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writerwaage · 4 years

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Between the Pages Chapter One

Hello, Luka here! I’m popping in to say that Between the Pages no longer has the same plot the wip intro says it does. oopsies! Between the Pages is still a mlm romance, but instead of taking place through annotations of a book, it is a Christmas romance! I am working on a new introduction for the wip, so it should be up in a day or two. Anyway, enjoy chapter one of Between the Pages!

Length: ~ 1900 words

Warnings: none

The quaint bookshop twinkled with the sweet, candy glow of multicolored lights strung up along the bookshelves. The overhead lights were dimmed, creating an unusually intimate atmosphere that wrapped Alexander up like a security blanket. Terri had always made Between the Pages feel like home, but it was especially true once the weather began to cool down and Halloween had passed. He knocked the snow off his boots before stepping inside, greeted by wordless jazz crackling overhead, the smell of spice cookies, and the prickling of heat returning to his half-frozen face. In the corner, Terri had set up a tree and a little sign asking for book donations to keep the shop running. It was just after Thanksgiving and she was already on top of the décor.

Alexander shrugged his jacket off and cradled it in the crook of his arm. “Terri?” He started to make his way to the small coffee bar on the other side of the tree, already finding a natural sway in his step in time with the quiet saxophone. Normally he would have a chat with her about her newest selection, but he was too impatient to wait for her to return to the counter. The small table was loaded to the brim with hot chocolate packets, pods for the Keurig, and fixings sure not to spoil an hour after being set out. He selected a mug off the display mounted above the table. It was especially cool in his hands, and the red, glossy ceramic reflected soft greens and blues from the tree, dazzling Alexander for the briefest moment.

One pod of coffee, enough creamer to turn the coffee to milk chocolate, two packets of sweetener, and one packet of hot chocolate. The sweet aromas were a much-welcomed sensation after the brisk journey in the elements of Heartview. Alexander took his finished drink and carefully wrapped one hand around the mug, careful not to burn himself as he thawed out. The first sip filled the deepest pits of his body and gave him the comfort of home. He made his way to the shelves, taking small sips of his drink. Every moment he took for himself within the shop was a moment he savored.

Bookshelves towered over him, each one lined neatly lined with books. Alexander basked in the sweet vanilla-and-almond aroma and took a second to enjoy it before he even began to search the titles. Every book in this shop had been pre-owned. The idea of sharing the same experience with people that came before him thrilled Alexander. He loved imagining the thoughts they were having as they read- if they had loved the same moments he did or drew the same conclusions about the story in advance. His eyes traveled along the spines, waiting for one to stand out among the rest. The books on the other side tempted him as well. What mysteries were bound in there?

He reached out and touched the books, letting his fingers linger along the rough edges of the particularly well-loved editions. Alexander walked along the row, stopping somewhere in the middle. He was in a daydream now, his mind lost in the gentle music and habit of what he was doing. This book seemed right. He pulled it off the shelf, turning it and feeling the weight in his hand shift as he inspected it.

The quiet click of a camera shutter pulled him out of his daydream. Alexander looked over toward the sound and saw a man kneeling a few feet away from him, camera lens angled up toward him. He felt a warm rush flood his face, different than the warmth that greeted him when he first entered the shop.

The man stood up and stared at the screen, inspecting the picture he just took. To Alexander, the silence between them grew more and more awkward with the lingering lack of acknowledgement. After another agonizing second, the photographer looked up.

“So sorry about that. Mrs. Mulligan hired me to take photos of the bookshop for Heartview’s town website. Not many people have come in, so I just had to seize the opportunity of a customer browsing without any of the awful stiffness people get around cameras.” He let go of the camera, letting it hang by the strap around his neck.

Alexander nodded slowly, still a bit stunned by the shutter to be anything but flustered. “Could I see the picture?”

The man stepped next to him, much closer than Alexander would have expected. As he was pulling the image up, he nearly forgot to breathe. The photographer was a little taller than he initially took him to be. When he finally remembered to take in a breath, he was greeted with another wonderfully cozy blend of peppermint, coffee, and chocolate. “Here you go.”

It was surreal to Alexander. The image captured him in his own little world of wonder, framed by loose lights strung up along the shelves. They were in a hazy focus, leading the eyes to his fascination with the book’s cover. Never in a million years would he perceive himself as the photo portrayed him. “It’s really...,” he paused for a moment, trying to think of what it was he could say about it, “really good.” Nothing particularly insightful, obviously.

