Oh no.
Jem hadn’t known what to expect from a first date with a famous person. This wouldn’t have made his top hundred guesses.
He paused inside the threshold, taking everything in.
The store was enormous. Overwhelming. Signs pointed the way to anything Jem could imagine—used books and records, rare books, kids’ books, some kind of haunted room. Books featured in the décor too, building whimsical windows into other sections just like they did into other worlds.
What the fuck. What thefuck. Jem was going to cry.
“Hey. You must be River and Jem?”
Blinking back emotion, Jem turned his head to see a shortish man with wild spiked-up hair. The nametag on his branded polo said Dave.
“Yeah!” River enthused, sticking out his hand. “We booked the tour.”
“I figured, since we don’t open for another half an hour.” Dave shook River’s hand, then offered his to Jem. Jem shook on autopilot, hoping he didn’t look as emotional as he felt. “Is this your first time here?”
Jem made himself take a breath so he could speak. “Uh, yeah, for me it is. I don’t know about River?”
“I might have been known to frequent a time or two.” River smiled and then told Jem, “Seriously amazing vinyl collection.”
Jem was dying.
“This is my first tour, though,” River went on.
Dave grinned. “Great! Okay, let me just lock the door behind you guys and we can start.”
Jem and River trailed along in his wake, their shoulders brushing now and again as they wound through the labyrinthine stacks. Jem wondered if he could convince the school that kindergarten should do a field trip here. They could stay out of the haunted room. Probably.
And the rare and expensive book section. Maybe if there was, like, a bouncer?
“Hey.” River’s gentle touch at Jem’s elbow startled him out of his daydream. He kept his voice low, either to avoid interrupting Dave or so as not to draw attention. “You okay?”
Of course he noticed Jem getting emo about a magical bookstore. “I’m great,” Jem assured him. “Just, uh. You barely know me, but I really—like books, so….”
Oh God, River was blushing again, that delicate pink just across his nose and cheeks, there and gone again. Jem’s heart was gonna give out at any second. Cause of death: River Wild being bashful.
“It was a good choice?” he asked.
Their hands brushed. Jem jolted, almost pulled away. But fuck it. If this was going to wreck him anyway, he might as well enjoy the ride. He tangled their fingers together. “It was a good choice.”
Ahead of them, Dave must’ve noticed they’d started lagging, because he turned to look over his shoulder. His gaze darted between their faces and their hands, and he smiled and cleared his throat. “And, ah, in case that’s your thing—we do host weddings.”
Jem put his free hand over his eyes.
River bumped his shoulder again, then reached up and pried his fingers away. He had both of Jem’s hands now. Jem couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.
“Something to think about,” River said lightly, eyes dancing like he was making an inside joke. Which he was, because Jem was just his hired boyfriend and not—
River pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Come on. I think we’re seeing the music section next.”
It was easy to let himself get pulled along. After a few minutes, he even started listening to Dave again, taking in the unique treasures the store had to offer.
Finally the tour ended and the store opened. Dave left Jem and River in the music section, where River flitted from rack to rack like a butterfly searching for the prettiest flower. Jem wandered too, mostly browsing records he remembered from his childhood, then gazing longingly atfolkloreand wondering if he could justify buying a record player.
“Didn’t take you for a Swiftie,” River commented, appearing at his elbow.
Jem refused to feel embarrassed. “I think spying on my browsing habits at the store is cheating, actually.”
