Books ... more books ... and, what do you know, more books. It smells like nothing but dust and paper in here ... While browsing through the narrow, winding path of book aisles , Levi considered how he had gotten to this point in his life. After years of college, police academy, and three full years being surrounded by the over-inflated egos of law enforcement officers, he was finally promoted to detective. As a half-joke, half-punishment, his first case just happened to be locating a missing detective.
The 'boys' thought Levi to be a joke since the moment he stepped through the double doors to the academy. His lithe frame, sleek rectangular specticles, and loosely gelled hair to tame the wild curls apparently gave off a wave of 'geek' - it was almost like middle and high school all over again, only this time full of nothing but jocks. The surprise at not having his head shoved down a toilet astonished him at first. A few months after starting the academy, his classmates quickly picked up on his intelligence - and the use thereof - but were blow away by his athletic ability. To their surprise, he had been on cross country. His slender frame was well-toned hidden under the slacks and button-up.
Once outside of the academy, having actually made a friend or two, he was mostly set to computer work - when sent to a scene, they sat him down in front of the computer to go through. The muscle work was left up to the beefier guys. If they'd had sense, he might have been attracted to some of them. Alas, He ran his finger along a spine as that thought came into his mind. Honestly, he felt like he couldn't be himself around them anyway - aside from being interested in males, he also was a bit more cheerful, but not some much on the flamboyant side. So, to keep himself from being discovered, he was more reserved than natural.
Being undercover though, I get to be myself, He smiled as he pulled a random book from the shelf. Travel Ireland the title simply said. Feigning interest, he flipped absently and scanned pages of emerald coastlines and long, rolling hills. He closed the book easily and slid it back into its crammed space gently. After turning to view the shelf directly behind him, then he meandered on down further.
Really, he'd liked books. Stereotypically, as well. He felt at peace as he browsed though the tightly spaced store. That's another thing that separated him from his fellows, and possibly how he ended up here - aside from the bizarre reports about the place. As the light trickled in through the spaces between the shelves in the center, dust dancing all around as it did where books lived, he thought the place quaint. Much more comforting than the large chain stores that were filled with pretentious coffee drinkers. Of course, Levi himself enjoyed coffee, but ... there was another type of bookstore go-ers. A glance at the owner through the shelves as he had pushed the book towards the child made him wonder if he was one of those. In truth, he'd much rather be around that type of pretentious than the ego-mania of his usual surroundings.
As the child tottered off towards her mother, Levi made his way towards the front. Pausing here and there to glance at a title that caught his attention. Once he'd reached the front, he placed one of those books on the counter, not entirely paying attention to which one he'd grabbed. He glanced at it as he slid it forward, seeing the title as The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. A chick book, he knew, thanks to his sister. Inwardly, he grimaced, but he put on a pleasant smile as he spoke to the man behind the counter. "Good afternoon."