The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Aleph on 18-11-2009, 10:04:24</h2>
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				Title: <strong>The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>18-11-2009, 10:04:24</strong>
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				Beneath the crisp blue sky of an early spring morning, two older gentlemen shook hands and embraced. Insofar as anything could be considered commonplace in Paris' Île de Cité, the market square in which they stood was unremarkable. The more portly of the two had passed the time waiting for the other reading a newspaper which was now tucked under his arm. The grey-haired, taller, more gaunt of the two had emerged from the stairs of a Metro station and spied his friend immediately. His leather patched, Harris tweed suit giving him away not only as the visitor but indicated what side of the English Channel he was visiting from.<br>&nbsp;<br>"Salut Clarence! Bienvenue á Paris, Ça va, mon ami, ça va?"<br>"Bertrand! Awfully well dear boy, thank you." Clarence replied warmly.<br>"Our little group, we will meet with you this evening, we have much to discuss, no?"<br>"Indeed we do. Much to catch up on and much to plan for."<br>&nbsp;<br>The two men turned away from the main street and strolled casually away from the heart of the capital's capital, heading into it's twisting side streets.<br>&nbsp;<br>"C'est vrai. Your little shop in the arcade, it does well?"<br>"Yes it does, thank you, Bertrand. I have Marcus running it in my absence."<br>"Marcus! Ah, he is the young man now, yes?"<br>"So he is, out of school. He remains, however, a voracious student. I'd go so far as to say that Australian twang of his has softened a little too." Clarence chuckled as they turned into a small café, taking a table. Bertrand quickly waved at a waiter calling their order out from afar as they sat down. Clarence's tone of voice lowered a little, becoming a shade more serious.<br>&nbsp;<br>"I think it fair to inform you he's read the Precepts. Cover to cover."<br>&nbsp;<br>Bertrand stopped, sitting straight in his chair as he took the news in.<br>&nbsp;<br>"Complet? But he is the young man! The Precepts, they take time...You allowed this?"<br>"Not as such. You understand that he is my ward?"<br>"D'accord, his parents, the car accident, trés mauvais." Bertrand shrugged sympathetically.<br>"Quite so. Well, I have always allowed access to my library. However, I had no idea he would be able to read it until a few days ago he asked for material on Goethe for some article he was writing. I told him I had a few of his books in the library and lo, of all the books I had, I found him taking notes out of the original German edition. Now, as far as I know, he speaks no other languages but for the French you taught him as a lad.<br>&nbsp;<br>Clarence set his cup down again.<br>&nbsp;<br>"I tested him, handed him a folio of poetry, Chinese to English, everything in phonetic pinyin notation. He read it cold and didn't miss a . There's only one explanation for this, my dear boy."<br>Bertrand took his freshly delivered coffee, sipping it thoughtfully for a moment. Chuckling he responded, tapping the table as he spoke.<br>"Mais oui, he is of good character, I cannot think ill of this!"<br>"Nor I, dear boy, nor I."<br>"He has...read further?"<br>"A good question, None of my works have gone missing yet, but we shall see. I don't think he's far off. The only question is what he will read next."<br>&nbsp;<br>~ ~ ~ ~ ~<br>&nbsp;<br>Marcus sipped his first coffee in three weeks, it was good to be finally off the antibiotics the doctor had put him on. He'd been suffering intense migraines whilst reading the last couple of books that he was certain had more to do with the odd typesetting and confusing phrasing and more to do with the concentration it took to understand some of the ideas being presented.<br>&nbsp;<br>He couldn't be too specific about the book itself. At best, it was a Victorian-era spiritualist's guide to certain mental exercises that promised enhance one's ability to learn and comprehend more complex ideas. Like some sort of primer for more advanced works that were hinted at here and there. More than that and the ideas became harder to articulate.<br>&nbsp;<br>Stretching, he put down the new book. The Precepts had sparked an interest in Victorian spiritualism and he'd found another book next to where he'd found The Precepts in Uncle Clarence's library. This one was a little easier to read, but the topics were just as mystifying, the language very heightened as it tried desperately to discuss the concept of 'intercerebral communication' without using the dreaded word 'telepathy', as if that were the domain of vaudville illusionists.<br>&nbsp;<br>Outside, beneath the glittering glass ceiling of the covered shopping arcade that was built in the time this book had been printed, A man in a shabby suit was growling threats into a mobile phone. Someone apparently needed to get something done before he got back from lunch or there would be hell to pay. Marcus watched, fascinated as the man slowly turned red. Not florid-skinned, but actually glowing the colour of candy apple. Wisps of colour rising off him like coloured smoke. Marcus rose from his seat, slowly approaching the front door of the modest bookshop he ran for his uncle. Hearing his approach the man turned, giving him a challenging stare before storming off towards the uglier, renovated end of the arcade near the main street.<br>&nbsp;<br>The moment's self-consciousness was enough to snap Marcus out of his distraction, only to be greeted by a fresh migraine. Brushing his sandy hair back from his temple, he stumbled to the back of the shop, getting a glass of water with a slighty shaky hand. The migraine didn't last the time it took for Marcus to finish the glass but was enough to make reading his book impossible. What was once simple to read script was now akin to a doctor's perscription written in a foreign language. Speaking of which, if the migraines had returned, he needed to see his doctor once again.<br>&nbsp;<br>Closing the book with a sigh, Marcus decided now was a good opporunity as any to grab lunch.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>19-11-2009, 02:05:24</strong>
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				There was something oddly comforting about working in the stacks. The books never told her she was too slow to finish a project, the books never asked her to speak up, they were the only constant in Shelly's life. She'd worked in a library all throughout school, the only reason she chose to work in a commercial book store was it paid better than the library did and her rent had gone up. <br><br>The bookstore itself was more of a warehouse. It catered to the lowest possible denominator in people's taste. Hackneyed genre fiction, self help books, why he or she will never love you books far outsold the classics. There were no leather bound editions here, everything was paperback and a few glossy covered hardback books lined the shelves and displays. <br><br>She'd been the assistant manager there for nearly a year now and daily she thought about quitting her job. Her boss was a horrific individual who seemed to gain pleasure from belittling her and alternating that with trying to have her go out with him.<br><br>While out on her lunch break, she passed by a small bookstore that caught her eye immediately. It seemed to be closed at the moment but through the window she could see gold leafed books bound in heavy leather, she imagined they smelled as wonderful as they looked. They were each treasures, and she vowed to come back on her day off to browse.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>19-11-2009, 12:21:36</strong>
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				Marcus reasoned the fresh air seemed to be doing him good. The visual hallucinations, people exploding into colour had settled down to the occassional flash like they were wearing flashy jewelry that caught the light. His head didn't hurt as much as it had, he was down to a mild buzzing sensation, like he'd been hyperventilating.<br><br>The food court he had bought lunch from, Thai rice paper rolls in this case, was in the centre of the horrid modernisation of Plymouth Arcade. By modernisation, Marcus would argue a better description was ripping out half the lovely old veneer and replacing it with gaudy late-80s commercial architecture. Even less forgivable for having been built in the mid-90s. All that remained of the original corridor of boutiques were the last few stores in semi-forgotten side alley.<br><br>Marcus' uncle Clarence had led the charge to protect the last fragment of the original arcade. He had been successful in a way no-one had dared believe. They had gone from ready to move out all at once to drawing a line where development had built up to and telling it's perpetrator not to cross. <br><br>Every day since then, Douglas Roberts had made it a point of walking past the alley and sneering at the few people who had got the better of him. The first thing Marcus had been taught when Clarence had asked him to run the shop was the cheery wave Roberts got from the other end of the alley as he walked past, face like the wrong end of a lemon.<br><br>As he rounded the corner going back into the alley, he was ambushed by a wave of pure silver that he somehow managed to see and yet see through. A woman his age accellerating back in the general direction of the the centre of the newer part of the arcade. He opened his mouth to ask if she'd like to come in but opening his mouth was as far as he'd gotten. Spontaneously talking to attractive women, even to tell them the shop was about to reopen, seemed to require more co-ordination than he could manage.<br><br>Muttering under his breath about shyness, Marcus unlocked the front door to the bookshop, then turned around. A trail of silver smoke was slowly vanishing from the path the woman had taken away from the bookstore. He watched as it evaporated into nothingness. It wasn't until he'd finished lunch that it occurred to him that the migraine he had expected to arrive failed to do so.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>19-11-2009, 18:44:17</strong>
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				Arguing with your customers or calling your boss a small minded imbecile who was perpetuating ignorance in our youth was not the way to job security. It was an extremely rare even for Shelly to voice an opinion and there were few subjects she'd ever speak up on, but to stand there and happily point a customer in the direction of cliff notes because their child couldn't be bothered to read a book infuriated her. The fact that they even sold them to begin with set her off. <br><br>She expected to be fired or at best demoted. Silently she berated herself for allowing her temper to shine through, something she never did, she thought as she sat in his office waiting. <br><br>By the time she'd left the store her face was red both from anger and embarrassment. How could she be working for someone who was so inappropriate and vulgar in every way? Had he really told her that if she went out with him he would forget the incident? She had to have misunderstood. How many times could she possible tell him that she had no interest in him that way?<br><br>Walking home, her mood picking up slightly when she noticed the small charming little bookstore she'd passed by that afternoon was still open. Perhaps a quick browse through would be just what she needed.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>20-11-2009, 02:37:02</strong>
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				Marcus' head snapped up at the sound of the doorbell tinkling. He was so lost in what he was reading he'd forgotten the shop was due to close much earlier. He could see immediately that the woman who had come in was neither lost nor what was politely referred to as a tourist, someone who was browsing because the shop looked sufficently quaint. The look in her rather pretty eyes of the woman spoke volumes, she was a kindred spirit who appreciated the smell and feel of old leather bound books as much the book's contents.<br><br>Having recognised that particular similarity between them made it easier to get around his initial need to stammer whenever he opened his mouth. It also settled his mind enough that he could see through the red and rose swirled cloud that followed the woman. Not quite see through the cloud, he felt as if he was consciously making it dissipate. As he thought more about taking the smoke away, he watched as it became more and more translucent until it couldn't be seen any more. Oddly enough, the migraine didn't return once the cloud had vanished either.<br><br>Realising he had a job to do, he carefully closed the book he was reading at the desk and approached the customer. Trying not to think about how this would be the only way he could summon the nerve to approach such an attractive woman.<br><br>"Erm, hello there, is there anything you would like help with or are you happy to browse?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>20-11-2009, 21:11:33</strong>
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				The store was even more elaborate than she'd thought. She walked around the displays which were cleverly laid out and ran her hand over some of the bindings. She noticed there was a heavy emphasis the classics and the more esoteric titles rather than what pleases the masses like her own store. <br><br>Shelly wondered how she had worked nearby for so long and had never noticed this little treasure trove before. Certainly if they were a successful shop, she would have heard of it, and more than likely would have sought a job, for now she'd settle for browsing and of course, when she found titles she must have, buying as well.<br><br>She saw the clerk start to come over to her and figured it was probably the owner. Small stores like this rarely required more help. <br><br>"I was just looking around...you have such a wonderful collection here"<br><br>Glancing at the door she noticed that it was later than she thought.<br><br>"But I see I'm keeping you open past your time, I'm sorry"
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>20-11-2009, 23:41:10</strong>
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				Marcus smiled at the woman. "No, really, take your time! I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere and I gather you could use a break from the outside world."<br><br>If anything she'd looked more flustered coming in now than she had when she'd rushed past him at lunchtime.<br><br>"Besides, you are easily the best customer I've had all day."
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>21-11-2009, 20:58:23</strong>
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				"Thank you, you have a wonderful shop here"<br><br>Another reason she preferred books to people she realized, they didn't require small talk or polite chatter. She took a moment to consider the owner of the shop, he was pleasant looking she thought and obviously had a good mind. <br><br>"Have you been open long? I don't recall seeing this store before?"<br><br>She ran a hand over some of the bindings on the shelf in front of her. Shelly wished there were other customers in the store so his attention wouldn't be on her, she had only come in to take a quick peek around before heading home to soothe her slightly bruised ego from the days events.<br><br>"I really should get going, I'm sure you want to close up"
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>24-11-2009, 13:20:00</strong>
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				Marcus smiled and straightened. The only other customer that had come through the door today was a set dresser for a department store who tried to convince him to sell a bag of books by the kilo so he could have something nice to put on the shelves somewhere off camera. Marcus decided he'd put up with ten of his type to have one customer like her to close the shop with.<br><br>"Thank you. It's actually my uncle's. I'm running it in his absence. The store...well it predates the owner of the arcade. What you see in this alleyway is what the entire complex once looked like. The only thing stopping the arcade owner from killing this off is a Heritage listing. As for not seeing it before, well, we don't get a lot of chance to advertise our presence around here. I don't think we're even on the arcade map come to think of it."<br><br>The last remnants of colour had evaporated and he could see the young woman was happier browsing the stacks. He focussed on the end of day paperwork, leaving her to the shelves he rather enjoyed browsing himself before she made her exit.<br><br>"Well, I'm in no hurry but we're open every day but Sunday and Monday, the books and I appreciate good company."<br><br>Did he actually just say that? Marcus was suddenly glad that the lighting was soft enough that embarrassment wasn't completely obvious.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>25-11-2009, 16:38:17</strong>
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				Shelly smiled and blushed a bit at the compliment, she wasn't used to them and she had a feeling she could stand here and talk to this man for hours, as he obviously shared her one passion. <br><br>"I'm afraid you wont think me such good company after you find out I work for the enemy. I work over at the bookstore across the way, but for all its size and convenience, you by far have the superior shop"<br><br>It was strange, while she didn't particularly like her job, boss or place of employment, this was the first time she was embarrassed to mention it to someone, and she wondered why she had. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>26-11-2009, 02:31:07</strong>
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				The odd thing, Marcus observed, about these wierd multicolored hallucination he was having was how they seemed to be following a pattern. The same cloud of pink he saw floating off the young woman before him returned not only when he opened his mouth but appeared around her once again as she admitted to working in the wholesale bookstore in the middle of the complex.<br><br>Marcus winced in sympathy. "So you work for the devil huh? If what I've seen of him is anything to go by, you can't be enjoying that job. Well, if you need to escape at lunch time, you're welcome to hide here."
