Kimberly's days after the bookstore encounter with Ryan were filled with a sense of confusion that she couldn't quite shake. She tried to focus on work—catching up on emails, strategizing for new marketing campaigns, and ensuring that her clients were pleased with her progress. It was easier to bury herself in deadlines than confront the unsettling feeling that kept creeping into her mind. The brief, innocent conversation with Ryan lingered, a quiet echo in her thoughts.
She told herself it meant nothing. People were friendly all the time. It was just a fluke that they'd met in a bookstore, and there was no reason to read into it. But even so, when the memory of his warm smile flashed through her mind, her chest tightened with that familiar flutter—something she hadn't felt in a long time. It was dangerous. She wasn't ready to deal with it.
She had learned long ago to shut down feelings like these. It was better to be alone than to risk letting someone close enough to hurt her again.
The next few days went by with little change. Kimberly's routine remained the same: wake up, work, eat, work some more, then collapse into bed. She avoided thinking about Ryan, not allowing herself the luxury of curiosity about him.
But just when she thought she had buried the encounter, fate had other plans.
It was Thursday afternoon, and Kimberly was walking into her favorite local coffee shop, trying to get a much-needed break before tackling an afternoon meeting. She needed caffeine to get through the day. As she stood in line, ordering her usual vanilla latte, her heart dropped when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Hey, Kimberly."
She froze. It was Ryan. She hadn't expected to see him again, let alone at a place she frequented. Without turning around, she could feel his gaze on her, and her pulse quickened.
"Hi, Ryan," she replied, her voice sounding much steadier than she felt. She turned around to face him, trying to maintain her usual calm composure.
Ryan smiled at her, but there was something in his eyes—an expectation, maybe. A silent acknowledgment of their previous meeting that hung between them, neither of them quite sure what it meant.
"Small world, huh?" he said with a laugh, glancing at the coffee counter. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Kimberly forced a smile, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. "Yeah, I come here a lot. It's my favorite spot to grab some quiet time."
Ryan nodded, glancing at his phone for a brief moment. "Mind if I join you for a coffee?" he asked, clearly interested but not pushy.
The question caught her off guard. A part of her wanted to say yes, to sit and talk to him again, to enjoy the warmth of his presence. But the walls that she had built around her heart screamed louder than any voice in her mind. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up in something that could lead to... well, anything.
She swallowed her thoughts, putting on her best polite smile. "Actually, I've got a lot of work to catch up on," she said quickly. "I was just about to head out." She felt the tension building, the pressure of wanting to run away from something that felt too familiar, too tempting.
Ryan's expression faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly, as if understanding her hesitation without her saying a word. "I get it. Busy day, huh?"
"Yeah," Kimberly replied, a little too quickly, her hands gripping her purse strap a little too tightly. She took a step back, wanting to make an exit before things got any more complicated. "I should get going. It was nice seeing you, Ryan. Take care."
Ryan didn't press further. He simply nodded, giving her a knowing smile, the kind that made her feel like he understood something she wasn't ready to face.
"Take care, Kimberly. See you around."
Kimberly didn't say another word. She turned on her heel and walked quickly out of the shop, her heart pounding in her chest. The moment her hand grasped the door handle, she exhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm inside her.
She had avoided him again, and part of her felt a sense of relief. But the other part of her... the part she was desperately trying to suppress... felt disappointed.
That evening, as she sat on the couch in the apartment she shared with Audrey, Kimberly tried to focus on her laptop, but her mind kept wandering back to the coffee shop. Ryan had seemed perfectly fine with the brief encounter, but she knew that her quick exit hadn't gone unnoticed.
Audrey, ever the perceptive one, had been watching Kimberly closely since she got home.
"You okay?" Audrey asked, setting down her bag and sitting down beside her on the couch. "You look like you're a million miles away."
Kimberly tried to act normal, but Audrey's gaze was too sharp. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."
Audrey wasn't convinced. "Come on, you can't fool me. What happened?"
Kimberly sighed, rubbing her temples. "I ran into Ryan again. At the coffee shop. He asked me to join him for a coffee, and I... I just couldn't."
Audrey raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't? Why? You like him, don't you?"
Kimberly looked away, her heart racing. "I don't know, Audrey. I just... it's too much. I don't need that right now. I don't even know him. I don't want to get involved with anyone."
Audrey didn't say anything for a moment. She just watched her friend, concern evident in her eyes. Finally, she spoke softly.
"You don't have to rush into anything, Kim. But you can't keep running from it either. You deserve someone who cares about you."
Kimberly shook her head. "I'm just not ready, Audrey. I can't let anyone in."
That night, as Kimberly lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts were a tangled mess. She didn't want to feel this way. She didn't want to care. But deep down, she knew she was lying to herself.
Ryan had made her feel something she wasn't prepared for. And now, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the walls around her heart were slowly starting to crumble…but she couldn't and wouldn't let that happen. No.