Read Online Unrequited by Emily Shaffer - Free Book Online Page B

cowboys. What's so uncomfortable about that?”
    Ashton hated to admit it, but he did have a point.
    “So this is how you spend your time? Year after year, just going along like everyone else? Doesn't it get old? Don't you get bored?” Her desire for answers overrode her resolve to stay detached.
    “I don't get bored. I'm a teacher, and by that virtue I'm also a student. The world is always changing. New discoveries are made every day, and I'm in a position to take advantage of the universe and everything it has to offer. I've read more books than I can say. I've learned to play the piano, the guitar, and the violin…well, I attempted to learn the violin. I speak two other languages, and on top of that, I've spent the last century meeting interesting people.” Will smiled. “The time is what you make of it. So you see, you will have no one but yourself to blame if you get bored.” He finished speaking and looked at her, slightly biting his lip, as though he were contemplating something.
    Ashton wasn't sure how to respond. Even with his smiles and his teasing, she couldn’t escape the feeling that he was always trying to get inside her mind.
    “Come inside for a second. There's something I want to give you.” He walked ahead without waiting to see if she followed. Ashton stood on the sidewalk for a few seconds before giving in and following Will into his house.
    Ashton had never been inside his house. In the weeks since Will had first entered her life, she'd had fairly little interaction with him. Her mother would visit him, but Ashton always refused to accompany her.
    Will had walked into another room while Ashton stood just across the threshold of the door. She looked around the living room at the fine old furniture. It suited him perfectly. As well as he fit in with the people in this town, there was still something gentlemanly and refined about him. This room felt like Will. She stepped further into the room and ran her hand along the top of several furniture pieces. She could imagine him sitting in the large upholstered chair with a book while a fire crackled in the hearth. For a fleeting moment, she imagined herself sitting here with him.
    That thought brought her back to reality, and she stepped away from the chair and the image of her and Will spending a cozy evening together.
    “Here, I want you to have this.” Will appeared from another room. Ashton felt her face, sure she was blushing from the warm thoughts she’d experienced a moment before. Will didn’t seem to notice, and handed her a book. The cover was leather, but it had been ravaged by time. She opened it, and the pages were filled with handwritten words.
    “What is this?” She didn’t understand.
    “It's my old journal. I haven't kept one in years. That one was started when I first moved to Georgia. For a while it was my only friend, the only thing I could tell my thoughts to. I believe you may relate to some of it, and maybe it will help you understand me better.”
    Ashton held the book, unsure of how she felt. She didn’t know if she was ready to read it. She tried to break the tension she was feeling by asking him the personal questions she usually shied away from. If she let herself get to know him, she would have to quit ignoring him, and if she quit ignoring him, she was afraid of where that might lead.
    “How did you end up teaching here?”
    Will's face changed, and Ashton couldn't mistake his pleasure at her initiative in asking him something personal. He walked a few steps and stared out the window.
    “I'm from the East. Did I ever tell you that? I made my way south for the warmer climates and the anonymity. My education traveled with me, and I began working as a tutor for wealthy families in Atlanta. As time passed, and I discovered I truly didn’t age, I decided to take advantage of eternal youth and became educated in almost every subject available. The pursuit of knowledge never gets old.” Will moved toward Ashton, and