14
THEA
The little bell above the shop door dings as I push it open. The Wolfe Creek Bookstore is nestled on the opposite end of town near City Hall. I don’t make it down this way much, so it’s easy to see how I could have missed it.
Also, reading hasn’t been on my list of priorities for a while.
My week is crammed. I’m completely booked for the first time since we opened the studio. I had to shuffle some things around to fit in my parent’s visit next weekend and now I’m in a crunch trying to find a belated Father’s Day gift. Thankfully, my father is a history buff and I know the perfect place to pick up something he might not already have.
Sutton is behind the counter, talking to a middle-aged man. I wave, then take in his pride and joy. Books line the walls without gaps or spaces, towering high above my head. Two oversized chairs sit next to one another in a corner. The sheer volume of books makes the store feel cozy—it’s the perfect sanctuary for my friend.
Past the counter, I see a book lined hallway leading to another room. “I’ll come find you in a minute,” Sutton tells me as I pass him, curious to explore and see how far back the store goes.
There’s a lack of fluorescent harshness that traditional bookstores have. Instead, warm light softly illuminates gold foiled spines. This is the kind of place you go into without expectations of what you’ll find. My finger runs over the books nearest to me, none of the titles familiar.
The hallway spits out into an open room, much larger than I’m expecting.
There’s a staircase with a sign that reads More Books Upstairs.
I ascend, coming to a landing with rows and rows of more books and another set of stairs. This place is incredible.
Walking down the aisles, I find a section that seems to house some non-fiction history books. So there is some organization, likely only clear to Sutton. In madness lies sanity. I remember the quote well from my freshman year, Sutton would recite it constantly—his reason for anything unconventional he did.
Browsing through the titles, I’m not sure where to begin. I know I want something obscure, something that my father won’t already have, yet what that might be is unclear. From the corner of my eye, I see movement. Whoever it is passes quickly.
I give up. Sutton will have to pick one for me. Turning to head back downstairs, I come face to face with him.
Gavin is a foot away. His cologne overpowers me. It’s musky and peppery, making my nose twitch. He’s giving me a playful grin that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “Thea, what are the chances?”
My eyes shift beyond him and I listen for footsteps, hoping that Sutton is on his way. Meeting Gavin’s gaze, I reply “Yes, I’m sure this was a coincidence.” My tone is flat. Still, he ignores the obvious sarcasm. “Listen, this is not okay—”
“Thea, please, just hear me out,” he interrupts.
I heave a sigh. “Isn’t that what I did yesterday?”
I can see in his eyes that he’s searching for something, any scraps of hope to hold on to. He won’t find it. Although, right now, there’s no one around and flashes of him grabbing me make me shudder. I may not want to give him hope, but I don’t want to piss him off. It’s why I met him at the restaurant yesterday, somewhere public where he couldn’t hurt me.
“Yes… well… I don’t think you’re giving me a fair chance here.” Gavin actually believes the words coming from his mouth. He thinks he’s entitled to my time. A surge of anger rises from the place where it’s been locked away. My jaw clenches, holding back all the insults I want to hurl at him.
Self-preservation, Thea.
I make to step around Gavin, needing to remove myself from the situation, but his arm shoots out, blocking me from leaving. Meeting his gaze, I can see the determination in his eyes—he’s not letting me go without getting his way. “You need to move,” I warn.
He reaches for me, wrapping his fingers around my wrist before I can pull away. “No. You need to give me another chance. I’m not throwing years of my life down the drain to start all over again.” He clamps down harder, too tight. It’s going to leave a bruise.
I should be terrified. The look on his face and the tenseness of his body tell me he’s unpredictable. For a moment, I wonder how far he’ll go. Would leaving a mark be enough or would he let himself get carried away? I don’t want to find out.
Being polite hasn’t worked. If I don’t fight back now, it’ll only get worse.
The words come out before I can second guess them. “You know what I think, Gavin? I think you’ve come here after a year because you realized that you have nothing to offer any woman. You’ve tried dating, am I right?” He starts to respond. However, it’s a rhetorical question I already know the answer to. “And what you’ve found is that no woman, well, at least the ones that appeal to you, want you. So you decided a few months ago to ‘improve yourself’, hoping to appear better than you are. But in the meantime, you thought you’d come crawling back because I’m the best thing you ever had. Am I right?”
My finger pushes into his chest with my free hand, his face slackens at my assessment of him. “Answer me, Gavin.” Anger flashes over his face and his fingers crush my wrist, making me yelp in pain. I think he might snap the bone. “You’re hurting me,” I push out between gritted teeth.
I’m not sure why I think that’ll make him let me go—it doesn’t. Gavin’s palm connects with my chest as he shoves me back into a bookshelf. My heart hammers against my ribs. He can feel my fear under his touch and I hate that.
Leaning down close enough that our noses touch, he sneers, “You know nothing. You’ve always been the dumb little art slut I took pity on.” The words shouldn’t sting. Somehow they do. I feel my face heat from embarrassment.
“Then why do you still want me? Go find someone better,” I challenge.
Gavin scoffs. “I spent twelve years getting you right where I wanted you. I’m not starting over. We’ll do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is up to you.” Determination sets in those gray-green eyes. I’m about to throw an insult at him when I hear footsteps.
“Thea?” Sutton calls out.
It takes all of my strength to not let the shakiness I feel to touch my voice. “Up here, second floor. Towards the back.” Gavin’s hand quickly releases me as he steps away, although it does little to free me.