Alexander looked up, unintentionally meeting his eyes. “I haven’t seen you around Heartview before. Have you moved in recently?”

“No, I’m just here for a while to take up-to-date pictures of the town. All the festivities that are offered and the like.”

He offered a smile, taking a small step to the side to give this stranger some much-deserved personal space. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Alexander, by the way. O’Callaghan.” He sat his book down haphazardly on the closest shelf and extended his hand.

“Chet.” He shook his hand. “Jiang.” A smile flitted across his lips as he introduced himself. Alexander let himself have a moment to assess him. Chet was definitely from out of town, lacking the quaintness every Heartview resident seemed to take ownership of the moment they put down roots. The black stud earrings were a dead giveaway, but so was the way he carried himself. He could do anything he strived for, and he knew it. The ambition was sorely lacking in many throughout the town, those who were fully satisfied doing the same thing every day without end. Alexander was almost ashamed to admit that he too was comfortable in the tracks he wore himself down into.

Alexander picked up the book again, but he was much more interested in Chet than anything else he could possibly be focusing on in the moment. “Where are you staying?” With a town as small as Heartview, there were limited options, unless he had decided to stay in the town a few miles away that had the usual smattering of hotels and fast food joints most touristy areas tended to have.

“The Starlight Inn.”

That was probably the best inn Heartview had to offer, if Alexander had to play favorites. Part of that was because it was owned by Terri’s wife, Lorraine. Just like Between the Pages, the day after Thanksgiving, the inn was decked from ceiling to floorboard in festive and undeniably cozy décor. He smiled, recalling the evening he spent with the couple decorating the lobby. “Good choice.”

Before their conversation proceeded any further, a rather petite woman emerged from the back room, wild ginger hair pulled up off her neck with a red-and-green tinsel scrunchie. For as long as he could remember, Terri took Christmas to 110%. From the day after Thanksgiving to the day after Christmas, she exclusively wore tacky sweaters, blasted seasonal music, and partook in as many of the town’s events as her work schedule would allow.

“Alex! I didn’t hear you come in, sorry. I was just finishing up my lunch.” Terri propped her arm on his shoulder, treating him as the arm rest she used him as during high school though he had since shot up to be quite a few inches taller than her since then. “I see you’ve met Mr. Jiang. His work is fantastic, captures the heart of his subject.”

“Mrs. Mulligan, please, you’re too kind.” Chet placed a hand over his chest, the quick, subtle smile coming back just long enough for Alexander to catch it.

“It’s like magic… I think you’re going to show what Heartview truly is.” It was more open than Alexander was accustomed to being, but it was true. He had never seen so much life in a still image before.

Terri clapped her hands together, her face lighting up. “Alex, you should show Chet around Heartview. You know the season just as well as I do, and he needs somebody to show him what we’re all about. So he can ‘show what Heartview truly is.’”

Alexander felt his cheeks begin to burn as the spotlight of attention spun right onto him. “Well, I don’t know about that…”

“Oh, come on, you’d be great at it.” Terri took his arm and shook him back and forth. “No one else is more qualified than my best friend.”

“I would have thought Lorraine was your best friend,” he smiled, feeling himself giving in to her suggestion already.

“Well of course she’s my best friend. But firstly, she’s my wife. And secondly, she has to work. You, on the other hand, are available all the time, so you can go to all the good events during the day that Lorraine and I can’t take Mr. Jiang to.”

“I’d really appreciate someone showing me around.” Chet crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the corner of the shelf behind him.

Alexander let out a half-defeated sigh. It wasn’t as if he had any plans for the next couple weeks, anyway. What was the harm in showing him around, especially if he was doing this for the town? “Alright, I’ll do it.” He smiled and nodded, mostly hoping to reassure himself that this was a good idea.

Chet smiled again, this time letting it make a more permanent home on his face. “Fantastic! Do you want my number? We can talk more about events and locations later.” He was already pulling out his phone.

Alexander nodded and stumbled over himself, sitting his book back down and digging through the pockets on his coat to find his phone. He unlocked it and exchanged contact information with him as quickly as possible. Once again, he was surprised by a camera shutter, this time coming from Chet’s phone instead of the camera around his neck.

He smiled at the screen. “You’re a pretty good model.” Alexander didn’t know what to say, other than an awkwardly formed thank you paired with a weird fluttering in his chest.

