They sat in a small café on Bower Avenue, so unlike her own place of employment.
Where Shawn kept the lighting bright and the music light and beachy, the lighting was low around them, and the music was soft and hypnotic. The walls were painted dark blue, with tiny specks of glitter, giving the illusion of being surrounded by the night’s sky, and on each table sat a blood red rose.
Ivan sat across from her, avidly listening to her talk about her family.
She told him about her sister, Uma, and how she was so independent and mature for her age. And her father, who was a complete goofball, but knew numbers like the back of his hand. And her impish mother, who barely stood to her shoulder, and looked like she belonged in a story book with her wild red curls and wide green eyes, but who was so infinitely kind as much as she was mischievous.
He smiled and laughed at the right parts, and she truly began to like him.
“What about your family? What are they like?”
He rolled his eyes, but the warm smile told her it was teasing.
“My mom always makes a big deal out of us coming home. There’s five of us, you know, five boys.”
“Five boys?” Rose gasped. “How does your mother do it?”
He laughed. “I know. I know. Just imagine dinner. It’s a freaking circus. But she says she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s alone a lot more now that my father’s gone, but she has my aunt and her husband, and we all get together on Sundays for dinner. She wouldn’t let us miss it even if we tried.”
Rose laughed, imagining his mother.
“She sounds great.”
“She is. And strong. I’ve never seen a stronger woman.”
“You really admire her,” Rose commented, noticing how his face lit up talking about her.
“I do. She’s always done right by us.”
She reached out to touch his hand. “She did a great job.”
He squeezed it in appreciation of her compliment, and didn’t let go.
The waiter brought them their drinks, and she was grateful for the distraction; her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest.
She took a sip of her chai tea.
“So what brought you to Lyme?” Ivan asked.
“School,” she replied.
“Ah, that would make sense.”
YOU ARE READING
The Everlasting
Romance"Who is he? And who's memories are these that continue to haunt me through the night?" Rose Keller meets the boy with the startling gold eyes, after moving to a small town in Massachusetts,. She doesn't know him, but he seems to know her. But before...
