Chapter Nine

"You!" Lauren exclaimed. The word came out before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened, and she stared at the man standing beside her table as though he had just appeared out of thin air.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused by her reaction.

"Good morning to you too," he greeted, his eyes briefly moving to the muffin on her plate.

Lauren swallowed the bite in her mouth and placed the muffin down.

"Are you kidding me right now?" she asked, her forehead creasing as she looked around the coffee shop. "Is there some kind of joke going on here? Because I honestly don't understand why I keep running into you."

Ryan rested one hand on the back of the empty chair. "I could ask you the same question."

Lauren stared at him in disbelief.

Now that she was looking at him properly, she couldn't help noticing just how ridiculously handsome he was. He was the sort of man women would turn their heads to admire. The kind who could walk into a room and have half the women in it suddenly become conscious of their appearance. If looks alone could make a man irresistible, this one would have women falling over themselves for his attention.

Lauren felt a strange flutter in her stomach, which she immediately blamed on the coffee.

She was annoyed, intimidated, and, much to her irritation, a little too aware of how attractive he was.

Of all the mornings to be interrupted, it had to be this one. She had finally found a few peaceful minutes to enjoy her coffee and muffin, and here stood the very man she had hoped never to encounter again.

"Excuse me? You're the one standing beside my table, not the other way around." She gestured towards the chair, her irritation becoming more obvious. "Whatever it is you want, I really hope it's important because I'm not in the mood for another one of your arguments."

"I need to talk to you," Ryan said bluntly, his eyes fixed on hers.

"Well, I don't need to talk to you." Lauren reached for her phone, already regretting the decision to sit near the window.

Ryan watched her for a moment before speaking again.

"Lauren, sit down. I have something that might interest you," he said, his tone carrying the kind of authority that suggested he wasn't accustomed to being refused.

Lauren froze.

She slowly turned towards him, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Wait a minute. How do you know my name?" she asked, studying his face suspiciously.

Ryan slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, looking entirely unbothered by her question.

"I have my ways," he replied, a faint, self-satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Lauren frowned.

"Your ways?" she repeated, letting out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Have you been asking people about me?”

Ryan gave a casual shrug.

"Is that a problem?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Of course it is!" Lauren exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I barely know you, and now you're telling me you know my name. Don't you think that's a little creepy?"

Ryan couldn't help smiling at her reaction. He found her suspicion amusing, though he knew his answer hadn't exactly helped his case.

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." he said calmly.

Lauren shook her head, wondering what kind of man thought that was a reasonable explanation. She was already regretting stopping to speak to him.

"Would you mind telling me what you want?" she asked, her patience beginning to wear thin.

Ryan gestured towards the empty chair, his expression turning a little more serious.

""Sit down. You're wasting both our time," he said, his expression turning slightly impatient.

Lauren stared at him, offended by his audacity.

"Wow. You really have a way of asking for favours, don't you?" she remarked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

Ryan merely looked at her.

"Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" he asked, his voice firm.

Lauren hesitated. Every instinct told her to walk away, but his insistence had made her curious. Besides, he had mentioned something that might interest her. She couldn't help wondering what that could possibly be.

With a reluctant sigh, she finally sat down.

"Fine. You have five minutes," she warned, pointing a finger at him. "But you'd better have a very good explanation for all this."

Ryan settled into the chair opposite her. For a moment, he simply studied her face, as though trying to decide how best to approach the matter.

Lauren shifted impatiently.

"Well? I'm listening," she prompted, resting her elbows lightly on the table.

Ryan leaned forward, his dark eyes fixed on hers.

"Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice calm and matter-of-fact.

Lauren blinked, certain she hadn't heard him correctly.

"I'm sorry. What?" she asked, leaning back slightly.

"Will you marry me?" Ryan repeated, his expression perfectly serious.

For a moment, Lauren could only stare at him. Then she let out a short, disbelieving laugh, wondering if the man had finally lost his mind.

"Are you insane?" she blurted out, shaking her head.

Of all the things she had expected him to say, that was certainly not one of them.

Who on earth was this man, and what made him think she would agree to marry a complete stranger?

Ryan didn't flinch. He simply sat back, watching her reaction as though he had expected it.