Booklovers

Miriam turned as they left and, with the book-fueled flames bathing her and Molly in a fiery orange glow, watched as Booklovers and her dream burned to the ground.

Aaron, seated on the back of a paramedic truck and wearing an oxygen mask, also watched as the flames snuffed the life out of the bookstore. And he realized that his dream of finding buried treasure inside was also over.

In his panic to get Harold to safety, he'd forgotten the Salinger letter on Miriam's desk and it had been destroyed in the fire. But that wasn't Aaron's only disappointment.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to find Emily any more books with mementoes hidden between their pages, and he wouldn't be able to make amends for what he'd done. Booklovers was the only place she'd ever been happy; he'd taken that away from her, and now it was gone.

* * *

The story in the papers the next day called Aaron a hero for saving both Harold and Molly from the fire, but he knew it was his fault that the store had burned down. He hadn't shut the gate when he was using Miriam's computer, and Molly had wandered out, half-blind, and knocked over one of the space heaters.

Aaron went to her house and apologized to Miriam, but she refused to let him blame himself for the fire. The store had only cost her a dollar and she was just thankful that no one had been hurt.

"I still feel terrible about it," Aaron said, "I know it was always your dream to own a bookstore."

"And I achieved my dream," Miriam said. "I can always find another bookstore, but I could never find another Molly."

With her beloved cocker spaniel sleeping nearby, Miriam kissed Aaron on the cheek and said, "Don't worry about me, and don't forget Emily."

Aaron couldn't forget her; he'd gone by her house to talk to her, but in his guilt over the fire he hadn't been able to work up the nerve to knock on her door. While there, he'd also noticed a For Sale sign on the lawn, and wondered if it was his fault that she was moving.

Aaron figured the fire was a sign. In his greed to profit from the letter and his lust for Chloe, he'd destroyed any hope he ever had with Emily. His only wish was that he could give her one last memento.

He went home to his small apartment and as he sat in his chair, staring out the window at the falling snow, he glanced at his bookcase and saw a book lying on its side at the end.

It was the copy of the Pearl that Emily had given him, and as he opened it and looked at the Valentine card inside he knew that she should have it, one last gift from Booklovers.

As soon as it was dark, Aaron went to her house and crept up the front stairs to leave the book near the door. He was just reaching for the doorbell when the door opened.

Emily stood in the doorway, framed by the light within. "I knew it had to be you," she said.

"I just couldn't let those books go to some stranger," Aaron said, "and I knew you'd take care of them."

He picked up the copy of the Pearl and gave it to her. When Emily saw the cover, she said, "I gave this to you as a present. You don't want it anymore?"

"You should have it," he said. "Booklovers burned down."

"I know, I saw the picture of you and Molly in the paper. They said you're a hero."

"I'm not a hero, the fire was my fault. And now that the books are all gone, I wanted you to have this one so you'll remember Booklovers...so you'll remember me."

"Aaron, I love every single book you brought me, and every time I look at them I'll think of you. Are you sure you really want me to have this one?"

"Yeah, you know me, if I keep it I'll probably just end up selling it on Ebay," he said.

Emily opened the book and smiled when she saw the card inside. As she pulled the old valentine out and admired it lovingly, she said, "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, the book, the card, it's all yours."

"No, I mean, is this my Valentine?"

"Huh?"

"You do know what day it is today, don't you?"

In his hurry to bring Emily the book, Aaron had completely forgotten -- it was Valentine's Day. After what had happened with Chloe and her, he hadn't even thought about the day, knowing he'd have no one to spend it with. But as he looked up and saw the smile on Emily's face, he realized he'd been wrong.

"Uhh...yeah, Happy Valentine's Day," he said. "Did you -- I mean, would you go out with me? You know, for Indian food or something?"

Emily smiled as she closed the book, the card inside, and hugged it against her chest. "I thought you'd never ask."

The food was delicious and as they ate they talked, the first real conversation they'd ever had. They shared their love of books, their favorite authors, and discovered they had more in common than they'd ever suspected.

And as Aaron held her hand and walked her back up the snow-covered path to her front door, Emily said, "I had a great night, and I love my present, but...if there's really something happening here, you know, if you really like me, can we just go slow? I'm not Chloe."

