Feeling Faint (BxB)

Chapter 10

Jay's P. O. V.
After filling ourselves on breakfast, we got in the car to drive over to the bookstore. I had to admit, I was curious to see what Ben's work was like. He had mentioned it a few times, but I hadn't met River yet or checked out the shop.

We drove by the some of the shops we had passed on our walk yesterday and up to a little bookstore with a large front window. As I got out of the car I noticed the interior of the store was filled with shelves upon shelves of books. A few vintage chairs sat in a corner by a wall of mugs.

We opened the worn wood door with the tinkle of a bell, and the rest of the shop came into view. A boy with electric blue hair sat on a stool behind a counter, scribbling in a notebook. He glanced up and nodded at Ben, then did a double take.

He looked over at me. "You must be Jay. Mind if I talk to Ben for a bit? You can explore my shop." He said, gesturing toward the maze of shelves. I nod and wander behind a bookcase as Ben stumbles over to River.

I'm venturing deeper into the store when I catch a few snippets of their conversation and decide to move a bit closer to listen in.

I peek between a few books on a shelf and watch them. "Ben. You look like you got hit by a train. What did I tell you the other day?" River says, crossing his arms.

Ben mumbles something incoherently and toes the ground with his shoe while River just shakes his head. "You can't keep on like this. You're running yourself ragged. I know you have trouble sleeping but this is getting out of hand. I can tell you're not even bothering trying to sleep again."

Ben opens his mouth to protest but he's cut off. "I'm willing to bet money you're running on an unhealthy amount of caffeine right now. Even with that, I can tell you're super freaking tired. Take the day off and try to rest please. I'll just call Em and have her come down." River says, brushing his blue hair away from his face.

Ben shakes his head. "No, I'll be fine for a few more hours. I'm betting you have more shipments coming in today, which is going to take a lot to be unloaded. Jay can help us too which means we'll get done faster." Ben argues. River purses his lips. "Fine. But only a few hours, then you have to go home and rest." Ben rolls his eyes in response, and earns a glare.

"Seriously." River reprimands. "Okay fine whatever. Whatever floats your boat. Where are the new boxes?" Ben asks.

I quietly slip deeper into the store so Ben doesn't catch me, and wander over to the mug wall, wondering why it's even here. The wall is covered with mugs of all shapes, sizes, and designs. I'm caught up in reading a few that I don't notice River's presence until he speaks, making me jump.

"Wondering why I've got it?" He questions. I nod. "Well, a lot of my customers like to drink coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while they read. I just provide them with the materials to grow their eclectic mug collection." He gestures to the wall and laughs.

"What do you think?" He continues. "I think I might have to start my own collection." I joke.

He looks around conspiratorially and leans in. "I have it on good word that Ben has a closet full of mugs." Ben appears from behind a bookcase, frowning. "I do not." He looks away, rubbing the back of his head. "It's two cabinets." He mumbles. River and I burst into laughter.

River waves us to the back of the shop and we follow him through the shelves to a small room. There's a back door hidden behind piles of boxes, and the walls are covered with posters with the exception of a window. A few cabinets stand in the corner, covered with little statues and odds and ends.

River turns to a stack of boxes and lifts one. His head pokes around it as he speaks. "We'll bring these out to the front counter and then get things put in their place. It's mostly more books but a couple boxes have new mugs so be extra careful." He leaves the room, taking the box with him and leaving Ben and I alone.