Page 116 of Saved By A Dark Billionaire
I forgot to pay attention to my surroundings as I watched her closely. I was looking to see if she had any marks on her. My eyes were trained at the hem of her sleeves to see if any bruises would show when they moved. She didn't seem to wince or act like she was in pain. For now, she seemed safe, and so did my little sibling.
"Red?" His voice sent a chill down my spine. It was a voice I had dreamt of countless times, only it was deeper, raspier with age. I gripped the edge of the shelf in front of me, trying to keep myself from turning immediately. I swallowed down the emotions that were building up inside me. "Is that you, Red?"What is he doing here?
I turned slowly, meeting those blue eyes I had once fallen in love with. He'd grown more, but he wasn't as tall as my Knight. His hair was still that golden blonde, but he styled it differently. It was long at the top falling towards his ears in a purposeful mess. It seems, like wine, he had only gotten finer with age. His eyes met mine, and I almost lost my grip on my self control.
"Ian?" I finally spoke.
"So that is you!" He smiled widely now, making my heart race the way it used to for him. "You've changed, Red. You look great!" He added, only making me blush.
"You too," I said awkwardly as he stepped closer, invading my personal bubble. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. I panicked, almost punching him before I realized he was going past me. He peered his head around the aisle curiously.
"What are we looking at?" He asked me as he scanned the place. I'd forgotten how carefree he was. I grabbed the back of his loose jacket, pulling him into the aisle again before he was spotted.
"You're going to get me caught," I lightly scolded him in a hushed voice.
"Ooo, who are we spying on?" He gave me that playful smirk of his. The one that let me know he was ready for mischief and gossip.
"None of your business." I brushed him off. As much as I have missed him, he's the one who chose to end our friendship when he didn't reply.
"Come on, Red. Pretty please?" He gave me the same smile he used to give me in high school. His pretty, please smile, I called it.
"That's not going to work anymore. I've grown, Ian." I started to walk away only to be met by dad's figure approaching the store, blocking my only exit.
"Shit,"I muttered under my breath, causing Ian to lean over me again to see what I was looking at. I felt the radiating heat from his chest against my back. His shirt lightly grazed my own. Before I knew it, he was pulling me back into the aisle. He took his jacket off and placed it on me, pulling the hood up to cover my hair. I placed my arms in the sleeves, only because I needed the jacket to hide.
I pushed all the red under the hood and tightened the strings. Ian leaned forward again, closing the space between us. My heart was racing against my chest, wondering what he was doing. His sweet eyes held mine for a moment before he put a book in front of me. It was a thick book, he had me cover my face with it. His hand stayed leaning against the shelf over me, covering me from the main aisle.
A few minutes passed, and neither of us moved. I kept my eyes on the book he had handed me. I was actually reading it, trying to distract myself from Ian's close proximity. It was about how to forgive those who have wronged you. I have a hard time with that one. I tend to drop them from my life and pretend they don't exist.Seems healthy enough to me.
"I see who you were spying on now." His voice tickled my ear as he whispered in it. "He brought her food."
I sighed, finally looking into his eyes again. Damn him, damn those eyes, and damn these emotions that are wanting to confuse the hell out of me.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Bull. You totally want to talk about it. I can see it ready to burst from those lips."
"I don't want to talk about it withyou. Is he gone now?" I asked him, moving away as best I could.
"He's gone." He nodded with a sad smile.
"Thanks for your help," I said, taking his jacket off and handing it back. "Goodbye, Ian." I started to walk off, only to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled into his chest. He held me tightly in his warm embrace. The one he'd give me when he knew I was going through something rough at home. His familiar scent enticed my mind and my heart. A sweet nostalgia gripped my heart tightly.
"I swore if I saw you again, I wouldn't let you go. Why didn't you write to me, Red?" My heart squeezed, feeling like it would pop soon. I pushed away from his chest, only to be gripped more tightly.
"Why didn'tIwrite to you?Why didn'tyoureply? I wrote to you. I wrote to you many times actually, and every day I would check the mail and there would be nothing. It was maddening, and eventually I gave up, snuffing out the last ray of hope in my life." I pushed him hard, making his grip loosen enough for me to see his face.
"I never got one, Red. I checked every day too. I wrote to you as well, only they'd always come back as return to sender. They were left unopened." He looked at me tenderly. He didn't sound like he was lying, but it was hard to believe.
"That doesn't make sense. I never saw your letters, not once." I shook my head, furrowing my brow.
"I'll show you, Red. I kept them all." He relinquished me from his embrace, only to take my hand and rush me out of the bookstore.
"Ian, hold on," I said lightly. He was so determined he didn't hear me. He continued to drag me down the street amongst the historical red bricks of almost every building. "Ian!" I shouted his name this time. He stopped immediately, turning to face me.
"Red, please. You don't understand." He shook his head.
"Youdon't understand." I told him as I ran towards the nearest trash can and puked my guts out. All these surprises had turned my stomach sour again. I felt a large, warm hand rub my back as I puked. It was comforting. It didn't matter how much time had passed, Ian will always be Ian, and my heart will always have this bittersweet feeling towards him.
