Check out Kiera's book store

Huh, I could go check out Kiera’s bookstore, it’d be nice to see her, and it’s been a minute since I read a book for fun. Oliver threw on some jeans and a tight black shirt and walked into the kitchen, snagging one of Tori’s lifesaving cold brews from the fridge. With new eyes, he saw the communal bowl of miscellaneous rainbow pins and assorted jewelry. Alex was an openly gay man, and Tori was proudly bisexual, so it was no surprise their home was adorned from top to bottom in pride paraphernalia. And I guess I’m more than just an ally… Oliver snagged a subtle metal wristband adorned with the colors of the rainbow and made his way to the bookstore.

Pausing up at the sign, Oliver looked up and read “Starling Books”, a series of flags hung from behind the windows representing different sexualities and identities. Oliver knew the main ones, but quite a few were total mysteries. He wasn’t even sure if Kiera was working today, having forgotten to text her he was stopping by. He took a breath and walked through the door, the store was almost completely empty, one older woman idly browsing a shelf of gardening books near the back.

“Can I help you find something?”, Oliver turned and saw someone he could only describe as a pixie in human form. Clad in tan overalls, a bandana around her neck, the woman was likely a foot shorter than Oliver with dark green hair cut boyishly short apart from a corded rat tail hanging down, and a septum piercing dangled from her nose. “Oh um, hi- I’m a friend of Kiera’s and figured I should check out her bookstore” Oliver extended a hand “I’m Oliver.”

“ohhhh that Oliver huh? I’ve heard a bit about you already. I’m Nyx, they/them” shaking Oliver’s hand. “He/him” Oliver replied, catching Nyx’s eyes falling on his new bracelet, “Do you know if Kiera’s coming in today? I was going to distract her from work with a coffee.” Nyx smiled warmly at Oliver “nah, she’s off today, though she’ll probably stop by in the afternoon. She sucks at staying away from this place.” They reached behind the counter to shake the dregs of an iced coffee in a mason jar “tell you what Oliver, fill up my cup and I’ll give you the grand tour.” It was Oliver’s turn to smile as Nyx shouted to the old woman in the back to mind the shop for a minute. “That’s Bev, only person here more than Kiera, old biddy won’t mind if we sneak out.” Oliver chuckled and let Nyx lead him to the hip coffee shop a few doors down. They were obviously a regular, chatting with the staff as They procured two more iced coffees with oat milk. Returning to Starling Books, Bev said her goodbyes to Nyx, explaining that she had to go continue harvesting her rampant zucchini.

Alone in the shop, Nyx made good on their promise of a tour. Highlighting their current favorite, a queer necromancer sci-fi trilogy, they moved on across a spectrum of queer literature. Oliver felt his knowledge expanding just from reading the titles of some of the books. He ended up asking Nyx endless questions about various authors and topics. Nyx was delighted to have such an engaged audience of one, answering his queries thoughtfully and never condescending to his lack of knowledge. Occasional customers drifted in, and Nyx would attend to them in turn, leaving Oliver to sip coffee and read. It was a welcome change of pace from his normal hectic life of bartending and partying only to wake up and nurse off a hangover.

The hours flew by, and the two chatted incessantly, becoming fast friends over the course of a day. It was already early evening when Kiera showed up, dressed in another floral sundress, her long hair framing her adorable face. “Oliver! I didn’t expect to see you here, you should have texted me, I’d have come over hours ago” Kiera feigned a pout, before smiling and hugging Nyx. Nyx explained they hadn’t intended to monopolize Oliver all day, but that he’d been excellent company on a slow Monday. Oliver smiled, confirming their report and recounted some of the books he’d assembled in a small stack to purchase. Nyx decided the group needed a pot of tea to share while they all chatted and made off to the staffroom in the back.

Oliver sidled up to Kiera, pulling her in for a tight hug, leaning back he was surprised when Kiera kissed him. Pressing himself back into the embrace, they kissed softly for a long moment. Kiera whispered “I was worried you didn’t want to see me again. I’m so glad you decided to come see the store.” Oliver whispered assurances that he’d meant what he said about wanting to spend time with her before she left. The two jumped apart, startled as Nyx returned with a tray laden with three steaming mugs of tea, a mischievous smile on their face. Oliver and Kiera blushed, and hastily muttered thanks.

The mood became decidedly less awkward as the three chatted. It turned out Kiera had had a remote orientation call for the fellowship, hammering out the logistics for her impending start date. Nyx and Oliver congratulated her, the bittersweet tone in both their voices evident. After a while, it was finally time to close the shop, and Oliver looked to his companions to gauge if he should make his exit. Nyx piped up, running a hand back through their verdant hair “Let’s have dinner at yours Kiki! You always have decent stuff in the fridge, we can have a glass of wine and watch a movie- I’m thinking peanut noodles with tofu.” Oliver didn’t catch Nyx’s wink, only Kiera’s blush. Kiera looked to Oliver, her eyes downcast and shuffling her feet nervously, “you want to join? They make really good noodles.” Kiera was delighted by Oliver’s enthusiastic acceptance, and Nyx smiled impishly.