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>26-11-2009, 03:04:01</strong>
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				The devil was a term she'd heard often used to describe her boss, her own thoughts on him went a bit more nasty than devil, but didn't think that was appropriate to bring up in polite company. <br><br>"That's an offer I may just take you up on, by the way, I'm Shelly"<br><br>She glanced at her watch and realized it was later than she'd thought.&nbsp; Since she didn't live far, she generally walked to work and wanted to get home before it got too dark, and while she was enjoying the company, needed to be on her way soon.<br><br>"Well I think I've kept you open late enough, it was really nice to meet you"
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>26-11-2009, 05:46:57</strong>
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				Marcus turned the open sign over to closed, watching as Shelly wandered off back into an arcade becoming gloomier by the second as storeholders switched their lights off and called it a day. Marcus bore the self-satisfied smile of someone who'd just discovered that he could flirt with attractive women without making an utter fool of himself. Not, he suspected, that she would agree with his impression of her. <br><br>Shelly seemed to bear the same mixture of sharp-eyed intelligence and shyness that he recognised in himself. So much so that talking, even flirting, seemed a surprisingly comfortable act. The smile he received in response was very much worth it.<br><br>The memory of that smile circled around in Marcus' head as he locked up for the evening. Heading unhurried towards the underground station.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>28-11-2009, 07:28:18</strong>
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				Walking home after work had never been an issue for Shelly. She enjoyed the quiet of the side streets she often took to avoid the crowds of people on the main streets that so often caused her anxiety. So on this night as she walked home, lost in thoughts over the interesting shopkeeper she'd met, the occasional footsteps she heard brought her around from her reverie. <br><br>The odd person walking about wasn't unheard of on her route, but something about it had her on edge and for once, she was sorry she hadn't walked less than a block over to the more populated route to the station. She tried crossing the street to the other side of the side street, and the footsteps followed. She hadn't had the chance to scream when one of the men who had followed her grabbed her from behind. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-11-2009, 14:16:33</strong>
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				Idiot idiot idiot. Marcus was almost perfectly halfway between the shop and the station when the migraine started to build. The last of the tablets he'd been taking were left on the shop counter and the pain and the hallucinatory colours were returning with a vengance, every person he passed in the street was becoming a blooming tree of every shade imaginable. <br><br>Returning with the colours was the insistent feeling that the they represented something. Each a key to a particular emotion, but instead of the one or two colours he'd seen, they came at him now in their hundreds, making any sort of examination impossible. It was almost all he could do to focus, especially as the pain in his head started to develop it's own colour, an thick black band like oil around his eyes that he could see as much as he could feel. Worse, a feeling started to creep into his mind that the black band was moving of its own volition, positioning itself and burrowing deeper into his head.<br><br>Marcus turned abruptly from the main road. The way this was developing he didn't like his chances of getting home without something bad happening. He knew there was a chemist around the corner at the other end of Rochall Place and braving the poorly lit side-street seemed a far better option than trying to make it back home without passing out on the train.<br><br>The pain in his head was strong enough to delay his realisation that the blooming colours disappeared the further away he got from the main street. He hadn't noticed their absence until a solitary globe of sickly yellow blossomed brightly from just further up the street. He was suddenly aware of three shapes, a woman who'd been cornered by two men. His heart rising quickly into his mouth as he got closer, recognising the woman being mugged.<br><br>He had no idea what he was going to do, but he couldn't live with himself if he'd turned around now. Trying to quell the screaming in his head that he was about to get himself killed, Marcus marched towards Shelly, focussing on the two men who had grabbed her. From the first step, the tight black band around his head suddenly changed colour, brightening to a livid orange.<br><br>What happened next, Marcus wasn't entirely certain. As he forced himself forward, the band around his head split open between his eyes and peeled back, the two broken ends suddenly shooting forwards like bright ribbons and striking both men at the base of their skulls. One had become aware of his presence and had turned his head to warn Marcus away when his eyes grew wide.<br><br>A string of oaths dropping from his lips, the man facing Shelly started to back away rapidly. The man holding her had just turned his head and also started to have the same reaction, looking at Marcus like he was the absolute last thing they wanted to see. Forgetting whatever plans they had for Shelly, both men started running away at full speed.<br><br>Marcus approached Shelly carefully. As he made sure she was OK, two things occurred to him that he hadn't the time to consider. The first was that his migraine, along with it's attached black band had gone. The second was the unshakeable feeling that the long orange tendrils that had leapt from his head to the heads of the two thugs had done so because he'd willed it to happen.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>29-11-2009, 23:45:27</strong>
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				The shock she'd felt at being grabbed was soon replaced by fear. There were two of them, she'd never seen them before and she tried to tell them they could take her bag, just leave her be. They weren't interested in her money though. The one who was facing her kept leering at her before he reached out with his hands and ripped her blouse open. <br><br>She tried to squirm free of them, but the one holding her was simply too strong. Shelly breathed a sigh of relief when he let go. She wasn't sure what had happened, but the men went from cocky and arrogant, rough and brutal to scared and running in almost an instant and when she was able to gather her wits, she saw that Marcus was in the alley.<br><br>Holding her blouse together and trying to steady herself, she sat down on the pavement. She was shaking slightly when she looked up at the man from the bookstore. <br><br>"If you hadn't shown up, how did you....what did you...."<br><br>She couldn't get a full sentence out, still shaken from the ordeal.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>30-11-2009, 03:28:59</strong>
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				Marcus took Shelly's hand gently, watching as the two men accelerated until they'd retreated out of sight. The vacuum left in his head by the migraine was suddenly filled by a mixture of endorphins and unused adrenaline, leaving him stunned and a little giddy. It took a little concentration at first to focus on the woman beside him before he could answer.<br><br>"I'm ah, not...not entirely certain about what just happened. I-oh sorry, may I?"<br><br>The brain fog had lifted just enough to realise Shelly was holding her blouse closed with one hand. Taking off his coat, he held it open to slip into if she wished.<br><br>"I...would you like an escort? I'd like to be sure my favorite customer made it home all right."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>30-11-2009, 18:01:32</strong>
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				Shelly took the coat gratefully and slipped her arms in to it and buttoned it in the front. She was visibly shaken by what had happened, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry or breakdown, there would be plenty of time to think on it later. <br><br>She got to her feet and looked at Marcus a little closer, she still didn't understand what happened, why those men ran off as they did, he hadn't touched them, reached for a weapon, only looked at them.<br><br>"If its not out of your way, I don't think I'm going to refuse, thank you"<br><br>It was strange that she should feel so comfortable with a complete stranger, but then, he was a stranger who had saved her from, well best not to think about what those men had in mind. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>01-12-2009, 13:50:14</strong>
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				Letting Shelly take his arm, they walked together through the better populated streets, talking of nothing in particular, if only to calm both their nerves. It took a couple of blocks before Marcus felt back to normal, both quelling the rising fear he had had in facing down those two men and the passing of the migraine and it's dizzy aftermath.<br><br>Marcus discovered very quickly and without much surprise that he rather liked this young woman's company. Not that she seemed given to speaking at length so far, but the sound of her voice, the care she used in saying what she did, her enunciation, was more than a little charming. He wished that he had been able to do all this under less distressing circumstances.<br><br>All too soon, he found Shelly leading him onto a smaller street off the main one they had been walking along, stopping outside a small Edwardian apartment building. As they stood at the entrance doorway, Marcus scribbled his phone number on the back of a business card that he then offered her, suddenly finding himself grasping for words, glad that the darkness was covering his blushes, not that it could do much for his voice.<br><br>"I actually don't live too far away from here as it turns out. Please call me if, um, if you need anything, or you know, would like some company."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>01-12-2009, 23:05:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She appreciated how he was trying to keep her engaged in conversation on the walk back to her flat. He was quiet and thoughtful of what he spoke, and she was finding they had a good deal in common, it was only a shame that they couldn't have had this conversation under more pleasant circumstances. She would have been surprised to know that her thoughts mirrored his own.<br><br>"I really don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come by, would umm, would you like to come in for some tea?"<br><br>Had she just invited a man into her apartment? Surprisingly she wasn't tripping over her own words as she said it. She thought a cup of tea and a little more conversation was the least she could do, he had saved her after all, and, she liked his company.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>02-12-2009, 11:28:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus stopped for a moment, with his uncle in Paris for another couple of weeks, human contact for Marcus had pretty much been reduced to shop customers. Meeting Shelly had been not just been a bright point in an otherwise painful week, it had probably been quite healthy for him. Small moments in their conversation on the walk home had reminded him how long it had been since he'd had a proper conversation with someone.<br><br>"Thank you, I'd like that rather a lot. Lead the way."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>02-12-2009, 15:00:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Please let me have left the apartment clean when I left this morning</em>, she said to herself as she led him in the front door and up the steps towards her apartment. It wasn't too big a concern as she had a relatively tidy nature.<br><br>When she let him inside the door opened to show an apartment that had wood floors throughout with light colored area rugs under the furnishings. Bookshelves lined the walls with books of all different genre's, a nice collection of statuettes, paintings lined the walls. What was missing were photographs, no family portraits, no small frames with friends and relatives, only furnishings.<br><br>"Please come in, I'm going to change into something that, well isn't this"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>02-12-2009, 15:32:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Certainly"<br><br>Marcus spent a moment admiring the place. Shelly seemed to live by herself. There was no sign of a second person here, everything seemed to point to one personality kitting out the place. The lack of photos was noted as well, but only so far as someone who didn't have many of his own.<br><br>Marcus contented himself, like any good book lover, examining his host's bookshelves, seeing what she liked to read at home.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>02-12-2009, 18:00:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alone in her room, Shelly removed the blouse she was wearing, it would be easy enough to fix the buttons that were lost, but she tossed it in the trash just the same, she doubted she could wear it again without thinking of what almost happened.&nbsp; She glanced to the door of the bedroom and thought a moment about the man on the other side of it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd invited anyone up into her place, perhaps she'd been isolated for too long in her private life, but generally she preferred it that way. <br><br>After changing into something a bit more comfortable she made her way back outside.<br><br>"I'm just going to put the water on for the tea, but feel free to come on back to the kitchen, by far its the most comfortable room I think"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>03-12-2009, 12:47:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus smiled, following Shelly into her kitchen. He wasn't quite certain what she meant by a comfortable kitchen until he entered one. He could tell from the large window that looked down on the street that the light would be quite good in here during the day. The room itself was surprisingly large for an apartment kitchen, large enough to accomodate a small dining table in the middle of the room.<br><br>"Wow, this does indeed look comfortable. Certainly it's a lot warmer than the kitchen at my uncle's place."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>03-12-2009, 23:15:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly's kitchen sported a picture window that had a cushioned window seat that was perfect for sitting and reading, a small herb garden in the window that overlooked the back. Her kitchen table was small but the chairs were plush. Since she'd moved in she'd decided to do one room at a time to be perfect, she wanted to create a perfectly comfortable home environment. <br><br>She put the water on the stove to boil for tea and got out a tin of cookies and put them on a fussy plate and a small tray of everything one could want for tea. It was her nature to take care of others, she just never seemed to have anyone in her life to care for, so the occasional guest was usually pampered in her home.<br><br>"I didn't know how you took your tea so there's honey, lemon, sugar, cream, you can have your pick"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>06-12-2009, 13:31:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Thank you, that's very kind of you."<br><br>The phrase "comfortable kitchen chair" wasn't exactly one that had occurred to Marcus until he had entered this room. Selecting a surprisingly comfortable kitchen chair to sit on. He continued to watch Shelly go about setting things up for tea. She seemed a little restored after the horrid trip home.<br><br>Marcus took a nibble out of a cookie he'd taken from the plate Shelly put on the table.<br><br>"If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to be here? I mean you have rather an interesting taste in literature, how did you wind up working for the Devi...I mean He Who Owns Most of the Arcade?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>07-12-2009, 04:00:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Its sort of a long story"<br><br>It was also a story she didn't usually share with others, then again, she hardly ever spoke other people so there had been no opportunity to. <br><br>"The short version, I had wanted to open my own bookstore for rare books, first editions and the like, my ex and I had saved up for it, and for reasons I wont bore you with, we split up and he took off taking everything with him. The devil, and that is the appropriate term, offered me the job, I think only because he thinks I'll date him, or sleep with him, he'll get neither though"<br><br>She didn't share that her ex had all but taken away every ounce of self esteem she'd had, put her education down, her love of books down. Often he'd tell her she was too dull to speak to, and eventually she'd stopped trying to meet new people or talk to anyone. It was hard enough to get through the day dealing with strangers, but to open up to another, to trust someone, that was something she found impossible. Why she had told Marcus even that much was beyond her, but he had a way about him that made it easy to speak to him.<br><br>"Why did you take over your, did you say its your uncle's shop?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>07-12-2009, 12:24:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"The shop? Well, long story I guess. for a start, he's not really my uncle. The title is purely an honorific. I was born in Australia, my parents died in a car accident when I was quite young, Uncle Clarence appeared amidst all the chaos that ensued after the accident and took custody of me. He moved me back here to London."<br><br>Marcus paused to thank Shelly for the tea, squeezing a little lemon juice into his before continuing.<br><br>"Apart from a couple of years finishing off my basic schooling, I've been more or less Uncle Clarence's student, he's been teaching me the book trade, the classics. I suspect in the last few years or so I've been studying more intensely than most people you'd find in university.<br><br>"As for the shop, well, Uncle Clarence is a member of certain ..well...social groups, lobbying groups, I'm not certain, but he travels to meet up with members here and there and I run the shop in his absence. To be honest the shop feels a little like an extension of home. Actually, " Marcus felt his pulse kick into overdrive as his mind started to realise a little too late what his mouth was doing. "I'd love to show you around, something tells me you'd like the library."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>08-12-2009, 01:47:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I'd like that. I only took a cursory glance around the shop as well, though I definitely want to come back and see it in a bit more detail. My own collection is on the small side, but slowly I'm rebuilding it"<br><br>She sipped at her tea and found herself a little nervous in his presence. Not because he gave her any feelings that were bad or wrong, but, she could see a good deal of herself in him. He was a man who could obviously speak about her favorite thing in the world with passion. He was educated, friendly, and she had to admit more than a little attractive, and she'd not been attracted to a man in, well it had been far too long. Add in the feelings of gratitude for his rescue earlier, and Shelly was a bit smitten. <br><br>"Your uncle sounds like quite a fascinating character. I don't have any family, so it must be nice to have someone, honorary or not"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>08-12-2009, 13:36:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Turning his cup thoughtfully on it's saucer, Marcus looked across at Shelly sympathetically.