The Bookshop Cat – Part 2: Reading Room
Gay Stories·EN·1 min read·Published 2026-11-07, updated 2026-11-07·Part 2 of 2
The poetry evening was Idris's idea.
By seven o'clock, the shop was full: students on the stairs, neighbours on the floor, a grey-haired woman in the history section reading aloud from a battered anthology. Candles flickered on the shelves. Fraser stood behind the till, dazed, ringing up sale after sale.
"Eleven books," said a customer.
"Sorry?"
"I'm buying eleven. I live nearby. I'll be back every week."
By ten, they had taken more money than in the previous three months. The last customer left, humming. The rain had stopped. Fraser sank into the chair by the window, stunned, and Marmalade jumped into his lap.
"Traitor," he murmured.
Idris laughed, and locked the door, and turned the sign. He came and sat on the arm of the chair, warm and quiet. The candles guttered low.
"You did it," said Fraser, softly.
"We did it."
"I couldn't have."
"You did the hard part. You said yes to the shop."
Fraser looked up. In the dim light, Idris's face was gentle, his eyes steady behind his glasses. The cat purred between them.
"Can I ask you something?" said Fraser.
"Yes."
"May I kiss you?"
"Yes," said Idris. "And if you say stop, you must read me the whole anthology out loud."
"It's six hundred pages."
"I'm in no hurry."
Fraser kissed him, a little clumsily, a hand rising to his jaw. Idris kissed him back with warm, deliberate sweetness, his fingers sliding into Fraser's red hair, tasting of tea and candle smoke. The cat gave an affronted meow and relocated to the sofa.
When they parted, both of them were smiling.
"Green?" asked Idris.
"Green," said Fraser. "Very green."
The shop now has a new sign above the door: Marmalade & Co. Books, tea, one cat. On Thursdays, there is poetry.
More gay romance stories: Morning Run · Night Telescope · The Tailor's Apprentice
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