Adulting Requires Cheesecake (Book 4, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 24 - Dismissed

MICHAEL

Mateo has been reading my manuscript for the past hour. I stopped biting my nails for fear of drawing blood and tried to distract myself by watching a movie on my phone, but can't say I've paid proper attention to it. He hums from time to time, or smiles, or his eyebrows shoot, but further he's said nothing. When he turns over the last page, I have to control myself from not jumping off my chair.

"This has a lot of potential, Michael. It's interesting, full of adventure and the romance is wonderful. It only misses something."

My heart sinks to my feet. Starting all over feels like defeat.

"No, no, no. Don't look so sad." He stands up and comes to sit next to me. "You don't need to change your story. It's great, and I found it too bad that this is just the first part because I wanted to keep on reading."

"Then what's wrong with it? Luke read it and loved it, and had nothing else to add."

"I didn't say something was wrong. I said it's missing something. Your character tells his adventures almost as a bystander. I would love to know what's going through his head and what his heart feels. The internal struggle, you know? That's always part of a good romance."

"An internal struggle... To be honest, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I'm thinking I should stick to working with Luke. Why did I think I can write a romance?"

"Stop pulling at your hair." He holds my hands and brings them to his lips. "When the bus driver kicked you out, and you arrived at the village I was staying at, how were you feeling?"

"Pissed, uncomfortable and exhausted. I had been traveling around in crappy transport and my bones were sore. All I wanted was dry clothes and to sleep. I would have even set to sleep on the floor at your place."

"And why were you pissed?"

"Because he yelled at me in a language I didn't understand. Threw me at a place I didn't know. I didn't have resources to fix my problem. I felt so lonely and vulnerable. To be honest, I wanted my mom at that moment. A warm hug from her and to hear that everything would be okay. I even considered going home at the first opportunity."

"I hope you are listening to yourself." Mateo smiles. "And how did you feel when I opened the door?"

"Scared shitless. Then I saw you looking for something to hit me with and all I could think is why, I'm a good guy. Didn't realize I was an intruder until a minute later. Then I really looked at you and was smitten, but I couldn't let it show because I didn't want to scare you either. When you invited me inside, I would have brought you the moon if you would have asked me to. You saved me from that miserable weather and from being lost. I felt so much relief."

"What about when we made love?" Mateo asks and his cheeks blush.

"At that moment, I understood when people say they had died and went to heaven." I laugh. "I've had my share of romantic encounters, but with you, it was different. We were wrapped in a bunch of blankets and looking into each other's eyes. Giving our all to the other. My senses were heightened. How soft your skin felt against mine and the way your body smells. I could kiss your neck and shoulder forever. It made me feel safe and loved."

"Then I told you I would not join you in your travels..."

"I felt abandoned. I couldn't believe that the romance we lived during those weeks was over. You were sleeping when I left and it hurt so much to give you a last look. A concerned woman on the bus to my next destination handed me a pack of paper tissues because I couldn't stop crying. When the tears dried, I soothed myself, thinking that at least I got to meet you and you gave me the greatest weeks of my life. Even when I met interesting guys during the rest of my trip, none of them were you and I wasn't interested. I believe that if you don't get the job here in Greenwood and we have to say goodbye again, I won't survive that."