<br><br>"Alone huh? Wow, that's hard. I'm sorry. I was lucky when Clarence showed up, though it took me a few months to get used to living here. I hadn't even left the country until I shook hands with him and..."<br><br>An idea struck Marcus then, like he had a sudden realisation. Shrugging, he smiled, like he had filed that idea away for later.<br><br>"Clarence is...well, he's certaily interesting. A good conversationalist, funny thing is I've never really known what he does for money. I mean it certainly isn't the shop that exactly makes a profit. He kind of runs that as a matter of principle. Somewhere between not giving up the last untouched part of the arcade and making sure people find these books when they need them."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>08-12-2009, 22:19:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You have to respect his desire to keep certain things in tact rather than sell out just to make a few dollars. Your store may not be the most sought after, but you can be certain the customers you get are quality. Not like where I work, parents fostering illiteracy in their children, hack fiction that appeals to the lowest common denominator, no one cares about the classics anymore, its a sad statement I think"<br><br>She blushed a bit when she realized she had gone off on a bit of rant, he just made it so easy to talk to. Shelly topped off both tea cups while they talked and she found she was enjoying his company more by the minute.<br><br>"If I might ask Marcus, what do you do in your spare time, when you aren't rescuing people on the streets that is"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>09-12-2009, 13:43:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, I can be a bit of an optimist there I guess", he smiled. "At least average books will get a kid reading. When you want something better it's a much harder hill to climb if you're tackling the good stuff from a cold start. I read a lot of pulp sci-fi and fantasy when I was young. I kind of got tired of it being essentially the same story over and over. I think the first classic I tackled was 'Around the World in 80 Days'.<br><br>"Still, not quite the same as holding a first edition in your hands and knowing the author had held it at some point too."<br><br>"My spare time? Oh, well, I do a fair amount of running around a park close to where I live, and study. Well, raiding Uncle Clarence's library for books. I'm reading the works of some Victorian spiritualists at the moment. The first book was...well, it was hard going, they're all hand written and the work isn't exactly linear. I think I may have given myself eyestrain with the Precepts.<br><br>"To be honest, I like getting out of the house when I'm not reading. The Museum, the V&amp;A, Tate Gallery, I tend to make visits each time there's a new show."<br><br>The mental image flashed through his mind of following Shelly slowly through the halls of the Tate, the idea was more than a little appealing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>10-12-2009, 15:47:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I guess I've become somewhat jaded, I enjoy some light reading as well, but the people I see in the store every day, they just......its disenheartening"<br><br>Shelly listened with real interest as he went on about the books he enjoyed, the museums and galleries he frequented and it amazed her how much of what he did mirrored her own interests and what she did in her free time. A third time she topped off his tea, finding that she was enjoying the conversation enough to draw it out. <br><br>"And what are your plans for the store? Do you intend to try to turn it around into something more frequented? Or are you content how it is?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>13-12-2009, 14:37:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus smiled. "I think Uncle Clarence plans for it to be exactly as it is for a while to come. His chief concern seems to be keeping his current regular customers happy. If the shop were mine..." Marcus shrugged. "I don't know, I think I might take part of it online. Some things you don't need to touch or see to buy it. Someone who wants a mint condition first edition of a Leo Tolstoy probably has a good idea of what it looks like already. If they can do the purchasing over a website, so much the better."<br><br>Talking for a little longer, Marcus realised with no great joy how late the hour was.<br><br>"I'm afraid I must get going, I've got an early start tomorrow."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>15-12-2009, 22:38:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Of course, let me walk you out"<br><br>She walked him to the door, though she was sorry to see the night come to a close so quickly. It amazed Shelly how fast the time went, but she too had an early day. She already knew she'd be back in his store again, though if it was for the books or to see him again she wasn't entirely sure. <br><br>"Again, I cant thank you enough for what you did tonight"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>22-12-2009, 13:39:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At the doorway, Marcus took Shelly's hand. Their positioning by the door meant they were now standing very close to each other. His hand was, if anything, more than a little warm from nervousness, he'd never been quite this forward with anyone before and was quickly learning that there were certain things his uncle was never going to be able to teach him, like what he should do next.<br><br>"You're welcome. I'm so glad I found you when I did. I can't believe how glad I am for my migraines! It would have taken a different way home for me if I'd remembered my medicine. Though, really I'm just relieved that you're OK."<br><br>He seemed for a moment to want to do one thing, but then he held up. Too quickly his mind had derailed his intended course, reasoning that Shelly had had a harrowing enough night, being attacked without a complete stranger (well, perhaps <em>incomplete</em> stranger, went one line of thought off into the distance) getting overly romantic with her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>22-12-2009, 23:41:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When he was gone, she fixed herself a small dinner and settled in with a book. She found it near impossible to concentrate on. Her thoughts kept going to Marcus, how sweet he'd been, how intresting she found him and of course, the fact that he had saved her, she couldn't forget that. She realized when he'd left she hadn't given him her phone number, though he knew where she lived and worked if he wanted to see her again, though she felt she should make a gesture in thanks, perhaps flowers or fruit sent to his shop in the morning. She'd have to give it some thought. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-12-2009, 13:37:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus head was still spinning when he got home. He kept thinking about Shelly when he wasn't trying to figure out what had happened this evening. His headache came and went as he threaded his way through the darkened streets and back into the large library that made the main living space where he called home.<br><br>Turning on the radio, Marcus barely had time to open the book he was reading when the new caught his attention.<br><br>Two known underworld enforcers had been arrested around the corner from where he had rescued Shelly earlier this evening. They were both rambling about being attacked by "Hacker" Fitzgerald, a legendarily blood-thirsty crime figure in the 70's who had gone missing some years ago. Their state was so bad they'd been taken to hospital for shock prior to their arrest. Witnesses said they'd come out of an alleyway close to where they were arrested, running at full tilt and screaming their heads off.<br><br>Marcus listened to the rest of the article and switched the radio off again. Things were quiet in the house for a long moment, his hand still half opening the book he had spent the last few weeks reading.<br><br>Closing the book he picked up the phone in the corner of the room, dialling a long string of numbers.<br><br>"Allo? C'est Marcus. Je voudrais parler a mon oncle....Merci."<br>"Uncle Clarence? I'm fine, I'm fine, but I need to ...what? how did you know about my...oh. oh yes I see."<br>"What right now? Erm, Proactive Telempathy by Mordecai Frost. Look about that book Uncle, I think I'm..."<br>"Yes, yes exactly! How did you know I-"<br>"What? But you're in Paris! You'd need to be. Ah. This sounds familiar to you for a reason right?"<br>"I have I think, tonight. Maybe once. Actually I'm hoping not more than once. No harm done either way."<br>"Sorry no, my turn for being cryptic I'm afraid. I promise to do nothing until you return, just don't hurry, I'm fine, OK?"<br>"What? Finish the book? Sure, as soon as I can. Salut to Oncle Bertrand pour moi, yes?"<br>"You too Uncle Clarence, see you when you return."<br><br>It had all seemed like such a wild idea until his Uncle Clarence had not only told him the truth but seemed to know before he did. These books he'd been reading were working on his mind, opening it to knew forms of interaction with the world. The hallucinations weren't just figments of his mind, it was his mind reporting what it was reading off other minds, bringing the information back to him as colours and shapes. He was already capable of manipulating that information as well. The possibilities open to him were as terrifying as the damage he realised he could do. The last chapter of the book examined tuning. He stayed up until well into the night, distracted at intervals only by thoughts of the time he had passed with Shelly earlier in the evening.<br><br>The next morning, the book lay face down on the main table in the library. Marcus was grateful for the silence in the shop as it was nearly dawn when he finally took himself to bed. Bleary-eyed from a bare hour or two's rest, he sipped a coffee as he filled out the paperwork for the day, watching the other shop owners go about similar duties with a certain amount of additional vigour.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>29-12-2009, 02:23:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly spent a rather sleepless night thinking of what could have happened in the alley. Marcus had shown up quite by chance and it made her realize how vulnerable she really was, and needed to take better precautions when she walked the streets. <br><br>In the morning she opened up the store as always since her boss never showed up before ten, preferring to sleep in. Sometimes she thought he'd never be able to run that shop without her, but then realized in a commercial store like that, he could easily hire a few teenagers to do the job. Her talents were wasted, she knew so much about books and in a store like this, her advice and suggestions largely went unappreciated and mostly unwanted.<br><br>She spent an hour on-line in his office looking for something appropriate to send as a thank you gift to Marcus. Whether she'd see him again or not, that was up in the air, but this would a nice way to let him know that she did appreciate what he'd done. She had also enjoyed his company more than she was willing to say. Eventually she found a specialty chocolate shop that had specialized gift boxes. She ordered him a box of truffles that came in a box that look like an old leather bound book. She had it sent to his shop with a simple note expressing her gratitude again and her hope that they would continue their conversation sometime. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>29-12-2009, 12:40:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus could barely wipe the smile from his face. The box itself was very cute but the note was, well, it made his pulse race. It wasn't so much what was said, which was simple, perhaps even a little reticent. He had sensed the night before that Shelly was being very brave inviting him upstairs, even before you take her bad night into account. The whole thing itself though was making him smile all day. He waited until just before lunch before he phoned the bookstore. The gruff tones of Him In The Back Office answered.<br><br>"Hello yes I'd like to know if you have the new Twilight in sto-..yes I'll hold....."<br>"Hello Shelly? Marcus here, something terrible has happened, some lovely person gave me these rather lovely looking chocolate truffles but it's easily twice what I could manage. I definitely need some help with them. Could I possibly persuade you to give me a hand with them tonight?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>30-12-2009, 02:31:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				From the moment he walked in, Shelly's boss had been in an unbearably foul mood and seemed bent on taking it out on her. Granted, she had that spot of trouble with a client the day before, but, she wondered what she'd done to set him off since then. Every time he spoke to her she felt as if it were a personal attack, but at least for once, he wasn't hitting on her.<br><br>When she took the call for yet another person who wanted that dreadful vampire book she was so pleasantly surprised to hear Marcus's voice on the line. She found that she couldn't take the smile off of her face. <br><br>"I might be persuaded, but I have to work a little late tonight to finish some inventory, I get off at eight, is that too late?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>06-01-2010, 12:42:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Eight is fine, how about I pick you up from the store and I'll walk you to my place? I'm thinking we should at least have dinner to balance out all this chocolate."<br><br>After hanging up, Marcus' plans to leave himself at least something to do between closing the shop and wandering over to the other bookshop was utterly lost in the excitement of a date in the near future. All his bookwork and daily routine tasks were done with an hour to go before the shop even closed.<br><br>So it was that he found himself sitting on a bench in the mall half an hour after he had closed, reading a book on Charles Dickens, idly watching the last customers straggling out of the store as he flipped pages. He had spent more than a little time checking his appearance in the mirror before he left, grateful that his normal habits left him looking presentable every day he was in the shop. T-shirts and jeans were something worn when he was working in the garden. Uncle Clarence was too image concious to let him leave the house in anything less than a buttoned shirt and slacks.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>07-01-2010, 18:17:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly cursed herself for not wearing something nicer to work that day, but since she was going to be doing inventory, she had to dress accordingly. She wouldn't have any time to go home and change before Marcus came to pick her up from the shop. <br><br>Why was he taking her to his place for dinner anyway? He couldn't possibly be interested in her, she had nothing to offer someone. She was always so clumsy and distracted and.... Dammit she had to cut herself off, it wasn't even her voice in her mind anymore, she had gotten past that stage of her life and had to remind herself of that constantly. If Marcus didn't find something about her appealing, then he wouldn't have called her, it was that simple. Knowing it and believing it however, were two different things. She was a nervous wreck by the time eight rolled around.<br><br>She went back into the employee lounge and touched up her makeup, brushed out her hair, tied it up, put it back down again, and settled on leaving it that way. She again wished she had something nicer to wear than the wool slacks with a blouse and jacket. But then, she didn't know she was going to be having dinner with anyone either. She took a deep breath before she walked out of the store to meet Marcus.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>08-01-2010, 13:01:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Reading was useless. Since his discussion with Uncle Clarence and finishing off the book he had been reading...or had been reading him -the discussion made the whole thing rather complicated-, the desire to get used to this new facet of his mind had kept him distracted for most of the morning. The colours and shapes not only made sense now, he could tune them in and out the way pupils expand and contract to control the amount of light let in through the eye.<br><br>Needless to say, sitting in the open corridor of a shopping arcade, watching straggling customers and shop-owners quick enough to make early exits was like having a books worth of information thrown at him as each person passed. It was as close to being psychic as Marcus thought you could be without hearing actual thoughts as they were made.<br><br>Dickens essay shoved back into his pocket, he watched the passing crowd fascinated, suddenly becoming aware of everything from their current state of mind to little secrets they had buried. The flush of rose pink embarassment as they swore to someone on a phone that they hadn't forgotten they'd just... or the couple commenting on another couple strolling past, neither of the first pair realising they were both checking out the same person from the second.<br><br>Being able to take in the information was much easier once he became comfortable with what happening. The migraines had disappeared once he fully realised and accepted what he was doing. He could only reason that his brain's refusal to accept what it was telling itself with this new skill was causing the mental equivalent of muscle strain. Once he accepted it, it ceased to happen.<br><br>He was barely aware of the time when he saw movement through the shop window. What he actually saw took little skill to interpret. Shelly's boss looked at her from behind as she exited, a thick dark red fog surrounding him that would be, at best, called lust. Marcus wasn't sure he knew the right words for a more honest description but he was sure the first two words would be "Malicious Intent".<br><br>Shelly was at the other end of the scale, for someone who'd spent a long day in stocktake, she was easily enough to bring a smile to Marcus' face. The only problem was the grey cloud hanging over her. While he had promised himself not to do anything experimental on Shelly, now that he knew what it was he was doing, he found himself trying to remove the self-doubt that clung to the space over Shelly's head before he realised what he was doing. To his further surprise, he found he could only shift it a little, like a hard worn stain that doesn't budge at the first wipe. <br><br>Offering Shelly his arm as they headed towards the exit, he reasoned that there were other ways to get that to move, and hopefully more opportunities.<br><br>"How was the rest of your day?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>11-01-2010, 21:42:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her smile was genuine and warm when she saw Marcus and took his arm outside of the store. There was really only one word to describe how she felt about this man, and that was smitten. While she couldn't fathom why he would be interested in her, she decided not to knock it, and just enjoy it. She was determined not to scare him off because she had some esteem issues, not, she wanted to see where this went. Maybe nowhere, maybe somewhere, but that wouldn't be the reason it went nowhere. <br><br>"Have you ever had one of those days where you wanted to step back and say 'this is not my life'?"