“I, um… I’ll let you get back to work.”

Alexander pressed his lips together. His heart was beating much, much faster than it was just ten minutes ago. He slid his phone into his pocket, finished his drink, shrugged his coat back on, and left. Snow began to fall, adding another sheet to the blankets already covering the curb. Streetlights were decked with thick, ruby red ribbons and an evergreen garland twisted along the black poles. Couples and families dotted the sidewalks and an odd car passed by on the salted roads. Tinny carols backed the laughter that echoed against festive store fronts. Alexander pulled his coat a little closer to himself, making his way back home.

As close as he lived to Main Street, he’d miss the pleasant comfort being around others brought. Maybe helping Chet would make this Christmas feel a little more like home.

Thank you for reading! Any attention this gets is greatly appreciated. If you’d like to be added to the taglist, comment or send me a message!

Tags: @sunwornpages @writerofthecosmos @reeseweston @reininginthefirewriting

#writeblr #writeblr community #original writing #writer #writing community #My writing #writers on tumblr #Original WIP #original characters #work in progress #mlm #romance wip #wip between the pages #OC Alexander #oc chet #oc terri

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jeremystrele · 6 years

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33 Dazzling White Dining Rooms Plus Tips To Help You Accessorize Yours

A dazzling white dining room may raise a few eyebrows among parents of spaghetti slinging toddlers, but in this age of wipe clean modern furniture materials and washable paint finishes this crisp and clean look can belong to anyone. Some may be concerned that a plain white space could lack in personality or individuality. However, this is not the case in any of these 33 dining rooms that utilise beautiful accessories to make each decor scheme completely different to the next. Join us on a journey to discover distinguished dining sets, statement dining table pendant lights and a sprinkling of bright accent ideas.

Visualizer: Artem Bobrov Crown your dining spot. A modern chandelier hovers like a halo over this heavenly black and white dining room. Wood tone and greenery breath life onto the blank canvas.

Visualizer: Alexey Kilimichenko Let treasured items inspire your scheme. A colourful travel poster is the inspiration for the tropical palette of this coral and green accented scheme. Jade green modern dining chairs encircle a round dining table with a white marble top, under a coral coloured dining room pendant light. A bulky white dining room buffet blends into the background.

Visualizer: Julia Buza Add a look of expense and luxury with golden trims. The subtle sheen brought by a gold dining pendant, slim ceiling inlay, and the golden legs of chic grey dining chairs and black console unit simply oozes upper class. Don’t go overboard on this metallic though as it will have the entirely opposite effect.

Designer: Atelier Daaa Don’t be afraid to mix things up. With a plain white backdrop and a clear glass dining table, this room scheme could afford a little mix and match when it came to selecting the dining chairs.

Designer: Atelier Daaa Contrasting colour accessories give maximum impact. Three orange tinted versions of dining ghost chairs add extra interest to this carte blanche. A blue based art canvas lends terrific contrast to the tangerine chairs. Blue and orange accessories pop out from white decor around the room.

Visualizer: Alesya Kasianenko Introduce a colourful area rug. Just because your walls are painted white doesn’t mean you can’t be seated in a colourful dining area. This striped red rug design is matched by dominant red artwork. A single red accent chair is quirkily positioned along one side of the extendable wooden dining table, rather than placed at the more obvious head of the table. The shape of the dining pendant light emulates pomegranate seeds, which can be seen tumbling from the table centrepiece. A similar chandelier is available here.

Designer: Atelier Daaa Balance the space. The dark wirework shade of this Vertigo pendant spans the entire length of a bright eight seat dining set, made up with the Muuto Nerd chair and Saarinen executive side chair.

Designer: MAMOUT architects & AUXAU Mark out your dining zone with multiple pendant lights.

Visualizer: Andrea Papini Low hung lighting visually anchors a centrally placed table to its spot.

Designer: Craftr Studio Incorporate existing built-in seating as a banquette bench. This white dining room set is positioned up against a window seat to save space – it also saves on splashing the cash on extra dining chairs.

Visualizer: Lab59 Wood and white for the win. A wooden dining set makes a perfect warming addition to icy dining room decor. This wooden sculptural chair design is the Genny Easy chair by Morelato.

Visualizer: Igor Sirotov Bespoke designs can save on space. A white dining room table and chairs morphs with a kitchen island here, creating a streamlined design.

