Page 85 of His Heart

Brooke

“Hey, Joe.”I closed the door to the bookstore as quickly as possible to stop the blast of cold air. It was freezing out there. “How’s it going?”

Joe leaned against a tall stool behind the front counter, an open book in his hands. “Quiet. Are you early?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I had an appointment and it was easier to come straight here, rather than go home. I’ll just go sit in the back for a few if you don’t mind.”

He nodded. “No problem.”

I went into the back and sat down at the little table, wondering if Joe would let me put a space heater back here. I huddled down in my thick coat and rubbed my hands together. Sebastian had warned me winter was going to be cold. As far as I was concerned, I was surprised it wasn’t snowing. And it was only October.

I was glad I had a little time before I had to be on the clock. My appointment had been with my new therapist, and even though we hadn’t delved too deeply into anything serious, it had been emotionally draining.

Although logically I could see the benefits of therapy, I wasn’t convinced it was right for me. Or maybe I just hadn’t found the right therapist. But I’d promised Sebastian I would give it a shot, and Olivia had backed him up. I’d complained about them ganging up on me, but they hadn’t backed down. So off to therapy I went, once a week on Wednesdays.

My phone dinged with a text. I fished it out of my handbag.

Seb: Hey, love. I have class tonight but can I come over later?

Me: You better. I miss you.

Seb: Miss you too. At work?

Me: Yep. It’s cold in here.

Seb: Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up.

Me: Can’t wait. Love you.

Seb: Love you too, chilly girl.

I smiled and touched his name on the screen. It felt so good to smile. I’d been doing a lot more of it since Sebastian and I had gotten together. It had been about a month since that unbelievable day when he’d kissed me… made love to me… then fucked me into oblivion. I was so in love with him, sometimes I didn’t know what to do with myself.

But I still carried a hint of fear. What if I wasn’t strong enough to love him the way he deserved? He was so big and powerful. So fierce and determined. I hoped my spirit had the strength to match his.

With a little time left to kill, I pulled out my notebook. I wrote down a few lines that had been bouncing around in my head all morning.

The future

Has a face

Where it did not before

Potential, and hope, and possibility

But only

If the darkness

Always looming

Does not prevail

It was short,and simple. But I looked at my words and left them as they were—satisfied. For now, at least. Sometimes I needed pages and pages to express my thoughts. Other times a few lines felt right.

I closed the notebook and put it away. I’d filled the original one Sebastian had given me, and a few more since then. This one had a deep orange and blue paisley cover. It almost matched my sweater.

When it was time for my shift, I reluctantly left my coat on a hook and came out into the shop. Although now that I’d been inside for a little while, I wasn’t all that cold.

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