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Wren chuckles when she walks out of the fitting room. The worker smiles brightly in front of her, and I smile at the picture in front of me.
There’s something about her that makes you feel comfortable and cared for. It doesn’t matter if she’s known someone for only two minutes—she still manages to have the kindest heart. I overheard the things she said to her brother yesterday and knew immediately that there was something different about our situation.
Now I know what.
What do I do about it, though?
Surely, I can’t act on it.
18
Wren
Ryker smiles at me when I walk back over to him, and I eye the dress draped over his arm with a small smile. “Thinking about getting yourself something nice?”
He rolls his eyes at me, but smiles playfully before handing the garment over. “It’s for you.”
The brown material feels silky between my fingers, and I blink in surprise at it. “No, I can’t let you buy me something.”
“And if I want to do that?”
“You really shouldn’t,” I say breathlessly, even though the notion has my stomach erupting with butterflies.
“Probably not, but I’m going to anyway.” Without another word, Ryker saunters up to the counter and places the beautiful dress onto it while I follow his trail slowly.
Him buying me something has to mean something, right?
I mentally curse at myself and shake my head. I’m overthinking it – he’s only trying to be nice, and I’m imagining it because of my own dangerous feelings.
After he brought me to release, more than once, I still couldn’t get over the realization I had in the middle of everything. There’s no possible way I could be falling for him, not when he’s only here temporarily and doesn’t get along with the majority of my family. It would be stupid to act on those feelings, yet I feel this strong desire to do so as I watch the woman behind the counter eye him appreciatively.
If it weren’t for me being his therapist, I’d claw her damn eyes out right now.
“Thank you,” Ryker says softly as she hands him the bag with the dress he paid for himself.
“There’s no chance I’m allowed to give you the money back, is there?”
He shakes his head and smiles. “Nope.”
When I step up to the counter, the girl is still staring intently at Ryker, and I clear my throat in annoyance. “Excuse me?”
She snaps out of whatever daze he managed to leave her in and chuckles. “Sorry, it’s been a very long day.”
I glance at the time on my phone and frown. It’s barely noon, and she’s talking about it being a long day. I call bullshit.
Ryker is waiting patiently for me outside the boutique, leaning casually against one of the posts planted outside, and I eye him like he’s a bucket of candy. I need to get a hold of myself, that’s for sure.
“On to the next,” I say excitedly before quickly turning to the left and starting toward the other end of the district.
I’ve been here on a few occasions, mainly with my mother because she insists on coming here when an event is coming up, and it’s exciting to be back after a while. The last time we were here was when I’d just finished college and needed an outfit for my first interview. Now I’ve got a new memory for the place when Ryker goes back to New York.
Ryker clears his throat. “I was thinking we could grab something to eat later, if you don’t mind.” He shakes the bag in his hand that has the dress inside. “You could wear this if you want?”
Is asking me out on an actual date?
For a few moments, I don’t answer, convincing myself that I’m still imagining things, and he runs a hand through his hair nervously. “Okay, maybe that was a bad idea.” He shakes his head and frowns. “I’ve got no clue what I’m doing, just forget I said anything.”
My mind finally processes that this is really happening, and I pull him to a stop before he gets too far away. “No, hold on.” He looks at me expectantly, and I smile. “I think dinner sounds great, actually. It’ll be nice to get some use out of the new dress.”
