Page 96 of The Midnight Book Club
“There is.”
“And she’s… Is she the love interest?”
“Mm-hmm.It’s a lovely name—it seemed a waste not to use it for an important character.”
Oliver’s face softened and she thought this could work, that she just might be able to convince him to give her another try.But once they finished their coffees and were standing outside the café, they faced another tense moment.
“Usually I walk you back,” Oliver began.
Aurelia knew another excuse was coming and cut him off, saying “That would be lovely, thanks.”
He closed his mouth, and they started walking.Aurelia was thinking back to the last time they’d walked to the shop, just days ago, and was certain Oliver was thinking about it too.
When they were at her doorstep, he attempted a quick retreat, saying, “Well, best be off.”
“Oliver, wait.Please?”
He drew in a breath, blinking slowly to signal his impatience.
“It’s alright, Aurelia.We don’t have to talk about it.I really am sorry—let’s just move on.”
But Aurelia wasn’t ready to move on.
“Do you know what?”she asked suddenly.
Oliver’s eyebrows drew up a fraction as he waited for her to tell him what.
“I didn’t like it when you didn’t wave goodbye on Saturday.”
“Pardon?”
His face was a giant question mark staring back at her.
“You always turn and wave goodbye—just there—when you leave the shop, but not on Saturday.”
“Oh.I must have forgotten.”
“Well, I didn’t like it.”
“Okay… I’ll try to remember to wave next time.”
He spoke slowly, as if he were responding to a question in school and wasn’t sure he had the right answer.
Aurelia took a step forward, moving closer to him.She hesitated, then reached out and felt for the lapels on his jacket.Emboldened, she pulled him a step closer and rested her hands against his chest.She felt the quickening rise and fall under her palms, then realized she was breathing just as quickly as they now stood inches apart from one another.
Something in his jacket pocket distracted her as she felt it through the fabric under her fingers—a business card, perhaps, or a credit card?She ran her thumb along the edge of it as she tried to think of what to say next, unable to meet his eyes just yet.
Oliver reached up and gently took her hand in his as his other hand disappeared into his jacket.She watched as he pulled out one of the shop’s bookmarks—not just any bookmark, in fact, but the one she’d given him on their date all those months ago.The edges were worn away and the printed words were hardly legible.
She looked up and into his eyes, then, and saw that his reserve was gone.His face was soft and kind, back to the Oliver she’d come to love.
“This is the bookmark I gave you?”
He nodded.
“But… This isn’t the jacket you were wearing that night, when we had our date.”
“No.”
