It had been a few days since Mia and Skyler had met up. The weekend was upon them which meant Mia could stay in the comfort of her own home, away from the outside world, and relax after a stressful week. However, it was never that easy with an eager friend like Skyler. Text after text came through about going out for dinner or getting drinks Saturday night. Overall just encouraging Mia to actually do something to get out of her comfort zone. Never responding to her friend's incessant texts that Friday after another stressful day at work, Mia sat in her bed and read a book she had been engrossed in for the past couple weeks; just trying to get through it. Reading was a great hobby for her, it took her mind off the stress of the real world and into a fantasy world where everything somehow worked out. How ironic fantasy was her favorite genre when she disliked that it now actually existed.

In bed that previous night, she finished her book. Internally, she felt empty like anyone else did after reading an amazing book. How could it end? It was disappointing as she put it on her large and very full bookshelf. So taking Skyler's advice, Mia decided she would go out on her own terms and go somewhere she enjoyed before the world changed. The bookstore. She had many books in her 'To Read' list that were all a varying range of fantasy. Some slice-of-life fantasy, some murder mystery fantasy, and a good few dark romance fantasy. A part of her wanted to steer clear from the great book genre she enjoyed so much due to how the world was now, but the escapism of fantasy books was too appealing for her to actually do it. Though, she figured she would do a good look around the store when she got there.

It was already around two in the afternoon when Mia finally got the courage to text Skyler back after two days of ignoring her. "I'm going to the bookstore. Don't follow me. I'll be safe. Just need some me time." As she grabbed her belongings, putting them in her purse, her phone buzzed on the counter. Skyler had texted her back, "Okay, just text me when you get there, when you're leaving, and when you get home! Gotta make sure you're super safe." She then sent a thumbs-up emoji. Mia only responded with a quick thumbs-up back before putting her phone in her purse and leaving her apartment. She debated taking headphones, knowing the city was always loud and overbearing, but decided that she could make a sacrifice for comfort just to be well aware of her surroundings for the quick ten minute walk. Just in case. She didn't need to bump into someone or deal with any confrontation when she just wanted a peaceful afternoon in the bookstore.

The walk went rather smoothly. While loud and more overbearing than she had hoped, there weren't too many people walking. The occasional fairy would whiz by or a satyr would jog past her, but otherwise there was nothing crazy. Mia's hands fidgeted the whole way there as her head was practically on a swivel, taking in all of her surroundings. The simple ten minute walk seemed to take an hour but the payoff was worth it. At least in her opinion.

The bookstore had a sign above its doors that read 'Bianca's Books.' The woman who owned the store, Bianca, was a sassy woman in her late 50s. She enjoyed the simple and traditional things in life. Such as human employees. Her stubborn ways about traditionalism for businesses coincided with Mia's own stubbornness of refusal to accept change. The two always got along when they saw each other, and today was no different. Walking into the bookstore, a voice yelled out Mia's name. The woman in question turned towards the sound of the voice to see none other than Bianca walking over. Her graying brown hair bounced as she approached at a quick, excited pace. "It's been too long," she greeted, giving Mia a quick side hug.

Mia nodded with a small sigh. "It just took me a while to finish that one book because of.. everything." One thing she liked about Bianca was that, unlike Skyler who pressed for explanation most times, Bianca just nodded. She seemed to understand what Mia was saying every time. Or at least pretended to understand and move to the next topic. Either way, Mia liked that.

"Well, good news for you, I got a new shipment of books. Tons of history, fantasy, and young adult. Go crazy," Bianca said with a smile. "I have to get back to the counter but I'm always here." Giving a quick wink, the store owner walked back to the check-out counter.

Taking a breath, Mia walked around the bookstore. The place wasn't super busy which was always nice, though there was a mix of human and nonhuman customers. And as long as them and Mia didn't interact, she was good. She walked slowly down every aisle, even if it wasn't a genre she cared for, she always enjoyed looking. It gave her time to be with herself. It gave her time to enjoy the peacefulness of a safe space.