<br><br>She told him about her day and listened as he talked a bit about his. It was fascinating to her how different the scope of two bookstores could possibly be. She was surrounded by people who enjoyed mindless reading, hack fiction, sparkly vampire novels and the like, and he was, when he had customers, surrounded by people of class and taste. She was still determined someday to open her own shop, but that was a dream for down the road.<br><br>"Do you live far from here?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>12-01-2010, 03:03:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Have you ever had one of those days where you wanted to step back and say 'this is not my life'?"<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Marcus shrugged. "Once, when I first came here. Not that I had much choice in the matter though. To be fair, while I didn't exactly choose to be here, I can't complain about how things have turned out."<br><br>Chatting happily as they walked, Marcus took care to steer them around the path Shelly took the night before. The air was still crisp from the last remnants of winter weather but Spring was definitely on it's way.<br><br>The commercial precinct had long since given way to houses that grew larger with each passing block until they came to a stop outside a reasonably large mock-Tudor house that even in the street-lit dark was visibly wreathed in ivy. Of all the houses on this street it was the only one unlit.<br><br>"Well here we are, the place was built by my adoptive grandfather. He too, it seems, had a love of books. Erm, that will make sense when I give you the tour I guess."<br><br>Leading Shelly down to the side entrance as opposed to the darkened front portal, the sudden shock of light as they entered showed a relatively compact kitchen, not much bigger than the one in her apartment. The table set against one wall bore a small pile of books in one corner but otherwise the kitchen was relatively tidy.<br><br>"I was just going to make some pasta, would you like a little wine to go with it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>13-01-2010, 17:02:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"A glass of wine would be nice, thank you"<br><br>And, she thought, it might help to relax her a bit. She walked around the kitchen a little and glanced at the titles of the books that were stacked in the kitchen. She imagined most of the house was like this, full of charm, full of books, full of personality.&nbsp; <br><br>She took a seat in the kitchen and watched him work. Shelly found him to be interesting to watch. Every move, whether it was to get a pot and fill it with water or measure out oil or seasonings, every move and gesture was precise, thought out. His hands seemed to be quick and efficient and for just a moment, she wondered what those hands would be like in...she stopped herself before she could even finish the thought, her cheeks coloring slightly at them and she took a nice gulp of the wine. <br><br>"Can I help with anything?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>15-01-2010, 02:25:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus turned, curious to know what had brought the colour to Shelly's cheeks. The twinkle in her eyes difficult to get out of his mind as he turned back to the garlic frying in the pan. Smiling, he shook his head.<br><br>"Not at all, I'm afraid I'm not the greatest of cooks, but the majority of my repertoire is based around simplicity and speed."<br><br>As if by way of demonstration he had two steaming bowls in front of them in short order, penne tossed through with olive oil, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.&nbsp;<br><br>Marcus sat on the side of the table next to Shelly, the pair of them taking up the corner of the table as they continued their conversation from the night before. It took a moment to realise he'd been unconsciously flirting with Shelly more than he'd intended, holding her gaze just a moment longer as they talked, her shyness almost encouraging him to come closer. More than once, their proximity lead one to brush against the other, the touch leaving Marcus feeling the same as when he spotted that look in her eyes earlier.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>16-01-2010, 02:21:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Its delicious, thank you"<br><br>They sat and ate and talked, though several times throughout the meal, Shelly lost her concentration, for how was a woman supposed to talk about one of her favorite authors in detail when she couldn't stop wondering if the man across the table from her was going to kiss her or not. Their hands would brush, her leg would brush up against his knee, each time sending little jolts of excitement through her, anticipation she'd call it. <br><br>In the back of her mind, the little voice told her that he was being polite and nice. Probably just felt sorry for her. It was hard to push that voice away, but oh she wanted to. She'd had a second glass of wine which she hardly ever did and was able to relax a little, but she wondered where this was going to lead. Did he expect to sleep with her? No, of course not, not that she would jump into bed with a man she hardly knew, but, one look at him and she just knew his hands would be....the voice pushed its way back to the forefront of her mind reminding her that she'd never been able to satisfy her ex in bed, so why even go there?<br><br>"Since you made this lovely meal, I insist you let me take care of the dishes"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>16-01-2010, 03:19:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh no, for one thing I can handle them later. Secondly, <em>we</em> have better things to be doing."<br><br>That dark streak of self-doubt which Marcus saw earlier still hung over her head, clinging tenaciously to the point where he had been trying to remove it. Over dinner, he had slowly managed to peel most of it back, but it remained stuck by one tenuous point. Where he could see a way to erode it with his new found skills, he took the opportunity sliding , but it wasn't as effective nor as enjoyable as the more old fashioned method. <br><br>Making sure she was clear of the table and her wineglass was refilled, Marcus took Shelly's hand, turning his arm behind his back so she was close behind him as he lead her out of the kitchen and deeper into the house. Lighting a standard lamp that stood beside the door, the cavernous room in front of them suddenly became visible. What was one three rooms had been turned into a single large library. Each wall converted into bookshelves, only giving up space reluctantly to doorways and windows.<br><br>Most of the shelves groaned beneath the weight of old leatherbound tomes, though there was also no shortage of more modern tomes as well. In the middle of the room sat a massive wooden table, eight velvet cushioned chairs arranged around them. The far end of the table was where Marcus had been studying, two closed books pinning down a sheaf of handwritten notes. In the warm light of the standard lamp, the room seemed suffused with a warm dark red glow, given up mostly by the colour of the leather spines of the more senior books.<br><br>"This is where I spend most of my time at home. I suspect my Uncle had been building his collection up since he moved into this house."<br><br>He turned to see Shelly's reaction, their position in the doorway meaning that they were pressed against each other. For a long moment in that closeness, all Marcus could pay attention to the was the shape of Shelly's mouth and the tone of her skin in the warm lamplight. It took a moment to realise he was holding his breath before he kissed her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>16-01-2010, 15:53:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The last time Shelly had seen a room that was so ornate and boasted such a collection of books, it had been at her Universities library. This however was a private collection and she was immediately awed by it. How did he ever tear himself away from it? It would be hard for her to come up for air if she had access every day to all this, it was in a word, magnificent. <br><br>When he&nbsp; turned to look at her, pressed up against her, she thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She took in every detail of the moment.&nbsp; The way his eyes looked, the way his mouth curled into a smile, the smell of him, everything would stay with her. <br><br>She was wrong, once his lips touched hers, every thought that she'd had left her mind. He literally took her breath away. It took everything she had, but she moved herself into the kiss, brought her hand to his cheek feeling a spark when she touched him. It was a perfect moment.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>17-01-2010, 00:32:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He couldn't remember the last time he had kissed someone, but he was certain nothing had come close to how wonderful this felt. His arm shifted until it had wrapped around Shelly's waist as the kiss became deeper, skin tingling where her hand caressed his cheek. By the time he realized that they both needed to come up for air, as it were, his other hand was holding her head.<br><br>A broad grin on his face, Marcus lead Shelly into the library, as he had intended originally. The tour, though, was far more intimate than he had hoped for, Marcus feeling increasingly happy that he had given in to his impulse in the doorway. The tour he had envisaged had him leading Shelly around by the hand, now he was pointing over her shoulder at this book or that, the other arm wrapped around her slender waist, holding her close to him. More kisses punctuating their trip around the large room.<br><br>At the other end of the room, the tour all but complete, Marcus indulged in another moment of impulse. Pulling out the chair he usually sat at to study, he sat down, pulling Shelly into his lap. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>17-01-2010, 01:07:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was amazing, he was amazing, she'd never been kissed like that before. If her life depended on it, Shelly wouldn't have been able to speak about any of the rest of the tour, for every time she thought that her mind could focus, he kissed her again, taking her off balance. <br><br>Now seated on his lap, Shelly took a moment to try to compose herself, but found it was near impossible when she was this close to him. The man made her ability to speak disappear. Normally quite shy and reserved, Shelly shocked herself when she put her arms around his neck as she sat there and moved in to kiss him. She could picture herself sitting there resting her head on his chest, could fantasize about him lifting her in his arms and carrying her to his bed, for the moment, the negative thoughts that normally plagued her were a mere whisper in the back of her mind. <br><br>"I don't...I don't usually do this" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>17-01-2010, 05:06:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was somewhere between surprised and delighted when Shelly put her arms around his neck. Their kiss was more passionate than the last, tongues crossing paths and sliding against each other. His hand moved slowly along Shelly's side, his thumb just grazing the side of her breast with each stroke.<br><br>As they pulled back again, Marcus gently brushed a stray curl of chestnut coloured hair behind Shelly's ear. His fingers then moving to caress her cheek, his eyes not once leaving hers all the while.<br><br>"This is unusual for me too, but I don't want this to end." Marcus admitted quietly, their lips almost touching once more. Rising from his seat, taking both of Shelly's hands in his. "We should take advantage of this moment I think."<br><br>So saying he lead her up the narrow staircase on the far side of the library to his bedroom.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>17-01-2010, 05:45:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly walked with him wordlessly up the stairs never letting go of his hand, her own would have started shaking had she. That small voice of doubt was trying to push its way back into the forefont of her mind. Obviously all he wanted was sex and you're just making it too easy for him, though one go and he'll never call on you again. <br><br>No, she would not let her own insecurities ruin this, she wouldn't. So lost in her thoughts and internal arguments was she&nbsp; that she missed the charm of the bedroom when they first entered it. It was Marcus she realized. The hand carved wooden furniture, the books cleverly displayed along the shelves in the walls with a few nick knacks thrown in for good measure. It was elegant and classy, it was also masculine without being oppressive. It was Marcus. <br><br>She turned to look at him as he closed the door behind them. Of course he'd brought her up to his room, he wasn't the type, nor would she have ever expected, him to the be 'take you then and there' type of man. He was a thinker, a planner, and the very fact that this wasn't planned made it all the better to her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>17-01-2010, 06:24:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nervousness and self-doubt poured off Shelly so much it was almost too difficult to tune it out completely. Marcus wanted to remove it completely but his concentration was too focussed on other things to do more than tone it down. Marcus used the long moment Shelly spent looking around the room to kick off his shoes and close the door behind them. The noise of the latter seeming to snap Shelly out of her reverie.<br><br>Marcus sat at an angle on the bed, one leg folded beneath him, guiding Shelly to sit so her back was nestled against him, his arms snaking around her waist once more. Once settled, he began to nuzzle and lick his way up and down her neck, easily able to feel her pulse fluttering beneath his lips. Meanwhile his hands worked on Shelly's blouse, untucking, unbuttoning and exploring the skin beneath, slowly working their way upwards.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>17-01-2010, 21:45:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly had a moment of panic when he went to unbutton her blouse, she couldn't for the life of her remember what bra she'd put on that morning and prayed it was one that at at the very least had a bit of lace on it. Had she known she'd be seeing Marcus tonight, she would have made certain to wear something she knew to be sexy. <br><br>With one of her arms she reached back behind her so her hand could make its way through his hair. The feel of his arms and lips on her, it had her entire body on edge. It seemed too soon, but she couldn't seem to say no, and she knew she didn't want to say no, that much was for certain. <br><br>Turning slightly so she could look at him, she took one long look into his eyes, her desire for him was mirrored in his, it was what she needed to see.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>18-01-2010, 01:14:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The look in Shelly's eyes as she turned to look back at him sent his heart racing. He too was concerned at how fast this was happening. On the other hand, he felt as if kissing Shelly had started something he couldn't stop even if he wanted to.<br><br>Urgently, he slipped the blouse back off Shelly's shoulders. As much as he would normally appreciate nice lingerie, he was far too focussed on the woman in his arms to take notice of much else. Unhooking her bra, Marcus eased it down her arms and onto the bed alongside where her blouse wound up, hands sliding back up to cup Shelly's breasts, thumbs circling her nipples as his mouth descended on her neck once more, nibbling and kissing from her collar bone to the point just under her ear.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>18-01-2010, 03:21:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sighing in absolute pleasure, Shelly couldn't remember the last time her body felt so alive under a mans attentions. She felt the chill of cool air when he removed her top and felt it replaced by an amazing warmth by his hands. <br><br>As much as she wanted to lose herself in his hands and his touch, she refused to be a bystander. Her own hands, though trembling slightly, moved to the buttons of his shirt, one by one she undid them before pushing it off of his shoulders. His skin felt like silk to her. She wasn't quite brave enough to lay down on the bed and pull him with her, but the thought had been there. Instead, she chose to lean in move her lips to his neck, to his chest, savoring him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>18-01-2010, 05:53:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus paused briefly in his attentions to fling his doffed shirt over to where Shelly's clothing had landed.<br><br>Returning to Shelly, he was struck again by how such a gorgeous woman could carry such self-doubt. His concerns only lasted long enough for long moan of pleasure to be drawn out of him, the feel of Shelly's mouth and breasts and hands exploring his torso.<br><br>Marcus' fingers ran in response through the fragrant dark brown hair his face was soon buried in, his hands moving down Shelly's flanks, slowly teasing open her belt, then her pants.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>18-01-2010, 22:32:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly had a moment where she couldn't believe she was doing this. That voice in her mind telling her that she was cheap, and he'd never speak to her again after this screamed in her ears, but she pushed it back. At this moment, she didn't care what tomorrow held, she only wanted to feel, and Marcus made her feel.<br><br>She lifted herself up when he moved to her pants so it would be easier to remove them and she followed suit with her hands going to the waist of his. Her blouse, his pants, her bra, his shirt, eventually they all fell into a neat little pile on the floor mixed up with each other. She took a moment to admire his body before she kissed her way over it, exploring every inch of him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>19-01-2010, 04:18:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus admired the graceful way Shelly eased her way out of her pants. What could have been something of a struggle, especially in her somewhat difficult position. Regardless, what could have been a struggle became a seductive swaying maneuver that almost hypnotized him.<br><br>By the time he was able to do more, he could feel every inch of his body afire. After a comparatively less graceful exit from his own pants, he then lay back against the bed head, the passion in Shelly's eyes as she looked at him setting his pulse racing, his arms closing around her as she started to cover his body in kisses.<br><br>Feeling like he would explode if he waited much longer, he rose up again, guiding Shelly gently onto her back, he eased her panties up and away from her legs, enjoying the sway of her body as his fingers ran from her hips to her toes.<br><br>Now placed between her legs, his hands fumbled with his own underwear, getting them off by inches as his mouth and tongue descended eagerly but briefly between Shelly's breasts, working their way downwards, savoring the smell and taste of her skin along each touch of his mouth to her.