This was for a contest in DART and I then out of nowhere I saw the contest paper that said 'only pirate x mermaid' fic and I was sad. But I hope you guys enjoy this one-shot called...!

Book Suggestions

The day was a peaceful from outside Arthur Kirkland's window where he watched the autumn leaves flutter beautifully to the grassy field or hard concrete walkway toward his library. Arthur looked from the cool outside to his book which was intriguing (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) and to his knowledge he expected today to be slow like always. Some residences in the town come by to read or study or find an excuse to stay in here, but now Arthur had a sheepish idea he was going to be alone.

But then, just out of coincidence from his thought, he heard the door open slightly and his lime-green eyes looked up from his book to see the person coming in. Then as if it were an old memory emerging deadly to his mind he saw Michelle stepping in. Her smile brightened when she saw Arthur and he felt a sudden jolt from his heart and was hankering a new emotion he had never felt.

Michelle, with her lovely red bow tied in her hair, walked by casually to Arthur's counter and smiled sweetly to him.

"Hey Artie," she whispered. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," he replied solemnly.

Arthur wanted to ask why she was here today but his voice was feeling discordant and Michelle, seeming quite cheerful today, spoke out to him as if to break the unbreakable silence which began to fill until her golden voice spoke.

"I've seen you come here all the time," she said in a quiet whisper, "and I was wondering if you by chance can give me any book suggestions. This is my first time here and I'm not sure what this library provides."

"Book suggestions?"

"Yes," she answered. "So do you by chance have any idea what to read?"

Arthur gave it considerable thought until he suggested Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Arthur got up from his chair and said he would go and get it for her. As he walked down gently in the narrow hall where side by side books were cozy in their shelves, Arthur wondered for the ample amount of time why she wanted book suggestions from him. Michelle always read books—Francis told him once that she loves reading—but he never saw her in the library he worked in and felt somewhat discouraged at the fact that maybe she never premeditated in coming here. What am I thinking about? Arthur thought, annoyed as he reached up from the shelves and picked out Wuthering Heights from its place. Maybe she just never knew I worked here and wanted to come by.

Arthur came back with the book in hand and Michelle who waited patiently by the counter looked at him and gleamed a sparkling face full of happiness. He almost wanted to stop his tracks right away but managed to work up to get to the counter and handed the novel over.

Michelle looked gleefully at the book, "Thank you, Arthur! I can't wait to go and read it at home."

Arthur made sure to set a date for the book before she left and right then, when she stopped in the middle of walking to the door, she turned at Arthur and waved a bright goodbye to him. He replied with a meek hand wave and watched as she left the library. Arthur puzzled himself upon if he gave her a short date to return the novel as he took the trolley down on one of the shelves and putting books back to their respective spaces. Then again it was rather a small book in his opinion and he was sure Michelle will finish it soon enough.

Arthur had been standing blankly at his spot with a book in his hands for nearly an hour before he snapped out of his continuous trance. Why was he feeling this way today?

XxXxXxX

It had been one week since Michelle visited him in the library and he honestly questioned whether or not she finished the book. Arthur knew that the reviews for the book were mixed and debated upon its quality was satisfying or not. Per contra on Friday, Arthur was sitting at his usual spot behind the wooden counter of his desk when his eyes ascended from his new book to Michelle quietly as possible to enter in without disturbing anybody. When she came by Arthur's desk, she handed the book and had a questioning look on her face as if to ask something.

"Did you like the book?" Arthur asked.

"I did, but…" she looked unsure of herself.

"But what?"

"I didn't exactly understood it," she answered. Her eyes trailed to the book to Arthur's eyes. "I liked it, I thought it had a different sense in itself but it was inhuman at one point or another."

"I just gave you a book to read," he said bluntly. "I just picked it at random and thought you'd liked it."

"I did!" she said. "But I just didn't understand it, that's all."

Arthur considered the review of her words pretty fair and said, "Sometimes literature gives us new and old aspects of the world. She wrote that book and before it had many mixed reviews, but it still held itself close to people's hearts."

"So you're not mad I didn't love it?"

"No, everyone has a different opinion for themselves. Did you come by to return it?"

Michelle nodded timidly and gave the book a gentle push with her right hand on the cover toward Arthur.

"Hey, can you give me another suggestion?"

"Another one?" he asked, gloppended. "Why do you want to ask me for suggestions?"

She closed her eyes and looked like she was giving it considerable thought. But she answered truthfully, "I like how you love reading so much that you're willing to give them out. I like that about you."

"Oh. All right, then."

"Maybe, if you're not too busy tonight, I can come by and we can read some novels together?"

"Uh, sure, if you can make it." He blushed at that comment but didn't show it to Michelle who beamed onward.

"Then I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Arthur nodded meekly but felt thrilled inside as he watched Michelle bid goodbye and leave the large library filled with the greatest, the newest, and the best novel all of us could ever create.