Welcome to Gaia! ::

Philip arched a brow. "Only twenty-four? It's not that you look a lot older than that, it's just...well, you've achieved so much and your air is one of someone older, if you know what I mean" he replied. He took a sip of the latte and wiped the cream off his face with a napkin. "I'm nineteen. I'll be twenty at the end of next month." So Nicholai was only four or five years older than he was, depending on when his birthday fell, which actually made him even more attractive - it really wasn't much of an age difference for dating. Though Nicholai had been very clear about not wanting to date, he couldn't help but hope he'd change his mind sometime in the future once he got to know Philip better.

Philip smiled. "Your air. The ambiance you create. Your aura if you life. Tone, tenor, quality" he replied. He broke off a small piece of the coffee cake and ate it. "Really? That would be lovely. Thanks." he said when Nicholai spoke of a birthday gift. That bode well. It showed the man's intention to continue seeing him, even if just as platonic friends. He drank some of the latte then ate a little more of the cake. "What inspires your storylines?"

Philip finished the coffee cake and tidied up the few crumbs he'd dropped. "I'd rather like to know why you've such a jaded view of dating and relationships. It sounds as though you've had your heart broken and it's left you bitter. I suppose it's too personal to ask what happened?"

Philip sighed and stared down at his latte. He pushed it away, half finished. He raked a hand through his dark hair and flattened his ears against his head. He just sat there for a few long minutes, not attempting to go after Nicholai. He wanted to but guessed it would piss him off. He'd clearly upset him and he probably wanted to be far away from him right now. He had to apologise though, put things right. Nicholai had spoken so emphatically against relationships it had made him curious and he'd thought it would be okay to ask. He had his cell phone number, he would text him in a short while. Apologise and give him the address of the book shop so he could call around sometime if he still wanted to be friends. He left and wandered to the book shop. He unlocked, picked up the post and then settled down behind his small desk and got out his phone.

'Hi. I am very sorry I crossed the line. I won't ask anything personal again. If you still want to be friends come to the book store sometime' then he gave the address of his shop. He clicked on send and sighed, put the phone back in his pocket and settled down to his cataloguing stock.



Philip's Book Store

The number of people Philip genuinely liked could be counted on one hand and that included his parents, he really wasn't a people person and he had no close friends. He liked his own company. So he surprised himself when he found he was checking his phone regularly over the next few days to see if Nicholai had responded to his text or not. He busied himself finishing up his cataloguing, working on some of his poems, and re-painting the sign on the front of the shop as it was very faded.

Philip opened up the shop, turning the sign to open and leaving the door open, and then buried himself behind his small desk right at the back of the shop and settled to bidding on some rare first edition books in an Online auction. He would know if anyone entered the shop because there was a buzzer under the doormat to alert him.

Philip had just managed to get hold of a complete set of Burton’s translation of the Arabian nights, a limited edition of 1000 numbered sets, so he was in an especially happy mood. He had just finialised payment and arranged shipping and was about to get himself some warm milk and honey from the tiny kitchenette at the back of the shop when he heard the buzzer. A customer. Damn! Well, good, because he could do with a sale but the public contact aspect of this job was something he wasn't keen on. He would put on a smile and be polite and hope to make a quick sale. He put down the milk and went to see who it was. He smiled brightly and his left ear twitched when he saw it was Nicholai. "Oh! Hi there!" he said, the tip of his tail quivering. "I'm glad you came. What do you think of the place?"

"I'm glad you like it. When dad offered to lease me a shop,I drove him mad by turning down half a dozen properties before I found this one. I put a lot of time and effort into the place" Philip told him. He smiled and shook his head, looking a little sheepish. "No, I didn't think you hated me. I did think you were probably pretty angry though. Sorry. I'm just glad you still want to be friends. Do you want come and sit down at the back and have a cup of tea or a glass or wine or something? I've still got half a bottle of champagne left over from the opening ceremony for the shop. I don't drink so it's just been sitting there in the cool box."