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Ed came out from processing holds in the back room to find a patron struggling with the self-service checkout. “Sorry, mate. Sometimes it’s on the fritz. But I can help you over here!” He watched as the other man looked over uncertainly and seemed to waffle for a second before slowly restacking the books he was trying to check out and heading Ed’s way.
“Hello, how are you today?” the blond asked, his polite social programming seeming to override his timidity as Ed scanned his card into the machine.
“Great, thanks. You?” Ed replied.
“Good, good...” the man nodded nervously, before his voice trailed off as Ed started to check out his selections.
On Being Different, Finally Out, The Velvet Rage, Fashionably Late. At this rate, the 306.766 section was probably looking pretty bare. Maurice, Giovanni’s Room, The Picture of Dorian Grey. He’d apparently made inroads into the classic fiction section as well. “Hey, man, can I make a suggestion?” Ed asked.
The blond hesitated, seeming to become even more anxious and withdrawn. “Yes,” he answered tersely.
“Actually, come with me,” Ed directed, rounding the desk and starting away before realizing he wasn’t being followed. He turned back to take in the man’s furrowed brow and the hands clutching tightly into fists before he realized that, while he loved throwing off the neighborhood’s pissy old farts by wearing his full leather get-up to work, the biker look probably came across as fairly intimidating to the cute baby gay in front of him. He carefully raised his hands in reassurance. “Nothing bad, mate. I promise! I just wanted to show you the Pride display I put together in case there’s more there that you want to check out.”
The man’s shoulders descended from around his ears, and he tentatively began to follow Ed. “The Pride display? But it’s April,” he protested in confusion.
Ed laughed gently. “Yeah, it is. But we should be proud of being our authentic selves year-round, right?” he asked, as they approached the right spot and he began to browse through the options. He glanced over and confirmed that the plural pronoun had registered; though the man’s eyebrows were still slightly raised, he was now offering a small but much more real smile.
Fun Home; Over the Top; Red, White, and Royal Blue. Ed turned to warn the guy about the absolute heartbreaker he was adding to the pile in Song of Achilles and was delighted to see that he’d already started a third stack of his own; he’d grabbed Hidden from History and Acts of Gaiety, and was just flipping through Lunch Poems before placing it on top.
“You like history?” Ed asked excitedly. “You should definitely read this one!” he exclaimed, finding Resistance and handing it over. “Queer people fighting Nazis; can’t be beat!”
The joyful laugh that greeted Ed’s enthusiasm felt like winning the lottery. This guy was interested in queer lit? Maybe someday Ed could introduce him to the bookshelves he had at home.