The Fading Moon Chapter 4: A Place Between Strangers

Read chapter 4 of The Fading Moon by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

A week passed. Then another. And somehow, despite Mike's constant complaints, Jessika remained part of his life. Not every day. Not always for long. But often enough. Sometimes she appeared near his office. Sometimes near the train station. Sometimes at random places that made absolutely no sense. At first, Mike believed their meetings were coincidences. Now he wasn't so sure. Still, he never asked. Partly because he didn't want to know. Partly because he suspected the answer would annoy him. It was Saturday afternoon when Mike found himself standing in front of a bookstore in Shibuya. Unlike most weekends, he wasn't working. His company had finally given employees a rare day off. Mike intended to spend it quietly. Maybe read a book. Maybe organize his apartment. Maybe do absolutely nothing. That plan lasted approximately twenty minutes. "Mike!" The familiar voice echoed across the street. Mike closed his eyes. "No." "Yes." He turned around. Jessika stood there wearing casual clothes instead of her school uniform. For a moment, Mike almost didn't recognize her. A white sweater. Black skirt. Loose brown hair dancing in the wind. Without the uniform, she looked different. More mature. More natural. And far prettier than he expected. The thought caught him off guard. Immediately, he looked away. Jessika noticed. Her smile widened. "What?" "Nothing." "You looked surprised." "I wasn't." "You were." Mike sighed. "Why are you here?" "I came to buy a book." "You read?" Jessika gasped dramatically. "What kind of question is that?" "The kind I just asked." "I read all the time." "Impossible." Jessika narrowed her eyes. "You really think I'm stupid." "I didn't say that." "You thought it." Mike smiled. Unfortunately, she was right. Jessika pointed toward the bookstore. "Come with me." "No." "Come on." "No." "Please." "No." She stared at him. Mike stared back. A silent battle began. After several seconds, Jessika smiled. "You'll lose." "I won't." "You're already losing." Mike sighed. Five minutes later, he was walking beside her inside the bookstore. Somehow. Again. The girl possessed supernatural powers. There was no other explanation. The bookstore was enormous. Multiple floors filled with thousands of books. People moved quietly between shelves. The smell of paper filled the air. Jessika immediately disappeared into the fiction section. Mike followed reluctantly. "What kind of books do you read?" he asked. Jessika looked thoughtful. "A little of everything." "That's not an answer." "It is." "No." She laughed. Then suddenly stopped beside a shelf. A moment later she pulled out a novel. The cover showed a couple standing beneath a night sky. "A romance novel?" Mike sounded genuinely shocked. Jessika frowned. "What?" "You read romance?" "What's wrong with romance?" "It's unrealistic." Jessika crossed her arms. "Love is unrealistic?" "Most romance stories are." "That's because you've never been in love." The words slipped out casually. Yet Mike froze. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Jessika tilted her head. "Have you?" Mike looked away. "No." Jessika seemed surprised. "Never?" "No." "Not even once?" "No." The answer felt strange. Embarrassing. At twenty-three years old, he had never truly fallen in love. There had been crushes. Attractions. A few brief relationships. Nothing serious. Nothing lasting. Nothing real. Jessika stared at him for several seconds. Then smiled. "You know what?" "What?" "I think that's kind of sad." Mike frowned. "Thanks." "You're welcome." "That wasn't a compliment." "I know." Mike laughed despite himself. Jessika grinned. For some reason, seeing him smile always seemed to make her happy. An hour later, they left the bookstore carrying several books. Most belonged to Jessika. One belonged to Mike. Which she refused to stop bragging about. "You bought a romance novel." "I didn't." "You did." "It's not romance." "It literally says romance on the back." Mike glared at her. Jessika looked extremely pleased with hersel