A/N: Ahhh, okay, two more follows! I feel so pathetic, but I'm so excited. Thank you guys so much. And to the Guest reviewer: Thank you so much, that means a lot! Hopefully I don't disappoint you:/
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize.
A week later, nothing had changed aside from the bookstore being restocked and prepared for re-opening. Ryan was still trying to get used to the idea of a world-famous pop star owning her little shop. Not that it had ever belonged to her, although it seemed quite like it to Carlos. She was relatively cold towards him, despite being a fan for over 3 years. It wasn't that she had anything against him, but she just wasn't sure if she trusted him with the one place she had held so close to her heart for the past 12 years of her life.
Carlos was constantly trying to warm up to her, but every time he even came close to wearing her down, she turned on her heel and left him, speechless, yet thoughtful. He wasn't sure why she was being like this. He understood that the small shop was special to her, he felt the same about it, but she needed to trust that he was going to keep it alive.
He brushed these thoughts aside as he walked up and down the rows of shelves. He was supposed to be inspecting them, but he couldn't bring himself to think of anything other than his past, and what had initially drawn him to the tiny little building at the young age of 11. Fingertips ghosting over the smooth wood of the shelves, he skimmed over the various titles etched into the spines of the books. His trance was soon broken by a light noise coming from beside him. He turned his head slightly to find Alex chuckling.
"Funny, I found Ryan here, doing the exact same thing, only just last week. She was devastated when she heard what was going to happen to this place. We both were," Alex admitted, refusing to meet Carlos's eyes.
"I figured. This place sounds like it means the world to you. Both of you, I mean. I just don't- I don't understand why she is still upset. I'm not going to let it shut down!" Carlos's voice crescendoed as his hand fell from the shelf, almost immediately flailing around him, gesturing aimlessly.
"Like I said before, she really does appreciate that someone is taking over," Alex sighed. "But the reason she loved it here so much was because she could come here to escape reality. There were never too many people. When word gets out that you're the new owner, it'll flood with people."
The thought never occurred to Carlos. He carded his fingers through his hair, not knowing how to respond.
"She just doesn't want to lose her safe place," Alex added.
"I don't want to take that away from her, I really don't! But I don't know how to prevent it from happening," Alex knew that Carlos's intentions were genuine, but they were poisonous, nonetheless. Someone would always be hurt.
"Ryan, please just give it a chance. He's not trying to take this place away from you! He is trying his hardest to help," the two companions were driving home, Ryan in the driver's seat and Alex riding shotgun.
"I know that," she gritted out, hands tightening on the wheel. She really wanted to trust Carlos, but she couldn't help but have a bad feeling.
"Ryan, I know what you're feeling, I get it. But what are you gonna do about it? It's not like we can stop it from happening. Just be thankful that we aren't losing the shop!" Alex was starting to lose it.
"We might as well be!" Ryan retorted, yanking the steering wheel and turning on Alex's street.
"He's gonna take care of it. It means just as much to him as it does to you," Alex said, calming down and patting Ryan's knee.
"I know, I just- I don't wanna lose it," she sighed, covering his hand with hers and parking in front of his apartment building.
"I already promised you: we will not lose it."
Ryan's response was a nod and a barely audible "thank you." Alex just smiled softly, kissed the top of her head, and jogged away towards the building. Ryan lifted her head to watch his retreating figure until he finally disappeared. She sighed once more, and turned her car in the opposite direction of her apartment.
She didn't have a set destination in mind, but she ended up at the diner on Stockbridge Drive. The diner was a lot like the bookstore: small, rundown, and quaint. Throughout high school, she spent night after night there, but it had been hard to do the same in college. She wasn't sure what possessed her to return after so long, but she still went in, taking in the scent of the rich diner food.
She was standing in the doorway for a moment, sifting through the memories of chatting for hours with the waitresses behind the counter. Walking up to the bar, her eyes met a familiar set of light brown orbs. A slow, lazy grin crossed her face as realization sank in.
"R-Ryan? Oh, honey, it has been just too long! Where have you been hiding your cute little self?" The waitress leaned over the bar table to envelope Ryan in a hug, and Ryan reciprocated.
"Hiya, Margaret," was all she could say before she felt herself losing oxygen. "Whoa, ok, losing air!"
"Ahh, haven't changed one bit, have you, Missy?" said Margaret with a chuckle. "What can I get for ya?"
"Home-style coffee?"
"Nope, haven't changed at all." Margaret shook her head playfully as she began making the same brew she hade made for Ryan several years before. Just then, the door creaked open. Ryan didn't bother looking up until she heard a dramatic gasp from the little old lady across the counter.
"No... Oh my Lord, it is you!" That drew Ryan's attention, and she looked up to find none other than Carlos staring down at her. Just as she was about to say something, he got the same treatment from Margaret as Ryan had, just minutes before.
"Hey Margie," it was just barely above a whisper. Her returned her tight hug and buried his face in her shoulder. They stood there for a second before breaking apart. It was only then that Carlos noticed Ryan sitting and watching him.
"Heh, what are the odds..." He trailed off, looking away with a slight smile.
"You two have met?" Margaret started to catch on, quite amused by the situation, as she returned to making Ryan's coffee.
"We, uh... We work together, I guess you'd say," replied Carlos, who had taken a seat next to Ryan at the bar.
"Interesting. So, we have a lot of catching up to do, all of us. What would you like, sweetheart?"
"Hmm, hot chocolate?"
"Some people never change," Margaret replied. "We'll, I gotta head to the back to get more cocoa. You two chat a bit."
Carlos and Ryan nodded simultaneously. The second she had turned the corner and entered the storage room, Carlos spoke to Ryan for the first time since he had arrived.
"We need to talk."
A/N: Hopefully y'all are enjoying this. I know i say this every time, but i promise the chapters WILL get longer. I'm just trying to set up the plot. I'm pretty new to this, so cut me some slack:P As always, review/follow/favorite! I'd love to just have feedback, maybe some input on what to do with the story...? I have a general idea on what I'm doing, but I don't know exactly how I'm gonna get there. There's a path, I promise.