Page 56 of I Met Him At The Library

The stupidity of youth bit me in the ass, which was why I preferred to keep everything about myself private. Unfortunately, my desire to keep my life private and out of the mouths of the town gossip mill, might push away a man I was falling head over heels for.

“Coffee?” Sadie asked, pulling me to the present again.

I nodded as the sounds and smells of the diner filled my head. Sitting in the corner booth, I was waiting to meet with Ryan. I watched the black “liquid gold” pour into my cup as the bells above the door rang out. My eyes lifted toward the door, expecting Ryan, but seeing Nick standing there as he scanned the restaurant.

“Oh my god,” Sadie whispered, then she shouted out to him, “Hey, take a seat anywhere.”

Nick’s eyes went to her, and then settled on me. A grin spread as his dimples appeared in his cheeks. My eyes widened as he made his way across the restaurant and sat down opposite of me. The diner went silent with the exception of the clanging pans coming from behind the window to the kitchen. I could feel the eyes of everyone on me, and my cheeks began to heat.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed at Nick.

“After seeing you, I got to thinking. I needed to see you again.”

“No,” I stated.

“I missed you.”

“No.”

“I’ll be working in Fairwood for years, possibly the rest of my life.”

“No.” I began shaking my head back and forth, barely registering the bells over the door ringing again.

My attention was glued onto Nick, I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. What the hell was he thinking? We weren’t anything back then.

“I want to date you, for real. You are amazing and …” Nick paused as his eyes moved next to us.

A weight dropped into the seat next to me, and my head turned. Then Ryan’s lips were on mine, his hand on my jaw, heat rising in me like it always does when I was near him. Everything disappeared.

That was until whispers erupted around us, and I remembered where I was. As Ryan pulled back, my heart began pounding in my chest as the reality of what just happened hit me. Panic had gripped me, and for a second, I was frozen.

“Sorry I’m late, sweetheart,” Ryan whispered.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you two …” Nick spoke quietly, and my eyes unglued from Ryan to stare at him.

“Yes, we are,” Ryan stated, his arm coming around my shoulders.

My eyes dropped to the table, as I refused to look around the busy restaurant. By the end of this day, every person in this town would assume Ryan and I were together. The rumors would start up again. There would be comparisons and people would talk about how I should choose Nick, or how I wasn’t pretty enough for either, or how Ryan could do better. Betting on how long our relationship would last would begin, people would be afraid I’d drive Ryan away like I did Thomas, George, and Nick. I couldn’t make them stay because I wasn’t skinny, or beautiful, or extroverted.

“I’m sorry,” Nick muttered before he slid from the booth and left.

I refused to go after him. I didn’t feel anything for him, and despite feeling mildly bad for him, I wasn’t going to give the town anything more to talk about.

“What are you doing?” I whispered to Ryan as he switched to the opposite side of the booth.

“Staking my claim,” Ryan whispered back, and my eyes lifted to his.

His words left no room for argument, but his eyes were filled with longing. Hoping I’d accept them, and I’d let him “stake his claim.” But as the whispered voices of the other patrons filtered through to my ears, all I could think about was how he’d basically forced my hand.

He didn’t think about how his staying here was contingent on us keeping the library open. He didn’t think about what it would look like if yet another man left town after dating me. There wasn’t a single second he considered whether I’d be comfortable enough with him announcing our relationship status.

Closing my eyes for a second, I forced myself to prioritize my needs over how it would look to others. Grabbing my purse, I dropped a ten down on the table and slid from the booth.

“Emily,” Ryan whispered, but I walked away.

I could feel the eyes on me, but I ignored them as I marched toward the door. Pounding footsteps came up behind me as I pushed through the door and out to the street. Turning, I walked toward my apartment.

“Why are you mad?” Ryan asked as he fell into step next to me.

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