~Arthur~

This is the fifth time this week that the dumb idiot outside my shop has been standing right. there.

I can't say that I'm bothered. But the very fact that I'm being stared at by a complete stranger every day, for at least an hour, is pretty disturbing.

But really. It's not that I mind.

He… proved as a sort of entertainment I guess. It could get really boring here in this bookshop… Don't get me wrong. I love my job and this shop as much as my next cup of tea. But books… They could be a little too quite at times… You know?

That guy, on the other hand.. Well i couldn't hear him with the thick glass window between us, but that didin't really make any difference. I've never seen him talk. All he actually do is stand there and look at me.

That's it.

I couldn't actually remember when he had started this weird habit of …. observing me. People stand in front of the glass window all the time, staring at the shelves of books from their spot, wondering if it's worth their money. So when he stood there, i figured that it was the same and didn't pay any attention to him at all.

But when my fellow book keepers started pointing out that the same person had been standing outside the glass window everyday, I couldn't help but notice him.

When we first made eye contact, however, he almost immediately flinched, as if he was hit by lighting. he quickly took a step back and took off without looking back. it was rather rude if you asked me. Why would he be reacting like that anyway? I know I'm not exactly the definition of handsome, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not a sight to run from.

I suppose that's how I came to dislike him, a complete stranger.

"Oh~ Arthur, mon ami, he's looking at you again."

Feeling a nudge on my arm, I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to face my colleague, who, in my opinion, is the last person suitable to work in a book shop.

Honestly now all he actually does is flirt with the female customers, and that's not even part of the job.

"That's a part of your concern because?" I hissed instinctively. We might be colleagues, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't have to like to him.

"Because it's my duty to guide young lost souls down the road to love." His disgusting face was asking for a punch.

"How about I guide you to hell?" I smiled back, grabbing the pen knife lying by the counter and pointed it right at his neck.

"Non non non, this won't do Arthur. You'll scare our young customer away." Overly experienced with death threats, he calmly pushed my hand away and nodded in the direction of the glass window.

I didn't need to turn around to know what he meant.

"He can scram if he doesn't want to actually buy a book." I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I tossed the pen knife back on the counter, returning to work.

Outside, the idiot was getting ready to leave… it's probably 1 pm then.

I sighed as the figure walked out of my sight, feeling just a little… disappointed… perhaps.

As much as I didn't want to admit it. I've grown used to seeing him standing out there. His behavior still annoy me a little, and he's still running away whenever I try to make eye contact.

But… For some strange reason… I'm curious about him.

it's not everyday where you get to meet a moron with too much time on his hand and all he does is stare at you through the glass window.

If only he would come in and —

The sound of the doors opening dragged me out of my thoughts as I put on my professional smile to greet the customer. What was I thinking? I'm at work, I shouldn't be thinking about this.

"Good Afternoon sir, may I help you with anything?"

I'm probably thinking too much anyway. Why would anyone be interested to talk or know more about me? I'm not exactly the most interesting person around.

"Umm… Yeah… Actually.. You can."

You can almost say that.
I'm a nobody.

"M-may I invite you to dinner?"

….

"Pardon?"

I never knew his eyes were this… enchanting.

~Alfred~

Your name is Alfred F. Jones, and you really need a life.

Honestly now Alfred, what do you think you are doing? Standing here and… admiring that person in there… His eyes are really amazing, but still second compared to the thick eyebrows.

Is it even possible to have such thick eyebrows? You swear you could measure the thickness of that thing with a ruler.

But that's not the point.

Point is, you need to know what you want to do. Just standing here isn't going to do anything. Come on Alfred. be a man and that hero you aspire to be. You have to be brave and courageous! You have to go in there, and talk to him. Ask him out for dinner, talk to him and get to know him better. Y-yeah, just to know him better and be friends… nothing more than that.

You could still clearly remember the first time you walked past the shop and by coincidence, looked into the glass window and saw that person. You didn't know why, but you were just somewhat attracted to him. He's just… Amazing. And that smile of his, you could hardly get it out of your mind.

B-but it's normal, right? It's normal for you to like his smile, that's why you want to talk to him and be his friend right?

Before you knew it, you're always walking past the same shop, and stopping in front of the same glass window, quietly just observing him.

Even you find your own behavior a little creepy.

But you couldn't help it, he's just got this… charm that draws you to him.

That's why you need to go in there and talk to him, Alfred. Just take a deep breath, act like your usual self, go in there, and ask him out for dinner. it's simple!

The person at the other side of the window is now threatening the other shopkeeper with a pen knife. You couldn't help but manage a smile between nervousness and helplessness. After all, that temper is part of his charms too.

You could clearly remember the first time you made eye contact with him. it was wonderful yet terrifying. His emerald green eyes just sent a shock of lightning through you, leaving you confused and shocked. You didn't know why, but you were well aware that your cheeks suddenly felt hotter than usual.

Feeling nervous, you ran away. He's a little intimidating, but that's part of his charms.

he's a little more hostile towards you after that experience, probably mad that you ran away. You were really guilty and upset because of that, but you didn't understand why. But you ended up standing in front of the window longer and longer each time, and now it's increased from the early few minutes to the regular one hour.

You really couldn't understand why, but you simply don't mind spending one hour staring at him every day. It's… interesting, you suppose. He's very interesting, and you couldn't wait to summon your courage and talk to him.

This is the fifth time this week, and you've finally decided to make a move. You're still running away from his eye contact, and he's still probably a little freaked out by your behavior (you're still a little freaked out yourself) but you've decided to give it a go.
It's now or never, right?

It's almost 1 pm, when you would usually reluctantly leave the shop. But instead of walking away today, you took the initiative and reached for the shop's door. it feels extremely heavy and cold.

"Come on Alfred. You can do it." You muttered to yourself as you gulped at the pressure.

Taking a second to be mentally prepared, you pushed the door open and entered the bookshop.

So far so good. Keep it up.

"Good Afternoon sir, may I help you with anything" he greeted with the usual smile, almost magically calming you a little.

Easy now.

"Umm… Yeah… Actually.. You can."

The stress is getting a little suffocating now, but you think you can do it.

"M-may I invite you to dinner?"

That's it.

THAT'S IT!

You did it! You said the words, you have become a braver man, you feel so proud of yourself all of a sudden.

But silence takes over and he looked up at you, his eyes enlarged and his mouth slightly ajar.

You bit down on your lower lip. Oh no, did you mess it up?

"Pardon?" He asked, surprised, but not in anyway negative.

You heave a sigh of relief.

That's part of his charms too, the ability to unknowingly manipulate your emotions.

I TRIED AND FAILED HORRIBLY.

/FIRST ATTEMPT AT FIRST PERSON AND SECOND PERSON WRITING./

IGNORE ME IT'S NOW MY TURN TO GO TO THAT CORNER RIGHT THERE AND START GROWING MUSHROOMS