hint she had left. With luck, the boy would gaze at Arthur in adoration the whole time, thinking Arthur didn't know, while Arthur realized that this boy really did like him, and then hopefully, they would eventually fall in love, and get married in the bookstore, and then she would forever have them in her debt. With luck that is.
Jenna's brown eyes scanned the street again, finding the woefully disguised government agent easily, and then growing in concern. They really wants to find this guy. From what Jenna could see, they were checking all of the stores. She heard the faint noise of the next store overs door being opened, and realized that they were next.
She cleared her throat, and when the boy looked up, Arthur ignoring her, said, "Pardon me, but they really want to find you. It seems that they are checking stores and that we are next. However," she said loudly, as he went to leave, panic filling his sky blue eyes, "However, I have this thing, where I hide possible fugitives in my store at least once a week, and am totally happy to keep you hidden, Anne Frank."
At this, Arthur's eyes fluttered to hers, looking worried and shocked. She gave a barely discernible shake of her head, and he calmed down, going back to his book. Jenna faced at the boy, and he looked confused, as he should be.
"Give me your name if you want to live!" she cried dramatically, filling her brown eyes with urgency.
"Alfred F. Jones." he replied proudly.
"Excellent. Now Alfred, you are about to see why I call this the Anne Frank room. I must remind you not to make a sound, please. I haven't sound proofed it yet." Jenna said, using false bravado in a tone slightly reminiscent of flight attendants, but deeper.
She stood, and moved a stack of books, revealing a glowing screen, set into the old wood of the counter. On it, were the keys of a piano. Quickly playing a riff she pointed to the tracks on the floor. Alfred's eyes followed hers, and he then looked up to see a second bookcase sliding in front of him, completing the fourth wall of their cube, the other shelves shifting a bit to hide the tracks.
Jenna smiled, thinking once again, coolest system ever! Hearing the sound of expensive shoes coming nearer, she sat back down, and ate some more cereal.
A short guy came in, wearing jeans that were clearly cut to look torn, a solid black tee shirt, again, clearly military standard grade, and, of course, sunglasses. All in all, a government agent, trying to fit in to the life if civilians, and failing miserably. At least, when it came to her.
"Hello sir." she said cordially, pushing the cereal away, as she racked her brain, trying to match his face. Like Alfred clearly was, Jenna was hooked up with all the big players in the government, and after a bit, pinned him. This was General Hinds assistant, Joey Gran. He knew me well.
"Hey Jenna. What's with the sir, you know me. In fact, you probably knew we were even coming before I came in." he said, well aware of her talents, and not afraid to compliment her on them.
"Too true Joey. Your jeans are clearly cut with scissors, your shirt is military grade, the sunglasses, really? They just serve to affirm the public's suspicions that you are from the government, or are smoking pot. But I didn't even need all that, true. Your shoes, my friend, your shoes. So horrifically shined, and new looking, you could only be a government dude, because nobody smoking pot could keep a job or shoes like that. Honestly Joey, it's like you don't even try." she said, finishing her impressive deductions speech satisfied that she had impressed Alfred, made Arthur think about Sherlock, and established that under no circumstances was Joey going to take Alfred away.
Joey was smart, and he got the message. He knew what the store looked like, he knew the Jenna liked to defy the government sometimes to show that she was nobodies puppet, and he knew that Alfred was sitting in there, with Arthur, my only true regular. Which Jenna had long since been satisfied with, preferring the peace and quiet.
Joey smiled, bowed, and walked out, calling, "Bye Jenna!" as he closed the door, assumed his usual straight face, and moved on to the next store.
Jenna left the bookcase room closed, partially wanting to give Arthur and Alfred some privacy, partially in case they checked the store again.
When the day was done, and Jenna was ready to close up, she opened the bookcase door, using the piano riff, and said goodbye to Alfred and Arthur, who walked out the door, holding hands.