By afternoon, the sunlight had settled into the reading corner.
That same chair. The one he kept choosing. At first, I told myself it didn't mean anything. Now, I wasn't so sure. Sebastian sat there again, a book open in his hands. From a distance, he looked like any other customer. Calm and focused
But I had started noticing the small things. The pauses. The way his eyes lingered on a page a little too long. The fact that sometimes he wasn't reading at all. Just sitting there. Like his body was in the room, but his mind wasn't. I tried not to watch him. I failed. After a while, he closed the book and stood. My attention snapped back to the counter just as he walked up.
"You finished already?" I asked.
"Not yet," he said, placing it down carefully. "I'll come back for it."
Of course you will. The thought came uninvited. I hesitated, then leaned forward slightly.
"You live in Aurelia City, right?"
"Yes."
"That's two hours away."
He nodded.
I folded my arms on the counter, studying him.
"Then why do you keep coming here?"
The question hung between us. For a second, I thought he wouldn't answer. His gaze drifted past me across the shelves, the windows, the quiet space around us then back to me.
"Because it's quiet."
I let out a small laugh.
"That's your reason?"
His expression didn't change.
"You'd be surprised how rare that is."
Something in his tone made me stop smiling.
"Out there," he continued, voice even, "everyone wants something from you."
"In here no one does."
The words settled deeper than I expected. I didn't have a response for that. Neither of us spoke for a moment. Then he picked up the book again.
"I should go."
And just like that, he stepped away. The bell chimed as he left. I watched him through the window. The same black car. The same driver stepping out, opening the door without a word. Sebastian didn't rush. He never did, he got in and the car pulled away And the street returned to normal. Or at least, it tried to.
Because a few seconds later, something else caught my attention. Another car. Parked farther down the road. Dark gray and the engine was still running. It hadn't been there before. I frowned slightly, watching it longer than necessary. Maybe it was nothing. Just someone waiting. Still, it didn't feel like nothing.
After a minute, the car pulled away. Too quickly. Like it had been waiting for something and got it. I shook it off and turned back to work. Customers came and went. The sun dipped lower. Shadows stretched across the floor. And slowly, the day ended.
By the time I locked the door, the street was quiet again. I moved through the store, finishing the usual routine.
Stacking books, turning off lights, and wiping down tables
I reached the reading corner last.
And that's when I saw it.
A folded newspaper. Left behind. Probably his. I picked it up without thinking
then froze. My eyes locked on the front page. The photograph, the name and the headline
"CEO Sebastian McGrey Missing From Public Appearances for Weeks."
My grip tightened on the paper. I read it again. Slower this time.
Meetings postponed. Executives refusing to comment. Speculation rising. My eyes dropped to the photo. Same face, same eyes and the same man who had been sitting in that chair reading like none of this existed. I swallowed and kept reading.
Then the last line hit.
A source claimed he had been seen traveling repeatedly to a small town outside Aurelia City.
My heart skipped. I lowered the paper slowly. The store felt different now. Too still, like I had missed something obvious. Or worse like I had been standing in the middle of something without realizing it.
"He's not just coming here," I whispered.
"He's hiding."
-
That night, sleep didn't come easily. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice again.
"Out there, everyone wants something from you".
And for the first time, I wondered how many people were looking for him.
-
The next morning, Willowbrook didn't feel like Willowbrook. I noticed it the moment I stepped outside. Too many cars. Near the café, and by the bakery.
Strangers. Not just passing through, but watching and talking low. Looking around like they were searching. A tight feeling settled in my chest. By the time I unlocked the bookstore, it hadn't gone away. Inside, everything looked the same, calm and quiet. But the calm didn't reach me.
Not today.
The first man walked in twenty minutes later.
"Excuse me," he said politely, glancing around.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
He hesitated.
"Has a tall man been coming here recently?"
My stomach tightened.
"I'm not sure who you mean," I replied.
He nodded slowly and left. But he wasn't the last. Another came, then another. Each one asking the same question in different ways. By midday, the bookstore didn't feel like mine anymore. It felt watched. Like something had followed him here and found me instead.
I was at the counter when the next car pulled up. Different, darker, and more deliberate. The driver stepped out and walked straight to the door. The bell chimed. He stepped inside, paused, and let his eyes move across the room. Then they landed on me.
"You must be Selena."
I blinked.
"Yes but how do you know my name?"
He smiled slightly and walked closer.
"My name is Jason."
The name didn't ring a bell at first, then he said
"I'm the friend who told Sebastian about this place."
Everything clicked. He had said a friend recommended the bookstore to him
"You're that friend?" I asked.
He nodded.
"I came through Willowbrook a while ago. Found this place by accident."
His gaze moved around the store.
"Hard to forget somewhere this quiet."
Then back to me.
"So when he needed somewhere to disappear for a bit… I suggested it."
My chest tightened.
"People are looking for him."
Jason didn't deny it.
"In his world, going quiet causes noise."
I glanced toward the window. Another unfamiliar car had just parked. When I looked back at him, his expression had shifted. More serious now.
"Which means," he said quietly,
"this place isn't going to stay untouched."