6. Kara
CHAPTER 6
KARA
I wake up to the sound of steady breathing and the warmth of a heavy arm draped across my waist. For a moment, I don't move. I just soak in the feeling of being wrapped in Ty's arms, his body solid and warm against mine.
Everything about last night feels surreal. The way he touched me, the way he whispered my name like it meant something more, like I meant something more. Shifting slightly, I roll onto my side so I can see his face. He looks peaceful, his dark lashes resting against his cheeks, his tattoos stark against his bare chest.
I reach out, my fingers tracing the inked designs on his forearm. I've always admired his tattoos, but now, in the soft morning light, they feel different--like pieces of him I'm only just beginning to understand.
"You're staring," he murmurs, his voice rough with sleep.
I flush. "No, I'm not."
His lips twitch into a smirk, his eyes still closed. "Liar."
I huff and try to roll away, but he tightens his hold on me, pulling me flush against his chest. "Where do you think you're going?"
I swallow hard. I don't know how to answer that. Because honestly? I don't want to go anywhere. But this-- us --it's new and fragile, and I’m unsure what happens next.
Ty must sense my hesitation because he loosens his grip, his hand moving to my cheek. "You are overthinking this, aren't you?"
The downside to Ty being my best friend is he knows me better than anyone. I can't just brush this off with him because he knows me too well.
I hesitate, and then bite my lip. "What happens now?"
His expression shifts, growing serious. "That depends. What do you want to happen?"
I glance away. "I don't know. I mean, I do, but..." I trail off, frustrated with myself.
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're thinking too much, baby."
I exhale. "It's just... this is a big shift for us, Ty. And I don't want to be just another girl to you."
Something flashes in his eyes, something fierce. "You think you're just another girl to me?" His jaw clenches when I don’t answer. "Kara, you could never be just another girl to me. You're my best friend, the one person who's always been there for me, no matter what. Last night wasn't just a hookup for me. It was the start of something more, something I've wanted for a long time."
His words send a shiver down my spine, and a flicker of hope ignites in my chest. "Really?"
He nods, his gaze intense. "Really. I'm in this, Kara. I'm all in. The question is, are you?"
My heart races at his words, and a swell of emotion rises in my chest. Am I all in? The answer comes to me with a sudden clarity, as if it's been there all along, just waiting for me to acknowledge it.
"Yes," I whisper, my voice trembling slightly. "I'm all in, Ty. I want this--I want us."
A slow smile spreads across his face, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Good. Because I'm not letting you go now that I finally have you."
He leans in, capturing my lips in a searing kiss that leaves me breathless. All too soon, he pulls away with a groan.
"Even though I want to get lost in you again and never leave this bed, we both have to get ready for work," he says gently. Then, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, he rolls out of bed.
I've never had so much fun getting ready for work as I do with Ty. He is always stopping to kiss me or run his hands over me. He helps me pick out clothes from the few things I have at his house. What makes it even better is the easy conversation we have always enjoyed in our friendship is still there.
He makes my coffee the way he knows I like it, and we both grab some protein bars before we are out the door. I still don't have my car, so I ride into town with him. He parks behind the tattoo shop and insists on walking me to the bookstore.
As Ty and I walk through town together, the crisp morning air is a welcome contrast to the warmth of his hand resting at the small of my back. The memory of last night is still in my mind so much I almost walk past the door to my shop. I wish I had.
A piece of paper, fluttering slightly in the breeze, is taped to the front door.
I stop short, my breath catching in my throat. Ty follows my gaze, his body going rigid as he reads the bold words at the top.
Eviction Notice
My hands tremble as I reach for the paper, peeling it away from the glass. I read the words once. Twice. Three times. Like if I just keep reading, the meaning will change.
"What the hell is this?" Ty's voice is low and sharp, barely restrained fury simmering beneath his words.
I can't answer. My mind is a mess of thoughts, panic swelling inside me like a rising tide. The bookstore-- my bookstore--is being taken from me. The owner sold the building, and the new owner isn't renewing my lease. I have two weeks notice. Two weeks to pack up everything, to say goodbye to the dream I built from nothing.
"No, no, no..." My voice cracks as I shake my head, my vision blurring. "This can't be happening."
Ty steps closer, gently prying the paper from my fingers to read it himself. His jaw clenches, his anger rising the more he reads.
"Kara," he says, reaching for me, but I step back, shaking my head frantically.
"I'll lose everything." My voice is barely above a whisper. "The store, my customers, the community I built here... I have nowhere to go, Ty."
His expression darkens, his hands balling into fists. "We'll figure this out. I promise."