"I'm glad you're not," he said. "Am I allowed to ask for a kiss good night?"

"It's a little forward," she joked. "But seeing as how I forgot to get you a valentine, I guess I owe you one kiss."

Emily stood on her tiptoes as Aaron leaned down and kissed her. As their lips melted together, he pulled her body tightly against his and the two of them forgot the cold, lost in each other's arms.

When they both reluctantly ended their passionate embrace, Emily gazed up into his eyes and whispered, "It's cold out here, I think you'd better come inside after all."

Once inside the warmth of her house, Aaron saw the boxes lining the hallway and remembered the For Sale sign. "Are you moving or something?"

"Yes...but I don't want to. My mother left the house to both my brother and me, and now he wants to sell it. I don't want to leave. I don't want to have to find another home for me and my books."

As she saw Aaron turning into the living room, Emily warned him, "You were right before, I am kind of a hoarder."

His jaw dropped as he stepped into the living room -- there were books everywhere. But it wasn't like with other hoarders, there were proper bookshelves from floor to ceiling and all of the books she'd found were lovingly stored on them. And as he moved room to room, he saw the same shelves on every wall, in every hallway; thousands and thousands of books lined every inch of Emily's home.

"I thought you weren't a collector!" he said.

"I'm not, but each one of these books is special. Every one has a special memory, a special memento in them."

She led him to a shelf and as she ran her fingers fondly across their spines and turned to look at him, he could see the love in her eyes.

"My dad was in the army, and we moved all of the time when I was young. My mom knew how tough it was for me to make friends, only to lose them as soon as we moved again, so she'd buy me books and tell me they'd be my friends.

"But one year, when I was a teenager, we had to move yet again. And when I went home to pack my books they were all gone. My father had donated them, saying that they were too heavy to keep moving from town to town. He didn't understand why I cried so hard, and promised to buy me new books when we got to our new home. But the books would never be the same, I'd hidden mementos inside the pages of every one so I'd remember the places I'd lived, the friends I'd known. And now they were all gone.

"So every time I find a book with a message or a memento inside I keep it, just in case a young girl like me comes looking for her books one day, so I can give them back to her."

A tear rolled down Emily's cheek, and Aaron hugged her against his chest.

"But my brother is selling the house now, and wants me to get rid of all my books again," she said.

Aaron kissed her soft, brown hair, and said, "I don't want you to have to get rid of all of your books, but the girl who owned those Nancy Drew books is never going to come back for them, and I'm sure she didn't want them to end up here. Her aunt gave her the books for her to enjoy, and I'm sure she'd want another little girl to enjoy them like she did.

"Books are supposed to be read, Emily, not hidden away."

"But these books are special," she said.

"No, they're just books, it's what's inside them that's special; the mementoes, the memories. And they need to be shared with others, not hidden away here. Maybe another aunt will see the inscription in the Nancy Drew books and buy them for her niece. Or maybe someone will find the postcard left there, and be inspired to go on a trip. It's great that you saved all these books, but don't save them to keep them here, save them so that someone else can enjoy them as the people who loved them before did."

"I'd like that," she said, "but can we discuss it some more tomorrow? Valentine's Day isn't over yet."

Emily led Aaron by the hand upstairs to her bedroom. He was surprised to see that the only books in her room were the ones on a small shelf above her bed -- all of the books he'd left her on the porch, with the copy of the Pearl and the valentine that had been hidden inside leaning against the end.

Emily slid her hands beneath his shirt, and as she slid it up he lifted his arms and pulled it over his head. She trailed soft kisses across his chest as he undid her jeans and slid his hands down the back, feeling her smooth ass as they kissed.

After they'd completely undressed each other, they crawled into the warmth of her bed.

Aaron moved beside Emily and saw the nervous expectation in her eyes. He kissed her softly on the lips and then moved down her neck, trailing soft kisses toward her breasts.

The soft flesh yielded to his touch, and her nipples grew erect against his tongue. Sliding under the blanket, Aaron planted kisses down her side, and when he kissed her on the soft spot just above her hip she squealed in delight.

