Closing Books Read Online Free PDF

down her cheek.  
    His soft touch, along with his warm and clear emerald eyes gazing into hers, never failed to capture her heart. His gentleness with her spoke of more affection than any words ever did. Selfishly, she didn’t want to let that feeling go, so she persuaded herself into believing that they could always remain the way they were.  
    But what she wanted wasn’t good enough for Dan. He’d always push her into formalizing their relationship, and she would take a thousand steps back away from him.
    She didn’t do that to punish him or to prove her point; she needed to stay away from him, to remind herself that she wasn’t girlfriend or wife material. She had to remind herself that they were only meant to be friends, and she had to stay away to make sure she got her perspective right.
    When she was with him, she sometimes fell into the daydream on the possibility of a future together with Dan. She’d allow herself to play with the thought for a few minutes, just a few minutes.  
    She wasn’t the naive sort of person.
    No one would ever want someone like her as his girlfriend or wife.
    As if the universe was reminding her of why she could never be in a relationship, her phone buzzed and she jumped from the shock of the vibration. She checked her phone, then dropped it back onto the table when she saw that it was just an advertisement.
    The reminder of the blackmail took her mind into a dark turn. Who would be interested in a woman with so much dark history? Unconsciously, her hand moved toward her left shoulder, and her finger grazed across her shirt, over where the scar was located.  
    “Ryan, Joe said you’re thinking of quitting your job?” Dan asked.
    Dan’s voice easily cut through her thoughts, capturing her attention. Realizing where her hand was, she immediately dropped her arm back onto her legs.
    Ryan nodded. “Maybe. I don’t know what else I can do.”
    “Open your own gym and produce more incredible hulks,” Joanne teased.
    “That’s actually a brilliant idea,” Kate commented. “That way, you don’t have to work those horrible shifts, and it’s much, much, much safer than being a fireman.”
    All of them echoed their support of the idea.
    “Are you guys serious?” Ryan asked, half laughing.
    “Why not?” Kate said. “You can get Joseph to come up with healthy meals that’d help in weight loss or muscle gaining. He can even give check-ups to track their progress.”
    Ryan turned to Joseph with a raised brow.
    Joseph brows drew closer together, seemingly considering the possibility of doing so.  
    While Marianne began placing all the food on the table, more ideas were thrown around.
    Evelyn tuned out the conversation and turned to Dan again.  
    She was tempted to talk to him, to ask him about his day. She missed hearing his voice, seeing the smile he always had for her, feeling the warmth of his finger skimming down her cheeks.
    She closed her eyes, hoping that removing him from her sight would get rid of the thoughts in her mind.  
    This is better for everyone. She reminded herself.
    Just then, her phone vibrated again, and another jolt of shock reverberated down her spine. Hastily, she grabbed the phone from the table. Relieved that it was just about work, she sighed softly and returned the phone to its position on the table. When she glanced up from her phone, she found Kate staring at her; probably waiting for an explanation on her neurotic behavior over her phone.
    “Lack of sleep.” A pang of guilt besieged her as she looked away from Kate. Even though it was true that she wasn’t sleeping well and that her nightmares were back, compared to the other problem she was facing, it was insignificant.
    She hated having to lie to Kate. And Kate’s response only doubled her guilt.
    “You want me to stay over at your house tonight? If you want, I can accompany you. Then tomorrow, we could get some chamomile tea and maybe some essential oils? I heard it works miracles for