Beyond Goodbye

The Book Recommendation

Jared was relentless. Even though Mark gave him a few dirty looks to scare him away, Jared seemed not to be fazed even a little. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it even more. Mark being angry meant he was getting to Maya, and he was triggering her friend in the process. He liked making others upset, and to think that he was affecting two people at once made him proud of himself.

He decided to up his game a notch, and started smiling at Maya whenever she passed him in the corridors of the school. He even went so far as to follow her to the bookstore in town, without her noticing, of course, and pretending to be surprised when she ran into him. He acted delighted and greeted her quite warmly.

“Hey!! Maya, good to see you here. What are you looking for?”

Maya was surprised. She never expected Jared to be the reading type. She had never seen him with a book all her life. She stumbled on her words, but he seemed so warm and kind, and his eyes just drew her in. It was a rare occasion when she got the chance to see his eyes from so near.

“I'm just browsing to find a book to read for the weekend. Are you looking for something specific?”

“Well, I came here to get a book too, but since you are not looking for anything in particular, can I recommend a book for you? Its one of my all-time favorites, quite beautiful.”

“Ssss..sure why not. I would love a recommendation. It would save up time too, as I really can’t decide what to get.”

Jared could not believe what a genius he was. He had read a few books in his life, and all of them were very erotic and perverted. Recommending one of them would make Maya blush all weekend, and think of him as she read the numerous scenes. Maybe it would help draw her to him even more. He could almost jump with excitement and went over to get one of the books. He picked the one that didn’t have a suggestive title, so Maya had no idea what she had just gotten.

“Read this one! And make sure to finish it. I want you to discuss this one with me. I never got the chance to talk about the books I read with anyone. None of my friends read.”

Maya felt sorry for him. She could see how excited he was when he picked the book for her, and she thought how lonely it would be for him to not be able to discuss something as simple as a book with anyone. She could easily talk to any of her friends about a book she had just read. She could even discuss some books with her mother. How awful to not have anyone to talk to. She had always thought Jared’s friends were only around him because he was popular and it helped them get girls. They were all just using him and he had no one sincere to tell him that.

“I'll read the book and we can talk about it all you want.”

“Yeah, I wanted to discuss a few scenes in detail, they confused me a lot and I wanted a different insight from someone else. It would be great if you could help me with that.”

Maya left the bookstore feeling lighthearted and happy. She had been worried about Jared’s unexpected attention all this time for nothing. He wasn’t judging, he was just looking for a friend. And maybe he was attracted to Maya, the way he was looking at her at the bookstore. He had looked at her body subtly, but she had noticed. The way his eyes had intensified, and he had licked his lips when he looked at her mouth as she talked. It made her blush. She was feeling hot now. What if he wanted her to be his girlfriend?

Maya stopped herself. She shouldn’t go too far. It would just make their future conversations awkward. She should just let it be and leave it to time. She would happily be his friend if it meant looking at those eyes, and that handsome face from up near all the time.

She smiled happily at herself as she rounded the corner and bumped head-on into a firm chest.

“Oooofff…”

She looked up into Damon’s face, as he quickly took hold of her shoulders to prevent her from falling.

“Why don’t you look where you are going? Yesterday you almost fell at that guy’s feet. It’s a good thing your friend Mark isn’t clumsy like you and saved you from making a fool of yourself.”

Jared. He was talking about Jared. Maya blushed at that embarrassing moment when Jared had just smiled at her while walking down the corridor and she had forgotten what she was saying and had stumbled on her feet. If it wasn’t for Mark, she would have landed face down at Jared’s feet with her ass up in the air in front of him.

“That guy is Jared. And you don’t need to laugh at me like that.”

Maya felt annoyed. She didn’t like Damon laughing or making fun of her. Something bugged her, she should not care what he thought about her. But it was bothering her. Even the lighthearted fun he had poked at her right now, made her conscious. She barely knew the guy. Mark had always told her to not give two cents to people not close to her. She shouldn’t let this guy bother her.

Besides, Jared had just recommended a book to her and she would be able to read the same words he had. She wanted to squeak in excitement.

“Have you read that book?”

Damon had curiosity in his eyes as he looked at the book. He peeked at it as Maya had it pressed against her chest.

“I'll be reading it over the weekend. I'm quite excited.”

“You know what the book is about though, right?”

“No. A friend recommended it to me and I'll be reading it to find out.”

“A friend like Mark?”

Damon raised his eyebrows at her. Maya rolled her eyes.

“No, I have other friends too, you know.”

Damon chuckled.

“I hope you know what you are getting into. I can tell you what the book is about though, if you want.”

“No! I'll be reading it and you should not spoil it for me.”

Maya sounded angry and she didn’t want Damon to ruin the fun for her.

“Okay, okay…I won't say anything. But feel free to come discuss it with me if you have any questions.”

Damon lifted his hands up in defeat. He chuckled as he left. Maya could see he knew something and she could not understand what he was so amused about. Of course, he liked making fun of her.

Maya rolled her eyes, luckily she had Jared to share the book with. Who needed Damon?