“My name is Kiku Honda, not...never mind,” the Asian man sighed, putting the box where he was told. He looked over to Antonio, who was forgotten amidst the childish banter between the two brothers.
“Ah, are you a customer?” the man named Kiku asked the author. Antonio nodded and Kiku looked slightly worried as he refused to meet his eyes.
“Then...you may want to buy something, or these brothers won’t let you leave tonight...”
“He was just about to, Kiku! But I was stopping him from buying this disaster of a novel!” the older brother, who was supposedly named Lovino, responded, shoving the book in the shorter Asian man’s face.
“How horrible! A man who wrote this must be such a terrible lover! Give him to me and I’ll teach him!”
That phrase shook Antonio from his absentminded thoughts. Okay, so maybe the guy didn’t like his writing, but that did not mean that he was a bad lover! He was very good, thank you very much!
“Isn’t that too much to say?! He’s probably a magnificent tiger of manly sexiness!” Antonio suddenly shouted, setting three sets of blank looking eyes staring at him. It took him a moment to realize that he sounded just as ridiculous as the two brothers.
Kiku turned scarlet from cheeks to ears as he felt greatly disturbed to be talking about sex so casually in public and hurried to excuse himself as he left the little shop. Antonio turned back to Lovino,
“But...but specifically, why don’t you like The Crimson Lottery? I’ve read it before and I think it’s very good.” Antonio said eyeing the novel he worked so hard on.
“Why don’t I like it? Because it’s unrealistic! Romance doesn’t work like that! It’s like that Oscar guy said, ‘when one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what world calls a romance.’”
Antonio frowned and shook his head in disagreement, “Romance isn't about deceit! Romance is about love, and the human need to be wanted, to find someone who is ‘special’ only to you!”
“You live in the eighteenth century. Anyways, I highly suggest you buy something else. I suggest this one, if you like romance novels,” Lovino said as he picked up a novel from the front shelf, “it’s called, A Day of Danger, by Arthur Kirkland. It’s very popular. The prostitute woman betrays the hero and stabs him to death in bed.”
Antonio glared at the book’s cover. So this was the man who took away his fame, money, and glory, this Arthur Kirkland fellow!
“Don’t gawk, buy already!” he sighed as took his position by the cash register. Feliciano continued to block the exit.
Deciding to at least try to find out about the enemy, Antonio went to the front counter and bought the book, pocket feeling lighter after spending over thirty dollars on the hardcover version, which Lovino insisted he needed.
“Please sign the bill,” Lovino remarked, sharing a sideway glance with Antonio as he passed him the receipt.
“Huh? I don’t have to sign when I pay with cash, do I?” Antonio asked suspiciously. The Italian man coughed into his fist, looking away as a blush covered his cheeks.
“Your number. You said you would give it to me earlier?”
Antonio wasn’t sure he promised any such thing, but he had feeling he wouldn’t be able to leave the store without doing so, and scribbled a chain of numbers onto the slip of paper.
“Errrr...I’ll be going now...” he said as started moving towards the doorway.
“Don’t you want coffee?! It’s-it’s not spiked! I give free coffee to everyone who buys a book, remember?!” a voice called after him, but it was too late. Antonio had already forced his way out of the store and promised himself never to return. No matter how many times the gay Italian phoned him, it wouldn’t work, because he had long since memorized the number for the rejection hotline.
He turned a corner towards his destination when he saw a garbage bin sitting by the sidewalk. Seeing no one else around, he chucked the book. It was then that he had an epiphany. He didn’t care if the bookselling brothers were weirdoes and that he older one liked his ass; he would prove him wrong about romance! And he would prove to the world that Antonio Carriedo Fernandez was still the best romance author on the market!
To Be Written [3/?]
“Ah, are you a customer?” the man named Kiku asked the author. Antonio nodded and Kiku looked slightly worried as he refused to meet his eyes.
“Then...you may want to buy something, or these brothers won’t let you leave tonight...”
“He was just about to, Kiku! But I was stopping him from buying this disaster of a novel!” the older brother, who was supposedly named Lovino, responded, shoving the book in the shorter Asian man’s face.
“How horrible! A man who wrote this must be such a terrible lover! Give him to me and I’ll teach him!”
That phrase shook Antonio from his absentminded thoughts. Okay, so maybe the guy didn’t like his writing, but that did not mean that he was a bad lover! He was very good, thank you very much!
“Isn’t that too much to say?! He’s probably a magnificent tiger of manly sexiness!” Antonio suddenly shouted, setting three sets of blank looking eyes staring at him. It took him a moment to realize that he sounded just as ridiculous as the two brothers.
Kiku turned scarlet from cheeks to ears as he felt greatly disturbed to be talking about sex so casually in public and hurried to excuse himself as he left the little shop. Antonio turned back to Lovino,
“But...but specifically, why don’t you like The Crimson Lottery? I’ve read it before and I think it’s very good.” Antonio said eyeing the novel he worked so hard on.
“Why don’t I like it? Because it’s unrealistic! Romance doesn’t work like that! It’s like that Oscar guy said, ‘when one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what world calls a romance.’”
Antonio frowned and shook his head in disagreement, “Romance isn't about deceit! Romance is about love, and the human need to be wanted, to find someone who is ‘special’ only to you!”
“You live in the eighteenth century. Anyways, I highly suggest you buy something else. I suggest this one, if you like romance novels,” Lovino said as he picked up a novel from the front shelf, “it’s called, A Day of Danger, by Arthur Kirkland. It’s very popular. The prostitute woman betrays the hero and stabs him to death in bed.”
Antonio glared at the book’s cover. So this was the man who took away his fame, money, and glory, this Arthur Kirkland fellow!
“Don’t gawk, buy already!” he sighed as took his position by the cash register. Feliciano continued to block the exit.
Deciding to at least try to find out about the enemy, Antonio went to the front counter and bought the book, pocket feeling lighter after spending over thirty dollars on the hardcover version, which Lovino insisted he needed.
“Please sign the bill,” Lovino remarked, sharing a sideway glance with Antonio as he passed him the receipt.
“Huh? I don’t have to sign when I pay with cash, do I?” Antonio asked suspiciously. The Italian man coughed into his fist, looking away as a blush covered his cheeks.
“Your number. You said you would give it to me earlier?”
Antonio wasn’t sure he promised any such thing, but he had feeling he wouldn’t be able to leave the store without doing so, and scribbled a chain of numbers onto the slip of paper.
“Errrr...I’ll be going now...” he said as started moving towards the doorway.
“Don’t you want coffee?! It’s-it’s not spiked! I give free coffee to everyone who buys a book, remember?!” a voice called after him, but it was too late. Antonio had already forced his way out of the store and promised himself never to return. No matter how many times the gay Italian phoned him, it wouldn’t work, because he had long since memorized the number for the rejection hotline.
He turned a corner towards his destination when he saw a garbage bin sitting by the sidewalk. Seeing no one else around, he chucked the book. It was then that he had an epiphany. He didn’t care if the bookselling brothers were weirdoes and that he older one liked his ass; he would prove him wrong about romance! And he would prove to the world that Antonio Carriedo Fernandez was still the best romance author on the market!