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>19-01-2010, 18:25:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly let her fingers lightly trail his back barely able to contain herself. She didn't have any doubts about her desire to do this, or about him and she was too lost in the moment to dwell on the negative thoughts that were there for her. <br><br>Closing her eyes in pleasure, she relaxed as he kissed his way down her body. She brought one of her legs to wrap around one of his, entwining their bodies together. The only thought she could find was that they fit together so well. Lifting her head slightly from the bed, she brought it to his shoulder, needing the contact with him, wanting to feel and taste more of him. He was being slow and gentle, it was an incredible feeling that was driving her to distraction.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>20-01-2010, 00:20:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was suddenly amused at a taste of his own self-doubt. It had been a little while since he had taken someone to bed with him and for a brief moment as he ran his tongue playfully around the edge of Shelly's navel he hoped he was doing this right. Seemingly in response, Shelly's leg rose up and settled on his shoulder. Feeling like he had his answer, Marcus licked and kissed along the sensitive inner thigh that had just been pressed again his neck.<br><br>Looking up momentarily, Marcus watched Shelly's body with adoration, how it moved and responded to his touch was all a delight to him. His mouth descended on her moisture-flecked sex. The tip of his tongue tasting Shelly for the first time, searching upwards unhurriedly, swooping deeper before working up towards her clitoris with each pass.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>20-01-2010, 02:59:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				One of her arms reached behind her and clutched the bed spread. Nothing, absolutely nothing she'd ever experienced came close to feeling this good. Slowly, inch by inch he was taking away all the worry and doubt that had been building up for so long. Shelly couldn't remember the last time she'd been without it, she wore it like armor and he was breaking through it. It wasn't just the sexual act, it was the warmth and genuine affection behind it. <br><br>Her back arched a bit up off of the bed as pleasure filled her. Her body was ready for him, wanted him inside of her. She breathlessly said his name as the pleasure he was giving her mounted.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>20-01-2010, 11:28:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The sexy tone of Shelly's voice as she said his name nearly brought Marcus undone. He had learned very quickly that the teasing runs he made around Shelly's clit were teasing him in equal measure. Marcus retraced the path he had taken with his mouth, leaving a long wet trail back up her belly, over her breasts from nipple to nipple before burying his face in her neck once more, nipping and suckling playfully as he slowly guided himself into her.<br><br>One hand slowly moved up over her thigh, raising it over his hip. Marcus looked into Shelly's eyes as he slowly moved deeper into her. For a brief moment between Shelly calling his name and now, he was brave enough to open that part of his mind that controlled his new found skills. Fortunately a moment was all that was possible. It was like being face-to-face with a rising sun.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>20-01-2010, 15:46:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly felt the need to silence her sounds of pleasure, so she pulled her head up to his chest, kissing,licking, enjoying. Every time she didn't think it was possible to feel anything better, she hit a new height.&nbsp; Her moans got louder, even muffled by his chest, his back was slick with sweat and she felt herself go over the edge, she squeezed his arms tight enough to bruise from the intensity of her climax and then she simply felt as if she were floating. In the very back of her mind, she wondered if she was making him feel even remotely as good as he was making her feel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>21-01-2010, 01:27:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was so lost in the sensation of Shelly's climax, from the way her fingers dug into his arms to the sound other moans as she came that his own orgasm hit him almost by surprise. One moment his hips were moving, grinding against Shelly's the next his eyes were open wide, his back arching as&nbsp; his body spasmed in ecstasy.<br><br>Sinking down slowly on top of Shelly, Marcus wrapped his arms tight around her. Looking deep into her eyes before nuzzling her face and neck affectionately. There were a million things racing through his head, so many things he wanted or needed to tell her. For the moment though, his mind was in such a whirl that the only things he could express clearly would have to be by touch.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>21-01-2010, 03:17:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When he all but collapsed on top of her, Shelly let her eyes close for a moment before looking up at him, wondering how she got so lucky. It had been one of the most satisfying experiences of her life, and it had been completely unexpected. <br><br>"I hope you know, I don't sleep with every man I have dinner with. but I'm not sorry we did"<br><br>She lifted her head so her lips could meet his again, softly and gently she kissed him before putting her head back to the bed. A small bit of doubt was trying to creep its way back to the front of her mind, but she wasn't going to let it ruin this. There would be time for that later, she thought. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>21-01-2010, 04:38:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus broke into a slow smile, drawing out each kiss, savoring the feel of their mouths and bodies connecting, stroking Shelly's hair as she spoke.<br><br>"I didn't quite plan for this to happen either. Glad it did though."<br><br>Marcus moved to one side of Shelly, shifting into a position more conducive to making Shelly comfortable in his arms. The thin black thread that remained of Shelly's self-doubt could be seen by Marcus, trying to regain it's grip on her mind. However persistent, It was a decimated version of what've had initially seen floating above her head as they walked to his place that evening.<br><br>There was, he realized, not much he could do about it beyond what he was already doing. He could have tried to deliberately pull it away but until he knew the extent of this ability, he wasn't going to do anything that might damage Shelly.<br><br>The question of how he was going to tell Shelly about his ability caused him a moment's concern. He decided his last few waking moments this evening were best spent just focussing on her until they fell asleep.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>21-01-2010, 15:00:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly laid there for a while just looking into Marcus's eyes. They were soft and kind and she truly hoped that he'd want to see her again after this. Well, either he would, in which case she'd be pleasantly surprised, or he wouldn't, which she was half expecting.<br><br>After a while she sat up, as she felt exhaustion come over her she knew she'd have to do some waking up before she could head out. One glance at the clock told her it was much later than she'd even thought. <br><br>"I had no idea it had gotten so late"<br><br>Reaching down over the side of the bed she picked up her clothes and started to get dressed. She had a long walk home, or she could just call a cab she realized.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>22-01-2010, 06:45:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was a little surprised to feel Shelly getting up from the bed. Putting a hand on her arm as she sat on the side of the bed, he wondered what was going through her mind, what she expected he was thinking. It occurred to him then that previous dates might have treated her like this and the suggestion irritated him.<br><br>"Shelly, are you sure I can't convince you to stay? It's terribly cold and dark out there. Whereas here, I can promise, it will be warm...and dark. Besides, when's the last time someone made you breakfast?" <br><br>Marcus' tone was playful but there was quite a serious undertone to his voice. He hated to think that she thought he expected her to leave like this. <br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>22-01-2010, 21:35:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly wasn't sure what to make of what he was saying. Was he actually asking her to stay? That was new, and she imagined her face showed the surprise. It actually sounded nice to her, the idea of spending the night with him, not rushing out the door, waking up beside someone. <br><br>"I guess I hadn't thought about staying, do you really want me to?"<br><br>She sat back down on the bed looking over at him, searching for a sign that he didn't really want her to stay. She would recognize it, of that she was sure.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>22-01-2010, 23:33:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was one of the odd features of his abilities that they didn't seem affected by light levels. Even in the moonlit room he could still clearly see the dark streak that seemed to demand that she wasn't worth the trouble. While he continued to work on disconnecting that streak, he was quickly finding it helped if he actually did something by way of reinforcement.<br><br>So it was that he took Shelly's hand, pulling her firmly back into his arms once again, not putting up with any resistance. Once settled, he kissed a trail from her shoulder to just below her ear, into which he whispered.<br><br>"Hmm let me see. Do I really want you to stay with me..."<br><br>Marcus squeezed her affectionately, nuzzling her ear as he did.<br><br>"...I'm thinking yes."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 00:38:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was hard to resist someone who was giving her what she always thought she wanted, not that she trusted it yet, but, she had little reason to doubt it either. The way he kissed her ear and neck, the way his arms wrapped around her, she lost herself in him for a few moments.<br><br>"Then I guess I'd better stay"<br><br>She slipped from his grasp only long enough to remove the clothes she had started to put back on and then crawled back into the bed with him. Leaning over she kissed him again, not with the urgency of earlier, but with tenderness and affection.<br><br>"But only if you let me make you breakfast in the morning"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 03:02:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus grinned as she resettled in his arms agreeing to who made breakfast. As things grew quiet between them, Marcus relaxed, watching over Shelly as she drifted off to sleep. Any negative or disruptive signs being smoothed away into nothingness, making sure she was fast asleep before doing so himself.<br><br>The next morning, Marcus awoke, finding they'd more or less remained in the position they had when they fell asleep. A little stiff, he carefully extricated his arm from underneath Shelly's head. Stretching, he almost knew what time it was without looking at his bedside clock. His routine with running the shop being such that he only seemed to wake up late if he was sick, otherwise it would be the same time each morning.<br><br>Looking down with a broad smile, he fondly stroked away strands of hair that fell over Shelly's face and kissed her cheek. She was as beautiful this morning as he remembered her being the night before and the desire to keep the shop closed for once came to him in a way that he felt certain would repeat throughout the day.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 03:36:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A slight stretch and yawn came before a moment of wondering where the hell she had woken up, and then she looked up into Marcus's eyes and it all came flooding back. She had no idea what time it was, and the first thought that popped into her mind was she still had to go home to change for work. Was this what waking up next to a good man feels like? She had to tread carefully here, she didn't want to get used to something that wasn't going to last for long, she would simply enjoy it until it played itself out.<br><br>"Good morning"<br><br>She sat up pulling the sheet around her. She thought about asking to use his shower but then, she would have to change back into the clothes she wore the day before. No, she would get dressed, make breakfast for them, eat quickly and rush home to shower and change for work. It was one of those days she wished she could just call out sick and play, but, this didn't seem a good enough reason.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 04:31:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mentally kicking himself for not having figured it out earlier. Not wanting to compicate matters though, he quickly jumped into the shower. His morning routine such that he could shower and dress for work in under fifteen minutes. He soon came down stairs hear the sound of Shelly in the kitchen. Sidling up behind her he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He rather liked how well they fit together that way, something about it felt right.<br><br>"Not that I want to occupy all your time, but, are you available for lunch today?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 04:41:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly loved the way his arms wrapped around her, so strong and soft at the same time. She leaned back against his chest and just enjoyed the moment. After a minute or two, when he asked her about lunch, she went back to preparing breakfast and constantly checking her watch.<br><br>"I don't know, I'm probably going to be late for work which means getting out for lunch will be tricky at best, so today probably wouldn't be the best" <br><br>He probably knew that though, he knew&nbsp; the hours she worked and the kind of man she worked for. It was easy to invite someone out when you knew they would be unable to say yes. <em>Stop it Shelly</em>! she scolded herself, he had given her no reason to doubt that he wasn't sincere. Why was she putting up obstacles that weren't there. Dammit, she needed to get home and shower and change. She couldn't think around him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 05:45:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, of course, I wasn't thinking."<br><br>The smell of breakfast had immediately made him hungry and the way Shelly leant back against him, sinking into the thick blue wool of his jumper, made him feel lightheaded. He idly nuzzled the top of her head, trying to commit the smell of her hair to memory<br><br>"Well, I'll be doing a spot of book keeping this afternoon, I'd love for you to drop by after work if you feel like it."<br><br>Marcus knew for certain that he wanted this woman in his life, but he was starting to feel like he was beginning to pester her. Maybe leaning back just a little wouldn't be unwarranted, especially considering some of the things he needed to tell her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>23-01-2010, 23:08:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I think it might be possible, but, for now I really need to get going or I'm going to be very late"<br><br>She plated the eggs she had prepared for him and headed towards the door. She had thought about giving him a kiss before she left, but something was holding her back from doing so. She hated how weak she was, so timid all the time. But being with Marcus last night, not just the sex, though that had been amazing, but being with him, had bolstered her a bit. He made her feel good, stronger, but as soon as she stopped to think about it, the doubt and fear all came rushing back to the surface.<br><br>Once home, she took her time bathing and dressing before heading out to work. She was running almost an hour behind and cursed herself for being so impulsive as to spend the night with a man she barely knew and risking her job. Oh she didn't think her boss would fire her for being late, but she was on thin ice lately and she shouldn't risk it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>24-01-2010, 05:26:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus' heart sank as Shelly rushed out the door. That little black line that had clung to her all night suddenly blossomed over her head and may as well have become a hood as she bolted in the direction of her home.<br><br>Locking his own front door behind him, Marcus strolled through the brisk late winter air in the direction of the shop, his mind turning the two of them over. He was certain that she'd enjoyed their night together. There was something there though that constantly told her it wasn't for her, that she didn't deserve it and no matter how he tried to combat that feeling, it kept rising up in her. he suspected that if he'd even been so callous as to yank that black line like it was a loose thread on her shirt, it would rise again later.<br><br>Shelly occupied Marcus' mind for most of the day when he wasn't serving the few customers that he passed through or phoned the shop. As the afternoon grew late, all he could console himself with was his uncle's most common piece of advice to him. Have patience and when the opportunity to do what's needed arrives have faith that he'll recognise it.<br><br>In spite of Marcus' gratitude to his uncle for installing it in him, patience was Marcus' least favorite virtue.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>24-01-2010, 21:48:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly spent most of the day in a fog. She couldn't stop thinking about the night before and she couldn't get Marcus off of her mind. One thing was certain, she wanted to see him again, wanted to get to know him better, but after the way she'd run out of his house that morning she was pretty sure he wouldn't be interested. <br><br>No less than three times throughout the day did she pick up the phone and call his store, hanging up when he answered it.&nbsp; She felt like a foolish child playing games with the phone, but each time she heard his voice on the other end of the line, she got choked up and couldn't speak, so she would hang up. This was so unlike her she thought, she was a mature, educated woman, so why did the prospect of calling a man who she had spent the night with drive her into a panic?<br><br>Towards the end of the day she wasn't sure if she should go by his shop or go home. It was a rough decision, she wanted to see him, but she was nervous to do so and it would be so much easier to just go home, finally she decided to head towards his shop.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>25-01-2010, 03:47:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus rubbed his face and stifled a yawn. To say it had been a long day would be an understatement. From the teenage girl who was adamant that she get a first edition Harry Potter for her assignment to the customer who refused to beleive anyone who worked in a shop below the age of 30 would be the manager or know more than them when it came to literature, or be capable of reading, it had seemed at one point. He had just seen off the nice old man who dropped by every couple of months to see if they had any new German arrivals in the store. It seemed that the shop traffic was either drought or flood but the sales always seemed to trickle in at a constant rate. The money itself though wasn't an issue. Most of the shop inventory was listed on various websites that were picked through by avid book collectors. Part of his work for the day included preparing a set of turn-of-the-century dictionaries to someone who had bought them online from Copenhagen.