10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Meghan

O ver the next week, I tried to ignore emails as they came daily. I had to give Ryder credit, he was persistent. Even after I had turned down his offer for drinks, he didn't stop with the emails. Sometimes, he would ask me how my day was going, or at other times, he would ask me about my favorite drink. Either way, it was becoming part of my daily routine to exchange emails with him. It was sort of fun, if I was being honest.

I was busy finishing up edits on a young adult novel when I heard a ping from my computer, alerting me to an email.

Butterflies danced in my stomach as I went to open the email. Part of me hated how excited I felt when I heard that sound. I hopelessly prayed it was Ryder, but at the same time, I also wished it wouldn't be.

Guys like Ryder just couldn't exist in my life right now. He was like the fun, bad boys that you read about in romance novels. It was exciting from the outside, but getting involved could never be an option. I needed to focus on me and my life-- love after Wade just didn't seem right or possible.

But, maybe I could have just a little harmless fun. Right?

Meghan,

So on my walk to work this morning, I saw a little girl dressed up like a princess. Since you work in publishing, you obviously like books. Possibly even princess fairytales. It got me thinking; did you ever want to be a princess? If so, which one?

-Ryder

Now, this was new. I sat back in my chair and bit my lip. For some reason, knowing that Ryder saw that little girl and instantly thought of me, had my heart swelling inside of my chest. My cheeks blushed, even though he was nowhere around me right now. Placing my fingers on the keyboard, I began to type out my response, a sly smile playing on my lips.

Ryder,

I find it amusing that you were so interested in a princess. Maybe you wanted to be a princess? For me, I was more into Jasmine from Aladdin. She wasn't your typical princess. And yes, I love to read and write.

-Meghan

After sending the email, I went back to work. It was hard not to constantly check my emails, thinking I possibly missed the ping. Finally, after a few minutes, I heard that sound that caused my heart to leap.

Meghan,

I can assure you, the term princess would never suit me. Prince Charming has a nice ring to it. I can absolutely see you as a Jasmine. She may not be typical, because she was by far the most beautiful. However, at first, I had you pegged as Cinderella, you know because of the whole running out at midnight thing…

-Ryder

His response had me chuckling. He sure knew his Disney princesses. I couldn't help but shoot off one last response. I knew I needed to focus on work. I never got distracted. Again, another reason why flirting with Ryder was probably not healthy for me.

Ryder,

I have to admit, I am very impressed with your Disney knowledge. Now, I must get back to work. This was why I said I didn't date. Guys like you could really distract me.

-Meghan

I hit send before I knew what I was doing. I had just admitted to Ryder that he was, in fact, distracting me. Who was I kidding? I stared at him like some lovesick teenage girl the first time I saw him. I was sure he knew he distracted me. But, I couldn't go down that road. As much as it pained me, I would have to let these exchanges go.

Moving my cursor, I deleted all of the emails. Getting back to work, I was surprised when a tear raced down my cheek.