She glanced down at her hands, clasped together in her lap. I stared at the top of her head, waiting for her to get her thoughts together. Finally, she sighed and began to explain. “I don’t know. Have you ever met someone, and you knew that if you spent time with them, they would own you completely, have so much power over you they could break you?”
I gasped at her words, understanding exactly where she was coming from. I nodded my head in acknowledgement. She was still looking down, so she didn’t see me.
“I’ve never felt this kind of connection, like the one I feel when I'm with him, and I'm positive he feels it too. He's leaving, and there's no guarantee he'll return. I don’t need that in my life right now, so it's better to stay away from him,” she confessed.
“I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I want you to remember that not everyone gets a chance to find someone they have an instant connection with. It's rare, and special, and scary as fuck.”
She finally sought my eyes, and I could tell by the way her dark eyes searched my face that she was wondering if I’d felt what she’d just described. If she asked, I would refuse to tell her the truth, because just like her I was terrified.
“I don’t want you to regret not exploring what you're feeling. Especially when your time with him is so limited.”
She hung her head with a look of defeat. I kissed the back of her head and left her alone, giving her time to think. As I made my way out into the hallway, Matt was leaning on the wall, staring at the room I'd just exited. I searched his face to see if he’d overheard our conversation, but he gave nothing away.
“Go talk to her,” I encouraged him as I went by. He pushed off the wall and walked down the short hallway toward Ryan, not needing any more reassurance.
The rest of us began shutting down the bar without Ryan. From the looks Denise and Jessie kept shooting toward the back room, I could tell they were dying to know what had transpired. With Bambi sitting next to us pretending to help, they had to keep their mouths shut.
When we were done, I stood in the hallway next to Denise and Jessie, none of us sure if we should go back and disturb Ryan and soldier boy. Bambi didn't hesitate; she pushed by us, expelling an annoyed huff.
Denise followed, right on Bambi's tail. I hissed at her to come back.
"I don't want to miss the show," Denise said before entering the breakroom.
"I don't want to miss it either," Jessie said, pulling me along with her.
Ryan and Matt were nowhere to be found. I shot Jessie a smirk as Bambi slammed her locker open. My phone vibrated in my apron, pulling me out of my silent celebration with Jessie. There was a text from Ryan waiting for me.
Damn you and
your words of
wisdom. I'm kicking
your ass if you tell
anyone about this.
Pride rose in my chest. From the moment I’d met Ryan, I could tell she didn't let people in very often. HerI don't give a shitattitude kept most everyone at bay. Tonight she wasn't letting her fears get the best of her.
My heart beat a staccato as it listed the cowardly similarities I’d had just described in Ryan. When I stepped out of the breakroom, Kill was waiting for me by the back door. He was talking to Catcher and the boys, but as soon as my gaze settled on him, he turned and shot me a half smile heating my body. Just from his look, I realized I wasn't strong enough to try to hold on to him when he left, but as of right now, I was too weak to stop myself from falling for him.
“Ready to go, Slick?” he asked, slinging his arm over me, after taking my bag from my shoulder.
“Yep, night,” I said to everyone as I rushed Kill to my car.
