Matthias was able to finish reading the wonderful book left to him by Ludwig in less than a month. And, by the end of the story, Matthias couldn't help but feel as if he'd just been shown a whole new world he never wanted to leave.

When he returned the book, he scrawled his feelings on the matter as best he could without seeming like a weird, over imposing, stalker. And, to finish up, he asked for another book to read because both of the ones he had read until now had been amazing.

Alfred called him an idiot for not straight up asking him out in the second message. But Matthias just shooed him away to return to his work, he didn't need the annoying American ruining any of his chances by bringing his negative vibes towards him.

Ludwig returned to Kaffebar a week after Matthias had finished reading Crime and Punishment.

This had been a week that Matthias had spent fretting and worrying over Ludwig coming back. Because he had wanted to continue this book trading business as quickly as possible so he could try and make Ludwig fall in love with him as quickly as possible! But if Ludwig didn't come back and get his book, then they would never be able to fall in love and Matthias would be left old and alone and that was so sad!

By the time Friday had rolled around and Matthias had not seen even a millimeter of Ludwig's pale blond hair, he'd been ready to jump into the small stash of ice cream they had at the coffee shop and eat his troubles away.

His heart skipped two whole beats, though, when he finally did see Ludwig's hair. And then it jump started and began to pound so loudly it felt as if it were about to jump out of his chest when Ludwig walked up to the counter to order his usual drink.

Quite frankly, Matthias felt a bit like a fool for being so affected by just seeing the German student. But he'd always been a fool, so that didn't bother him too much.

Like he always did, Ludwig sat himself in the study area of the shop and pulled out a dozen different books and papers, immediately settling in to work.

To his right, Matthias could hear Alfred giggling to himself and telling one of their co-workers about re-opening the pool. He wasn't completely sure just what the teenager was talking about. But he hoped it wasn't gambling. Alfred had already shown a worrying propensity towards the pastime and Matthias was worried it might grow into more if people continued to feed his habit.

Ignoring the momentary thought, the Dane asked for his fellow barista to cover for him, ran into the staff area and unearthed the book he had been bringing with him to work for the past couple of days, and ran back out to not garner a scolding from his boss.

The rest of the day, he bid his time, waiting for the perfect moment to sneak the large book over to Ludwig without getting caught.

It came in the form of Ludwig standing up to go to the bathroom. Just like the last time around, Matthias ran away from his post and over to his extremely busy desk. There, he laid down the book with as much care as he could, suddenly terrified of it breaking apart because of his very touch.

This time around, he was able to take a look over at some of the books that Ludwig was working on. And they were all mostly historical or scientific related. He could even see one that had ANTHROPOLOGY written clearly on its cover. But he couldn't stick around to snoop for long enough to see if there had been more anthropology books.

With his cheeks red and his chest rising and falling in a fast, yet somewhat comedic fashion, Matthias returned to his post and began to fill out orders as if he had never even left.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Alfred shaking his head while smirking like a loon. But he just ignored the American, dead set on not giving him any attention.

Once his shift ended, Matthias made a bee-line towards the desk Ludwig had previously been using.

Behind him, Alfred hooted about how much of a fool he looked. But he ignored the annoying American so he could go and see if Ludwig had left him anything.

He had.

This time around, it was another thick book. It was not a hardcover, though. Instead, it was a paperback book with a completely white cover that had a sort of eye up on the left corner of the cover. Printed in clear blocky font at the very middle, Matthias could clearly read '1984'. And his heart skipped a beat.

He had actually liked reading this one back in that British history class he'd taken during his first year of university.

Opening up the book, Matthias found a note nuzzled in between the cover and the first page.

I am glad you enjoyed 'Crime and Punishment'. It truly is one of my favorite books of all time. And I agree, the name Marmeladov is somewhat amusing, although I am sure Fyodor Dostoevsky did not name him this just for comedic relief.

Matthias smiled at this. He'd commented on how funny the character's name sounded simply to try and see if Ludwig had a sense of humor. And it seemed that he did! Faint as it may have been!

George Orwell is another of my favorite authors. Although his stories are much more depressing than 'Crime and Punishment', I still find a beauty within '1984'. I hope you enjoy this story as much as you enjoyed the last one.

There was a separation between this paragraph and the next one, one which looked kind of big. And there was a mark within the space that looked as if Ludwig had begun to say something, but crossed it out.

Would it be too much for you to leave me a book to read as well? You are learning of my preferences, yet I know nothing about you other than the fact that you have a good taste in books.

~Hopefully, Ludwig.

Matthias just about fainted from the joy.

Reading this book wound up being much easier than he had remembered it being the first time around. But that may have been because he had so much reason to finish it now rather than the standard 'read if you want good grades'.

