Bruises Ch. 03

NOTE TO READERS: Sorry this chapter took so long. Schools been keeping me extremely busy and my internet has been chanelling Satan...needless to say, fun stuff. Chp. 4 of Bruises will be coming up a couple of days after this one seeing as it's already written and my new series will be starting. Don't worry, Bruises will continue far past chp. 4. Also, I've switched the organization of the character P.O.V's ...the way I do it now is much easier and faster. I also think the story flows better. Enough of me, on to the story!

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Ryn looked at the clock warily for what seemed the umpteenth time. She had arrived at the public library around 5:00, hoping to look around for a bit before Deryck would arrive at 5:30. Now it was 5:56 and she had an armful of books she resolved to red that week and an increasingly short patience that was growing shorter with each passing second.

"I know I told him 5:30!" she murmured quietly to herself. "What in the world is keeping him?"

Putting down of book of Shakespearean sonnets, she twisted her head looking towards the front desk one more time. There was Deryck walking in with a confident saunter both incredibly hot and equally infuriating. Turning her head quickly she ran her hands or her jeans, nervously plucking at one of the small, worn holes at the thigh.

What am I doing? Ryn thought while outwardly groaning. She was acting like such a typical girl and she hated it. Never before had she felt the need to spend 5 minutes, never mind half an hour, picking out clothes to wear. And to the library no less! As a show of defiance for the odd feeling Deryck cast over her, Ryn pulled on her basic, black-framed glasses and rumpled her hair, destroying her careful 20-minute styling. Now she felt more normal. All of the sudden hands closed around her eyes. For a moment she was startled beyond belief, then she was angry.

"Hey!" Ryn protested. Deryck dropped his hands and walked around to face her.

Darn he looks good she thought, biting her lip. She was trying to work up some more indignation but she realized all she could concentrate on was the feeling of his hands, ones that were soft yet rough at the same time and smelled so much like him. A scent of soap and shampoo. Ryn shook her head, her cheeks aflame with these foolish thoughts.

She turned a cool gaze on him saying, "You know, there was no need to dress up on my occasion."

Deryck glanced down at himself. Dressed in a dark brown T-shirt with a hooded jacket, worn jeans and a pair of converse shoes that could be described as nothing but, well "worn in" he defiantly looked like he had been running late. And yet he still looks gorgeous, thought Ryn wryly.

Deryck reached up and rumpled his already messy hair saying, "Not all of us can look as beautiful as you do so easily, you know?" He flashed her the crooked grin that had already started her breathing to shorten.

He looked her over slowly; making sure she deliberately knew what he was doing. She looks awfully nice, he thought. Ryn was dressed simply in a pair of old jeans and a three quarter length emerald colored T-shirt that he noticed brought out her eyes extremely. One thing's for sure he thought, she looks darn too nice for me he thought, shaking his head slowly. Where had that come from?

"Look, I'm sorry I'm late. I.."

Ryn quickly cut him off, "It's not a big deal. Do you want to get started?"

Derycks serene demeanor didn't change a bit, except for the smile that lit up his face. He looked around the small library as if looking for something.

"How about we move to someplace a little more....uh...quiet.?" he suggested as a group of children ran by for the 6 o'clock story hour.

Ryn looked at him hestitantly and he quickly said, "It's just, we're awfully close to the "action" and as much as I'd love to do a book report on Chicken Little rather than Wuthering Heights, its not an option. Therefore, I'm most likely going to need every ounce of concentration for this."

He smirked, his eyes turning mischevious, "Besides, I hate being interrupted."

Ryn just looked at him, a little taken aback. Was that a come on I just heard, she wondered?

Nodding, Ryn said "They have independent study rooms in the back. We can go there."

With that, Deryck turned around and walked toward the back of the old library. Ryn just shook her head as she gathered her books and packpack then started after him.

"No way, no way, no way." She kept telling herself.

No way am I starting to like him, she thought. No way does he want to go to the back to be alone she thought.

"But would that be so bad?" she asked aloud.

"What be so bad?" Deryck asked, turning back to her.

"Nothing, nevermind...just thinking aloud."