The Book Keeper

Chapter Ten

The Book Keeper

Chapter Ten

            I look in the mirror. I’m not trying to be cocky but I look pretty hot. I laugh at my conceited boldness.

            I am wearing a black strapless dress that hugs my waist, but falls loosely around my thighs, down to my knees. I have my silver high heels on that make my legs look longer than they actually are.

            My hair is curled and flows effortlessly down to my hip bones. I have silver jewelry on and a silver purse to match the “theme” I am going for. I smile. I think I am ready.

            I get in my car and head to the library. My stomach is in knots. Partly from nerves, but also from the bad feeling I’ve had ever since Ryder asked me out. I exhale and try to calm myself down.

            I park my car beside the black Porsche. Ryder is waiting for me, wearing black dress pants and a black button up. What is with him and the color black? I get out of my car and walk to the passenger side of his fancy car. “Hello, Aaliyah. Ready to go?” he asks me. I nod my head.

            After a few minutes of driving, Ryder looks at me and then looks back to the road as he says, “You look great.” I thank him and he smiles at me. I force a smile on my face. This is going to be very difficult.

            The only reason I didn’t bail on him is the fact that I have never been one to hurt someone’s feelings. I am the one who said yes to the date. So I shouldn’t cancel on him, even though I wish I would have said no in the first place.

            I just can’t shake the feeling that something major is going to happen tonight. My mind has been all over the place and I don’t understand it. I’m never like this.

            We pull up to a sort of fancy restaurant. It isn’t like Midnight Blues, but it is better than just eating at Applebee’s. When Ryder leads me in, I stop.

            I look around, confused. There are no tables, nor booths, except a single table in the middle of the room. It has a red table cloth with a few candles in the middle of the table. The table itself is white and the chairs are black. Really? They don’t even match.

            “I rented this whole place so we could have some alone time,” Ryder says, smiling. I force another smile onto my face and try to act really excited, even though my gut is telling me this isn’t right.

            We sit down at the table, and a waiter immediately hands us each a menu. I skim through the choices, trying to find the meal that will be quickest to eat. The food seems to be Italian, so I decide on a simple chicken penne with a glass of wine. Ryder smiles when I order wine, which unnerves me a little bit. I don’t know why.

            “So tell me about yourself,” Ryder says. “Where should I start?” I ask, not really knowing what to say. “Well, start with the basics,” he tells me.

            “Okay. Well, my name is Aaliyah Snider and I am twenty years old. I finished high school at the age of seventeen. I graduated from a two year college last year. I own the local library and I work there full time. My hobby is reading, which makes sense because I am a librarian,” I say. Ryder chuckles at the last part. “What about you?” I ask, feeling like I need to be the one asking questions.

            “My name is Ryder Smith and I am twenty-two years old. I dropped out of high school and I never went to college,” he shrugs, “I own a private company in Colorado and my hobby is riding motorcycles.”