"Don't! I'm ticklish there," she said.

Aaron smiled at the sound of her laughter. "Let's see where else you're ticklish."

He disappeared beneath the blanket, and Emily trembled with anticipation as he moved between her legs.

She gasped at the first touch of his tongue, a gentle flick against the soft folds of her delicate pussy, and leaned her head back on the pillow.

After the first few tentative licks, Aaron's tongue delved deeper, parting her lips until he found her swollen clit.

Emily closed her eyes and arched her back, moaning as his mouth sent shivers of pleasure coursing through her body.

Aaron spread her thighs as he teased her pussy, softly flicking the tip of his tongue against her tiny clit. She tasted wonderful, and as he savored her sweet juices he listened to the music of her gasps and moans as she came against his mouth.

When he moved back up her body she grabbed him and kissed him hard on the mouth, her tongue as deep inside as his had just been in her pussy. Her face was flushed and she was breathing hard, the waves of pleasure from her orgasm still not having subsided.

Emily reached her hand between his legs and, when her fingers wrapped around his stiff shaft, stroked him fast. "I want to suck you," she whispered.

"Not yet," Aaron said, and moved between her legs.

As his hard shaft pressed against her opening, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Emily quickly nodded yes, and Aaron entered her.

She gasped as his thick cock parted her lips and slid slowly, so slowly, into her tight pussy.

Once he was a couple of inches in, Aaron waited, letting her get used to his size. Emily lifted her head off the pillow and looked between her legs so that she could see how good it looked, having his beautiful cock buried in her pussy, and then nodded for him to keep going.

Emily moaned as he pushed his length inside her, his thick shaft stretching her tiny hole wide. She wasn't a virgin, but she'd never felt like this.

As Aaron slowly pumped his cock in and out, Emily tossed her head from side to side on the pillow, a second orgasm flooding her body.

He could feel how tight her pussy was, but she was so wet that he fucked her easily, rocking his hips and giving her long, full strokes with his thick shaft. He loved watching her face as she came and knew he was close to coming too, but he didn't want their night to end yet.

Aaron pulled out of her and fell on his back beside her, wanting to change positions.

But Emily immediately slid down his body and wrapped her mouth around his cock. She'd wanted to suck it for so long, ever since she'd first felt it against her ass when he pressed up behind her in Booklovers.

His big dick stretched her tiny mouth, but she loved the feel of it as her lips bobbed up and down his shaft. And she could feel his hand behind her head, letting her know exactly how he liked to have his cock sucked. As her tongue teased him, Emily could taste the juices from her pussy that coated his length, and as he got even harder in her mouth she wondered what his cum would taste like.

But Aaron didn't give her the chance to find out. Placing his hand on her shoulder to stop her, he whispered, "Come here."

Emily reluctantly let his beautiful cock slip free from her mouth, and gave it one last lick before turning around.

"Get on top of me," Aaron said, and as she straddled him he pulled her down to kiss her again.

After breaking the kiss, Emily looked between her legs as Aaron lined up his cock with her pussy. When she felt his tip against her opening, she lowered herself, shuddering in pleasure as his cock filled her again.

Emily kept her head down, watching his thick cock disappear between her legs as she rode it. Her small twin-sized bed, the same one she'd had since she was a teenager, squeaked as she bounced up and down; Aaron was the first guy she'd ever shared her bed with.

He grabbed her beautiful, round ass and rocked her back and forth on his pole, and Emily cried out in pleasure as he fucked her even faster, even harder. He felt his balls tightening and knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Can I come inside you?" he said.

"Yes...oh, yes," Emily moaned.

Aaron groaned as he released inside her, and Emily collapsed against his chest, a third orgasm surging through her as she felt the warmth of his cum flooding her.

As she lay exhausted against his chest, Aaron kissed her soft brown hair and whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

When he woke up Sunday morning, Emily was curled up against him and sleeping soundly. A ray of sunlight peeked in through a part in the curtains and illuminated the bookshelf above their heads.

Aaron looked up at the old valentine that Emily had pulled out and left propped up against the books. He smiled, thinking that a valentine's card that had brought love to someone sixty years before was now bringing love to someone again. He remembered the inscription: "For Esme..." and then it hit him.

