When Matt decided he needed to be going, I almost didn't want him to leave. But I was afraid to say anything. Sure, I'd get to see him in class. But I wanted to see him outside of class too.

"I guess I'll see you in art class," he said, twisting a black wool hat in his hands as we stood in the doorway.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Thanks for making sure I got home."

"No biggie. I'm glad I happened by."

I gave another nod. I didn't know what else to say. Matt chuckled nervously and took his leave. I sighed and closed the door. I hadn't gotten very far when there was a gentle knock. My heart pounded. Had Matt come back? I tried not to seem to eager, but I was already opening the door.

"Hey," I said with a relieved smile when I saw Matt.

"I want to see you again," he said, yanking the woolen hat from his head. His dark hair was already mess. A sexy mess.

"Okay." I barely breathed the word. I was afraid my voice might give away how truly happy I was.

"I have a few rules," I cleared my throat. "These are important rules. Without them, I won't see you."

"Name them."

This was the first time any guy actually wanted to hear my rules. Without reluctance, anyway.

"No kissing," I said, after taking a deep breath. "At least, not unless you feel this could be going somewhere. If that's the direction it goes, I'll allow kissing, but that's as physical as I'll allow. Unless you decide to put a ring on my finger."

"Okay," Matt said, nodding. "I can work with that. Anything else?"

His question was genuine. Not sarcastic or annoyed. I went further.

"Exclusivity," I went on, swallowing a ball of nerves. "I'm the kind of woman whose all in. I pour my heart and soul into everything. Much more so into relationships. Just you and me. No side-chicks. Loyalty is important to me."

He was smirking. Great. It was going to be something he teased me about. I could already tell.

"No side-chicks," he said after composing himself. "I'm a one-girl kind of guy. Don't worry."

"Okay, because the next one could be the deal breaker."

Matt grew serious. I took a deep breath.

"Even if it hurts us, I want honesty. I don't care about the past, but if there is something I need to know at some point to avoid a collision in the future. I want to know about it."

Matt seemed to be thinking over what I said. They were simple rules. Rules I'd thought over so many times in the event I came across someone I thought was a potential dating partner. These rules were my way of testing a guy's limits.

"Is Friday good?" Matt asked after quite a long pause. "I have somewhere I gotta be in the morning. But anytime after four, I'm free."

Friday. Friday I had the Read-A-Loud at the Goblins & Dragons Bookstore. I'd be there all afternoon. My shift would end around 5:30.

"I work on the weekends," I explained, looking over my shoulder at the clock on the wall. "But if you'll come get me at 5:35, as my shift ends, Friday would work perfectly."

I looked back at Matt and suddenly realized he was much closer than before. He'd been outside my door. Now he was within the doorway and his face on inches away from mine.

"I'll be there," he whispered; I could feel his hot breath on my lips. His eyes fell on them for a moment too. But then he disappeared. And I realized I hadn't told him where I was working.

***

It was Wednesday. I was at work, organizing books and shelves. So many younger kids had come up to me to ask if I would be reading. I felt so bad telling them no, but the smiles on their faces were so big when I told them I would be reading on Friday and Saturday.

Read-A-Loud at Emmy's Corner was a recent thing I'd convinced my boss would help with business. It did. Store visits were becoming more frequent than the usual regulars. Word of the mouth was helping. Kids were telling their parents how much fun they were having. Parents were beginning to see how important reading was and how it triggered imagination in their kids. It was amazing.

"Excuse me?"

I returned a book to its place and turned. I gasped when I saw Matt standing there.

"Hey," I said as a small smile spread across my face.

"I thought I might find you here," he chuckled and flicked the feathers in my hair. "What's with the feather?"

"I saw it and stuck it in my hair," I replied, shrugging. "I do that sometimes. How did you know I worked here?"

"Uh, well . . . I've listened to you read before."

My heart gave a thump-thump in my chest. He heard me read?

"I especially like how you make the voices," Matt grinned and I thought I would have fainted from embarrassment. "What's the book you read that first time? The one with the dragons and pirates? Kids with wild imaginations?"

I blushed; he was talking about my short story. The one I wanted to turned into a graphic novel. The reason I'd joined the art class.

"That's more of a third date conversation," I said, deciding to play it off as nothing. "Because if I told you, you'd have to signed a whole bunch of NDAs. Or I'd have to kill you."

Matt laughed, his smile grew wide. I smiled back. He knew I was joking. Good. But I was still a little nervous about telling people that I was a published author. My parents and select family members knew. But it was weird even to tell them. Because I felt like writing and sharing my stories with the world was my escape. Letting my family into that world felt weird and I was afraid of what they would think.

"Wanna hang out?" Matt asked, looking at his watch. "I know we agreed on Friday, but I kinda don't want to wait until then now."

"I'm just about finished," I replied, returning a final book to its place. "Let me just clock out and I'll meet you at the front, yeah?"

"Perfect."

Matt took me by surprise when he reached for my hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. His smile never left his face as he walked away. If I were at home, I would have jumped and squeaked like the teenage girl I once was. I was skipping as I hurried for the staff's locker room.