But the weight of reality is already crushing me, pressing down on my chest until I can't breathe. I stumble backward, my heart hammering as the panic threatens to consume me.
Ty moves to steady me, but I shake him off, needing space, needing to think. "I... I need to go."
"Kara--"
"I just need to be alone," I whisper, clutching the notice against my chest as I turn and hurry away.
I walk home, needing fresh air and time to think. It takes me an hour to get there, and I still don't have any idea what I'm going to do.
The second I step inside my house, the weight of it all crashes down. If I lose my bookstore, I’ll lose my house, my car, everything.
Sliding to the floor, my back against the kitchen cabinets, I have the eviction notice crumpled in my shaking hands. Tears blur my vision, hot and relentless. The store isn't just a business, it's my home. It's proof that I belong somewhere. And now, it's slipping through my fingers.
My chest tightens and my breathing turns shallow. A sob escapes before I can stop it, then another. My body curls in on itself as the panic takes over, a deep, suffocating weight pressing down on me. I've fought so hard, worked so long to build something lasting, and now...
Now it's gone.
The room feels too big, too empty. Just like when I was a kid, shuffled between relatives, always trying to prove I was worth keeping.
I think about the countless nights I've spent here after closing the shop, curled up on my couch with a book and a warm tea. The thought of losing it all makes my chest ache. The kids who come in every Saturday for story time, the elderly man who buys a paperback every few months. It's all slipping away.
A vibration from the counter jolts me from my downward spiral. My phone.
I reach for it with trembling fingers, barely able to read the words through my tears.
Ty: Hey, just checking on you. You, okay?
I squeeze my eyes shut, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. I type, then delete. Because if I tell him the truth--that I feel completely alone and terrified--he'll try to fix it. And I can't ask him to do that.
A second message comes through almost immediately.
Ty: Kara. I mean it. Are you okay?
The dam breaks. Before I can stop myself, I type one word.
Me: No.
His response is instant.
Ty: Can I come over?
I hesitate, wiping my tear-streaked face. I never ask for help. Never let anyone in when I'm falling apart. But this is Ty. He already sees me, even when I don't want to be seen.
Me: Yeah.
I don't know how much time passes before he shows up, but he doesn't even knock, he just walks in and right to me.
He doesn't push me to talk. Doesn't tell me everything will be okay when we both know it won't be. Instead, he pulls me in, wrapping his arms around me.
I sink into him, pressing my face into his chest. For the first time all night, I breathe.
He picks me up and carries me right to my room. After he lays me down on the bed, he puts the covers over me before joining me. Then he pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me.
My mind races, jumping from the things I need to do to clear out the store to what I'm going to do so I don't lose my house.
"There are only a few buildings downtown that would work for a bookstore and all of them want more for rent than I can afford. A few months ago, I was looking when I was thinking about expanding the bookstore," I tell him, needing to talk.
Ty's hand rubs soothing circles on my back as he listens, his steady presence a comfort in the midst of my racing thoughts. "We'll figure something out," he soothes, his voice rumbling low against my ear. "I'll help you look for a new space, and we can start a fundraiser to cover the moving costs. The community loves your store, Kara. They'll rally behind you."
While I want to believe him, the fear is still there, clawing at my insides. "And if we can't find a space I can afford? If I lose everything I've worked for?"
He pulls back slightly, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes are fierce and determined. "That's not going to happen. I won't let it. We're in this together, remember?"
Together. The word settles something deep inside me, a reminder that I'm not alone.
"We will talk to Ruby. She knows everything and everyone. Maybe there is something we don't know," Ty says, kissing the top of my head.
"Where am I going to store everything from the shop? It will completely take over my house," I say, working through my list.
"I have the spare bedroom. It's yours to store everything in. The shelves can go in my garage," Ty says, fixing everything like he always does.
I'm quiet, still trying to come up with something, anything to save my store.
Then I remember a video I saw on social media a while back.
A mobile bookstore.
Pulling back slightly, I look up at him. "What if I... took the store on the road?"
His brow furrows. "What do you mean?"
"I saw a story about a lady who turned a school bus into a mobile bookshop. She traveled to different towns and brought books to people who didn't have a regular bookshop."
He tilts his head, considering. Then he smiles-- really smiles. "That's actually a badass idea, Bookworm."
Hope flutters in my chest, fragile but real.
“Get some rest. Then we will get a jump on research, put a call into Ruby, and then make a plan with a clear head.”
I yawn because all this took so much out of me, and I could really take a nap. Ty knows that because he knows me. Just like I know, he will be right by my side, helping me figure everything out.