Mia walked down aisle after aisle until she got to her favorite section. The adult fantasy section. Her previous book had been rather wholesome. A sort of found family with tons of teeth rotting fluff, two characters with all odds against them but sticking together. It was nice, don't get her wrong, but it didn't give her the same level of escapism as other books had. So she wandered the fantasy section, in search of not only a new book but maybe one of the ones from that new shipment Bianca mentioned. As she walked down the aisle at a snail's pace, lost in thought as she read all of the book titles to find something eye-catching, she did what she never wanted to do. Bump into someone. She turned to the person and quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry, that was my mistake," she took the blame.

The person she bumped into looked down at her with a smile. "It's no issue at all," he dismissed. "It's easy to lose your surroundings when looking for a good book." His smile was charming and, due to their close proximity, his cologne swirled around her head. Normally sensitive to smells, she was a bit surprised to feel his cologne had a nice and mild scent that she quite enjoyed. He was taller than her; at least a foot taller than her, maybe a little more. His dark skin was a nice contrast to his light gray button-down shirt and black slacks. His attire made Mia's simple burgundy sweater and leggings look as if she was underdressed. Though in her eyes he was rather overdressed for a bookstore.

The two stood in a comfortable silence by each other for a few moments. A few awkward moments in Mia's eyes. "You like fantasy books?" He asks. A wide eyed Mia nodded before she found her words. "I do, yes. It never gets old, there's always something new to keep me reading." Her response was met with a nod. A simple nod as he played with the book in his hands. Her eyes flicked towards it. It was a dark romance fantasy book she had read a few months ago. She couldn't help but comment on it. "That one is a dark romance. It's hot and heavy but has triggering topics. Overall, though, the plot is really well written."

Her opinion on the book made him smile. "You like darker romances, too? I've heard this one was good. I figured I'd look around for something else, but I think you sold me." The man chuckled lightly, not wanting to disturb the peace; not only in the bookstore, but between them. To both of them, the only thing that existed was each other and their conversation. "I'm Cyrus, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet someone with a similar interest." The man, now known as Cyrus, holds his hand out for a hand shake. Hesitantly, Mia shakes his hand back. The handshake was firm yet gentle. The sign of a businessman who had enough respect to not crush her hand like he did with other men.

"I'm Mia," she introduced with a quirky little smile. She had never talked to such a respectable man before who actually smelled nice. She wasn't entirely sure how to act. When she took her hand back, she moved some hair out of her face, playing with the end of the strands nervously. Though her subtle interest in the man before her didn't go unnoticed by him. "You umm.. you also like dark romance?" While the conversation topic was not one she was totally comfortable with as Cyrus was still a stranger, she couldn't help but want to keep the conversation going. Slowly, she continued her little walk down the aisle in search of a book. She also listened to Cyrus's answer as he was quick to follow her, and surprisingly not calling her out for being rude for walking away slowly.

"I enjoy the darker romances, yes. I also prefer it to be in a fantasy setting just for that little extra edge to it. I think if I had to choose, I'm rather fond of the cliche 'princess held captive by a dragon' trope. The twists that authors make despite such a cliche are always very captivating," he explained to her. Mia nodded as she took in the information she was given. In the next aisle, she abruptly stopped to grab a book to inspect it. Much like Cyrus, she enjoyed twisted around cliche tropes. There was something familiar yet backwards about them that kept her guessing.

"I like the mafia style ones. I think the fact it borders on reality is interesting and gives a scary edge to a fictional romance. And despite the hundreds of mafia books, all of them are so different. It's refreshing, in a way." As she put in her two cents on the conversation, she put the book down and went back to her slow searching. Hearing her like such plots, a grin appeared on Cyrus's face. "Stay here. I think I have a book you'll like." And with that, he briefly left her side. Patiently, Mia waited with baited breath. A simple talk led him to think of a book she would enjoy? The thought, while making her a bit nervous at what the hell he would bring back, also thrilled her. She walked around the aisle a bit longer before Cyrus came back with another book in hand. "Here," he handed the book to her and let her inspect it.

