Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
MELLIE
PRESENT DAY
My free time alternates between lounging around the diner and attempting to flirt with Ronin, and wracking my brain, trying to come up with ideas for a short story. I wasn’t kidding when I told Sydney that my creative writing skills haven’t been brushed off in quite some time.
I first consider what genre I want to write. I typically read all genres, but romance as either the main plot or the subplot is a must for me. I decide to try my hand at writing a contemporary romance.
“Would it be too on the nose to write a small-town romance?” I muse, flipping my pencil around in circles between my fingers.
Ronin wipes the bar top in front of where I sit and places my refreshed latte in front of me. “Well, since you’re kind of new to this style of writing, I don’t see the harm in writing what you know—and we all know small-town life pretty well. Maybe it will help the story come to you more easily.”
I sip my latte, grateful for the extra pump of mocha Ronin snuck in. My notepad looks sad and empty, the blank page staring back at me accusingly. I write small-town meet-cute as my first idea. There, now it can’t judge me anymore.
“Okay, so now what?” I laugh. “I’ve never had a meet-cute before. Hit me with some ideas.”
Ronin places his elbows on the counter, his body leaning in close. His soap smells surprisingly sweet and I hide a smile, picturing him using some floral scented body wash in the shower.
Okay, maybe picturing Ronin in the shower wasn’t the smartest idea. I squeeze my thighs together and redirect my attention to his words.
“Well, you could start with ‘A girl walks into a bar’.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, no. Next?”
Ronin rests his chin in one hand. “How about ‘It was a dark and stormy night, girl’s car breaks down, guy comes to her rescue, insta love’?”
“Yes, what the world needs is yet another damsel in distress and a man to come rescue her.” I playfully swat at his arm. “Next? Also, how do you even know the term insta love?”
“My grandmother owns a bookstore, remember? I do read occasionally, you know. And I don’t see you providing any better ideas,” Ronin teases.
“Okay, this is the one: ‘Guy makes a bet he can get the girl to fall in love with him. Girl makes a bet she can push the guy away. Spoiler alert—they fall in love’.” Ronin winks at me.
“So, the plot of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I’m thinking no for that one. Plus, it’s not even a meet-cute. You’re not going to be any help here, are you?” I poke his arm with my pencil eraser.
“Are you saying I’m not romantic enough to help you?” His deep voice washes over my skin and settles into my bones. I look up to find his blue gaze on my face. “I can be very romantic, Mel.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you romance anyone in all of the years I’ve known you.”
Ronin pushes away from the bar, standing to his full height. “Well, perhaps you weren’t paying very close attention.” He walks away, greeting a new customer at the counter.
What the hell does that mean?
Memories of our previous fights wash over me, and my body warms at the notion that Ronin wasn’t just acting on some whim back then. That maybe I’d been so stubborn, I hadn’t noticed he had been trying for years to get me to see him.
Well, Ro. I certainly see you now.
The dinner rush is dying down, and it’s a relatively slow Sunday evening at the bar. Ronin walks back to me, bringing a pastry wrapped up in a napkin and placing it on my notepad.
“What’s this for?” I ask, dropping my pencil to dip my finger into the glaze dripping off of the croissant. I lick it off and glance up at Ronin.
“Just figured Blue Fields’ next bestselling author needed some nourishment to get those creative gears turning,” Ronin says, his gaze on my lips and then darting to my fingers as I lift the croissant to my mouth and take a bite.
Clearing his throat, he avoids eye contact, busying himself with wiping down the counter.
“Mmm, well this wannabe writer thanks you,” I reply around a mouthful. The croissant is gone within the minute and I crumble up the napkin, wiping my mouth to brush away any lingering crumbs. “I forgot to eat dinner.”
“Happy to be of service,” Ronin says, his face slightly flushed.
I glance down at my notepad and smile. Ronin has always been the one taking care of me.
Whether it was bringing me a care package after I got my first period, making his grandfather’s hangover cure after a night of partying, or sneaking me extra coffee and snacks while I’m working, Ronin has always shown me how much he cares with every small, purposeful gesture.
“Alright, so,” I draw out the last word.
“Meet-cute.” I tap my pencil against my lips, thinking.
“Okay, how about this? The couple already knows each other, but they aren’t close friends or anything.
