Chapter Nine
Aurora
I smiled when I recognized Jasper. Seeing him again was unexpected, but not unwelcome.
After the coffee shop encounter a few days earlier, he no longer felt like a stranger connected exclusively to a bad accident.
He looked different standing in the middle of a bookstore than he had at the scene of a crash or sitting across from me at the café, but the easy smile was familiar.
Beside me, Elyssa followed my gaze and immediately identified the reason for my distraction.
Fortunately, she remained silent for once.
Jasper started walking toward us, and I watched him approach without feeling any need to pretend I was doing something else. A moment later he stopped beside the display table.
"Looks like we keep running into each other."
"It would appear that way," I replied.
He glanced around the bookstore.
"At this point I'm starting to think Chicago isn't nearly as big as everyone claims."
I laughed.
"That would explain a lot."
Beside me, Elyssa shook her head.
"Maybe the two of you just visit decent coffee shops and bookstores."
Jasper smiled.
"That sounds considerably more likely."
The conversation settled naturally after that. Jasper asked how things had been going since the coffee shop, and I admitted that I was gradually becoming accustomed to life on crutches even if I still disliked them. The discussion then shifted toward the obvious subject surrounding us.
I glanced at the stack of books tucked beneath Jasper's arm.
"Find anything good?"
"A few things."
"Sounds expensive."
"It probably will be."
I glanced at the titles.
"History?"
"I like history."
I studied the stack more closely.
"Military history, by the look of it."
A smile appeared.
"Among other things."
That surprised me slightly. During the brief time I'd known Jasper, most of my memories of him involved emergency vehicles, winter storms, and a hospital stay I would rather not repeat.
Seeing him standing in a bookstore carrying several books about military campaigns and political history didn't fit neatly with the picture I'd unconsciously built.
He noticed the look.
"What?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing. I think I'd convinced myself I had you figured out."
"That sounds dangerous."
"Probably."
He adjusted the books beneath one arm.
"For the record, I read a little bit of everything. History, biographies, some fiction, and anything recommended by somebody whose opinion I trust."
We continued browsing through the store together, comparing favourite authors and discussing books we'd enjoyed over the years. The conversation moved easily from one subject to another without either of us needing to work particularly hard to keep it going.
At some point Elyssa wandered toward another section of the store in search of educational resources, leaving Jasper and me to continue our discussion while we made our way through the shelves.
Neither of us commented on her departure. We simply continued talking as though we'd known each other considerably longer than we actually had.
"What made you become a firefighter paramedic?"
"My grandfather was a firefighter and my father was a paramedic. I decided to combine the two."
"That's it?"
"That's where it started."
He considered the question for a moment.
"I grew up hearing stories about both jobs. By the time I was old enough to choose a career, it was the only thing I could really picture myself doing."
"And you never changed your mind?"
"Not once."
The certainty in his response caught my attention. Most people seemed to arrive at careers through a combination of opportunity and circumstance, yet Jasper spoke about his as though there had never been any real alternative.
"What about you?" he asked. "Did you always want to teach?"
"Not always."
"What changed?"
I smiled.
"My Year Six teacher."
"Really?"
"She somehow convinced a classroom full of eleven-year-olds that reading was exciting."
"That sounds like a useful skill."
"It probably saved my future students."
The discussion shifted naturally toward teaching after that.
I told him about difficult students, faculty politics, and the countless responsibilities nobody mentioned during university.
In return, he shared stories about Firehouse 99, the friendships that developed after years of working together, and some of the stranger situations emergency responders occasionally encountered.
More than once we discovered similarities between our professions despite how different they appeared on the surface.
Both required patience, adaptability, and the ability to respond to unexpected situations without warning.
Time slipped by far more quickly than I realized or liked.
Eventually we found ourselves back near the front of the store where Elyssa reappeared carrying several books. She took one look at us before glancing toward the checkout area.
"Ready?"
I looked at the stack in her arms.
"I see you found something."
"A few things."
"A few?"
She ignored the question completely.
The three of us joined the line near the registers and continued talking while purchases accumulated on the counter.
Between us, we had somehow selected enough books to keep several publishers in business.
The cashier appeared delighted by the situation.
My bank account was considerably less enthusiastic.
By the time we stepped back outside, the afternoon had slipped toward evening. Cold air greeted us immediately, and for a moment nobody seemed particularly eager to bring the conversation to an end.
Jasper shifted his books beneath one arm.
"I know this might sound a little forward, but would it be okay if I gave you my number?"
The question caught me slightly off guard, although not unpleasantly.
His expression remained relaxed.
"I thought it might be easier than relying on bookstores and coffee shops. I’d like to see you again."
A smile tugged at my mouth.
"That does seem like a flawed system."
"It has limitations."
I pulled my phone from my bag.
"Probably better if I give you mine too."
"That would definitely help."
A few moments later we’d exchanged numbers and sent quick messages to make sure everything worked.
"There."
He glanced at his screen.
"Now we have a backup plan."
"Very sensible."
"I have my moments."
We stood on the sidewalk for another minute before practicality finally won.
"It was good seeing you again, Aurora."
"You too, Jasper."
After a final exchange, we headed in opposite directions. As Elyssa and I made our way toward the car, I found myself smiling for reasons I had no intention of discussing with my best friend.