Autumn POV:

After Damian left his number in my planner, I texted him later that night and soon after, we started talking non stop, we would stay up most nights and talk about the book I've read and enjoy.

I soon found out he was the top chef at the restaurant I saw him at, so we would also talk about the favorite meals he likes to cook as well. We never talked about our families, which I'm fine with, maybe he is just a really private person and I will respect his space. I don't talk about mine, because maybe it makes him feel awkward about it.

But sometimes we won't have time to talk to each other, since we both have our own lives, friends, and high demanding jobs, it's hard to find time to talk.

                                     *

I'm currently at work, being an editor at a publishing company, I was doing my usual routine, when my co-worker walks in a cube, telling me that someone is here to see me at the front desk. I wasn't expecting anything or anyone, I went down to the front entrance of the building and there was Mattew's mom, standing there with a large box in her hand and a sly smirk on her face.

I froze, never thinking in a million years that Mattew's mother would come to see me, especially at my job, which she hated. Why would she visit instead of Mattew himself?

Was he that much of a coward?

"What.. are you doing here?" I asked slowly, trying to mentally prepare for what she's going to do or say.

"Oh, honey, don't worry, I'm just here to see how you are holding up" She smiles, fakely.

I cringe, hearing the word "honey" coming from someone who didn't want their son to marry, who didn't want me to work, and wanted me to be a stay at home mother and expected me to have babies. I couldn't trust her then, I'm not trusting her now.

"Okay?" I dragged out, questioning her once more.

"I'm also here" She excitedly says "To return most of the stuff you left at Mattew's apartment, such a shame it had to come to this, if only you had listened to us, then I would have loved you as a daughter-in-law" She states.

She then pushed the large box into my hands, I opened one of the lids, and inside were me and Mattew's memories that we kept together all those years. I felt hurt, not only Mattew had been ghosting me, but it felt like my existence was being completely erased from his life, like I didn't matter at all. And the worst part is his own mother had to bring me back the items we both got together.

Yet again, I felt like I had been slapped in the face by betrayal.

"Well if you excuse me, I have to get back home, have a lovely day Autumn" She said, with a stuipd sly smirk across her face.

I didn't respond, even if I wanted to, what's there to say? I feel like I'm fighting a battle all alone and there is a massive army waiting to kill me.

I felt trapped, it seems like Mattew will taunt me forever, but he gets to move on.

Remembering where I was, I quickly returned to my office with the box in my hands, I set it on the floor far away from me, I'll deal with it when work is over.

I couldn't think or focus for the rest of the day. My mind just wants to explode. I felt like crying all over again, just when it seems like when I have my life finally figured out, life grabs me by the throat and throws me back ten steps, I can't seem to overcome this problem.

Once my shift was over, I hurried out to my car, and threw the stuipd box into the trunk.

I sit in my car, thinking, I don't feel like driving back to my apartment yet. It will just remind me that I won't come home to him, and even though I've accepted it, the thought still hurts me.

Last minute thought kicks in and I've decided to go to the bookstore. I guess it will distract me from what happened earlier, plus I need more books for my mini library anyway.

So I drive over to the library and head inside, there is an upstairs section that hardly no one goes to for some unknown reason, maybe because it's filled with older books that no one checks out anymore, whatever the case is, it's a quiet spot.

And right now, I need silence.

I browse the many sections of the books, from literature, poetry, and lots more. I settle on the romance section and try to look through them.

As I'm looking, I go to the other side of the section, and a smile is immediately on my face once I see him.

Damian is reading the back of a book, hard, he sighs as he puts the book back on the shelf and goes to look for another one.

Since he hasn't noticed me yet, I quickly search for an interesting book in the same section and walk up right to him.

"This one may interest you, it's romantic and has a plot twist" I said, holding the book out.

He quickly turns around, and once he sees it was me, he relaxes, his stand off expression quickly softens when his eyes land on mine.

While still keeping eye contact with me, he carefully takes the book out from my hand.

He breaks eye contact to read the back of the book, he raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"You may have actual good taste in picking out books" He said, amused.