<br><br>Every moment his mind wasn't focussed on the shop however went to Shelly. When he wasn't recalling the angelic cast to her face as she pressed against him the night before, he was picking apart what he was to do with her. She seemed to have such a problem with intimacy, like it wasn't something she was worthy of having. A view Marcus shared not one jot, the problem remained how he was to make her understand that. The idea of pushing her into something she might not be ready for kept bobbing to the surface though and Marcus was toying with the idea of even leaving her alone this evening. If she wanted to catch up, she could let him know. He'd certainly left the metaphorical door open, it just didn't seem like such a good idea to try pushing her through it after one date.&nbsp;<br><br>It was late in the day, a little while after he'd shut up shop. A late email request had come in for some books that he knew for certain were in the shop and he was up a ladder at the back of the shop looking for the titles.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>25-01-2010, 18:13:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was late, well past closing time for his shop by the time Shelly was able to break away from work and head over there. She'd spent too much time debating she told herself, she needed to be more decisive in what she wanted. Now she knew she wanted to go and see Marcus, but it was late and he was closed, and probably thought she was blowing him off or just wasn't interested. Dammit she thought, she so wanted to get this right.<br><br>The closed sign was up on the shop window but the lights were on. She bit her lip when she brought her hand to the door, it was probably locked, and it did say closed, wasn't that intruding if she just barged in there? No, he said he wanted her to come by if she felt up to it. She was here, it would be stupid to go home and not go in, as well as sending a signal that she wasn't interested, which she was. Why was this so hard? Other women had no trouble with the whole dating game, they didn't break out into panic at the thought of seeing the man she was interested in so what the hell was wrong with her?&nbsp; <br><br>She turned to leave, got about five steps before she turned back. She started to turn the knob on the door and dropped her hand and walked away again. Again she turned back, if she saw anyone else doing this she would assume they had gotten free of the mental ward. She took a deep breath, opened the door and walked in. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>26-01-2010, 01:46:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was just dismounting from the ladder when he heard the tinkle of the doorbell. Putting the books he'd carried down onto a nearby shelf, he came around from behind the bookcase.<br><br>"Sorry, the shop is closed, we'll be op- Oh! Hello!" he broke into a broad grin as he saw Shelly standing there. Trying to cover the relief he felt, he took her hands, pulling them up slowly until her arms were laid around his neck, his own arms encircling her waist, holding her nice and close as he kissed her deeply, like he'd been waiting all day for this moment. He had been, really.<br><br>"I hope your day wasn't too awful, I was going to suggest I take you out for dinner. I want to talk to you about something." His smile and tone of voice indicating that talk wasn't the only verb he had in mind.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>26-01-2010, 02:00:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He had come up to her and enveloped her into a kiss faster than her mind could keep up, not that she would complain about it. His lips were so soft she thought, she could lose herself completely kissing him. When it finally broke, she didn't make a move to retreat several steps away, that in itself was a huge thing for Shelly, and something she would think about later on in private. <br><br>"No, it wasn't too bad at all if not a little tedious. I'm sorry I couldn't break away this afternoon, but, we're finishing up inventory and you'd mentioned stopping by tonight, so...I'm not interrupting anything am I?"<br><br>She glanced over at the books he had put down when she came in, not answering him about dinner yet. She wanted to know that he was really free and not just fitting her in. Fitting her in would probably be better than nothing, but no, she didn't want that, she didn't want to just be fitted in and if he didn't have time for her, than she didn't need to be there. <br><br>Mentally she yelled at herself again to stop putting words into his mouth. He hadn't said or indicated anything along those lines.<em> Don't put your own neurosis off on him Shelly.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>26-01-2010, 04:30:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No, your timing is spot on, we just had some online orders to fill so I thought I might do some hunting amongst the shelves and save myself the work tomorrow morning." Marcus said, glossing over the point that he would have been happy to wait a lot longer to see if she would come around or not. His arms squeezed her gently.<br><br>"So, what takes your fancy by way of dinner?" He'd seen that fluttering of her self-doubt come back to life when he saw her once again. Pushiness may be what he needed in the short-term.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>26-01-2010, 18:30:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, I'm not terribly picky, though I doubt any place that serves pasta could do yours justice, so, whatever you're in the mood for is fine"<br><br>She knew she could become very used to his arms being around her if she wasn't careful. Okay, she would see him tonight, and then she knew she would have to back off a bit, she barely knew the man, and too much too soon was the fastest way to ruin something. It probably had a short shelf life as it was, but there was no reason to hurry it along. <br><br>"Its still on the early side, if you have work to finish, I can let you get back to it and we can meet later if that's better for you"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>27-01-2010, 18:01:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Nope, I'm all done here. There's no postal service that will get those books to their new owner between now and tomorrow. Let's go, there's a Thai place I go to every now and then near here."<br>Taking Shelly's hand, Marcus locked the door behind him and lead her in the direction of the restaurant. The path lead them past the alley where he had encountered her being attacked, though obviously there was no way he was going to take her that way again. The thai place was as cosy as any romantic italian place one could imagine in this neighbourhood but with the addition of exotic statues and carved wooden lattice walls that scattered the light in interesting ways. The table they were lead to by the waiter, like many others, was positioned so that it felt like they were alone in their alcove and the murmuring around them could be anything other than other diners.<br>After they had ordered their entrees, Marcus cleared his throat.<br>"I..um, I have something I need to tell you. I'm kind of worried about how you'll take it though. It..um...it kind of starts with the night that I met you for the first time."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>27-01-2010, 22:22:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well, here it comes, she thought, any conversation that started off like that was a sure fire blow off. Okay, she had expected it, what she didn't get was why he had bothered to ask her to dinner first. Did he think she was going to cause a scene and this would stop her? She would never stoop so low, she would simply move on.<br><br>"Alright, what is it?"<br><br>She put her glass down and gave him her full attention, not that she needed to, she knew what he was about to say. Of course, she could be wrong, it could be something that was absolutely nothing like what she was thinking and she should at least hear him out before she made up her mind that he was a complete ass.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 00:40:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The tone of Shelly's voice reassured him that this was going about as well as he expected it would. Taking a deep breath he pressed on.<br><br>"Look, I'm hoping I can see a lot more of you in the future, but if I don't tell you this now, I'm worried about how you'll take the news later on."<br><br>Marcus struggled with a way to explain this without sounding like a complete loony.<br><br>"Do you remember those two guys that attacked you? How they ran away when I appeared. I didn't realise it, but I think I might have had more influence in that than I thought at the time. To put not too fine a point on it, I think I may be psychic. Not read your thoughts word for word, but I can certainly sense emotions. And, well, influence them."<br><br><em>Oh great. </em>Marcus' stomach turned as he yelled at himself mentally.<em> Perfect explanation. Complete. Loony.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 02:17:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly looked at him as if he had completely gone insane. Part of her was certain that this was his way of convincing her he was insane so she would be the one to break it off with him, not that there was anything yet to really break off.<br><br>"How exactly am I supposed to react to that? If you'd told me you were married, I might have a better time believing that"<br><br>She had liked to think of herself as open minded, that there were things out there beyond what the every day person could see or comprehend. She didn't believe him, but looking into his eyes, she could see that he believed what he was saying, so that either made him crazy, a really good liar, or the small tiny little possibility that he was telling the truth.<br><br>"I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that, really, saying prove it sounds wrong ,but, well can you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 02:33:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was stunned for a moment. She'd made a really good point. He'd been so worried about how he was going to tell her that he just kind of assumed that all explanations lead to her thinking he was nuts. Incredulity hung rather unexpectedly over her head and right at the moment it looked far better than contempt or pity.<br><br>"I..well, actually.." Marcus reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a business card sliding it across the table to her.<br><br>"Think of an emotion or a mood. For what I'm about to do, choose something that's at least not negative. No horror or anger or grief for example. The waiter is heading in our direction, when he gets here. I'll ask if I can borrow his pen. Write down what you've chosen and hand it to me. I'll see what I can do with it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 03:16:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I have a pen in my bag"<br><br>She reached over to her bag and pulled out a pen and took the card from him. She thought about it for a few minutes, what was she feeling that wasn't negative. Well if she were going to be honest, she found this entire thing a little on the humorous side so that's what she wrote down.<br><br>"here" <br><br>She handed the card back to him, though wondered why she was still sitting here. A sane person would have been out the door the moment he said he was psychic. <em>Well Shelly, who ever said you were sane hmm? </em>she said to herself.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 03:45:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus watched as the waiter approached, he was just your typical restaurant employee. From memory this place was virtually run by a single family, he was a little stressed from dashing from table to table. The more positive emotions, he was discovering, were easier to manipulate. Whether or not that had something to do with how they were formed or simply because he had less worry about making someone feel good. The waiter broke into a broad grin as he saw that Marcus and Shelly were ready to order.<br><br>"Hello there, busy night then?"<br><br>The waiter gave up a burst of laughter like the question was the punchline to his favorite joke.<br><br>"Yes Sir, sorry, I'm not why that was funny it just was."<br><br>He held the waiter's amusedness out there, not doing anything more than keep it where he'd lifted it too. The waiter chuckled through their order, finding something very silly about the word lemongrass, then delighting in the point that they'd have rice to share. As he assured them that their order would be arriving as soon as possible, Marcus let go of his control. The waitter immediately calmed down with something of a confused tone to his voice as he served the table behind them, like he couldn't quite remember what it was he'd found so funny.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 04:10:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly watched the scene with the waiter unfold in absolute disbelief. She wanted to doubt it, she wanted to say he'd set this up before hand, but he had no way to know what emotion she would write down. And if he hadn't set that up, then maybe he was telling the truth. And if he was telling the truth, then nothing made sense anymore. <br><br>"Did you do that? Was that....is that what you meant? How? I don't understand"<br><br>Why did he tell her about this? It didn't seem like the kind of secret you share with people, unless he had been telling the truth about wanting to see more of her. To put it mildly, she was shocked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 04:32:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus' sense of relief was palpable. "I'm about to give you a lot to think about at once. I'm sorry about that. What it boils down to is a series of ..instructive manuals that were written in the Victorian era. They were roundly dismissed as quackery but it appears that a select few people have been able to get everything out of them that they promised. I'm one of them, my uncle Clarence and his partner too."<br><br>The next bit was the real tricky part and it was difficult to stop himself from blurting out parts of it. "I'm telling you about this because I'm...I'm mad about you. I'm hoping you feel the same way about me and if you do, I was struck by the horrible thought that at some point down the road you'd learn I could do this and wonder what else I was concealing, like if I'd done this to you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>28-01-2010, 17:40:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I'm sorry Marcus, I didn't hear a word you said after you said you were mad about me"<br><br>Shelly couldn't help but smile now as a warmth filled her. She hadn't been wrong in what she felt for him, in what she thought she was reading from him. It was always possible he was only saying it to get her into bed again, but she didn't think so, she believed him. It was hard, but she did.<br><br>Another thought crossed her mind however. What she felt for him, did she really feel it, or had he made her feel that? Should she ask him? Would he even tell her the truth if he had? <br><br>"I find myself mad about you, but I have to ask you this now, do I, or did you plant that there?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>29-01-2010, 12:19:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Reaching out, Marcus took Shelly's hand, his smile matching hers without his realising. His delight that her self-doubt was starting to be overcome couldn't be hidden.<br><br>In response to her question though, his smile lost some of it's lustre.<br><br>"I've only used this on you twice. The first time was the night you were attacked. I took the fear you felt and fed it into the men who were attacking you, which may explain why they ran screaming from a not-so-imposing book store manager. The other time I tried to use it but it wasn't successful. I...found something I thought might not be good for you. I tried to take it away from you but it requires more strength than I was willing to use.<br>"As for knowing what's you and what is me making you feel a certain way? I'm not sure I can prove to you any of what I do. I don't know that anyone is aware of it. I can only hope that you trust me to do the right thing by you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>29-01-2010, 18:57:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Taking a sip of her drink, Shelly considered what he was saying. She believed what he had told her, which of course she thought meant she was ready for the asylum, but she did. If she did, how comfortable could she really be around him. Wouldn't she always be doubting her own feelings wondering if he'd put them there or taken something away?<br><br>"Its an interesting gift you have Marcus. I'm not sure how to ask you this without it sound accusatory, and I don't mean it that way, but what gives you the right to push peoples feelings away. If I felt fear, its what I felt. Why do you get to play god with that?"<br><br>Shelly was unsure how he was going to take her question. She didn't want to offend him, but how could she pursue something with him, as much as she wanted to, if she couldn't trust herself because of him? Maybe the better question was, could she trust him not to abuse his gift, use it for the wrong reasons, it was a powerful tool, and power corrupts. There were so many questions. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>30-01-2010, 15:51:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well, as for that instance, I wasn't fully aware of what I was capable of. I'd been suffering from migraines and the ...things that I saw I'd attributed to hallucinations. Usually because the migraines preceded them. I didn't realise that it was tied to the start of my abilities. To be honest I think I acted instinctively, some part of me understood what was going on but I wasn't properly conscious of it yet."<br><br>Marcus took another sip of wine as he considered what to say next. He was reeling a little under the questions. They were questions though that she had every right to ask.<br><br>"I'm not going to tell you I'm perfect or that I understand everything about this power. Quite the opposite, I'm still learning what I'm capable of. The thought that I might play god with this power terrifies me too, I know what roads get paved by good intentions, regardless of how much I may have."<br><br>Unfortunately, he considered, the question was one he wouldn't ever be able to put behind him. Just answer until the next chance for a mistake came along.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>30-01-2010, 23:31:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				What the hell was she supposed to do with that information now that she had it? Shelly almost wished he hadn't told her about this, though she could understand why. If she had found out later, if they had gotten serious and she found out, she wouldn't, couldn't have stayed with him. Another part of her was wondering if he was telling her this so she would be the one to walk away from him. His claim that he was mad for her, coupled with this confession, it almost seemed to her that it was designed to make her run, letting him off the hook.<br><br>"Marcus, I like you, I find you interesting and charming and after the other night...well. But I don't know what to do with what you just told me. I wish I could say it doesn't matter, but it does. I don't want to be your experiment" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>31-01-2010, 00:22:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus wrinkled his nose in disgust at the idea. "You would never be my <em>experiment</em>! I know anything I say now comes with a disclaimer that I might be making you believe it, but I know I don't use it subconsciously and I wouldn't use it on you unknowingly."