Page 25 of In Death, Love Survives
“No, no, it’s okay. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Monday,” he repeats.
“Maybe we can do this again,” I suggest, only it tastes like bile burning in my stomach. He grins at the idea.
That smooths the situation over as he widens his smile even further.
“That’d be great. Let me know when you get home. I’ll take care of this bill.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I say as I start to pull out cash.
“I insist.”
I pause my search, knowing that he’ll be persistent.
“Thank you.”
We both get up, and Ryan pulls me into a hug. His chest feels solid, more so than I was expecting. This hug doesn’t feel warm like a hug should. Instead, it feels cold and stiff.
Ryan pulls away and holds onto my shoulders.
“Can I admit something?”
“Sure.”
He lets out a long breath.
“I really want to kiss you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, is that so hard to believe?”
“I mean,” I stammer.
“Maybe we can do this again. Only it can be a real date. And I’ll get an opportunity to.”
“Maybe,” I say.
He grins again.
“I’ll settle up here. See you Monday.” He places a small kiss on my cheek. I want to wipe it off immediately but refrain.
“Thanks.”
I pull out of his hold, grab my purse, and start to leave the bar.
As soon as I’m outside, the rush of wind against my face is welcomed. I shut my eyes tightly to regroup.
I know I don’t have much practice when it comes to the opposite sex, but it has to feel different than that. It should feel like goose bumps prickling on my skin and butterflies in my stomach.
I let out a steadying breath, one of my tricks to feel like myself.
I need to get back to my work. This weekend, I’ll do some more digging on Wolfe Walker and his past to try and figure out a plan for the future.
Opening my eyes, I walk toward my car.
It’s dark out, but the bar we went to is popular on a Friday night. The parking lot is starting to fill up, and people are walking past me. The brightly lit area makes me feel safe, at least.
