>>57784982>>57786152I feel like I could have done more, but I always get stumped over where I want things to go. I'll read yours now though, didn't want it to cloud my own interpretation of the scene.
It was late in the evening, you had just finished eating dinner with Shiori and the two of you made quick work of the dishes. Cleaning up after dinner was a job the two of you performed together, rotating between washing and drying, depending on who felt like doing what. It was also a way to spend more time together, and the light conversation you shared while you cooperatively worked was pleasant and calming. The two of you had discussed your plans for the rest of the night and found that you had nothing to do. So, Shiori proposed that you use your free time and dive in to a book.
That proposition went down quite swimmingly, you had bought a lot of books lately and not had time to make your way through them. Departing from the kitchen, you sauntered into the living room, where you and Shiori kept the books you were most interested in at the time, so they were at hand when the mood took you. Of course, you each had your own personal bookshelf. Lately yours was looking a little more occupied than hers was. You looked over toward Shiori at her bookshelf and she looked back toward you, sizing your shelf up, most likely having the same thought you had just a second ago. Then, she grinned. It was a smug grin of satisfaction, as if to mock you for not diligently working away at your backlog, the cheek. When she was sure that you had seen the expression on her face, she turned back and chose the title she wished to explore tonight. Seeing her head to the couch, you quickly picked the first book that caught your attention and made your way there too.
The couch you shared was large enough to seat around three or four people, but for some reason whenever you and Shiori were alone together, you always sat close. Just her presence being near had an unspeakable sedative effect on you, and you were sure she thought the same. In fact, she had confessed as much once, her face tinged red in a blush as she hid behind her book she was reading at the time. The memory of that day, her expression floated to the forefront of your mind, at least until Shiori nudged you with her elbow. "Hey," she said, "Are you alright? going to start reading, or is there something wrong?"
You scramble to ready your book, a little flustered, breaking out of your reminiscence and focusing on the Shiori with you right now in the present. "Oh, sorry, no, it's nothing." you reply, assuaging her concerns. You open your book and begin. Losing yourself immediately within the world of words. The around you mostly silent. The only noises coming from the soft breathing of either Shiori or yourself, the occasional turning of the pages, and the tick-tock of the grandfather clock. Eventually, Shiori would lean against you, finding it more comfortable to read this way, and you adjusted your posture to account for this, bringing the two of you closer. It was a pleasing contrast. You were both lost in the constructed fiction of your own novels, but at the same time, you were together in the real world. If you had to describe something in this world as true peace, it was surely the snapshot of the moment in time you two were sharing right now.