Unveiled Heart by MissTwilight
Summary:
After Matt lost his battle to Leukemia, Livia Jameson made a promise that never again would her heart be taken. Men were off-limits. This didn't take much effort at all--guys never seemed to be interested anyway. But, then after two years, she met Adam... an actor. Feelings start to arise and our protagonist has to make a decision--Try to do everything to push him away or unbind the shackles she put on herself and unveil her heart... no matter the cost.
Prologue
My hand trembled as his fingers brushed mine. The warmth of it sent shivers up my spine. He looked at our conjoined hands and smiled a very satisfied and contented smile, which made the butterflies in my stomach come to life. For, I finally knew that his feelings for me were genuine.
Chapter 1: The Customer
My fingers tapped the edge of the counter, signaling the next customer to come up and pay for her candy. Her hands gripped the sugary solids as if they were the source of life. I laughed; she was one of the regular customers who were a little messed up in the noggin. Her heels clicked on the tiled floors as she came closer to me.
"Hello, how are you?" I asked politely.
"I'm just doing terrible today Livia. People have been asking too much of me lately!" The lady punched the air as if it was the person or persons being referred to.
I nodded sympathetically.
"I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am," I pointed to the selected purchases. "Is this all for today?"
"Well, yeah. I've decided to go on a diet, so no more Snicker bars for me," There was a hint of sadness in her usually energetic tone.
The woman handed me five dollars.
"Thanks, but… isn't this a little much? The total amount is only about one buck,"
"You keep the change, Livia. No offense, honey, but there has to be something you're interested in other than working in this gas station! The money could be saved up to join a yoga class or whatever," She smiled, despite the fact that she basically just told me that I've got no life whatsoever outside of work. The nerve.
As the woman pulled the door open to leave, I put on my best fake smile, trying to conceal the new ill feelings that were now brewing inside the pit of my stomach. She had no right to say that to me! Stupid woman.
Right as my eyes were about to close, a big bang sounded on the counter. I jumped, frightened of having something happen to the gas station while I'm the only one running it for the night. My hands grabbed on to the closest thing in front of me—a hand. Wait, huh? I thought there weren't any more customers here anymore, so why was I clutching someone's hand? This made no sense.
My hand slowly retreated, losing contact with the person's soft, warm skin. I looked up into the eyes of a man—tall, muscular, with a slight summer tan. He looked to be in his mid-twenties—about my age.
I cringed. Twenty-six. I'm getting older and older and you can tell by the way I look. My eyes spotted frown indications the other day.
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss! I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?" His voice was low and smooth—he sounded like he'd be an exceptional vocalist.
"I'm fine, sir. It's okay. I just thought I was alone," I said passively, trying to make him forget what I probably looked like then.
There was a pause.
"Okay, then. Here's my stuff!" The male pointed to the huge stack of products he intended to buy.
"You want to buy… all that? Is this for just yourself or what?" I said lightly.
He grinned.
"Nah, it's for the rest of the cast. All that work makes you hungry, I guess. None of it's for me."
I didn't get it. What did he mean by 'rest of the cast'? My fingers fiddled with my smooth, dark brown hair.
"What do you mean by 'the cast'? I'm a little confused, you see," I blushed, embarrassed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I get ahead of myself sometimes," He paused, suddenly cautious. "I'm an actor. Does that clear it up for you, uh…"
"Livia. My name's Livia Jameson."
"Livia?"
"Yes?"
"That's a beautiful name."
My cheeks grew hot when he said my name. It was like music.
"Thank you."
He sighed.
"I'm Adam, by the way. Adam Dickinson. Don't forget it! After we're done filming and the movie comes out, girls are going to faint at the sight of me. They'll be jealous of you, Miss Livia Jameson. Pretty, young, Livia Jameson," He paused, thinking of it. "I can see it now."
"One problem, Mr. Big Ego—they wouldn't know me. One encounter with a potentially famous person does not automatically make me a celebrity."
Adam grabbed my hand and held it gently.
"So you're saying we'll never see each other again?"
"I do, frankly."
"I'd like to change that. Do you wanna go out this Friday?"