City's Library

~Elena~

Mr. Richard held the door open as I walked out of the phone store. “Thank you.” I said to him, a little shy. ‘He is such a gentleman.’ 

He stood with me, while I picked a new phone and tried to recover some of my lost data, and to top it up, he paid for my phone! I had my money but he insisted, saying it would be a shame to be there and not pay. 

When I said I liked older men, this is exactly what I meant. Being thoughtful and protective. We got into the car and settled in. 

Mr. Richard kickstarted the engine and we soon hit the road, while I was busy checking more things out on my new phone. 

“So…” He uttered, shifting my attention to him. “Are you still going to use that app? The app you found that asshole that robbed you?” He asked and my eyes widened. 

“Hell no.” I answered, almost defensive. “I have been forced to believe finding the perfect older man would never happen on a dating app.” 

He furrowed his brows and looked at me again. “Older man?” He sounded surprised. 

“Well…” I tilted my head as I thought of the best way to put it out to him. “I have a thing for older men. I believe they are more charming, protective and hot. Daniel seemed to check all the boxes, but then, I found out the hard way that he is a fraud.” 

He raised his brows, “I would never have thought you would be into older men, Elena.” He chuckled softly, “maybe I am just too old to comprehend that.” 

I laughed softly, “Well, you don’t have to. I am starting to think older men are nothing like I thought they were.” 

“No,” he shook his head. “There are older men out there that know what is right. How to respect, protect, provide and even sympathize with a lady. You just have to be careful when you’re on the look out. They are rare.” 

I stared at him, paying rapt attention to what he was saying, then I popped the question without thinking, “Do you think you are that type of older man?” 

Silence filled the air immediately, and our gazes locked for a minute. He seemed taken aback and he swallowed hard as he looked away, facing the road. He didn’t provide an answer, and I kind of understood why. He was trying to set a boundary. 

“Right there,” I pointed to the city’s library that had come into view already. 

“Yeah.” He nodded with a soft chuckle. “I remember how often I used to come here when I was younger. I would always drag Martin along.” He laughed. 

“My father hate books.” I smiled widely. 

“Oh yes. The hatred has been there since he was a child. I forced him to read just two books and they had to have pictures in them to keep his attention. It was crazy.” He added, and he gazed into space for a minute, as if relieving the moment of his youth. 

We pulled up in front of the library and I saw Sophie, waiting outside the door for me already. I hurriedly packed my bag and reached for the door handle, and then I stopped again. 

“Elena!” I heard Sophie’s excited voice call as soon as she spotted me. 

“Do you want to see inside the library now? There have been renovations over the years. It’s now bigger… with enough books to feed you for a decade.” I excitedly answered, hoping he was going to say yes and I could spend more time with him. 

“Arghh…” He took a glance at his watch. “I wish I could, but I should get to the office as soon as I can. But I promise some other time.” 

I pursed my lips with a smile and nodded. “Okay, see you soon. And thank you for today.” I opened the door and highlighted, waving at Sophie. But then, I noticed she was looking past me, at the car. I turned back and waved at Mr. Richard, who did the same thing, smiling. 

“Oh my God.” Sophie whispered as the car zoomed off. “Who the fuck is that?” Her eyes widened as she looked at me. 

I sighed and shook my head, walking into the library. I recognized that look. She always gave me that look anytime she saw someone extraordinarily gorgeous. 

“C’mon, Elena.” She followed behind me closely. “Don’t start holding back on me now. I know that isn’t Daniel, because he doesn’t look anything like him.” 

I chuckled softly as we both began to walk between the shelves. “That is Mr. Richard, my father’s best friend.” I answered, cutting her a quick glance before I started running my finger through the books, looking for the book of the day. 

“Hold on a sec. He is back? And you didn’t tell me?” She asked in shock with a bit of disappointment. “After how much my ears bled from hearing his name all the time when we just became friends, it’s the least you could do, Elena.” 

I picked the novel, DarkFever (Fever Series 1), and approached our favorite spot, while she was still following behind me. “Sophie, I was as surprised as you are right now when I saw him in our house too.” I sat, “and how would I have told you when my phone was stolen by Daniel.” Anger slowly crept in. 

“What?” Her jaw dropped as she sat too. “The guy from Tinder?” 

“Catfished and robbed me. And this isn’t the time to tell me ‘I told you’ because I have been beating myself up since yesterday.” I answered sadly, shaking my head. 

“Oh damn, I am so sorry, girl. He is an asshole.” She answered with sympathy. “No wonder I texted you before the storm started to be sure you’re alright. But when I didn’t get a response, I thought you were enjoying the evening and didn’t want to be disturbed.” 

“I wish that was the case too, Sophie. I am just glad Mr. Richard got back. He saved me from the storm yesterday, got me a new phone and drove me down here.” I smiled. 

“Awww… that’s so sweet of him. He sounds like he walked straight out of a novel. Isn’t that the kind of older man you want? One that comes to your rescue and treats you like a princess?” Sophie asked, and I shook my head in disbelief. 

“That is disgusting, Sophie. He is my father’s friend, remember?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the novel in front of me. 

“I mean, I was just saying. You wouldn’t be that stupid to romantize his actions. He is just being nice.” she responded, pulling out her own books from her tote bag. 

“Exactly. I ain’t that stupid.” I murmured. ‘Or am I?’ Soon, my thoughts wandered. My eyes were on the novel but I just couldn’t pay attention to it. 

All I could think of was the dream I had about him. ‘You need to come off this, Elena!’ I yelled in my head, putting in all mental strength into focusing on my novel. 

Then I realized this novel kind of explained the dynamics between Mr. Richard and I. Jericho Barrons, older, enigmatic, and ruthlessly protective, becomes entangled with MacKayla Lane as she’s thrust into a dangerous supernatural world. 

I could see myself as MacKayla Lane and this just made me want to read the novel even more, having both of us as the main character in mind. 

I smirked softly and leaned in, bracing myself up for the ride.