– 6 years later –

How things have changed in just a few short weeks.

Take the apple tree, for instance, a couple of weeks back it was a wiry tangle of last season’s growth, a mess of unruly twigs and over-long branches. People went out there to prune it and at first thought, the trim was a bit severe, but knee the new spring growth will have a strong base now.

Even from the smudged window, they can see the previously naked branches are dotted with buds.

In the watery light of morning, they are an ethereal silvery blue that appears fluffy. Other than the paler brown of the snipped ends, they are the only color contrast against the wood that is a deeper brown tinged with the green of some pioneering flora.

But, it was a lovely day, the first of all the days of spring, with crocuses and wall-flowers growing along with the buildings and white pigeons crowing in the quiet dawn light.

In front of the canal stood a large tree whose branches were being redecorated with greens and colorful birds that sung their early morning song. Behind that tree, resided a house larger than the ones beside it. It was at least four stories tall with an ocean blue exterior and dark outlines, the shutters were drawn and the doors locked.

A man came jogging along the pathway, his hood pulled over his head as he turned into an alleyway beside the building.

As the sun started to slowly rise, the shutters were pulled open, allowing a view of books on display on the window sill inside. The glass bearing a name in typewriter font, perfect for the bookish theme, Prints, and Pens. Then the locks of the door clicked open, the sign being turned from 'closed' to 'open'.

One look inside and it was a reader's heaven.

Three stories of sky-high shelves filled with books, more standing in the middle to create aisles. Each floor had a sitting area in the back; fully equipped with a refreshments table, sofas and couches, and beanbags. There were even pillows and blankets placed in a neat pile.

A man stepped towards the area, holding a carton in his hand as he placed it on the table's surface. Reaching into the box, he took out a number of mugs before setting them on the counter and turning on the awaiting coffee machine. Taking the spiral staircase up, he went through with the same routine before moving up to the last floor.

"William!" A voice called from the ground floor as the man rushed down the stairs, jumping onto the landing as he went to greet the elderly couple at the door. "There you are!"

William Blackwood was definitely the most charming bookstore owner anyone had the pleasure of encountering. His face; thin and long was blessed by a clear complexion and an olive skin tone that glowed every day. His high cheekbones accentuated when he smiled at the customers and his employees as his glasz eyes would crinkle at the edges behind his thin black wayfarer framed glasses. His black curls were always a mess, making him look like he had just rolled out of bed and the concept of brushing was unknown to him. But all of that simply added to his carefree appeal. He had a broad and stable stature, standing a little over six feet with muscular arms and a well-defined chest.

"Hiya!" William greeted the couple with a tight hug as they chuckled at the young man before them. "You're a little early today."

"Oh, we went out for an early walk and ended up here, so we decided to just clock in for the day." The elderly woman informed with a dismissive wave as she pinned on a name tag to her right chest pocket; her husband doing the same. "Do you need any help?"

"Actually...now that you mention it, I do need to run down to the store. We're out of cookies." William informed as he laced up his shoes. "Could you feed the Ice Creams for me? They've been nagging me all morning."

"Of course, dear." Janine chuckled. "Just you be careful, alright?"

"Will do!" He called back and ran out the store, tucking his wallet into his jean's back pocket before rushing down the sidewalk, strolling alongside the canal as he admired the view.

Halting at the corner general store, William grabbed a basket before tossing in everything he needed and took it to the cashier. Greeting him a good morning and exchanged pleasantries as all the items were scanned before paying.

Grabbing the paper bags into his arms, he struggled down the street, finally finding his way to his bookstore. Pushing open the door, he stumbled; about to drop all the bags when someone grabbed the top few. Looking up, William smiled sheepishly at the college student that worked for him part-time.

"Thanks, Dan." He chuckled at the twenty-two-year-old who shook his head at his boss before helping him set it up.

Already a few customers had arrived and were browsing through the shelves with mugs of coffee.

Within two hours of opening, a lot of people had come and gone, bought books, and left with broad smiles. The day went on in a blur. William's day shift employees changing to the evening shift which mainly consisted of part-timers that were looking for extra money and had morning classes. Throughout the day, William himself stood behind the counter, ringing up the books and initiating light-hearted chitchat with his customers.

Sighing, William rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms to relieve the tension before someone called out to him; causing him to look up to the second-floor balcony.

