This is going kind of slow... sorry about that. Thanks to the reviewers and
non-reviewing readers who are sticking by anyways. The problem is, I have
the entire plot set up in my head, I just need to build up to it for you
guys. I hope you are enjoying, but if you aren't let me know what you think
I should do differently. I'm opened to suggestions.
-Thena
"One day his son would go to America, a land of vengeance, mercy, and magnificant possibility." Sebastian read, closing the copy of Omerta he had been reading. Rory had been lying on her stomach, face propped up with her hands, but as he read those last words, she rolled over onto her back, a smile breaking over her face.
"That was awesome," she said, "I'm so glad I picked that." She lay like that for a moment more and then sat up and faced Sebastian. "What did you think?" she asked Sebastian, tilting her head.
"I liked it a lot," he said, smiling, his gray eyes shining. "Not as much as Rand though, of course," he added.
"Of course," Rory responded, laughing. That had become a running joke between the two since their first encounter that day two months ago.
"What are you thinking of the book club book?"
"True Believer?" Rory asked, making a little face, "Eh. It's OK I guess. Not a great choice if you ask me. It's a good thing we have this, because book club definitely isn't all it was cracked up to be."
Sebastian and Rory had developed a sort of game. One of them would choose a book, and the other would read it to them. Then they switched. They always played in that place in the fiction stacks where they had first met.
Sebastian laughed again. He was always laughing, Rory barely noticed anymore when he did, even if he did have perfect teeth. She had noticed that from the beginning.
"Your turn to choose," she said to him, shelving Omerta where they had found it and then looking to him for the next book they would read.
Sebastian scanned the shelves for a moment and then he reached over to the shelf of books that had yet to be returned and shelved to their proper places.
"How about this one?" he asked, looking at the cover, "It's funny: it's one of those books you're always supposed to read, and here I am, read almost everything in sight, and I've never read this."
He looked at the cover and read the title once more, almost as if to reassure himself that this was indeed the book he meant to take. He passed it to Rory and she looked at the title. A Farewell to Arms. It was the same version that was sitting on her shelf in her room. The same version she had been trying to avoid. Her mouth went dry and she lost her voice somewhere between her heart and her stomach.
"I. . . I. . . you know I don't like Hemingway Sebastian."
"Yeah, I know, but come on! Give him a chance. . ."
Every word Sebastian said struck a painful chord in Rory's mind. "I have. . . I really don't like him."
"Please Ror? I really want to read this one. I'll read anything next time, I promise. Even those Gossip Girls books if you want."
Jess had always made fun of girls who read Gossip Girls. They had made fun of them together. She looked over at Sebastian, who was smiling at her. He had a perfect smile. Jess' was crooked. It was even more perfect in that regard that Sebastian's symmetrical one. Jess' smile had been mysterious.
"Sebastian. . ." Rory said, a tremor and a tear in her voice, "Could you please pick another book?" She looked at her hands, holding the book he had handed her. They were shaking so hard that she couldn't read the title, especially not through the wells of tears that were coming to her eyes.
A look of concern spread across Sebastian's face. He didn't know what was wrong, but he put his arm around Rory's shoulder and pulled her down to lie on his lap. He stroked her hair let her cry into his coat. He reached to take the book from her, hoping that maybe taking it away would make her stop crying. "Yeah Ror. No problem. How about Vanity Fair? Will you read me Vanity Fair, Rory?" He pulled at the book that she was holding in her hands, but he couldn't take it from her grip. She was shaking so hard that he couldn't tell if she was nodding or not in response to his question.
-Thena
"One day his son would go to America, a land of vengeance, mercy, and magnificant possibility." Sebastian read, closing the copy of Omerta he had been reading. Rory had been lying on her stomach, face propped up with her hands, but as he read those last words, she rolled over onto her back, a smile breaking over her face.
"That was awesome," she said, "I'm so glad I picked that." She lay like that for a moment more and then sat up and faced Sebastian. "What did you think?" she asked Sebastian, tilting her head.
"I liked it a lot," he said, smiling, his gray eyes shining. "Not as much as Rand though, of course," he added.
"Of course," Rory responded, laughing. That had become a running joke between the two since their first encounter that day two months ago.
"What are you thinking of the book club book?"
"True Believer?" Rory asked, making a little face, "Eh. It's OK I guess. Not a great choice if you ask me. It's a good thing we have this, because book club definitely isn't all it was cracked up to be."
Sebastian and Rory had developed a sort of game. One of them would choose a book, and the other would read it to them. Then they switched. They always played in that place in the fiction stacks where they had first met.
Sebastian laughed again. He was always laughing, Rory barely noticed anymore when he did, even if he did have perfect teeth. She had noticed that from the beginning.
"Your turn to choose," she said to him, shelving Omerta where they had found it and then looking to him for the next book they would read.
Sebastian scanned the shelves for a moment and then he reached over to the shelf of books that had yet to be returned and shelved to their proper places.
"How about this one?" he asked, looking at the cover, "It's funny: it's one of those books you're always supposed to read, and here I am, read almost everything in sight, and I've never read this."
He looked at the cover and read the title once more, almost as if to reassure himself that this was indeed the book he meant to take. He passed it to Rory and she looked at the title. A Farewell to Arms. It was the same version that was sitting on her shelf in her room. The same version she had been trying to avoid. Her mouth went dry and she lost her voice somewhere between her heart and her stomach.
"I. . . I. . . you know I don't like Hemingway Sebastian."
"Yeah, I know, but come on! Give him a chance. . ."
Every word Sebastian said struck a painful chord in Rory's mind. "I have. . . I really don't like him."
"Please Ror? I really want to read this one. I'll read anything next time, I promise. Even those Gossip Girls books if you want."
Jess had always made fun of girls who read Gossip Girls. They had made fun of them together. She looked over at Sebastian, who was smiling at her. He had a perfect smile. Jess' was crooked. It was even more perfect in that regard that Sebastian's symmetrical one. Jess' smile had been mysterious.
"Sebastian. . ." Rory said, a tremor and a tear in her voice, "Could you please pick another book?" She looked at her hands, holding the book he had handed her. They were shaking so hard that she couldn't read the title, especially not through the wells of tears that were coming to her eyes.
A look of concern spread across Sebastian's face. He didn't know what was wrong, but he put his arm around Rory's shoulder and pulled her down to lie on his lap. He stroked her hair let her cry into his coat. He reached to take the book from her, hoping that maybe taking it away would make her stop crying. "Yeah Ror. No problem. How about Vanity Fair? Will you read me Vanity Fair, Rory?" He pulled at the book that she was holding in her hands, but he couldn't take it from her grip. She was shaking so hard that he couldn't tell if she was nodding or not in response to his question.