43. Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Three
Elowen Briar
Reaping the Benefits of my Over-The-Top Shower Routine
The dim, almost haunting, lights that shroud the store never ceases to amaze me.
Everything here is so Beau. You can really tell this is his passion.
He’s meant to be a bookkeeper. The way he speaks though, I think he would make a fantastic writer too.
I hope one day I find that something for me.
I adore my job, but I don’t find myself fulfilled at the end of the day.
I dread everyday. And feel endlessly guilty in return.
Why go through the trouble of all the school just to hate myself still even after helping people?
My mind un-fogs and my heart beats faster in my chest at the thought of seeing him after my over-the-top shower routine.
I park my car in front of the store in a closer spot to the door than the road.
The bookstore is dimly lit, but the shades are still up.
As I lock eyes with Beau through the glass, he quickly stands from his leather seat.
He rushes to the door and unlocks it to allow me in.
He doesn’t just glance at me; he looks at me like I’m the only reason the sun had even bothered setting tonight.
“Good evening, Elowen.” He smiles and gestures to follow him to the back of the bookstore.
He leads me to a small table he was just sitting at with two leather chairs facing each other across the table.
He slightly pulls out the chair he wants me to sit in, motioning for me to sit, the gesture so smooth, so gentlemanly, that I have to bite back a nervous chuckle.
“Always a charmer,” I tease as I slide into the chair, glancing up at him.
His beautiful features are something carved out of marble, but incredibly soft and gentle on the eyes.
I’m sure anyone with eyes would agree. He’s a work of art.
His heart proves it. I wonder if his parents are the same.
I know I picked up a lot of mannerisms from my Grandma while she was raising me.
“Only for you,” he says, and the way it rolls off his tongue feels dangerous. Before I can get too stirred up in his eyes, he transitions the conversation to more important topics. “The past two days have been pretty rough for you, mi tesoro. How are you feeling?”
I avert my gaze from him, becoming more nervous the longer I can feel his eyes on me.
“I. Uh. I’m okay. Yesterday is going to be a lot to process, but luckily I know my way around coping with trauma.
This will be the second time I’ve had to manage my emotions due to something like this. Nothing I can’t handle. No big deal.”
“I figured out how to order drinks to the bookstore. Want some matcha and then we will come back to it?” I glance back up at him and our eyes meet. Now that I think about it, I’ve never once told him my go-to drink order. “Elowen?” He tries to pull me from my daze.
“Sorry, yes. I’d love some matcha.” I shake my head to lose the fog.
He stands up and heads toward the door. A car pulls in front of the bookstore and he goes out to seemingly retrieve our drinks.
He walks back in with two matchas, one with cold foam and one without.
Beau locks the door behind me and pulls the shades down over the windows.
He doesn’t look like the type to drink matcha, but I won’t give him any shit over it. You like what you like.
“Here you go, dear.” Beau places the matcha with cold foam in front of me.
“Make sure they made it right. If they haven’t, I’ll order you another one.
No big deal. Except, I mean it when I say it.
” My cheeks immediately flush with red at his attention to my needs.
“Now, are you sure you don’t have anything you want to talk about? I’m all ears.”
“I’m okay, I promise. I probably shouldn’t have drank last night after the night I had. I’ve been picking up alcohol more recently than normal. I’ll start cutting back on that.” He reaches across the table, meeting my hand that grips my drink.
“Your problems are not a burden to me. I also would never judge you for drinking. So, if you decide you want to talk, don’t hesitate.
Sure, it concerns me and I don’t want you to make a habit of it, but I’m not going to give you the same old, same old, please stop for me.
” Beau squints his eyes, maintaining eye contact with me.
He pulls his hand back and picks up his drink, taking a sip.
He makes that weird face again from when we were eating lunch, like he isn’t sure how it’s supposed to make him feel.
It could be his first ever matcha though. It’s definitely an acquired taste.
I steer the conversation to books, including some we’ve already discussed.
Beau talks about Kai and how quickly he learns.
The conversation never runs dry. Talking with him is fruitful and has meaning, a luxury I don’t often get to experience with other people.
Imani might be the only other person in this universe who I can talk with for more than thirty minutes without it being agonizing.
I trace the rim of my cup while he speaks, pretending I’m not hyper-aware of the way his eyes never leave me. The longer we talk, the more ravenous his features become. I’m no longer chatting books with this man. He’s planning a feast and I am involved in every course.
“I liked it,” I say finally. “It felt timeless. She really has a way with words. I was sucked into every chapter. I can’t believe I never picked this up before. I’ve read almost all of Ashley Poston’s books.”
“Stories like this, they don’t lose their edge.
They cut across years, across lives,” he smiles.
His mouth quirks into that near-smirk that makes my stomach twist. “And you’re the only one I want to discuss it with.
The characters are meant to be, but have to fight for that right.
It transcends what I would consider most contemporary romance to be. ”
“You flatter me,” I say, though I’m fighting to keep my cheeks cool.
“Not enough.” His voice drops lower now, steady and confident, as if he has been carrying this moment in his chest for weeks. “Elowen Briar, I want to take you out. Not just a little lunch break, not just a stolen moment after a long day. I want to give you a night you’ll never forget.”
