Bad boy in a wheelchair

Chapter 17

"How about this one?"

"Read it."

"This one?"

"Read it."

"Hush, Hush?"

"Read it."

"This one?"

"Read it."

"Really you read The Girls Guide To Loving Yourself?" I responded trying not to laugh. I knew that after a while of me requesting books he stopped looking at which ones I held up to him. 

"Fuck you." He simply said while plucking a book off of the shelf. While he read the summary on the back my eyes wondered around the large bookstore slash cafe. I have never heard of nor seen this place in my life. I have however driven right by it multiple times and never noticed it.

"How did you find this place?" I questioned Rosati as I leaned my elbows over the short shelf.

After a few moments of silence he finally answered.

"Right before the accident I had gotten in a fight with Chloe and she kicked me out and took my keys. So I had to walk the streets drunk as fuck and hungry. This place is surprisingly open 24 hrs." He started. He didn't look up at me he just kept staring down at the book in his hands.

"I originally was headed to the bar but that was over crowded and this place was the only one that didn't have a single soul inside. So I came in got some coffee, sobered up, and grabbed a book."

He put the book back and swiveled around and went to the thrillers section. He left me there, in the young adult section, thinking over what he had said.

'Right before the accident' and 'got in a fight with Chloe' clicked together in my head and I figured he was talking about the night of the party. So the accident didn't happen that night like I had thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rosati?" I called out once again going down the aisles of Brooks Book Cafe. I feel like I'm constantly loosing him. You would think it would be hard for him to hide considering his dark black hair and tattoos make him stick out like a sore thumb.

After going down the seemly endless rows of books I headed to the cafe part of the store. I scanned my eyes over the small bistro tables and the big poofy couch, I still couldn't find him. 

"Aaliyah." I heard a female voice call. I looked around and saw a white coffee cup waiting at the pick up counter with my name on it. I quickly walked up and grabbed it.

"Who ordered this? And did you by any chance see where they went?" I asked the barista.

"Taylor did. He said he was going to the car and that any books you buy to be out on his tab." An older lady who came through the kitchen door answered.

"Oh okay, well it would just be these." I put the arm full of books I've been carrying around on the counter.

After checking out I headed to the car, which was parked many blocks down from lack of close parking spots available. While walking I took a sip of the coffee. I was kind of scared it would be straight black coffee but once it touched my tongue I instantly recognized the caramel taste of my favorite latte.

How did he know?

It's not a big deal Aaliyah, everyone likes caramel lattes.

By the time I reached the car I had finished the drink and tossed it in a near by bin.

"Finally." Rosati greeted me while typing something into his phone. I start folding up and putting away the chair he left by the side of the car. I instantly flash back to earlier when I had a serious debate with myself about reading his messages.

However, before I reached a decision I caught Rosati wheeling out of the building so I quickly tossed the device back on to the seat.

"Well if you would have told me you were leaving I wouldn't have spent over half an hour looking for you." I retaliate.

"I told Vallie to let you know." He defended while I drove out into the street.

"Who's Vallie?" I wondered out loud.

"The owner." He said fiddling with the bag of books in his lap.

"So you're on first name (last name) basis with the owner, you've read almost every book in there, and you have a tab? Someooone's a booook worrrm." I teased him.

"Say that again I dare you." He looked into my eyes giving me a cold stare.

"Just because I don't say it again doesn't mean it's not true. Look you got three bags full of books." I continued to tease while pointing out the many books he had around his feet.

He just rolled his eyes towards the window while trying to suppress a laugh.

The rest of the ride was spent with Rosati reading one of his books and me silently mumbling along to the songs playing.

Once back at the house Rosati transferee himself onto the recliner in the living room and kept on reading. After I finished all the post-appointment paper work I decided to also sit in the living room and read. By now he was a couple chapters in on Into The Abyss by Carol Shaben and I cracked open The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

That's how we spent the rest of the afternoon. With him slouched back on his lazy boy and me sprawled across the love seat, each of us lost in the words of our little world. Every couple of hours I would get up and fetch us some snacks or drinks.

It was nice to finally have some quiet time to fully get into a book without any interruptions. Growing up with so many older siblings, all who hating reading, constantly running around the house it was hard to find time to read.

I could spent hours like this.

And hours I did, I finally put the book down to check the time and saw that I had gone an hour over my scheduled time. 

"Oh my, it's 9pm already!" I jumped up and started cleaning all the junk food wrappers around us. I cleaned the living room and started the dish washer before I assisted Rose back into bed. Once he was situated I swiftly exited and headed home.

The second I pulled into my drive way my phone vibrated.

Skate: can we talk?