Glancing down at my wrist, I notice red is blooming over my skin. I tuck my injury behind my back as Sutton’s face appears.
“Everything good here?” Gavin turns to answer until he realizes who it is.
To say that Sutton was never a source of conflict in our relationship would be a lie. I remember many nights refuting Gavin’s claims that there was anything more between us than friendship. Hours spent assuring him that Sutton’s intentions were pure until finally promising that I would distance myself from my closest friend.
Now, here they are—face to face. The last thing I want is to cause Sutton trouble in his store.
“Jesus. This guy again,” Gavin spats at me, peering over his shoulder and giving me a look of disgust.
Sutton stares at me, confused, over Gavin’s shoulder. He doesn’t know about the issues early in our relationship or that my ex is the reason I never made more of an effort to keep in touch.
“Good to see you too, Gavin.” It’s so slight that I may have missed it if I wasn’t hyperaware of everything right now. Sutton’s stance straightens, his fists tightening at his side, and a tick of the muscle in his jaw. He’s bracing himself for whatever Gavin might throw at him. I’ve never seen Sutton as intimidating, but right now I’m seeing how he can go from easy going to fuck around and find out. “Thea?”
“Gavin was just leaving. Weren’t you?” Gavin half turns, assessing me and the situation. Realizing that he isn’t getting anywhere today, he pushes past Sutton.
“This isn’t over,” he calls out as he walks away.
Sutton closes the distance between us, his hand resting against my cheek. “Are you alright? You’re flushed.” His lavender and sandalwood scent comforts me more than he knows.
“I’m okay, a little flustered. I wasn’t expecting him here.” His amber eyes search mine. I know he’s looking to see if my words match the truth in my eyes. He doesn’t push it, although I have a feeling he knows I’m lying.
“He must have slipped past me when I was grabbing something in the back. How long has he been in town? Does Cole know?” I’m shocked by the questions. I was sure Damian would have told him and the others. Maybe he told Cole, but not Sutton. Or maybe Damian kept it to himself. Perhaps they didn’t share as much with each other as they thought they did.
My eyes dart away. “I-um…No, I haven’t told Cole. I don’t want him to worry.” It’s kind of the truth. I feel horrible about the lies I’m weaving around Gavin. We aren’t even together and he’s still screwing up my life.
Sutton doesn’t push the issue. Instead, he helps me choose a book for my father and offers to get Wesley to escort me home. I decline. That seems worse than dealing with Gavin somehow. I probably should have taken him up on the offer, but I need to contain this—at least until I can tell Cole.
I’m glancing in every direction as I head towards my apartment, searching for Gavin. It’s apparent that he’s been watching me, waiting to get me alone. It sends a shiver of fear through me.
It’s been a shit day, so when I see Cassie standing outside my apartment door, I immediately feel a rush of panic. Did something happen at the studio? A fight with Anthony?
“What wrong?” She hears the anxiousness in my voice and shakes her head.
“Relax. Nothing happened. I can’t find my phone and wanted to know if you’ve seen it. Did I leave it at Cole’s? Also, we need to decide on a property.” I breathe out in relief. “What’s got you on edge?”
I debate on whether I should tell her. Knowing Cass, she’ll have a list of ways to get him out of my hair. She’s a problem solver. But I don’t want to stress her out. He’s already made an appearance at the studio. So, I settle on a half truth.
“I was picking up a book from Sutton’s store and Gavin was there. He tried to convince me to give him another chance, again.” Her eyes narrow and mouth purses at the revelation. “Don’t worry, Sutton was there to kick his ass out.” I don’t tell her about him grabbing my wrist. Thankfully, the redness has faded, yet I can feel the ache, knowing in a day or two it’ll bruise. I’ll have to think of an excuse when that time comes.
“How did he know you were at the bookstore?” She answers her own question, mirroring my earlier thought. “Is he following you?” I shrug, not wanting to dwell on that thought for too long.
Diverting the conversation, I address her reason for coming to my apartment. “I haven’t seen your phone. I can ask Cole if any of them have seen it. Did you try Find My Phone?”
Cassie nods. “That and I called it. Goes straight to voicemail so it must be off or dead. Although it was almost fully charged last night. It shouldn’t be dead already.”
“I’ll ask Cole,” I offer, as my fingers type out the message to him. “Come in. We can wait for him to answer.”
Cass sits at my small dining room table and pulls the property paperwork from her purse. Spreading them out, we go over the pros and cons once more, per her request. Thankfully, we both agree that one property is a much better fit. “So that settles it. We can go see it one more time and then we’ll put an offer in!” Her freshly highlighted hair sways back and forth as she smiles widely.
A wave of nervousness washes over me. It’s the same one I felt the day I moved to Willow Hill. I was so unsure of what this new chapter would look like. Looking back now, I can’t imagine my future any other way. I tell myself this will be the same. We’re making our dreams come true. I just need to have a little faith.
My phone buzzes and I see a message from Cole.
Cole: I haven’t seen a phone. Asked my brothers…they haven’t either. I’ll keep an eye out. Hope you had a wonderful day, love.
I relay the message to Cass. She sighs and resigns to get a replacement. While her annoyance is clear, I think that the decision on the property helps to ease some of it. There will be bumps on the road to success. My bump is Gavin and hers is getting a new phone. Minor things in the grand scheme of it all.