The Eastwood Archives is not a place to be crying your heart out after a heartbreak.
No, definitely not when the said public library houses endless rumors of a weird Library Ghost that appears at midnight.
But when Ebony Suarez, a graduating college...
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"I'm sorry."
From what he was doing, Ronan lifted his gaze at me. Out of habit, I felt the need to elaborate, rubbing my wrists that now sported bruises from Anthony's physical restrain.
'I'm sorry for ruining the evening again. I'm sorry I'm such an emotional burden to you. I'm sorry I'm such a mess...'
"I..." I started, but no words left my mouth.
Ronan didn't seem to mind my lack of verbal communication tonight. He gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, a habit he developed whenever my hair got in my face too much. But there was something a bit different tonight. I touched the spot behind my ear and realized he placed a paper flower there.
When my eyes followed his hands, I realized he was folding paper roses out of the damaged books that were far beyond repair that the library was supposed to dispose of.
"How are you doing that?" I couldn't help but ask.
Ronan shrugged, but I knew he was smiling from the crease in his eyes as he turned to look at me, lifting a paper rose between us.
"I have natural talent," he playfully said.
"Really now?"
"To see is to believe, my dear."
He handed me the rose.
That made me smile. Indeed, he's a man of many talents. But of course I won't inflate his ego and admit that to him. Not that he's the egotistical one to begin with anyway, since I noticed that Ronan rarely even notices small things unless I point it out. In fact, Ronan is just Ronan. Shy, honest, and has the emotional intelligence of an older man.
And sometimes it makes me wonder what forced him to be so mature.
When he noticed I was lost in my thoughts again, he allowed me to wander a bit more before saying, "I'm all ears if you have something on your mind, Sleeping Beauty. Sometimes we don't realize that we need to talk it out to get it off our chests. It may not solve everything, but at least it lightens the load a bit."
I watched as he continued to make paper crafts as if it were his way of preserving the books even when they were at the end of their lifespan.
"I was told that artists, like writers, immortalize themselves through their artwork. So, for example, even when the writer no longer writes, his or her craft will always be rediscovered and remembered by readers," Ronan simply explained as he then made a crown out of the pages of an old book.
A paper crown.
I took it from his hands and suddenly had the urge to place it on his head. And that's one of the many differences between Anthony and Ronan---if I were ever to lay a hand on my ex like this, he'd sooner call me either nuts or childish. But with Ronan, I feel comfortable doing silly things like this without feeling conscious or worried about what he's gonna think about me. In fact, before meeting the Library Ghost, I thought it wasn't possible to meet a man as gentle as him.