<br><br>Feeling his heart sinking faster by the minute, Marcus knew this conversation was going to be difficult, but he didn't need his abilities to feel her withdrawing from him. He began to wish that all he had confessed this evening was how he felt about her. Now it seemed that moment was all they'd have.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>31-01-2010, 02:10:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was easy for Shelly to see he'd taken some offense to her accusing him of using her as an experiment, but could he blame her? She didn't know him well enough to read his face too clearly, but some things she could read on anyone.<br><br>"I'm sorry if my question offended you Marcus, but you have to understand it from where I'm sitting. You tell me that you can alter the way I feel, and that you've done it before, tried to do it a second time, and I shouldn't assume its just some experiment?"<br><br>She finished off her wine in one long gulp. Was it possible that her taste in men was that bad that she only found the screwed up or odd or in this case, well she didn't know what to classify this as? Is that all she was able to attract?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>31-01-2010, 02:48:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus focussed his attention on the stem of his empty wine glass. She had a good point.<br><br>"I understand what you're saying. All I can say is the first time I wasn't aware of what I was doing. The second time though, I'm sorry. I really did the wrong thing. You were never an experiment though, you were not some test subject to find out what I'm capable of."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>31-01-2010, 17:35:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She thought about it, mulled things over in her mind, the silence at the table was almost tangible. She had a feeling she should get up from the table, walk away and never look back. It would hurt for a while, definitely, but less so than getting any deeper and risk whatever he might do should this...it wasn't a gift, she should stop calling it that, his ability grow, change who is now. He might have the best of intentions right now, but that didn't mean he wouldn't succumb to temptation, he wouldn't be corrupted by it.<br><br>So why was she still sitting there unable to move? Was it worth the risk? Was he worth the risk? It was a hard question to answer and one she would have to give more thought to. She could hear the minutes ticking by as she sat there thinking, wondering if he could see what she was thinking, if he was making her have these thoughts. <br><br>"I wish I could say it was no big deal, but we both know it is. I don't know what to think, but..."<br><br>She took a deep breath, it took whatever she to say what she would say next, because she had refused to make herself vulnerable to another man ever again, but here she was. <br><br>"but..I don't want to stop seeing you. Maybe its something we can figure out together"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>01-02-2010, 07:42:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus' body language retreated somewhat. He wanted Shelly to have space to think things over without feeling like he was pressuring her, abilities or not. Nothing he could say would prove to either of them that he wasn't potentially a threat to her. Without any good reasons as to why she should stay and he found himself mentally preparing to watch her get up and walk away from him. <br><br>As the silence extended and the moments ticked by with each thud in his chest, he fought down the desire to concede defeat and tell her she could go. When she spoke finally, the answer was so unexpected that he didn't immediately understand what she was saying. After a moment a smile began to form on his face. Only having realised he was holding his breath, he let it out again slowly. He understood that was Shelly was doing was less an act of trust and more one of faith.<br><br>"Really? I mean that's wonderful! I hope we can figure this out. If there is anything I can do to make this easier for you, tell me."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>01-02-2010, 16:04:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Was that really relief she saw on his face? He was glad she wasn't walking away? That was good wasn't it? She hadn't been completely wrong in what she thought he was feeling towards her. But then, that had been before he'd dropped this big bombshell on her.<br><br>"I will, I don't know what you could, I guess I'll see as we get to know each other better"<br><br>Part of her was still saying to run for the hills. Trust was something Shelly did not excel at, he just gave her every reason not to trust him, and yet, because he told her and didn't hide it, she wanted to. If this had never been an issue, if it had never come up, she still would have issues trusting him. But being with him felt good. He made her feel good, stronger somehow, so she had to see this through.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>02-02-2010, 15:17:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Almost as if detecting a tense conversation at the table, their waiter had chosen until there was a pause before delivering their meals. Marcus paused to inhale the lemongrass and ginger in his meal.&nbsp; It was one of his favourite smells and he used to moment to calm himself a little.<br><br>To diffuse the tension a little, he changed the topic. Knowing Shelly's interest in antiquarian books, he talked a little about the shipment he'd been preparing. It was a set of manuscripts that were written by a German philosopher. There was a signature in one of the volumes that suggested that they were a gift to a contemporary at the time. An idea formed in his head as he talked about the books, but he kept quiet about it for now. If things worked he knew it would be a good idea, but wanting to see how things went from here, he kept it quiet.<br><br>"We have a weekend coming up. Is there anything you'd like to do?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>02-02-2010, 16:42:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				While she appreciated his attempts to change the subject, she couldn't help but have her mind focus on what he'd told her. It was weighing on her mind though there was nothing left about it to discuss. It would be so much easier she thought, if he hadn't seemed so vulnerable about it. She didn't know what to do with that. <br><br>Picking at her food, she listened to him talk about the manuscripts. Normally she'd be fascinated and lively, involved in the conversation, right now she felt very quiet and subdued. He had caught her off guard with the mention of the weekend though.<br><br>"I hadn't really thought about it. Was there something you had in mind?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>02-02-2010, 17:21:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus put his fork down, his curry was mostly eaten and the nervous tension he'd been nursing had taken away a lot of his appetite.<br><br>"Nothing concrete, maybe taking a stroll around the National Gallery or the Museum, I haven't really been to either for an age. Maybe having something to eat somewhere afterwards. Do either take your fancy?"<br><br>He remembered both being ideas had coming to him as they talked at her place, the idea of wandering around art and antiquities with Shelly still held a lot of appeal.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>02-02-2010, 22:25:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Looking down at her plate, Shelly realized she'd barely ate but a few bites of food, though she'd had a good deal of wine and was starting to feel it. She tried to focus on what he was proposing for the weekend but was so lightheaded, it was only half sinking in. <br><br>"That sounds great, I haven't been there in, well a long time"<br><br>After a minute she realized that he hadn't specified which one sounded good to him, but asked her if she liked either of them. She signaled the waiter over for a glass of water so she could try to clear her mind a bit. Between the secret he'd shared, her nerves and the wine, she wasn't as sharp as she'd like to have been.<br><br>"I mean, well either of those sound good"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>03-02-2010, 03:47:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus waited until Shelly had a glass of water in her hand before continuing. Being of a slightly larger build, he was handling the wine a little better, and while the thought of another stiff drink was currently having more appeal than usual, he elected to keep pace with Shelly.<br><br>"Well, let's make it the Museum then. I'm kind of fond of the sculptures, it's amazing to think how these pieces of art have survived through the millenia."<br><br>He signalled to the waiter for the bill, he intended to walk Shelly home but wasn't sure what to do once they got back to her front door. He would, he decided, have to wing it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>03-02-2010, 04:05:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Museum it is then"<br><br>She noticed him signal for the check and just for a moment she wondered if he was trying to end the evening because he didn't like her reaction to what he'd told her. What had he expected? For her to have done backflips? No, don't do this, she told herself. She was going to sabotage this when she'd just said she would give it a shot, that wasn't fair. <br><br>They left the restaurant and stepped out into the nice cool night air. She noticed he was keeping a respectable distance from her, though part of her had wished he would have held her hand or put his arm around her, something to show that the interest really was there.<br><br>"I love it on nights like this, when the weather starts to get cold"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>03-02-2010, 04:29:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He realised he was playing this tactic of taking the pressure away from her perhaps a little too much when they left the restaurant, she'd been quiet for a long moment and had shot him a sideways glance that made him realise what distance there was between them. Taking her hand in his, he shifted closer to her, leaving her hand holding onto the crook of his arm as they walked, his guiding hand lingering over the top of her, his fingers laced betwen hers. While he'd done it almost playfully, his body was unconsciously tense, waiting for her to move away again. As they crossed a skirted the edge of a square park, Marcus smiled at her comment about the weather.<br><br>"Next you'll tell me you like rainy nights where you can curl up by the window with a good book and a nice bottle of red. At least, I hope you'll tell me that next, it sounds delightful to me, now that I think about it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>03-02-2010, 20:25:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly was somewhat relieved when he took her hand. It was a small gesture but she needed to feel wanted, and she wanted that from him. Despite everything he'd told her, despite the fears she had about it, she still wanted him. <br><br>"I hate to disappoint you, but that doesn't sound quite perfect or delightful to me at all"<br><br>She waited a few moments before she continued.<br><br>"It would have to be a white wine for it to be delightful"<br><br>When they approached her apartment she turned to him, she wasn't sure what to do next, invite him in, say goodnight on the steps. <br><br>"Would you like to come in? Maybe for some coffee?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>03-02-2010, 23:17:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus laughed, mostly at himself, unable to believe quite how badly&nbsp;he was suckered in. For a moment he'd been totally confused,&nbsp;desperately trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong until Shelly&nbsp;corrected him on the wine. He squeezed her hand affectionately.<br><br>"Well a bottle for each of us then, and possibly a slightly larger&nbsp;window or it's going to be like reading during a game of Twister."<br><br>Trying to stifle any nervousness as they turned down the street&nbsp;Shelly's apartment was on. The feel of Shelly nestled against his arm&nbsp;as they walked felt good, it was a sensation that he really wanted to&nbsp;get used to but if she needed a little space to think about what he'd&nbsp;said tonight, he'd respect that. Marcus' smile broadened as she asked&nbsp;him up for coffee.<br><br>"I'd love to, coffee sounds marvellous."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>04-02-2010, 02:35:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She unlocked the door and led him inside the apartment again. She was a little shaky as she had been the last time he'd come inside here, but for entirely different reasons. She took her coat off and hung it up in the closet and took his as well. She didn't know how long he'd be staying, in the back of her mind she wondered if he was going to spend the night with her again, this time in her bed. She wasn't sure if she was hoping he would, or hoping he wouldn't. <br><br>"I have coffee, tea, wine though I don't believe I have any red"<br><br>Shelly walked through the apartment back into the kitchen and opened the pantry trying to steady her nerves. She really did like Marcus, she thought they might find something in each other, but she was scared, not just because of what he'd told her, but the idea of being that exposed to another person again, it terrified her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>04-02-2010, 08:33:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Coffee will be fine, thank you."<br><br>Standing in Shelly's living room, Marcus stretched and smiled, running a hand through his damp hair. The apartment was warm in contrast to the chilliness of the world outside and Shelly's place was as comfortable and inviting as he had remembered it. He moved with a deliberate slowness, taking a moment to look around the living room so Shelly could have a moment to herself.<br><br>When she had invited him upstairs, Marcus saw the flash of nervousness in her eyes that he had seen at other moments when an opportunity to accept or reject her had arisen. The fact that she'd seemed nervous of either option confused Marcus but not as much as it worried him. The closer they got, the more nervous she seemed and, presuming he was right about this, it struck him for a moment how brave she was to still want to see him. Not only were tonight's revelations a good enough reason to run screaming, there was already a part of her trying to stop any romance before it started. What's more he knew that part on sight.<br><br>The black shape that hung over her wasn't going to be removed by any means other than him undermining everything it whispered into her ear. Walking into the kitchen, he watched for a moment as Shelly dealt with the coffee-making then moved up behind her, putting an arm around her shoulders from behind.<br><br>"Did I ever tell you when I was younger I adored the smell of coffee but I couldn't bring myself to drink it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>04-02-2010, 22:13:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She took a moment in the kitchen, glad he hadn't followed too closely so she could collect herself. It was hard if not impossible for her to relax at the moment and she knew she needed too. She was feeling the tension both from what he'd confided in her earlier, and also just the fact that he was there. He had asked her to spend time with him over the weekend, out doing things they would both enjoy, so intellectually, she knew his interest in her was not that of just sex. She knew that he enjoyed her company. Her head knew that, why couldn't the rest of her know that?<br><br>Pulling out the decanter and filling it with water, she set about putting on a pot of coffee. She also took out a kettle so she could brew herself some tea. Tea calmed her nerves a bit at times and she didn't need the extra caffeine to make her more jittery.<br><br>Shelly's hands almost fumbled on the coffee scoop when he put his arm around her. She closed her eyes for just a moment to balance herself out and continued to fill the machine while she listened to him.<br><br>"I don't believe you mentioned that, no. Why couldn't you try it then?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>06-02-2010, 04:06:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus let Shelly go with an affectionate squeeze, seeing she was still tense.<br><br>"It was the bitterness, I couldn't handle it. A friend of mine who drank copious amounts on a daily basis got me too drink it with diminishing amounts of sugar. I started with half a teaspoon and spent most of my years in university being teased for knowing how many grains of sugar went into my coffee."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>08-02-2010, 17:29:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly couldn't say why, but the fact that he could be so meticulous about something was an endearing trait to her. Yes, it was a little compulsive, but it was something she could relate to, having her own tendencies to be the same about certain things. <br><br>"Why don't you go have a seat and I'll bring this over to the table"<br><br>She got out some cups and a tray of cookies she had in the house since she noticed he hadn't eaten much of his dinner. Truth be told, the conversation had taken away a good amount of her appetite as well. <br><br>She was trying hard to get past what she'd learned and see where this could lead, but it was harder than she'd thought it would be. It would get easier in time she told herself, assuming he stuck around, assuming she did as well.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>09-02-2010, 13:44:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Quickly checking that there was nothing he could do, he took a chair a the table and sat down. Under different circumstances, he would do his best to convince himself that the tension he could see in Shelly was either something he was projecting onto her or something he could deal with. Unfortunately, he knew neither reassurance was true.<br><br>He smiled as she set his coffee down in front of him, taking a cookie while she settled herself. Though his appetite had evaporated at the restaurant, his nervousness demanded he eat something, or toy with something. Possibly both.<br><br>He was glad that the table itself was probably a fraction smaller than the one at the restaurant, it would make it easier, once Shelly was settled herself, to take her hand as they talked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>10-02-2010, 04:36:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				How were they supposed to have a normal conversation now? It didn't really seem like a possibility but she was determined to try. In her mind, all she could think about was what he'd told her at dinner which was vying for importance over him telling her that he truly wanted to keep seeing her. She cursed herself for being so weak minded that she couldn't make up her mind and stick to it, or believe him when he said such positive things. The negatives were easier, much easier to believe. <br><br>Sitting down with her tea and handing him the coffee she looked across the table searching for something in his face, though what she wasn't sure. <br><br>"I have to admit, I'm a little lost as to what to say now. I don't want to focus on what you told me earlier, but its hard not to"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>12-02-2010, 11:52:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus was quiet for a long moment as he sipped his coffee. To look at him, it was clear he had made a decision of some kind, but how to express it was another matter.