Sabastian had messed them all up. None of them were in order. The least he could have done was put them on the shelf like books were meant to be.
Slipping the two books I needed to add back to the pile had been easy. Although my heart had been in my throat the entire time, hands shaking, as I snuck them into the waistband of my pants and a blanket wrapped around me, I had returned them.
Sabastian never saw them. He didn’t even know I had them.
Which begged to question, could I get away with taking another?
Pursing my lips, I looked through the books a bit more, sorting them as I went. None of them called to me like the two.
Glancing over the backs a bit more closely than I had last time, I wasn’t sure any of them would be good to read. They all seemed to be love stories, which I didn’t want. I wasn’t ever going to fall in love or be happy. Why read about something that I’d never get to experience myself?
Sighing, I put one book after the next on the shelf, making sure they were in order by author name. I took as much time as I possibly could, not wanting to be bored for hours once again.
Kneeling on the floor to reach the shelf better, I had a feeling that Sabastian was watching me through the camera. Knowing he liked me enough to keep a close eye on what I did was sort of comforting. I don’t know why, but it was.
Picking up the next book, I eyed the back cover, pausing as a few of the words jumped out at me.
Strangers…Pacifier….Little Space….Stuffies….
Now this one was intriguing. The cover was of a simple boy, which gave nothing away to the words within.
I set it on the shelf and bent to pick up the next book, finding it to be by the same author.
Getting all three books, I looked for the publication date, finding which one was made first. I was pretty sure I couldn’t get away with taking all three at one time since they were thicker. Instead, I put the first book against my chest, back to the camera, and bent over. I dropped it to the floor while grabbing the next one.
The next few books were easier to put on the shelf. I didn’t stop to read the backs, only reading the authors to make sure they were in fact, in order.
Sitting on my butt, I slipped the book into the waistband of the pants I had on. If I bundled the blanket just right, no one could tell what I was hiding. Or I hoped so, anyhow.
Quickly finishing the rest of the books, maybe a bit too fast, as when I stood, after checking that the hidden book was hidden, Sabastian spoke over the speaker.
“You’re not trying to hide any books, are you, Oakley?”
I yelped, holding the blanket against my waist a bit tighter. My heart thumped in my chest.
“No.” I shook my head too quickly, sure he could see through my lie easily. “Promise.”
“Move the blanket, then. Shake it out.”
With wide eyes, knowing I had been found out, I did as he said. I shook the blanket out, turning it around too, to prove that there was no book in there.
Could he see it through the camera? With his shirt, which was bigger on me than him anyway, it was easy to hide.
“Alright. Go on, little one.”
Relief flooded me. I didn’t take a second chance, putting the blanket on the bed, right where I’d been sleeping the past few nights, and left the room. I didn’t take the book out until I was across the hall, hidden in the closet that was now empty.
With the doors open and, the light on, it was the perfect place to read a book I shouldn’t be reading.
Sure, having something nice to sit on would have made it better, but for now, it would do.
It was a spot that was hidden away, where no cameras were, and I was all alone.
With the book against my bent knees, I opened the first chapter. My thumb made its way into my mouth as I began to read.
Chapter 26
Sabastian