I blink, caught between laughter and something warmer. Teasing comes easier than admitting how much my pulse leaps as he talks. “A night I’ll never forget? That’s a pretty big promise. You better be planning fireworks, Beau.”
He tilts his head, eyes gleaming. “If you want fireworks, I’ll find them. If you want something quieter, I’ll make the night so heavy with memory that you won’t be able to breathe without remembering it.”
“Scratch that. Please, no fireworks.”
“Dually noted, Ms. Briar. I should probably call my fireworks—plug? As the kids say nowadays!”
I lean across the small reading table and spear the top of his hand with my pointer finger, “Who are you and what have you done with my Beau? He’s never used slang like that in a sentence.
” The sun is far gone. It makes me miss the gold stream of light that would catch on Beau’s face as the sun was setting this evening.
The front windows and the sunset made him into an even greater masterpiece.
I realize I’m laughing like an idiot, finger propped on his hand as if he isn’t allowed to move from underneath my grasp.
We continue to chat for what seems like a few minutes, but the clock shows otherwise.
Time is infinite with him. It begins and ends with his well-being.
“You seem happy tonight,” I say softly.
His mouth curves. “With such a beautiful woman in front of me, how could I not be?”
We talk more about Ashley Poston’s book, about life, about the way he notices the little things about me that no one else does.
Every glance he gives, every careful word, makes me feel both exposed and cherished.
I laugh too loud at his dry humor and feel a rush of something I’ve been starving for, attention without pretense, devotion without demand.
“Dream destination?” He asks, slightly tilting his head before reaching for his cup again.
“Oh, that makes me want to ask you something. It’s related, but to answer you first, Norway.” Gotta love ADHD. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Elowen.
“Go ahead.” He gestures for me to continue, sipping on his matcha.
“Do you ever long for anywhere? I mean, like you’re aware this thing exists, but you’ve never experienced it.” I gaze at him hoping my admission wouldn’t be too heavy for the moment.
“Yes, actually. Except, I know what you’re talking about.”
“You’ve been to Norway?” I question.
“Oh? What? No. I’ve never been to Norway.
” Beau laughs and rubs the back of his neck.
“We are talking about different things. The place or thing that I ache for is far more familiar. I just haven’t pushed for it to be permanent, yet.
” He smiles. I throw a meek smile back at him and finish the final sips of my drink.
My pulse thrums against my ribs as I imagine what the rest of the evening could bring.
The idea of stepping into his world, leaving behind the careful walls I’ve built, is intoxicating.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was about to ask me to be his girlfriend.
Before I can continue my train of thought, Beau speaks again.
“Don’t worry. I’m not putting you on the spot.
Do you want to see the book I’ve been reading?
” he asks, leaning forward, voice low, drawing my focus away from the windows.
I nod, letting him guide me to the shelf, my fingers brushing his as I reach for the spine.
He catches my hand just slightly, a fleeting hold, and my chest skips.
“Here. Open it, mi tesoro.” I shrug and open the novel to find an envelope.
I sit the book aside to unwrap the contents to find a handwritten letter from Beau.
Dear Elowen,
This is your formal invitation. The evening after tomorrow, I expect you to dress in your finest romantasy attire for a fantasy themed gala.
Of course, whatever you feel most comfortable in is fine.
Your carriage awaits at seven o’clock sharp.
(It’s the chartered service again. Surprise.) Every detail has been planned so that the night is ours, and I expect nothing less than your radiance lighting up the evening.
(Kai will be occupied. Also, Imani has arranged for Genie to be taken care of.)
As always, you are the center of my attention.
For a preview, allow me to share how your eyes have inspired such an event:
Cosmic Gaze
One eye burns green,
like planets freshly born,
the other glows blue,
like the oceans of infinity,
a cosmos contained in your gaze.
Stars trace the curve of your lashes,
galaxies spin when you smile,
and I get lost, willingly,
in the universe of you.
The gala for you and I will be magical, but you, Elowen Briar, are the miracle I never tire of discovering. Be ready. Be bold. Be breathtaking. I’ll be waiting.
Yours, entirely and without question,
Beau
I smirk, teasing but unable to hide the heat in my cheeks and tears forming in my eyes. “Big promises, Beau.”
“Maybe,” he admits, holding my gaze with an intensity that makes my knees weak.
“But, anything I’ll ever do, I’ll do for you.
You deserve nothing less. I want you to see the effort.
That has to come before anything intimate between us.
” I look down at our feet, attempting to hide my disappointment after such a grand gesture.
“A real kiss wouldn’t bend your rules, right?” I blush as the words topple from my lips. Words that shouldn’t have been able to escape.
“Maybe not. Would you like me to kiss you, love?” He grins ear to ear, causing his eyes to wrinkle at the corners. Beau steps forward and puts his hand under my chin lightly.
“Beau?”
“Yes, love.”
“Everything doesn’t have to be my decision. If you want something, take it.” My heart picks up in my chest and for a split second I regret the words that came out of my mouth.
“If only you knew what I’m capable of.” Beau bites his lip and exhales. He allows his eyes to trail from my eyes to my lips.
“Try me. I’m not as fragile as you think I am. If you want me, show me. Otherwise, tell me you don’t. I can respect whatever choice you make.”