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“If I hurt her again, I’ll supply you with the pitchforks and mob to come hunt me down.” My eyes scan my phone, skimming through the driving instructions. “Thank you,” I whisper quickly before I hurry back to my car.
I spend the drive thinking about what I’m going to say to Ellie. But nothing clear comes to mind. All the words I want to say are mixed up and jumbled in my head. How am I supposed to convince the woman I love that I messed up? That I’ll do anything to prove to her that I’ll protect her heart from here on out?
I pull up to a spot in the parking lot leading right to the entrance of the bookstore. From the glass doors, I can see Ellie behind the counter. So much time has passed sinceI saw her when she visited me at the hospital, and the sight of her makes me float. All the memories of my time with her come rushing back like a tidal wave. Like how soft her glowing skin felt underneath my fingertips, delicate and mesmerizing. Or how when I kissed her, I felt like we were the only two people in the world, spellbound to this feeling of disappearing from everything.
Even from a distance, I can see that her brightness is gone. She smiles politely at customers, but the smile never leaves her lips. It never reaches her eyes where I know her happiness shines from. She’s going through the motions of life but not living it. I want to go inside and pull her to me, to hold her and tell her that I’m sorry. I want to be able to tell her everything that I’m thinking without fear that she might reject me.
I sit in my car. I’ve come all this way to stall, to exist in the presence of her. But I know that I’ll regret it if I don’t get out and talk to her, or at least try. If I decide to leave and drive off, the idea of us will always nag at the back of my head. I will always be reminded of what could have been. I’ll regret not giving my all while baring every bit of myself to her so she can know how I feel.
My hand reaches for the door handle, and I open it slowly. Every inch I make to get closer to Ellie while the inevitable fear of what may come haunts me. I stand and look around. It’s a lot more crowded than I had anticipated. People walking by start looking in my direction, making second glances. Then the whispers start. People begin to circle back towards me after they’ve walked by.
I’ve been recognized.
I step onto the sidewalk and begin my walk towards the storefront, but I’m stopped as people start to approach me.
“Rhylan Matthews!” I hear it loud and distinctly though the voices are hushed. I don’t make it far before people gather around, causing me to withdraw back towards my car.
“It’s Rhylan Matthews!”
FORTY-THREE
ELLIE
“Hey, Ellie. You got any plans after work?” Kevin, Mrs. Le’s son, asks me as I finish ringing up my last customer. My shift is almost over, and Kevin came in an hour ago to take over and close out the store for the night.
“My friend is picking me up, so we’ll probably just order in and watch movies or something.” Claire had come over in the morning. We had an early breakfast before she dropped me off at work. After I listened to Rhylan’s voicemail, Claire has been more attentive, even more so than before. She’s hardly left my side, only to go home or to spend an hour or so with Wes.
“On a Saturday night? Sounds kinda boring.”
“Yeah, but it’s relaxing,” I answer with a polite smile. “You’re going to be here tomorrow morning?”
“And next week too. I told Linda to enjoy herself. She and Paul never go on vacation, so they deserve to treat themselves.”
“You know, it’s so weird that you call your parents by their first names.”
“Only here. I feel so childish to say ‘my mom’ to her employees.” He chuckles sheepishly.
I laugh. Mrs. Le decided to take an impromptu vacation with her husband, traveling to Arizona to visit family. She had put the vacation off for a couple years now but finally planned to go after Kevin and Mr. Le insisted.
I reach behind the counter for my purse when I hear Kevin speak again. I stand upright, turning my attention to him.
“What was that?” I ask.
“There’s something going on outside.” He points his finger towards the door.
I look over his shoulder from behind him to see that a small crowd has gathered around a car that I recognize. Amongst them, a tall figure is the center of attention.
It’s Rhylan.
He’s backed up against his car with a crowd growing around him. He’s cornered, with no way out.
Customers that were shopping in the store start to exit to join the commotion outside. I follow. When I walk out of the store, Rhylan’s eyes find me.
He’s here for me. He has to be.
He squeezes himself out from the crowd and walks towards me. He stands inches away, quiet and serious.
“Ellie…” He says my name softly, whispering it through a clenched jaw and pinched brows.
