Love Beyond Their Lies

Emma Carter had stopped believing in love a long time ago. Not because she had never wanted it. She had. More than anything. But wanting something and trusting it were two completely different things. At twenty-four, Emma had watched enough relationships fall apart to understand that love could be beautiful one moment and devastating the next. People promised forever and changed their minds. Friends promised loyalty and betrayed one another. Couples who seemed perfect from the outside sometimes couldn't stand being in the same room when nobody was watching. Emma didn't want that kind of love. She wanted something honest. Something safe. Something that wouldn't leave her wondering whether she was enough. Unfortunately, she had never found it. Until the afternoon she walked into a small coffee shop in downtown Chicago. Rain poured against the windows as Emma sat in the corner with her laptop open in front of her. The warm smell of coffee filled the room, mixing with the sound of quiet conversations and the occasional laughter from customers. She glanced at the time. 4:47 p.m. She had been there for almost two hours. Her editor was waiting for an article. Her laptop battery was dying. And her coffee had been cold for so long that she had forgotten what it tasted like. Emma sighed and rubbed her forehead. “This article is going to be the death of me.” Her phone vibrated. She picked it up. Sophia: Where are you? Emma quickly typed a reply. Emma: The coffee shop near Madison. Three dots appeared immediately. Sophia: Wait for me. Emma smiled. Sophia Bennett had been her best friend for almost eight years. They had met in college and somehow remained close despite their very different personalities. Sophia was outgoing, confident and fearless. Emma was more cautious. Sophia could walk into a room full of strangers and leave with ten new friends. Emma would rather find a quiet corner and observe everyone. They were different. But their friendship had always worked. At least, Emma thought it had. The bell above the café door rang. Emma looked toward the entrance. Sophia walked inside, shaking rain from her umbrella. “Emma!” Emma raised her hand. “Over here.” Sophia hurried toward her. “You've been here for hours?” “Unfortunately.” Sophia dropped into the chair opposite her. “You look terrible.” “Thank you.” “You know what I mean.” Emma laughed. Sophia studied her for a moment. “You're stressing yourself again.” “I have a deadline.” “You always have a deadline.” “That's because I have a job.” “So do I.” “You sell houses.” “And you write about people who pretend their lives are perfect.” Emma smiled. “That's not exactly what I do.” Sophia shrugged. “Close enough.” Emma closed her laptop. “So why did you make me come here?” Sophia's eyes suddenly brightened. “I have news.” Emma immediately became interested. “What happened?” “I met someone.” Emma's mouth fell open. “You?” Sophia laughed. “Yes, me.” “Who is he?” “I knew you'd ask.” “Of course I'm asking.” Sophia leaned forward. “His name is Ethan Brooks.” Emma smiled. “How did you meet?” “Last weekend. At a friend's party.” “And?” “And he's amazing.” Emma laughed. “You've known him for one week.” “Four days.” “That makes it worse.” Sophia rolled her eyes. “You're impossible.” “And you're moving too fast.” “I knew you'd say that.” They both laughed. For several minutes, Sophia talked about Ethan. Emma listened carefully, genuinely happy for her friend. She wanted Sophia to find someone good. She wanted her friend to experience the kind of happiness Emma had secretly wished for herself. But while Sophia was talking, the café door opened again. A man walked inside. Emma barely noticed him at first. He shook the rain from his dark hair and looked around the crowded room. There were no empty tables. His eyes moved across the café until they stopped on the chair beside Emma. He walked toward her. “Excuse me.” Emma looked up. “Yes?” He pointed toward the empty chair. “Is anyone sitting here?” Emma glanced at Sophia. “No.” “Do you mind if I sit there?” “No, go ahead.” The man smiled. “Thanks.” He pulled out the chair and sat down. Emma returned her attention to Sophia. But Sophia wasn't looking at her anymore. She was looking at the man. Then she looked at Emma. Then back at the man. Emma narrowed her eyes. “Don't.” Sophia smiled innocently. “I didn't say anything.” “You were about to.” “I was just looking.” “Exactly.” Sophia laughed. Emma shook her head. She returned to her laptop. A few minutes passed. Then disaster struck. Emma reached for her coffee. Her hand accidentally knocked the cup. The cup tipped. Coffee spilled across the table. “Oh!” She immediately grabbed some napkins. But some of the coffee had already splashed toward the stranger's laptop. He quickly moved it. Emma froze. “Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry.” The man looked at his laptop. Then at Emma. Then he smiled. “It's okay.” “No, it's not. I almost ruined your computer.” “You didn't.” “I could have.” “But you didn't.” Emma continued wiping the table. “I really am sorry.” He laughed softly. “You've