They each wind up at the only inn in a nearby small town—for reasons I’ll figure out later—and there’s only one room available.
” I slap my hand down on the counter. “They have to share, and boom, they fall in love.”
Ronin chuckles. “Does that sort of stuff ever happen in real life? Like imagine actually going to an inn and sharing a room with someone you barely know just because it’s the only one available.”
“Of course it doesn’t happen in real life, but that’s why it’s fun!
” I cry. “Readers want an escape from real life when they open up a book, especially a romance book. They want to feel those first-love butterflies, those moments of tension between two people before they kiss. Believe me, the one-bed trope is a classic for a reason.”
I flip my notepad closed. “Imagine the scenario,” I continue, propping my elbows on the counter.
“Let’s say the guy has had feelings for this girl for a while.
Maybe he sees her at church every week, but is too shy to talk to her.
Or maybe she goes to the same place to eat all the time because she knows he works there.
And then, magically, fate intervenes and they are handed this opportunity to get to know one another.
” I wave my arm in front of me. “Book magic.”
Ronin leans back against the bar behind him. “Well, you’ve got me sold. When does this book come out?”
I laugh. “It’s just an idea. If the short story proves decent, I don’t know… Maybe I’ll explore our fated couple more.” I take a drink from my latte. “Anyway, I should head out. I’ve spent enough of my day here bothering you.” I hold up the drink. “Thanks for the coffee, though.”
Ronin pushes away from the counter and catches my other arm, his fingers wrapping gently around my wrist.
“Hey, wait. What are you doing tonight?” His touch is whisper-soft, and he doesn’t let go.
I pretend to think. “Hmm, probably just another night hiding in my room because I’m a twenty-nine year old living with my parents,” I joke. “Maybe watch a movie or try to get started on this story.” I eye him warily. “Why?”
Ronin leans in close. “Well, I have it on good authority that there was a Lord of the Rings marathon at the drive-in over in Callahan.” He raises an eyebrow at me, which is incredibly sexy and has my heart racing in response.
“It started earlier today, but if we leave now, we can catch the last movie. It should be starting around eight.”
“Well, you had me at Lord of the Rings. Let’s do it,” I agree.
Ronin’s face breaks into a smile, one of the ones that I love so much.
The wide grin transforms his face, the openness in his expression lending a youthfulness to him.
It reminds me of when we were young, how he would gift me this smile anytime he was unabashedly happy.
Each time he grants one to me, I feel like it’s mine.
Nobody else gets these smiles, only me. I grin back, and he releases his loose grip from my arm.
“Let me just grab my stuff and we can go,” Ronin says. “We’ll take my truck.”
An hour later, I find myself seated in the bed of Ronin’s dark blue pickup truck, the window to the cab open so we can hear the car speakers. I’m propped up against some pillows we picked up from Ronin’s house on the way here. A blanket is draped across our laps as we sit side by side.
I’m not sure if this is a date or just two friends hanging out to watch one of their favorite movies.
It kind of feels like a date, and the way Ronin has been watching me since we got here tells me he feels like it’s a date, too.
I wish he had been more clear when he asked me to come here with him.
I pull my coat tighter around me, trying to warm up, and focus on the screen instead of dissecting our situation.
Even still, we sit in companionable silence as we watch the movie. After a while, Ronin asks me if I’m hungry, and I nod.
“Good thing I brought snacks,” he says, pulling a bag over to us. He dumps out the contents and I laugh.
“You came prepared! Did you just have all of this at home, you weirdo?” Different boxes of candy litter the space before us, and I pick up a box of Cookie Dough Bites. “Has anyone ever told you that you can’t live off of junk food? Do you even know how to cook? How do you feed yourself, Ronin?”
He rolls his eyes at me and I stick out my tongue.
“I have a stash of movie candy. It’s not that weird,” he replies, laughing at the expression on my face telling him that yes, it is kind of weird.
“My grandparents and I come here a lot. It’s sort of a tradition we started over the last few years. I like to stock up on our favorites.”
“That’s actually very sweet,” I say, tearing open the box. “Thank you for bringing me here. I haven’t been to a drive-in movie in a long time.” I pop a cookie dough bite into my mouth.
“Thank you for saying yes,” Ronin answers.
We stare at each other for a moment before we focus on the screen again.