Visualizer: Ignacio Riera A dining bench can seat extra guests. Impromptu diners can be accommodated by budging up on this black and white dining room set with bench.

Visualizer: Dina Kuzmenko Introduce some pattern. A chevron feature wall has been created behind a pure white dining room table set, in this cheerful blue and white dining room. The modern white dining room chairs are the Eames armchair.

Visualizer: Coloroom Interiors Let the shelves do the talking. At least, let the contents of your shelves be the loudest part of quietly colour free decor. Recessed shelving makes a modern change from a more traditional white dining room hutch.

Visualizer: Pham Phuc Do the legwork. These white dining room chairs have Eiffel Tower inspired legs that bring a look of strength to a gentle white scheme.

Visualizer: Bercy Chen Studio LP Don’t underestimate the power of plants. Indoor plants are an easy way to add flashes of greenery to a plain looking room.

Visualizer: Tesla Studio Think outside the (white) box. A swing arm wall lamp is a novel way to add lighting over a dining room table, and this black Flos Mod 265 is just the ticket to complement a modern white dining room table. A cheaper replica is available here.

Visualizer: Inviz Make your table centrepiece suit your needs. You don’t have to splash out on fancy candlesticks if you’re not the dinner party type. A simple modern fruit bowl will do.

Photographer: Hey!Cheese Visualizer: Fungo Design Add colour in unexpected ways. A blue pegboard wall behind two Caravaggio Pendant lights provides a repositionable shelving system, plus wall hooks where and when they’re needed.

Designer: Maayan Zusman Make a shy white scheme blush. This blush pink dining table makes a sweet departure from the surrounding monochrome scheme. Different white dining room chair designs keep the set looking fresh. The dinky globe pendant lights are the Flos String Light Round.

Visualizer: Evgenii Bulatnikov & Devid Liquify Geometric accents bring edge to any scheme, like these Vibia Wireflow 2D pendants.

Visualizer: Home d A roaring fireplace adds movement, colour and light. Large artwork can be propped on the floor behind the table for a change of scene.

Visualizer: Stijn Vereeken Kitchen bars aren’t just for breakfast. This tall and elegant black and white dining room set is made by placing modern dining chairs at a sleek kitchen bar.

Visualizer: Maria Garkusha & Ruslan Kovalchuk Go large on lighting.

Visualizer: Inuti Linear thinking makes light work of minimal spaces. A striking linear suspension lamp looks crisp over black and white dining room sets.

Designer: Flat White Visualizer: Tomas Firla & Lukas Teuber Maximise on monochrome. A black and white dining room table takes on a new dynamic amongst chunky black accent pieces.

Visualizer: Z Design All white dining room sets blend in unobtrusively in a white kitchen diner setup.

Visualizer: One Design Studio Earth tones add depth and warmth. Choose a white dining room cabinet that has wooden shelving nooks, or layer a wooden dining set in front of plain white dining room furniture. Make a centrepiece with a ceramic vase of green fronds to finish the look.

Visualizer: Sasha Gnativ Off white dining room sets have a softer look.

Visualizer: Slava Korchagin Use your table top as a canvas for colour.

Designer: Soffit Interiors Visualizer: Apollo Render Display elaborate artwork right on the table.

Visualizer: DA Visual Add pops of colour with pendants. Colourful wood and concrete pendants colour this monochromatic Scandinavian dining room. A mismatched selection of black and white dining room chairs add to the quirky eclectic aesthetic, placed around a plain white dining room table.

1. Menu Dropp fruit bowl 2. Saarinen Tulip style dining chair 3. Secto sculptural pendant 4. Menu ceramic salt and pepper shakers 5. Alessi lily bird sauce container 6. Decorative driftwood vase 7. Extendable dining table 8. Dragon wine holder 9. Unique wine glasses

For dining table chair combination recommendations, check out: 42 Dining Table & Chair Combinations That Just Work Great Together

33 Black Dining Rooms That Your Dinner Guests Will Adore

50 Beautiful Globe Pendant Lights: From Metal To Glass To Paper

30 Black & White Dining Rooms That Work Their Monochrome Magic

4 Bright & Cheerful Interiors That Use White & Wood To Good Effect

Dining Room Pendant Lights: 40 Beautiful Lighting Fixtures To Brighten Up Your Dining

Awesome Dining Rooms From Hulsta

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garagedoorshampshire · 6 years