apologized three times.” “Because I feel terrible.” “Then I'll accept all three apologies.” Emma finally looked at him properly. He had warm brown eyes and an easy smile. There was something calm about him that made her feel strangely comfortable. “I'll buy you another coffee,” she said. “You don't have to.” “I insist.” He smiled. “Okay.” Sophia stood. “I'll go order it.” Emma looked at her suspiciously. “You're leaving?” “I'll be back.” Sophia walked away. Emma turned toward the man. “I'm Emma, by the way.” “Ryan.” “Nice to meet you, Ryan.” “You too.” There was a brief silence. Then Ryan glanced at her laptop. “Working?” “Trying to.” “What do you do?” “I write for a lifestyle magazine.” “That's interesting.” “It can be.” “What are you writing about?” Emma smiled. “Relationships.” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Really?” “Yes.” “That's ironic.” “Why?” “You don't look like someone who enjoys relationships.” Emma stared at him. “Do I look that miserable?” Ryan laughed. “No. You just look like someone who doesn't trust them.” The smile disappeared from Emma's face. For a second, she didn't know what to say. Ryan immediately noticed. “Sorry. That was too personal.” Emma looked away. “It's fine.” “No, really. I shouldn't have said that.” She gave him a small smile. “Don't worry about it.” But his words had touched something she usually kept buried. Because he was right. Emma didn't trust relationships. She didn't trust promises. And she certainly didn't trust people who said they would never leave. Ryan didn't push her for an explanation. Instead, he changed the subject. They started talking about work. Then movies. Then travel. Then their favorite foods. What was supposed to be a five-minute conversation became thirty minutes. Emma found herself laughing more than she had expected. When Sophia returned, she stopped beside the table and stared at them. “You two seem comfortable.” Emma immediately looked embarrassed. “We were just talking.” Ryan smiled. “We were.” Sophia sat down. “That's nice.” Emma noticed something strange in Sophia's expression. It disappeared almost immediately. She ignored it. Eventually, Ryan checked his phone. “I should probably go.” Emma felt an unexpected disappointment. “Okay.” He stood. Then he looked at Emma. “Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?” Emma's heart skipped. She wasn't expecting the question. “Dinner?” “Yes.” She hesitated. She didn't know him. She had only met him less than an hour ago. Every sensible part of her told her to say no. But another part of her wanted to know him. “Okay.” Ryan smiled. “Tomorrow?” Emma nodded. “Tomorrow.” He took out his phone. “Can I have your number?” She gave it to him. He entered it and sent a message. Emma's phone vibrated. She looked down. Ryan: Now you have mine too. She smiled. “Got it.” Ryan walked toward the door. Before leaving, he turned around. “Emma?” “Yes?” “Don't cancel.” She laughed. “I won't.” The door closed behind him. Sophia immediately turned toward Emma. “You like him.” Emma shook her head. “I barely know him.” “But you like him.” “I said I barely know him.” Sophia smiled. “You're smiling.” Emma touched her face. “I am not.” “You are.” Emma tried to hide it. But she couldn't. For the first time in years, the possibility of something new didn't scare her as much as it excited her. She didn't know Ryan's family. She didn't know his secrets. She didn't know the people who would eventually try to tear them apart. And she certainly didn't know that someone already knew about their meeting. Across the street, inside a parked black SUV, a woman watched Ryan leave the coffee shop. Victoria Anderson's expression was cold. She had followed her son because she had been suspicious of his recent behavior. She had expected to discover a business meeting. Instead, she had seen him sitting with a woman. A woman she had never seen before. Victoria picked up her phone. “Find out who she is.” The person on the other end asked a question. Victoria looked through the café window at Emma. “I don't care how you do it.” She paused. “And I don't want my son getting serious with her.” Meanwhile, Emma had no idea that her first date with Ryan had already become a problem. She closed her laptop and stood. Sophia watched her. “You're really going to meet him tomorrow?” Emma smiled. “Yes.” “Be careful.” Emma looked at her friend. “Why?” Sophia's expression changed. “No reason.” Emma didn't notice the hesitation. She didn't see the jealousy hidden behind Sophia's smile. She didn't know that Sophia's friendship would eventually become one of the greatest threats to her relationship. And she couldn't possibly know that Ryan's mother had already decided that she would never become part of the Anderson family. For now, Emma only knew one thing. A stranger had walked into a coffee shop on a rainy afternoon. And somehow, in less than an hour, he had made her believe that perhaps love wasn't as frightening as she had always thought. She smiled as she walked into the rain. Her phone vibrated. A message from Ryan. Ryan: Tomorrow. Don't forget. Emma smiled again.