Page 64 of Fireworks

Silence took over the phone.

“You there Ryder?”

Peering down, I checked I hadn’t lost reception.

“Yeah, I’m here. You have rendered me speechless, Katie. Ugh, I gotta go. My dad needs help with something. Let me think, I’ll text you back in a little, okay? Have you told Maddie? I feel like she would be better at advice for this than what I can offer.”

“No, I haven’t even told her about the first kiss, never mind all this. Go help your dad. I’ll talk to you later.”

As the phone disconnected, my phone buzzed again.

Nate: u okay? Please answer me.

My fingers swirled above the letters on my screen, trying to think of the best response that didn’t let him know that my heart and head were spinning in circles, making me nauseous.

Katie: have fun tonight

I debated putting a smiley emoji. It would be easy to misconstrue what it meant, so I left it out. As I shoved my phone into my back pocket, it buzzed again. I kept walking in search of the bookstore as I spotted one up ahead of me.

A patron held the door open as the smell of uncracked paperbacks trickled into my nose. Breathing in deep, it was a smell that brought me comfort and a sense of familiarity. It was a quaint little shop, and I instantly saw an area of bargain books in the back.

“Afternoon ma’am, is there something I can help you with?”

Jumping at the sound of the clerk's voice in the store's quiet, he continued.

“Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

Slightly embarrassed, I stopped for a moment.

“It's okay. Just accustomed to college bookstores where no one wants to be bothered. I’m just looking around. Visiting my brother. He has horrible taste in books, so, I need something to occupy me while he’s busy.”

He was an older gentleman, probably in his mid-40s by the look of his salt and pepper hair. His crooked smile was genuine. It was easy to see his wheels were turning, thinking of books.

“We have a selection of local self-published authors in the front next to the history section. There are a few good ones in there. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

He smiled again, nodding toward the suggestion.

“Thanks, I'll take a look.”

The ringing of the bell signaled a new patron had entered the shop and distracted me for a moment. Soon after, I heard the clerk greeting someone new. I wondered if it ever got boring greeting people who probably didn’t want anyone helping them find a book. It was probably a lonely job. If he loved books as much as I did, the smell of the books, and having so many at your fingertips would outweigh the loneliness.

Running my finger along the bindings, I noticed a title that piqued my interest. Shimmying it off the shelf, I inspected the front cover before flipping it to read the back. Reading the blurb on the back it was just what I was looking for. It was a romance, a guilty pleasure of mine. Given my current state of mind, I knew I should put it back. Instead, I held it tight to my chest as I continued looking through the rest of the bargain selection.

Turning on my heel, I went to check out the local authors’ section. Losing my footing, I walked directly into a muscular chest.

“Oh, my god I’m so sorry.”

The feeling of his hand on my elbow steadied me.

“I’ll forgive you, if you forgive me.”

As my eyes adjusted to the situation, I blinked hard.

Brandon Flynn.

What the hell was he doing here?

“Hear me out Katie.”