shadow in the stacks

**Chapter 2: A Mysterious Customer (5 pages)**

On a stormy afternoon

Emily was arranging the books that had arrived from the publishing house. She heard the doorbell, indicating that a customer had entered. She quickly finished what she had in hand to go and help him.Serving a customer made her feel that she was doing the right thing. To find a tall young man with an athletic body searching the shelves of psychology books, he turns and asks: “Are these all the psychology books here?”

Emily found herself looking at a sharp face with a scary look covering the beauty of his features and eyes drowning in mystery and darkness... She lost her focus for moments as she contemplated this mysterious customer who woke her up from her sleep and he mocked: "Do you want a picture of me?"

Emily felt angry at the way he spoke and his sarcasm thinking she wasn't that deep in his features or she was, he was just strange and mysterious She spoke in a stern tone, ignoring his question about his picture: "Do you have a specific book you are looking for?!"

He put his hand to his chin and pretended to thinking deeply and say, "Oh yes, I want the book The Power of Habit for Charles Duhigg."

Emily changed her tone to a less stern tone and replied, "Yes, we have the book. I will bring it."

He looked at her sideways and said: "How could you not put that literary masterpiece on your income? I think someone is not good at management."

Emily rolled her eyes in boredom at his words and said in her mind: What a proud person who pretends to know everything a**hole

Emily brought the book and a young man decided to buy it at the checkout saying: "I apologize for my earlier mean and rude behavior. "

Emily looked surprised at the change in his nature and tone of voice, even his eyes were different. She did not want to say a word, as he might answer with something unsatisfactory.

He tried to change the subject: "My name is Gabriel Blackwood. I came to town recently. "

Emily looked up from packing the book and said:" I'm Emily. "

Gabriel smiled and said:" Nice to meet you Emily and I think it's a great classic bookstore and I promise to be back to take more books For My little library at home."

She smiled involuntarily at his attempt to be nice and added: " The store is at your service at any time. We are pleased to fill your library with our books." When she said the last word, Gabriel took the book and left the shop, giving Emily a strange look.

She said to herself: He is really a mentally ill person. Is he crazy? Yes. Why did he look at me like that?I don't care how he looks, I hope he doesn't come back

And the door opened forcefully, almost making Emily fly out of her place. She jumped in fear, thinking that it was him. He heard her talk about him and he came back to teach her a lesson, only to find out that it was her friend Sandra, so she shouted at her: “What’s wrong with you? You almost ripped my heart out of its place. Oh my God, I can’t breathe.”

Sandra was surprised by Emily's dramatic reaction because of a door and said: "It's just a door, just a door that won't let you into the emergency room. I think it's the only exciting moment in your life that's why."