"Hey, Will!"

"What is it, Nat?" He called up at the youngster, who gave him a devious smile. "Please tell me we're not out of coffee."

"Its 5:50, just thought it was worth mentioning." She shrugged as William's eyes widened behind his glasses and his cheeks flushed pink, instantly catching onto her meaning. The teen cackled as she disappeared, leaving William a little flustered and fidgeting.

Slowly the crowd decreased, with a few people coming in as well. At 8:30, the overhead bell rung, signaling the entrance of a customer, as William anxiously raised his gaze from the cash register, watching her walk past him in a hurry and down the aisle, disappearing behind a shelf.

He let out a dreamy sigh, momentarily allowing him to be dazed before returning back to the task at hand.

At 10:55, his employees waved farewell to him as he thanked them for their hard work and told them to go home safely. "See you guys tomorrow!"

"See ya!" They called out as they all left together, pushing and shoving one another as they laughed; causing William to chuckle as he watched them go. Sighing, he removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes before hanging them from the front of his shirt, making his way to the seating area.

Grabbing a box to put all the mugs and plates into it--which he would wash once he got up to his apartment on the fourth floor.

By the time he got to the third floor, he had two cartons of dishes to carry down with him, and a basket of six sleeping kittens with their mother walking beside him, swishing her tail in the air. Walking down to the ground floor, he caught sight of a person huddled over a book in one of the aisles.

'Not again' he sighed and returned downstairs, placing the cartons and basket next to the staircase before going to the furthest aisle, seeing the person huddled in the middle of the wooden floor.

"Hey, we're closing." He informed as he approached the figure, stuffing his hands into his front pockets.

"J-just give me two minutes." Her meek voice called out to him as he froze a few feet away from her.

"Miss...its later, you should be heading home." He informed politely as he couldn't see her face with her hair curtaining it.

"Please! I just need two minutes." She exclaimed in desperation as she clasped her hands in her lap.

"Alright." William sighed after a moment of contemplation. "Two minutes."

"Thank you." She murmured to his retreating back as he grabbed the cartons and opened the door which would allow him access to his apartment's staircase. Climbing up the stairs, he nudged open the door, placing the basket onto his sofa with the cartons beside the sink.

After a few minutes, he was making his way back to the lone customer in the aisle.

This time, rather than being hunched over, she sat kneeling on the floor-dirtying her dress pants-with her hands covering her face. Silently, William touched the mug to her arm as she jumped back in surprise; looking up at him with bloodshot eyes as he urged her to take the mug he was offering. Hesitantly, she took the cup from his grasp as he settled down against the bookshelf opposite her, facing each other.

"Drink up," William stated. "You look like you need it."

"I look that horrible, don't I?" She asked quietly while tracing the rim of the glass, before bringing it up to her lips to take a sip of the beverage.

"Not as bad as usual, Sienna." He joked lightheartedly as she smiled behind the mug.

Sienna Anderson was beautiful. Her pale skin glowed as the moonlight kissed her rosy cheeks, her lips plump and pink as she put the cup to her lips. Her eyes, a startling silver that shone when she was excited or happy and dulled when she was having a rough time--like now. Her golden hair flowed behind her in beautiful waves, the tips of her hair falling down to the small of her back as she brushed away a strand from her face, giving a soft smile that would have every man's heart racing. She was a rather lean build, petite according to most standards, standing a little over five feet, William calculated.  

She was definitely a woman with the face of an angel.

"Rough day, huh?" William asked as he licked his lips clean of the contents of his hot chocolate.

"You could say that." She sighed in response and finished the remainder of her drink; wiping at her lips with the back of her hands. "I'm sorry for keeping you from closing the shop."

"Ah! No big deal." He waved off dismissively. "My boss won't mind."

Sienna giggled at his statement as she watched him pick up a book from the stack she had gathered.

Putting on his glasses as he read the title 'Fighting for your marriage', 'Getting the Love you Want', 'Passage to intimacy', and numerous more.

So, she was having trouble at home.

Glancing up at her, he watched her hug her knees with her gaze turned away.

"I should be heading home, now." She muttered lowly. "James would be worried."

James.

Her husband of seven years.

"Come, I'll walk you home." William smiled as he buried the ache away.

