Larkin's Letters Read Online Free PDF Page A

watches.
    “Yes, probably more than the average person. I’m a jeweler, and I often work on watches too.”
    As the man examined it, Ryan could see his interest was piqued at the back of the watch. The man read aloud the inscription on the back. “ Your acting is timeless. You an actor?” he asked seemingly surprised.
    Ryan was thrilled the man didn’t know who he was. “Yes, yes, I am.” Sometimes he thought it would just be easier to say no, but he never could bring himself to lie.
    “Really!? That’s pretty interesting! Forgive me if I should recognize you, but I am not a big movie person.”
    “No, no forgiveness needed. It’s quite all right. Really.”
    “I was wondering why everyone kept looking back here. I thought maybe there was something wrong with me, but now I know they were looking at you,” the man said as he chuckled. “Well, you must be pretty talented if all these people know who you are.”
    “I don’t know about that,” replied Ryan. Despite his fame and good looks, he was a very humble man.
    “Well, whoever got you this watch must think your acting is pretty special,” said the man as he handed the watch back to Ryan. While his hands trembled, he struggled to put the watch back on. He was so shaky; Ryan figured the man probably thought he was on something.
    As the plane landed and taxied to the terminal, Ryan shook the stranger’s hand. “It was a pleasure talking with you, sir.”
    “Likewise, I’ll be sure to look you up and check out one of your movies. What’s your name?”
    “Ryan, Ryan Boone. Thanks, I appreciate that.”
    Ryan weaved his way through the airport terminal with his head down like a raging bull. He was in a hurry, and he didn’t want anyone to recognize him. He wasn’t in the mood for admirers. As he entered into baggage claim, he again checked the time. It was 8:45 p.m. He grabbed his bag off the baggage belt, hailed a cab, and started the last leg of his almost twenty-four-hour journey to see Larkin. She didn’t know he was coming, and he still didn’t know what he was going to say to her. He only knew he had to be there for her, like she had always been for him.
    It was 9:17 p.m. when the cab pulled up to the hotel. It was an oppressive August evening in Philadelphia, and the darkness of the night cast an unusual eeriness in Ryan’s gut. He couldn’t quite understand this feeling he was having. He was anxious to see Larkin, but, at the same time, he didn’t know what to expect when he saw her. She didn’t know that he knew, and he still didn’t know what he was going to say. He didn’t know if he was more angry at her for her not telling him herself, or if he was more frightened at what was to come next. The cab dropped Ryan off at the front entrance of the hotel. It was a nice hotel, not like the luxury hotels he normally stayed at, but it was nice. It was your average hotel with red and black checkered carpets and lavish crystal chandeliers hanging every five yards from the cathedral ceiling. As he entered through the lobby, he noticed a bar with about a half dozen people to his right, and the check-in desk was to his left. Thankfully, his mom had told him Larkin’s room number so he didn’t have to waste any time trying to get that information from the staff. The elevators were just past the check-in desk, and he made sure to not make eye contact with anyone as he passed by. It felt like an eternity waiting for the elevator door to open, and, as it finally did, he was relieved to see no one else got on it with him. The doors opened up on the fourth floor, and Ryan purposely took his time walking to her room. He studied each room number on the doors as he passed by, and, as the numbers kept getting closer and closer to hers, he could feel his breaths getting shallower and shallower. He had never been so scared before in his life, but he needed to be strong. He knew Larkin was going to need him. He had spent the past decade playing all sorts of