"Thanks, coming from working in the public library since I was sixteen, I think I am a expert in the field of finding books" I laughed "I didn't think you would be the book nerd type"

"No, I am picking up a book for my mom, I like to surprise her every now and then with these types of things" He said, turning his head and looking at me.

"Well isn't that sweet"

His cheeks started to turn a tint pink, I laugh at this.

"So" He started off "What is your reason for being here, buying a book as well?"

I cringed, I completely forgot why I decided to come here in the first place, I signed as I looked down, "Well yeah, I honestly do need more books, but.." I paused, I looked up, but not at Damian, to the bookshelf to my right, I couldn't face him when I tell him the truth, maybe he would think so little of me for the reason I'm here.

"But what?" He said, wanting me to complete what I was saying. Then he took me by shock by softly grabbing my chin, and turned my head towards me. I looked into his brown soft eyes and saw that they are filled with worry and concern for me. Like he actually wants to know what's been bothering me.

I shouldn't be surprised though, that was how he was the first day we met, he listened while I talked about my problems and somewhat cheered me up afterward.

When he dropped my chin, I took a deep breath.

"Okay" I started off, revisiting the moment. "My ex-fiance's mother came to my work today and basically she gave me all the stuff me and him have collect together, and she told me the marriage would have would out if I had listened to her"

I noticed his jaw was twitching with anger or annoyance. I couldn't tell.

I bit my lip, nervous of what he is thinking about.

"The fucking nerve of some people, seriously she just had to pour more salt to the wound" He says as his brow knitted together.

"I don't know why I got angry or sad, I guess it still hurts, the whole 'marriage didn't work out' thing" I said.

He looks at me for a moment, I don't know what he's thinking but it looks like he's thinking hard about something, then out of the blue he says.

"Fuck him and his mother"

"What?" I question, shocked by his outburst.

"Fuck him, he's the one who gave up on you without a word, then his bitch of a mother came to rub it in your face, fuck them"

I stared at him in shock, everyone in my life has told me, 'maybe it was for the best', 'maybe he was too pressured by the whole thing' or 'maybe he wasn't ready'. Making up all the excuses in the book, but Damian just automatically blames him for this whole thing.

Most of the time, I thought it was my fault that Mattew left, but now, I'm starting to think that the blame isn't falling on my shoulders anymore.

"Well maybe Matthew didn't know what his mother was..."

As I was about to finish my sentence, Damian rolled his eyes, grabbed me by the waist and pushed me against one of the bookshelves. I gasp, he has close proximity towards me, his face is so very close to mine that I subconsciously started to match his breathing.

I avoid his eyes, for some reason, I can't look at him.

His hand is still on my waist and it's pushing me towards his body even more, I can feel the body heat radiating off of him.

He's so very close.

My breath hitched as I tried to remain calm to what is happening right now.

"Why are you trying to make excuses for a grown ass man that can properly function with a human brain"

At this I stared up at him, his eyes are hard like he's waiting for me to answer him. I didn't even get a chance to answer when he continued.

"You deserve so much better than a baby in a man's body, and you need to see that"

My gazed softs, do I really deserve anything at this point?

My breath gets caught in my throat as I remender what's happening right now. I'm getting pinned against a bookshelf by a person who I met a month ago right after my split with Matthew.

Oh my god, what am I doing?

I feel so guilty right now.

I'm trying to get over Matthew, I really am but it seems like everything I do, I always think 'What would Matthew think about this'.

I guess I still care for him and I hate it.

I focus in on Damian's eyes again, it seems like his face is even more closer than before, because now our noses are nearly touching each other. For a second, he looks like he is about to do something, but instead he releases me from his grip and scoots back from me.

He signed deeply as he looked around the library like he forgot where we were, and frankly I did as well.

"Come on, let's check out more books" he said suddenly.

He walked off, leaving me there stunned, acting like nothing happened. Maybe I should do the same.

I caught up with him and everything went back to normal like I suspected, we didn't talk about what happened, we just picked out some books and went on our way.

Yay Chapter four is completed!

Damian is getting really touchy in this chapter.

What do you think of Matthew ghosting her?

-Summer Roe