Theo liked the fact that Castle Combe wasn't a big city. It was soothing to know you were passing the same people when he walked around, and they were always there with a friendly smile or a greeting.
He may not have lived in the town for a long time, but he felt like he was where he was supposed to be. Theo didn't have his memories, but something about it had kept him from hitchhiking away. And the centre of it was his favourite place to be—besides Sophie's house.
The tiny shops were bright and looked so inviting with their equally small stalls outside the doors, the unique, colourful decorations that hung from the rafters. He always felt like he had visited a place like this before, but he couldn't be sure. It wasn't until he arrived at a small bookshop that he stopped; something called to him there.
He could have missed Page Potpourri if he hadn't been paying attention to it. The name was definitely something unique, just like the owner, and it was clearly a well-loved place; Sophie just couldn't stop talking about it.
Taking a deep breath, Theo opened the door and entered the shop. The bell above the door jingled, but no one came to greet him.
"Wow," Theo murmured, looking at the towers of books all over the place. It was like the place was bigger on the inside.
Theo started looking through the books, picking ones he found interesting, before returning them to the shelf. It wasn't until he picked 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' that he decided to take it with him.
Looking around, he found a corner that looked promising. It was composed of two armchairs and lots of pillows, in front of a big window; it was like a place waiting for a reader.
Opening the book, Theo lost himself in the pages of Lewis Carrol's writing, discovering Wonderland alongside Alice. He couldn't stop comparing himself to Alice.
Both of them were in a new place and were discovering things they had never known before. It was nice knowing he wasn't alone in this fear of the unknown.
Theo was so lost in his reading that he never realised Mia walking up to his chair.
"Theo?" she said loudly, startling Theo. He almost jumped out of his chair. She asked, "Good book?"
She was smiling at him, but all Theo was feeling was his nerves getting the better of him; her smile always made his heart start beating faster. He stood up quickly, making Mia take a step back.
"I'm so sorry, you probably don't like people grabbing a book and starting reading in here, but this book was so interesting, and I got carried away. Do you want me to go?" Theo knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop himself.
He was afraid she was going to kick him out since he didn't have money to pay for the book—or for anything, if he was being real—but the bookshop was so charming and cosy that all he wanted was to melt into the armchair and never leave.
Mia had something about her, an aura maybe, that attracted him to her. And he was always acting like a moron when she was around.
"No, it's fine," Mia said, staring at him. "That's what the chairs are for. Sit here and read as long as you want."
Mia turned around and walked towards the till. She seemed to be lighter too; Theo dared to hope it was because of him.
With a soft sigh, Theo relaxed into the armchair, wriggled his shoulders to get more comfortable, and returned to his book. It looked like it wasn't just Alice who found herself in Wonderland.