Carefully, Mia looked over the book. She read the summary on the back. "A dragon mafia romance?" She looked up at him with a curious look. "You've read it, tell me about it. The back summary sounds good," she commented as she flipped through the book's pages to see how it was formatted. "Well, there's a mafia made up of four brothers who are dragon hybrids. They rule what's called the Arcane Veil. The main character's best friend is secretly from the world and gets into some trouble. To avoid her own trouble, she pawns off the main character to one of the mafia brothers." Cyrus sighed. "That's all I should tell you. I don't want to spoil anything crazy. But I really enjoyed it and think you will, too."

Keeping the book in her hands, she nodded. "I think I'll get it then. I think you've sold me." The two shared a smile as she threw his words back at him. A strange feeling took over Mia, a strange happy feeling. She had never felt this way when she was out with Skyler. Maybe it was because he was just an overly attractive stranger? Or maybe she was way into the dark romance mindset to think about their interaction clearly? Either way, she could see a potential relationship of some sort forming with Cyrus. Despite her lack of being able to read people, she spent enough time learning from Skyler that Cyrus was probably feeling the same way.

The two had spent the next hour and a half roaming around the fantasy section talking about books they've read. Things I enjoyed about books. Things they utterly hated about certain tropes. Overall, it was a wonderful conversation. The two connected very well and Cyrus didn't care about Mia's bluntness or odd little quirks. Even though she never cared much for eye contact, Mia did well at looking at him when they spoke. Mentally, she knew that it was because his dark brown eyes were captivating and shown when the light hit them just right. She would never admit such a thing, though. Their nice time was interrupted when Cyrus got a phone call. He excused himself for a moment to take it, and when he got back there was a forlorn expression on his handsome face. It didn't look right on him at all. "That was my brother, I have to get going," he explained.

"Oh. Okay." Mia looked slightly dejected that he had to go. She was actually having a great time with him as they got to talk about something they both were passionate about. Cyrus lightly tapped her shoulder, pulling her out of the little dejected world she went in. "I'll walk you out, I can spare a few extra minutes." His small smirk convinced Mia to accept his offer. It was after four o'clock and Mia needed to recharge herself before dinner. The two walked to the checkout counter together. Plucking the book from her hands, Cyrus put the two books on the counter. "Just these, please."

Bianca gave a wide smile as she saw Mia with a man who was buying her her book. "Of course!" She went through her little 'find everything okay?' spiel as she scanned the books and put them in separate bags. She handed the bags to them and gave Mia an encouraging look before the two left the bookstore. "I had a nice time talking today. Would you want to meet up again?" Cyrus boldly asked. Mia blinked, unable to hold her initial thought back after remembering Bianca's look. "Like a date?"

Outside of the bookstore now, Cyrus chuckled at his usual volume. "Yeah, like a date. I'll give you my number and we can find time to go on a date. My treat." His casual explanation made Mia swallow. A date? He barely knew her and wanted to go on a date? She hesitated for a while before nodding and pulling out her phone. She handed the device to him, "Yeah, that sounds.. nice." Cyrus took her phone and put in his number, then gave her his phone to do the same. With slightly shaking hands, Mia put her number into his phone and gave a small smile. "Good luck with your brother," she encouraged as the two started to part ways. "Thanks, I'll need it!" He called back. His obvious half joking tone had Mia smiling.

After getting back home safely, she put her things away and got comfortable on the couch. She did some channel chasing on the television, putting something on in the background while her mind thought about the interaction with Cyrus from beginning to end over and over. Only then did she check her phone and realize she never texted Skyler the entire time. She had a few missed phone calls that she finally returned. Mia didn't get time to sit on anything as Skyler's voice burst through her phone. "Where have you been?! I was worried sick about you! I tried texting and calling but you didn't answer!"

Mia pulled the phone away from her ear as Skyler proceeded to yell at her. Once she was finally able to get a word in, she did. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I had my phone in my purse on silent. I sort of forgot. I'm safe, though. I promise. And..." she trailed off, unsure whether she should actually tell Skyler or not. She knew her reaction would be twice as loud as her initial worried yelling. A sigh could be heard through the phone, "And what?"

"I've got a date."