"You don't love me anymore," she said on repeat.
The fire from the stove licked at her pages, singeing the edges and threatening to light her up like a pile of leaves. The poor girl was old. It wouldn't take much to set those dry pages ablaze.
"Don't say that," Journeyman said. "I'll always love you."
"Liar!", she said in a shrill shriek. "You haven't touched me in years! You just look at me like you could imagine something better occupying my spot!"
She had him there. Truth was that he did find other tittles more alluring nowadays; bestsellers with virgin spines and that new book smell. How could she believe that she would be the only one forever? Sure, they had some good times, especially that Spring in the park when they snuck behind the bushes for one more chapter but that was years ago. I'd moved on. If I could just make her see that...
I took a step towards her and she flinched closer to the stove's flame. The corner of a page lit up for a second but she didn't seem to feel it.
"Okay, wait!" said Journeyman. "You're right. You're right baby and I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way. I neglected you. Left you sitting on a shelf next to that goddamn encyclopaedia and you deserve better." Her eyes softened for the first time since she got up there. She was starting to relax. Journeyman saw an opening and pushed on. "I'll always love you. 1Q84 has been trying to get me to donate you to a Children's Home but you know that will never happen. You're mine. And you always will be."
"Baby," she said. "I've waited to hear you say that for so long."
Pride & Prejudice broke down into tears and ran across the kitchen into Journeyman's arms. He held her tight and stroked her back cover gently.
"I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way," said Journeyman. He nuzzled his check into her folds. "I'll never let you feel neglected again. Let's go sit by the window and start again from page one."
Pride and Prejudice giggled.
"Don't be silly," she said. "You didn't even finish me the first time round."
Journeyman smiled at her and she blushed so hard her pages went frilly. He always knew how to make her feel loved. All it took were a few sweet words and the right touch. He carried her to the armchair in the corner and sank into it. Lifted his feet up and ran a finger down the linings for her first pages. Most guys just looked at the back synopsis and skimmed the first page before putting a book down but not Journeyman. Journeyman had a reputation in libraries across the galaxy for finishing every book that he picked up, whether it took ten years or ten million years. Centuries on the day that they first met and still he hadn't finished her. What if he gave up? No way she would allow herself to be the first book in the cosmos to exception Journeyman's rule.
The wind through the window breezed over her pages. She settled into a state of bliss while Journeyman read chapter 1.
"You know what would be awesome?" said Journeyman. "A cup of tea."
"Ouch," said Pride & Prejudice as Journeyman dog-eared her page and slammed her shut on the table. Five minutes later he came back to the seat by the window empty-handed, picked her up again, licked his finger and opened up the dog eared page. "Baby, where's the tea?"
"Oh," said Journeyman, barely registering her voice. "Kettle's still boiling."
Bullshit, she thought. The water dispenser spits hot water instantly. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong and she couldn't quite put her finger on what. In her mind she formulated a series of questions designed to make Journeyman reveal his true state of mind about their relationship and was about to start asking but the doorbell chimed.
"Ah," said Journeyman. "That must be the new reading light I ordered."
He dog-eared her again and put her face-down on the table. Turns out she didn't need to ask all those questions at all. She knew damn well that Journeyman hates reading under artificial light. By the time she righted herself back up Journeyman was already back in the room. Two stern-looking librarians stood beside him. They wore all white plead suits complete with elbow pads and bow-ties.
Pride & Prejudice hissed. That asshole had betrayed her. Pretending to be sweet and kind just to get her away form the stove. He didn't care if she burned herself to a pile of inky ashes. He just didn't want to clean up the mess.
She dropped off the table and dashed through one of the librarians' legs. Journeyman just shook his head and stepped to the side as Pride & Prejudice got back on the stove. He looked at her with so much pity that she wanted to stick in him in the eyes with the pointy end of a bookmark.
"Fuck you, Journeyman," she said. "If you won't take me in with your eyes, have fun inhaling my ashes."
She twisted the knob on the stove and swore when the gas refused to light. She clicked it over and over again with fury then turned and screamed at Journeyman.
"Yeah, I kinda disconnected the gas after your little stunt earlier. Boys," he said the librarians. "Make sure to put her in a display case or something, you know, so that she doesn't hurt herself."
They caught her easily this time and restrained her in a book binder. She swore all the way out but Journeyman knew she'd calm down eventually. Until then, she's someone else's problem.