Page 52 of Pages of Amber
The glare he shot Noah had no doubt scared off enemies on the battlefield once, but Noah only smiled.
“Loyal, my foot,” he exclaimed. “The other youngling has been more loyal to me these past four weeks and you’ve been coming here for years.” His bellow jolted a man and his dog standing at one of the book tables. The dog barked in warning but the man was slow to catch the book that tumbled over. Noah winced as it hit the floor. The more frequent customers at Hidden Gems were unfazed. Arthur had no volume control or understanding of an inside voice. Noah had always wondered if he had a hearing impairment along with that limp.
“You always brag about this ‘youngling’ person. Are they real or are you trying to make me jealous?”
“What do I need to make you jealous for? I could pull ten women with a glance in my day.”
Noah’s nod was patronizing. “Sure you could.”
Arthur shot him a stink eye. Tugging on his belt buckle, he said, “Don’t believe me, boy? You’re in luck then. The youngling is in right now.”
He hobbled across the store, leaving Noah no choice but to follow. His curiosity won out and he also wanted to be sure this person wasn’t a figment of Arthur’s imagination either. Noah hadn’t met someone with a sounder mind than the old store owner living the aftermath of the gore of war. The man was a genius and Noah often silently mourned the loss of his brain in academia. Whenever he hit a tough spot in his schoolwork, Arthur had been his ad-hoc tutor.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Let’s see this mystery person of yours.”
Arthur snorted in derision. They moved further into the store, weaving between the aisles of stocked bookshelves. Noah breathed in the scent of books around him. His shoulders relaxed and he no longer bothered that Arthur might be leading him on a goose chase. They passed the third romance aisle before Arthur came to a sharp stop. Noah almost bumped into him before righting himself. The shopkeeper shot him a glance then nodded over his shoulder. A smug smile now rested on his elderly face, making Noah doubt his own previous doubts.
“What’d I tell you, huh? She’s right there.”
Right at the end of the aisle, a girl sat hunched over at the small circular writing table. Pieces of hair covered her features from view but Noah could see her hand furiously scratching at the notebook before her. She was deep in concentration, not noticing them. Noah turned to Arthur. “So you weren’t an old kook after all.”
He received a swat on the arm as penance. “Whatever, brat. Go browse the new selections. You better buy something before you leave.”
“Sir yes, sir.” He saluted the older man. Arthur hobbled away with an eye roll, leaving Noah alone with the girl sitting at the end of the aisle. She twisted in her seat, pulling forward one of the books on the table. She flipped through it for a minute, before shaking her head and focusing on her notebook again. Noah wondered what she was writing about that had her so intensely focused, but she was a stranger so he couldn’t exactly walk up and ask her. Putting his curiosity aside, he straightened to leave when a loud groan split the air and muttered words pulled him short.
He knew that voice. In fact, there was no denying he knew it almost as well as his own. How much of a coincidence was this? She had been stuck in his head all day so maybe this was simply him manifesting her. Right? But the nagging curiosity in him didn’t ease. He should have recognized it for what it was. The same feeling that had kept him turning to her over and over again. A deep, instinctual feeling to know her for all she was. He couldn’t deny himself the chance if it was really Amber sitting there. Noah peered over his shoulder just as the girl shifted. Her hand came up to flip her hair over her shoulder and suddenly, he was staring at her side profile. A disbelieving chuff left him. Could his day have gotten any better?
“Am I dreaming or are you haunting me, m’lady?”
She spun so fast that her chair let out a creak. Her blonde hair flew in a whirl around her and those breathtaking blues met his. Amber. She was here. Sitting in Hidden Gems. Staring at him with an unhinged jaw and wide eyes like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing either.
He tilted his head when she remained frozen. The urge to tease her came easily. “You can blink, Amber. I promise I’m real.”
She propelled out of her seat at his voice. Her hip bumped into the table with the sudden movement and the notebook and pen toppled over the edge.
“Noah,” she stuttered. “What are you doing here?”
“I should be asking you that. I come here often. According to the owner, so do you. I’m surprised we never bumped into each other.”
She blinked rapidly, not realizing her stuff had fallen. Noah bent over to retrieve the notebook. He flipped it open to tuck the pen in between the pages when Amber snapped out of it. She lunged at the book to close it but it was too late.
He jerked back, taking the note with him, eyes fixed to the prose on the page. His gaze hooked on the handwriting, the words, the sentences. His chest caught on a gust of air as another piece slotted in the puzzle that of the girl before him.
“You’re not supposed to see that. Give it.” Amber reached for the note.
“Not a chance, m’lady. This is some treasure I’ve stumbled on and I intend to hoard it.” He gave a lop-sided smile in an attempt to hide the speed at which his heart was beating in his chest. “You wrote this?”
Her shoulders nearly touched her ears. Those gorgeous blues of hers burned with the fire he loved to see within them. “What’s it to you?”
She was defensive. She didn’t need to be. Noah widened his smile, his eyes on hers as he let her see the truth of his next words.
He shook his head, still bathing in the revelation. “It makes sense. You’re able to view the world from a different perspective. I’ve always envied that.” His next words carried all the sincerity he felt. “I think it’s incredible. That you’re a writer. From what I saw, you’re pretty good at it too.”
The effect of his words were instantaneous. Her gaze softened. Her shoulders relaxed. “You mean that?”
“Absolutely.” There was no doubt in him. There hadn’t been for a long time whenever it came to Amber.
A breathy laugh left her. “You barely even read the page. The rest of the story could be horrible for all you know.”