<br><br>Rising from his seat, he took Shelly's hand, bringing her to her feet and keeping her close to him, moving his hands to her waist. His voice was measured and without any anger.<br><br>"Listen, I understand what a difficult situation that you're in. You need time to think about this. Unfortunately, anything I say right now has the phrase '...but maybe I'm making you think that' hanging over it. <br><br>There is, however, an out. I can only affect people I can see, so I'm going home. You can think about whether you want to continue this or not. Tomorrow at two, I'm going to be in the Museum forecourt. If, by that time, you believe can handle strolling around the antiquities with me, then I really hope to see you there. Otherwise, I'll have a decent afternoon to myself and...well, no hard feelings, I understand that trust is difficult at the best of times."<br><br>Marcus could feel his anxiety levels swelling. It was a severe thing to do but there wasn't going to be a negotiable way around this problem. There really wasn't anything he could do to convince her that she wasn't in danger from him, all he could do was stop being an obstacle to her coming to that conclusion herself.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>14-02-2010, 02:57:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly felt all the air she had inside of her leave as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her. He was right, she knew he was right that trust was hard to come by, and if he was any judge of character at all, he'd know that it was that much harder for her than for others as well. But how was she supposed to watch him just walk out the door and possibly out of her life? It wasn't what she wanted, it certainly wasn't what she needed. More time to think was a sure way, she knew, for her to talk herself right out of something that could be so special. <br><br>"You could have held all this from me, but you didn't. You could have just never told me about this, but you did. Trust is hard, yes. I wont lie to you and say that I don't have some reservations, but that was true even before I knew about this. Please don't go"<br><br>He was barely standing a few inches from her and still had his hands on her waist but she could feel the gap widening. If he left now, she was certain she'd never see him again. Whether it was by her choice, his or fates, but it had to be settled now or they would have to part for good. She knew she wasn't ready for that and just hoped he wasn't either.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>14-02-2010, 10:46:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus felt slightly absurd about getting ready to leave, he didn't want to. Though he doubted she'd believe it, he wouldn't have wasted a second returning here if she'd called. <br><br>"I've told you all I can about this, and about me. If you want me to stay, I guess all I can do is spend time proving it."<br><br>The hands that rested on Shelly's waist slipped around to her back, drawing her close to him. Stroking her back gently, Marcus dipped his head a little, his lips meeting hers in a long, unhurried kiss.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>18-02-2010, 23:23:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly realized how easy it would be for her to lose herself in his kiss. It was tempting to do, but it was too ingrained in her to completely be relaxed around anyone.&nbsp; Trust was hard, relationships were harder, but he'd stayed and she knew without a doubt she didn't want him to leave. She also knew she had to be careful not to let her own insecurities push him out the door either. She liked the gentle guiding of his hands when he pulled her towards him. After a time she broke the kiss but made no move to step back. <br><br>"I do want you to stay, we'll figure the rest out I guess"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>20-02-2010, 14:06:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus noticed how Shelly didn't pull back from him this time. He liked that she seemed to be more confident and more forward in her affection. Nearly as much as he liked how well they fit together. Things were quiet for a moment as he gazed into Shelly's blue eyes, caressing her cheek with his fingertips before he sat down again.<br><br>"Listen, you don't have to answer this question, I understand it might be one you are happier not answering."<br><br>Alan took another sip of his coffee while he put the words together.<br><br>"Before you met me, did you go through a bit of a rough time? It's just that I've had the feeling sometimes that something's taken a bite out of your confidence and out of the two of us," Alan added with a slight smile. "I think it's me who should be looking like they're the lucky one."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>22-02-2010, 17:45:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Had she been that transparent or was he just that good at reading her? Regardless, it was a subject she didn't wish to think about let alone go into details. She highly doubted they would ever tell each other everything about their pasts, for it was just that, their past. All that concerned Shelly now was the future, and for the immediate future at least, she wanted Marcus to be a part of that. <br><br>Sitting down across from him after he'd sat down, she had to think on how to handle this. She didn't want to be abrupt and closed off, but she also wanted to be clear that there were some things that simply didn't concern him and had little to do with the two of them. It wouldn't occur to her that her past had effects on their present. <br><br>"I think we've had enough confessions for one day, wouldn't you think?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>25-02-2010, 12:03:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Chuckling to himself, Marcus nodded, putting his hands up in surrender. Then, while suppressing a yawn, he saw from the kitchen clock that it was actually a little later than he'd guessed.<br><br>"Yes, fair point. I don't think there is anything about you that I would not find fascinating but you're right. I don't know about you bu this evening has kind of wiped me out, care to retire for the night?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>27-02-2010, 01:58:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly was suddenly very thankful she was such a tidy person and wouldn't have to do a mad rush to throw things in the closet before she'd allow him access to her bedroom. Smiling, she got up from the table and walked over to him. It was almost easy which was a first, when she leaned down and brushed her lips up against his. She also wondered if he knew how hard it was for her to put her fears aside even for the briefest of moments. <br><br>"I just need to clean up in here, but, the umm...well my bedroom is down the hall, you can miss it"<br><br>Her face turned a few shades of pink and red when she realized she had really just assumed he'd be spending the night here iwht her. He hadn't said that, he just said they should turn in. <br><br>"Well I meant, if you didn't feel like walking back home, I mean, I just meant, you 'could' stay here"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>28-02-2010, 09:47:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus' face broke into a broad grin. Like nearly everything else about her, the sight of Shelly blushing only endeared her to him all the more.<br><br>"Thank you, I'm a total idiot when I'm tired, I'm sure I'll need assistance to make sure I don't get lost. Maybe you can show me the way once we've cleaned up here."<br><br>He had initially felt somewhat bold assuming he was staying the night. On the other hand, he said he wasn't leaving, and it seemed important to him that they didn't lose that connection tonight, anything more distant would have left them with a space that he wasn't sure either of them would be able to cross over time. The feel of Shelly's lips against his still making his lips tingle, Marcus rose from his seat and helped clean the kitchen up.<br><br>Letting Shelly lead the way, his last view of the kitchen with the lights out reminded him that the feint rattling sound was rain which had subtly snuck up and was currently blurring the view out of the window. Marcus was all the more glad that he had stayed. Walking home in that after freshly breaking up with someone would have been decidedly unpleasant.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>01-03-2010, 17:39:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was nice, she found, having someone there to help straighten up at the end of the night, someone who would be there when she got ready for bed and someone who would be there when she woke up. It was a bonus that the someone in this instance was a man she was growing rapidly fond of.<br><br>"I suppose I cant let you go and get lost now can I? Just a few things more to straighten up and I'll be done"<br><br>Shelly kept her hands busy, while she set the last of the kitchen to rights, checked and rechecked her front door locks, something she'd taken to doing since the attempted attack. It was a night she wasn't likely to forget any time soon, though, glancing over at Marcus, she realized it was also a night that she'd found something good as well. While it was still difficult for her, she held her breath while she took his hand and led him down the hall towards her bedroom.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>02-03-2010, 03:13:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus found the routine of winding down for the night relaxing, the last tensions of the evening disappearing somewhere between the first cup being washed and them leaving the kitchen hand in hand. The way Shelly checked the door locks gave him a moment of concern though. It was apparent the fear she had the night she was attacked was still with her. In spite of Shelly's concerns, he knew that anyone threatening her would soon be discovering how far he could push his powers, especially in her own home. It wasn't a conversation he particularly wanted to restart so he simply held onto her a little tighter as they walked away from the door and towards the bedroom.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>08-03-2010, 18:51:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Leading him down the small hallway to the bedroom, she gave him one last look before she opened the door. She was glad she'd asked him not to leave, glad she'd have someone lying beside her throughout the night, someone she could curl up to and feel their warmth. <br><br>The bedroom was feminine without being fussy. She had a the entire room done in rich green and peach colors with a little gold for accents. There were some candles placed throughout the room and a few collectors editions of books strategically placed. Shelly loved 'things' from the classic and tasteful to whimsical and cute. One shelf boasted two figurines that any collector would envy as well as two that she'd found at a flea market that added a little color and just the right amount of tackiness to the room to keep it from looking too serious. <br><br>She'd never shared this bed with another. After the last relationship she'd had ended, she'd thrown out everything that reminded her of him. Every last sheet, dish or carpet he'd had some effect in picking out or spent too much time with. This was the new chapter of her life, and it pleased her she'd met someone who seemed as kind and gentle as Marcus was, someone she could safely let in again, though it still gave her some bad moments. <br><br>"Its not as grand as your place, but its comfortable all the same"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>09-03-2010, 12:55:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus looked about the bedroom, smiling. His hands took Shelly's and drew her close to him, their lips meeting gently and easily a moment after their bodies. A long, quiet moment passed where his hands let go of hers and his arms held her tight until he pulled back just a little. His eyes locked on hers, noses just brushing against each other. Marcus' voice down to a quiet whisper as he stroked a strand of hair behind Shelly's ear.<br><br>"It's lovely, and most importantly it has everything I need in a bedroom. You."<br><br>His cheeky grin was curtailed as he gave in to the impulse to kiss those soft lips once more. There was something about Shelly that constantly made him want to be close to her. Still having the chance to do so after this evening was filling his heart with joy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>12-03-2010, 23:02:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Standing there in the middle of her room, his arms wrapped around her, it filled her with such a warm feeling she was certain she'd never felt it before. Her stomach clenched just a bit, she'd opened herself up before and been hurt. She was opening herself up again now, something she thought she'd never do again, and while she felt some fear, it wasn't paralyzing her any longer. She wanted this, she wanted this closeness. <br><br>"You're quite the smooth talker aren't you?"<br><br>She said the words mainly in jest, she could tell he wasn't the type who was like that. In fact, she found him a complete contradiction. At times he seemed awkward and unsure which she found alltogether endearing, and then other times, more often than not it seemed, he was so sure of everything, so confident. She knew she could feel safe with him, if she let herself, and she was determined to do just that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>15-03-2010, 13:03:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I'm so glad you think so, I spent ages practising that one in the mirror." <br><br>Marcus' eyes twinkled mischievously and his grin was covered momentarily as he pulled off his jumper and started undoing his shirt. He was still tired, but that kiss had sent shivers running through him and the thought of pulling this woman into his arms suddenly seemed more exciting than relaxing. Still, he planned on responding to how Shelly reacted. All that mattered really was that they were still together after a night where thought they wouldn't be on more than one occasion. Her closeness, in whatever context was all that was important to him right now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>15-03-2010, 23:30:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her breath got caught in her throat when she watched him start to undo the buttons on his shirt. It was amazing to her that she had such a desire for him, in a way that rivaled any other she'd met. He wasn't classically handsome or have an athletes build, but he had a body that she liked, more than she realized. He had been an unexpected bump in the road, a detour that she'd promised herself she wouldn't allow again, and now she found she had little choice in the matter. She couldn't deny the almost overwhelming feelings he brought out of her, not necessarily all towards him, but in general. <br><br>"I wasn't planning on you. I always plan for everything, but I hadn't planned on you"<br><br>She wasn't quite sure why she'd said it, or how it would have been received. Was she being too presumptuous? She didn't think so, but then she'd been wrong in that area more than once. She wasn't wrong with Marcus, she couldn't be, she felt it deep inside of her that he felt something for her. Maybe it wasn't anything deep yet, but she could feel it. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>16-03-2010, 05:17:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shrugging out of his shirt, Marcus smiled. The comment seemed to escape her lips more than any idea that she'd said it out loud. Her eyes said that she liked what she saw and while he didn't believe he wasn't attractive, the unguarded sense of attraction from Shelly made him all the happier. Noticing Shelly was still in something of a reverie, Marcus placed his shirt where he laid his pullover, then gently pulled Shelly close to him, untucking and starting to slowly undo her blouse. Each tug against a button slowly bringing their lips together.<br><br>"Shelly, I think it's time you started planning on me. All my plans have you in them too." His smile only faded as their lips met.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>16-03-2010, 22:26:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sounded so confident when he said it, she believed that he was right. He was factoring her into his plans and she needed to do the same. Wasn't it too soon for that? Hadn't they only just met? Her doubts kept getting pushed to the side by his lips which took away her ability to think them through rationally. Maybe, she thought, just maybe this wasn't supposed to be about being rational or logical, and just let it be emotional.<br><br>Shelly wondered, not for the first time since she met him, how did he do it? How did make her feel secure with him when she was prepared to never trust another man again. For the briefest of moments, it dawned on her that he could be doing that to her, making her have less doubts. She berated herself for the thought. Hadn't she said she would trust him not to do that? If she was going to trust him, then she in fact had to trust him. They would have nothing if she couldn't do that and it wasn't fair to him if she was always thinking and wondering. She'd asked him to stay, she'd wanted him to stay, now she had to remind herself of why to squash the doubts.<br><br>She didn't resist as he pulled the buttons free and then slid her blouse down her arms and the shiver she felt had little to do with the lack of warmth. Thoughts swirled around in her head, doubts trying to break free and to her relief, were pushed to the side so she could enjoy the moment, enjoy the man. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aleph</strong> on <strong>19-03-2010, 14:38:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In spite of the relatively cold night, Marcus felt like he'd been set alight at some point, his skin more than a little warm to the touch as he wrapped his arms around Shelly's waist, kissing her more deeply this time, more passionately. Loving the feel of their bodies connecting, Marcus' hand lowered behind her, undoing the skirt and letting it slip to the floor.<br><br>"I know this is scary territory for you, and that we're moving quickly." Marcus said quietly between long, attentive kisses. "I also know I'm not going to feel this way about anyone else. I think it's possiby easier for me because I'm thinking of it in terms of not wanting to a space in my life shaped like you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Bookstore (Aleph and FLN0826)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daeva</strong> on <strong>19-03-2010, 22:16:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shelly wondered if he did in fact know how scary this was for her. He was essentially telling her he wanted more than something casual between them. She had barely worked herself up to that and now he was throwing this at her. She wasn't just scared at the thought, she was petrified. But at the same time, she knew if she bolted, she would feel that loss sharply and she wasn't ready or willing to give him up because of her fears. It seemed, he wasn't too willing to give her up either, and she didn't know how to take that yet.<br><br>She stepped out of the skirt as it hit the floor, completely at ease in following his lead. She wanted to be close to him, and if she was too scared or timid to make it happen on her own, how could she complain when he was making it happen. <br><br>"I dint know what this is yet, I don't suppose it matters too much if we dint define it"
			</dd>
		</dl>
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