OTP Competition: Round 2

Bookshop! AU

WC: 1,022

i.

It was a place to keep dry and warm in this miserable, drizzly, Scottish weather.

Oliver stepped into the quiet bookshop haphazardly, muttering curses and shaking his wet hair like a dog. He'd been caught in a sudden torrent of rain, unexpected but quite unsurprising in the fall. He'd stupidly forgotten his umbrella that morning, because he'd misplaced it and had been running late. Now, rugby practice had been cancelled due to the muddy conditions - they could play in mud, but it was so terrible the ground was as slippery as ice. After spending nearly an hour in the shower trying to wash the mud out of his hair, he'd emerged to be relieved to find it had stopped raining. He'd risked the walk home, but was caught in a shower.

And so he found himself in a bookshop. It was small, clearly an independent business, but the books were bright and the shelves were clean. The shelves rose high, and he wandered further into the stillness, the pattering of the rain fading as he was drawn deeper into the little store.

He heard the door finally click shut behind him with a little ding! With that, the outside world faded and Oliver Wood was all alone in this little corner of calm.

"Can I help you?" a voice called, and Oliver wandered down an aisle looking for the sound.

"Hullo?" he called, feeling lost.

"Take a left!" came the voice again, and Oliver turned as he was told, coming out into a little corner where a checkout desk stood. There was a bright faced young woman at the desk, blonde hair piled into a messy bun and loose sweater on. A mug of tea was on the corner of the desk and a stack of books was piled haphazardly on top.

"Well, hello! Sorry for the crazy clutter. I just have so many books and so little room!"

Oliver smiled. Funnily enough, for one so intent on organization and cleanliness, the chaos of the small bookstore didn't really faze him. He found it intriguing.

Or maybe he really just found the store's beautiful owner intriguing.

"So, can I help you with anything?"

He flushed red as he realized he'd been openly staring at her, not saying a word.

"Sorry! I really just came in here to get out of the rain. I was walking home and it just started pouring again. I had to get inside!" he finished quickly, laughing a little. She smiled, peeking around a corner to look outside at the rain.

"It is coming down out there, isn't it? Well, you're welcome to look around a bit. I've got water on the stove in the back if you'd like some tea?"

"Oh, it's not nec-"

"No charge. You look cold, and I'm getting some anyways. I've got peppermint, chamomile and earl gray. What would you like?"

His smile widened at her energy. "I'll have some peppermint tea, if you don't mind." She nodded her acknowledgment and went to get another mug.

A few minutes of awkward book glancing later, she'd returned.

"I'm Katie, by the way. I'm the owner of this little shop."

He gratefully accepted the steaming mug of tea she handed him and took a sip. "I'm Oliver. And thank you for the tea."

"It's no trouble. So, Oliver, what types of books do you read? Fantasy, biography, science fiction... or are you a romance novel lover?"

He choked on his tea a little. "Actually, I really... don't. I don't read. I guess when I was a kid I was so busy with different things, and I've always preferred to be outside moving instead of sitting with a book, so it never really caught my attention. And then when I got older and learned the benefits of reading and all that, it was too late for me. I didn't know where to start. "

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a good thing you're here then. I believe there's a perfect book for everyone. You said you like being outside, right? Do you like adventure?"

Oliver shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Katie made her way over to a stack of books, scanning the titles until she picked out a small green bound book. It had a simple design on the front and gold lettering.

"Borrow this, and if you like it, maybe you can come back and I'll give you something else?" she said, offering him the book.

"Oh, Katie, I- I couldn't take this. You sell these books for a living, I couldn't let you just turn it into a library for a sorry case like me. It's so beautiful, what if I ruin it? Spill coffee on it, or drop it in the mud, or- or-"

"Oliver, it's fine," she laughed. "It's already used, so another reading won't hurt it. Besides, books were made to be loved and enjoyed. I have multiple copies of this book, it's a classic. Most people would buy it new anyways. So don't worry about it. It's a book, not a life contract."

She pushed the book across the counter, challenging him. He could make out the writing now, it said The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on it.

"You're sure?"

She smiled. "Of course. And hey, you'll have to come back at least one more time to return the book. Consider this me trying to hold on to the little company I get in this place."

He grinned, tucking the book safely into his bag before heading out into the now cloudy, but rainless, outside.

As he walked back home, the weight of the book in his bag seemed to remind him of her with every step he took. He knew as soon as he got home he would sit down and start to read.

He wanted any excuse to go see that wonderful Katie again.