Who knew cupid's book would be a thriller? Juliet didn't.

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I’m happy with my life, always have been. My life was perfect by normal standards and I’ve just found the purr-fect read for the week, a thick, two thousand page thriller to satiate my reading need.

Unfortunately the first thing I heard when I picked it up was, “No, no, no, Juliet, please, read romance! Thrillers are so passé.”

I rolled my eyes and tapped my fingers impatiently against the table. A disapproving frown etched on her face, my best friend grabbed the book out of my grasp and read the synopsis at the back.

“She figured out how to crack the world’s biggest encryption. He’s assigned to silence her for life. When two feuding mafias join the game…” Laura trailed off. “Juliet, have you ever read a romance in your life? Tsk, tsk-“

“This is a romance,” I protested. “Did you not read the ‘she’ and ‘he’ involved? Okay, so he might just end up killing her in the end but it is a romance! Just like how Agatha Christie incorporates just the right of tinge of romance in her books.”

Laura laughed.

“You know,” she began, “it should be just the opposite.”

Heaving a sigh, I turned my eyes back to my book.

“You haven’t noticed, have you?” a Miss Laura Thompson whispered. “He has been watching you since he first arrived.”

“I’m not interested,” I replied. “How do you expect me to believe you? Name three guys who can turned on by watching a girl read. I get tongue tied and no one will ever, ever like me!”

Keeping silent, she waved her hand beckoning me to continue.

I obliged, though I rolled my eyes.

“Laura, guys like you because you’re gorgeous. Guys are dense, they never look past your face. How can a certain someone like me if I’ve never talked to him before?”

She snorted in reply. I itched to point out how she had berated me for doing such but kept silent, awaiting her reply.

“What do you expect him to say? But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”

I strangled back the laughter that threatened to spill from my mouth which only resulted in sputtering.

“Finish it Julie,” she urged.

My brows knitted together. “Why?” I queried.

“Just do it!” she barked.

Yes, barked.

“It is the east and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon-“

“Skip to the Romeo part,” she further ordered.

I sighed. “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or-”

Laura interrupted with a chuckle. “For someone who doesn’t like romance, you rock at Shakespeare.” I glared at her. Instead, she flicked her wrist, goading me further.

“If thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?” a new masculine voice emerged from behind me.

Edging away from the glare of daggers I sent her way, Laura conveniently slunk away from where she stood.

“It’s study period,” I managed calmly – as calmly as a girl with no articulacy when faced with a guy could – “aren’t you supposed to be studying?”

“Is Shakespeare part of what we’re supposed to be studying?” he answered.

“Drop dead,” I muttered.

That idiot actually laughed.

“Do you not understand the words ‘drop dead’?”

“How about the words ‘I’m alive’?”

Exasperated, I glared at him. “Forget it, I’m just going to read. Do not at all costs bug me!”

He tilted his head. Does he think he looks adorable?

“You’re bugging me by doing that.”

Well, he sorta – no, wait, stop right there!
Great…now I’m even talking to myself.

“That’s a good book you know,” he said, gesturing towards my book.

HE READS?

Wonders of wonders; the sky must have fallen.

“When you finish it I can lend you a book that’s better than that. You’re the one girl I know that doesn’t read romance. Romance is so passé.”

Did Laura just snort? Yes I think she did.

I could feel a smile automatically appear on my face.

“You know, I was just telling my friend that…”

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My first. Whadya think?