Quickly sitting up in the small bed, careful not to wake Emily, Aaron grabbed the card and looked at the back: "For Esme...from Jerry."

It had been over a week since he googled his signature, but Aaron instantly recognized the handwriting and realized who Jerry was -- Jerome David Salinger. And now he knew why the name Esme had sounded familiar; Salinger's most famous short story was, "For Esme -- With Love and Squalor."

Emily was still sound asleep as Aaron padded naked out of the room. If the card had been in the bookstore, and the letter that had been destroyed had also been there, could there have been more?

As he went downstairs, he remembered that the copy of The Pearl that the card had been in was the Modern Library edition. The book he'd found the letter in had also been a Modern Library edition. He searched Emily's bookshelves, his eyes sliding across the spines, seemingly arranged with no rhyme or reason. And then he found them all together on the same shelf, ten Modern Library classics; right beside the first edition of Travels with Charley that Emily had refused to let him buy.

Aaron pulled down one of the Modern Library books and as soon as he opened it he found a letter, signed, "J.D. Salinger." He pulled down each of the books and there was a letter in every one.

After the first letter had been destroyed in the fire, Aaron had searched the Internet to find out what it might have been worth. He discovered that over a decade ago nine letters from Salinger had been found and sold for nearly one hundred thousand dollars. But rumor had it the letters were given to Salinger, and he destroyed them.

Now Aaron had found ten more letters and a valentine card signed by the notoriously reclusive author. With Salinger deceased, and if they were written to the real Esme from the story, Aaron knew this collection would be priceless.

He also knew that Emily had found the letters, that was why she'd bought the books, but she had no idea who they were from or how much they were worth.

This was what he'd always been searching for, the holy grail of all first edition treasure hunters. He knew he could take them and she'd never know. There were thousands of books in her house; she had no way of remembering what was in each one. The letters were worth a fortune, and he knew he couldn't put them back.

Aaron went to the hallway and hid them in his coat pocket, and then tiptoed back upstairs to get his clothes.

After dressing, and with Emily still asleep, he found some paper and wrote her a note, starting with: "Emily, I'm sorry..."

When he finished the note, he carefully left it beside her bed and, just before he left, he took back the old valentine card he'd given her.

When Emily woke an hour later she was surprised to see Aaron was gone. But as soon as she read the note, she knew why.

A pang of sadness struck her when she noticed he'd taken the valentine too, and she wandered downstairs to her books, wishing there was some way to keep them. But she knew what Aaron had said last night was right, she had to get rid of the books, had to make sure they could be enjoyed again.

She picked up the copy of Travels with Charley and flipped it open. Inside there was a napkin from a road side cafe, signed, "Janet, so nice to meet you -- John Steinbeck." She knew the note was probably worth a lot of money, but she couldn't bear the thought of selling anything in her collection.

Emily closed the book and knew it would be the first one she'd get rid of; she'd give it to Aaron. Her fingers wandered across the Modern Library books beside it, and she realized they were out of order. She always put similar books in alphabetical order, and she wondered who'd been looking at them. She was about to pull one down when she heard a car pull up outside.

She opened the door and saw Aaron and another man coming up the walk.

"Morning, Emily, this is my friend, Matt. Did you get my note?" Aaron said.

"Yes, you said you were sorry you couldn't be here when I woke up, but you'd be back in a few hours. I'm actually surprised you're back so soon. Where did you go? To get coffee?"

"No, I had to go see Matt to have him look at something. And now I'm back -- to let you know that you're rich!"

Emily blinked in surprise and laughed. "Did I win the lottery or something?"

"Basically, yes! Matt's an expert in first editions and correspondence. I found some letters in your books that were all written and signed by J.D. Salinger, and they're worth a fortune!"

"But they're -- they're not mine," Emily said. "They belong to whoever left them in the books, we have to find them and give them back."

"I knew you'd say that," Aaron said, "so I searched the Internet while Matt was looking at the letters and found out some information about the woman the letters were sent to -- the real Esme. She lived near here and died childless a few years ago. All of her possessions were donated -- the letters are yours Emily."