"Oh, no! That's not necessary. I just live a few blocks over." Sienna argued and stood up, followed by William's form shadowing her.

"It's no big deal." He assured. "It's just a few blocks and it’s late. A lady shouldn't be out alone at such a time, God knows what lurks around those dark corners. And besides, it would give me  peace of mind if I see you safely home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! Come on." He urged and opened the shop door, letting her out first as he followed once he turned off the lights and locked the doors. Starting their walk in silence as they both randomly looked around, a distance between them.

"So...William Blackwood,” Sienna started, the man in question raising an eyebrow at his full name. “What is the story of P n P?”  

"The story?" He echoed. "Well, I inherited the land from my grandfather, here in Exeter. And he was an avid reader of books and always wanted to make a bookstore. So, to honor his wishes I moved here from Cardiff and used the money I inherited from him to make his dream come true. When I was having this place constructed, I went around conducting a survey and asking people what they want in their ideal bookstore. Then ta-da! Within a year, Prints and Pens were famous!" William finished with a chuckle.

"How old were you back then?" Sienna asked quietly as William was looking down at their walking feet, a silent longing in his chest as he missed his deceased grandfather.

"I was a fresh graduate, so twenty-two,” William informed. "Why?"

"Just like that, wanted to know people’s achievements before my birthday for some reason,” She chuckled.

“Which is when?”

"Twentieth Feb."

"That's close." He exclaimed. "I'll get you a birthday present."

"N-no...that's not necessary." She stammered hesitantly.

"Oh, come on! It's gonna be from a friend! The amount of books you buy from my store is the only reason it is still up and running."

"Now, you're being humble." Sienna chastised. "I'm hardly the only customer there."

"True, but you're a regular." He stated matter of factly as they stood at the corner of her street. "And a regular deserves some sort of special treatment."

"Please, don't." She spoke shyly and looked down. "I'm hardly anyone special, much less deserve any special treatment." William's eyebrows scrunched up in thought as he wanted to say something, but before he could, another voice called out of her.

"Sienna?" Came the voice from down the street, both looked up to see another figure approaching them. Her husband, James. "Sienna! Oh, thank God!" He exclaimed in relief and hugged her tight, cupping her face in his hands as his eyes looked her over, looking for any detection of an injury.

James Anderson was a man of many talents, and making women swoon was one of them. His dirty blonde hair combed back to be out of his face as his azure eyes glinted in the dim moonlight. A cocky smirk adorned his face on most occasions and was commonly found dressed in a suit with the level of sophistication mastered by years of training. He was broadly built with a slim waist. He had the body of the ideal swimmer with his height slightly shy of six feet. He was never found looking calloused and always knew to be professional and polite, even if he were angered. But if he was angered, then a storm would be brewing inside him. He generally didn't have problems with his temper, but when it came to his wife talking to some other man besides himself, then he would blow a fuse.

"Are you okay? I've been looking for you! Where were you?" He exclaimed as he hugged her to him again.

"James. James, I'm alright." She assured and pulled away. "William saw to it, he-" she started and turned to her side, expecting to see him, but was greeted by empty space.

"Who?" Her husband asked, not knowing who this 'William' was.

"N-no one..." She trailed in a soft whisper, realizing he had gone without a proper goodbye. He would have figured that the couple would want some time alone, but that didn't mean he had to leave without notice. "Let's just go home. I'm tired."

"Of course, sweetheart," James spoke softly as he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. "Come on, let's go." Wrapping an arm around her waist, he led her down the street before they both climbed the stairs up to their door.

James opened it before he closed it with a sudden bang that had Sienna jump.

Turning around, she was greeted by her husband's hungry lips on her own as he instantly set to work on removing her clothes, pushing off her blazer followed by the button-up she had on.

"Don't ever leave like that, again." He murmured against her lips. "Do you hear me?"

"Yes..." She breathed, her eyes hooded and her senses heightened. "I won't."

"Good." James pressed his forehead or hers, their lips brushing with every word. "Because I can't lose you."

"You won't." Sienna retaliated. "You won't." She continued in determination before molding her lips to his.

William stood beneath the moonlight, leaning against the railing overlooking the canal as he ran a hand through his already tousled hair. Only one thought plaguing his mind in the beautiful moonlit night.

Why did I have to fall for a married woman?