A week after he had returned 'Crime and Punishment', Matthias found himself leaving two different books for Ludwig.

He had spent the whole night looking over his family's collection of books to try and figure out which one might have been a good one to give to the German.

First he had thought about giving him a classic. It was clear from the past two books Ludwig had left him that he appreciated classic literature. But Matthias, although he had enjoyed these past two stories, had never really been one for the classics. He could read them and see their intriguing details, yes, but he wouldn't really pick out a classic from his book case just to be able to read something light.

Then he had thought about borrowing one of Tino's smart books. The kid enjoyed reading historical things and most of his collection was filled with interesting books that spoke about amazing geniuses or unbelievably historical happenings. He even had one that dealt with Nazi thievery when it came to art work… But he didn't really think that might sell over well with the German student.

By midnight, he had been frowning and pacing.

He couldn't lie to Ludwig about his tastes in books. That was no way to start a relationship, right? And Ludwig had been so honest with him about his tastes! He couldn't just give him a book to make himself seem smart and knowledgeable. He was smart. But he didn't have a particular affinity towards those books.

Most of his collection of books was composed of modern stories from different kinds of authors. Some were kind of childish- like (even though he'd never voice it out loud) the Percy Jackson series. A few were historical fiction, although most of those dealt with Mesoamerica or Spain- his mother had loved Spanish stories and stocked up on them, even though she always complained that her one greatest regret was that she had never learned their native language to be able to read them as their authors had intended- so he didn't feel like those might have been too intriguing for Ludwig.

As he had been prepared to give up and just lie to Ludwig and tell him that he didn't actually have any books, his eyes had fallen onto a book that had been left on his desk.

Arthur and Irunya sometimes borrowed his books without asking because they enjoyed reading his stories. They didn't always enjoy them as much as Matthias did, but they'd never damaged any book yet and had never actually insulted Matthias' tastes in books. The only thing they never did right was leave them in their place- always, no matter how many times he told them to just put them back into his bookcase, he didn't care about the order, they left his books on his desk so he could put them in their place.

'The Little Paris Book Shop'

Matthias wanted to smack himself for having been such an idiot.

The book dealt with a protagonist that gave away books that could help heal souls, even though he could never help himself. It was an adventure inclined tale, with hilarious bits, and a rather heartwarming ending.

It was a girly book… But it was perfect.

He'd written Ludwig a note explaining his reasoning for giving him this book, thanking him for the wonderful '1984', and telling him that he truly had a great taste in books; could he please give him another?

That day, Ludwig had appeared. Matthias had waited patiently until he had left his desk. And it was when he went to the bathroom yet again that the Dane made his way towards his desk, placed both books down as carefully as he could, and made his way back to his station to act as if nothing were out of place.

As he'd served up a much too sugary coffee treat for one of Alfred's friends, he had noticed Ludwig coming back from the bathroom.

He'd almost dropped the created drink when he saw a small smile melt onto the German's face.

After Matthias gave to him the book he'd hoped would be a good one, they began to trade books. And through these books, they began to open up about themselves.

As always, Matthias had been the first one to start the process. But not in a manner he had even thought of being able to garner results. It had been just a simple thought he'd written down without any expectations.

I must admit, it is rather saddening to see how women in that age were treated- what kind of life they were made to live simply because they weren't male. I mean, I understand why it is that this happened- culture has always been a rather complex thing and in my field, understanding and observation comes first and foremost; not judgment. But I guess that, while I enjoyed 'Family Happiness' and can see its literary value, it's not really something I would like to read and read again.

Leon Tolstoy's 'Family Happiness' had come about a week after '1984'. It was also after given to him after Matthias had offered his own book to Ludwig.

Matthias had thought that, after a week of not having seen Ludwig, the German was tired of him and didn't want to continue with any book trading business. But then he had given him Leon Tolstoy's little book and Matthias' heart had soared. Especially because the German had left him a small note telling him that he was only halfway finished with the book he had given, but it was a rather good read and he was truly enjoying it.

After he'd returned the book, Ludwig had left yet another book for him, along with his own story. And the note he'd left for him had caused Matthias' heart to start dancing around so much that he'd begun to kind of hyperventilate and Mr. Fredrick had asked him to calm down before he fainted in the middle of the shop.

That truly was an interesting book. I am not an avid reader of modern stories- there is still so much to be found within the classics. But this was a rather entertaining read. If you have other modern age books you wish for me to read, I have no qualms.

Your field requires an understanding of culture? If I may, would you mind my asking just what this field might be? For I am currently working on a Masters Degree on Forensic Anthropology, with an emphasis on the deontology.

Forensic Anthropology. This German was currently studying forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology.

Matthias had felt as if he could have fainted.

The German man was much too perfect.

..~..~..

So what did you think? Did you like it? Review and tell me what you thought.