𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐘

𝐀𝐜𝐭 ♫ 4

I REALLY WISH I could live here.

The second I step into Storybound, the strong aromas of coffee and pastries welcoming me in, it's as if my problems and worries are discarded at the front door.

Here, inside my favorite, charming bookstore—my home away from... the homeless shelter—I'm at peace amongst the hundreds of books that surround me. Safe beneath the fairy lights that twinkle above me. And the heavy stress and worries that constantly weigh on my shoulders, day and night, instantly disappear. I'm no longer Guilianna: the girl who's unemployed, starving, and homeless. I'm just Guilianna: the speed reading, romance junkie with a serious frappuccino and sugar addiction. And although I don't have enough money for my favorite drinks and sweet treats, thankfully, parking my butt in a comfy chair with a fortress of books surrounding me is still free.

Sure, other people my age enjoy going to bars and clubs to have fun and de-stress. Or most women, unlike myself, love to forget their woes and troubles by wasting their money on shoes, jewelry, and clothes. A little 'retail therapy,' everyone says. Well... 'boring with a capital B' is what I say. I absolutely do not like alcohol and I really, really hate shopping. And if I really wanted to get some sort of rush, excitement, or serotonin boosts from somewhere, it would most definitely come from Storybound's romance aisle. And I honestly wouldn't trade my literary therapy for anything else.

Stopping by the Trending on BookTok table, I quickly scan to see if anything catches my eye, because covers do matter and I do judge them fiercely. And I don't think twice when I snatch the third book from my favorite mafia series. Huzzah!

I've waited six freaking months for the release and I can't wait to finally read it, tucking the paperback tightly under my arm as if someone might take it from me. And I wouldn't blame them, since Tomasino Bianchi—the main character— is a heartthrob. A five course meal in the form of a silver fox daddy that us book girlies have savored and devoured for years.

And this new book is supposed to perfectly bring the series to a close, even though that breaks my heart into a million little pieces.

Like a lot of things in my life, I dread endings, especially when I wish my favorite love stories could continue on forever. Like Manga, which I surprisingly have never read. And that's even more surprising and ironic, since I love anime and Studio Ghibli so much.

Though, no matter how much I try to avoid it, this is what happens in life—even in the fictional realm.

Time and people move on.

Things must come to an end.

Aaaaand I don't like that one bit.