In The Works

Romance - Rachel

An Original Work

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Summary

Rachel enjoyed a good romance novel as much as the next girl, but she knew they were nothing more than stories. Nothing that happened in those books ever happened in real life. Not love at first sight, not chance encounters with rich soulmates. Not dramatic meetings where love was declared and problems swept aside in the face of it. And getting together was never the hardest part; it was staying together.

At least, that was what she'd always thought until a chance encounter with Ryan one gloomy Valentine's Day. If there was such a thing as love at first sight? Well, meeting him was that. The other cliches? Still cliches...mostly.

But staying together is still the hardest part.

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As with most early phase stories, names subject to change. There's not much of this one yet. Just a basic idea for a story arc and a few scattered scenes...and a picture in my head of Ryan...who looks suspiciously like Oscar Isaac.... *shrugs*. My take on the corny romance novel...hopefully with a little bit of originality mixed in there with the familiar cliches. :P

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Excerpt

A snort-like chuckle escaped him at the observation, prompting her to wave off the apologetic look with a chuckle of her own.

"Well, I definitely know what you mean there," he said dryly as their quiet laughter subsided. "My girlfriend was always expecting me to make a huge deal of Valentine's Day." Rachel's heart immediately and inadvertently sunk. "Flowers, chocolates, the elegant candlelit dinner at the expensive restaurant; the whole cliched nine-yards." She forced herself to keep from reacting to the admittedly unwelcome revelation. Why should she care anyway? She was not looking for anything. They were just enjoying having a little company on a day that glorified being in a relationship. But she couldn't deny there was a little....something there. A bit of a connection. She actually, kind of, wanted to see if there was a chance for...something. But then the 'girlfriend' comment had dropped and she began trying to force that little flicker of 'maybe' away.

At least until one detail of his comment started flashing in her mind's eyes.

And that flicker of hope she was nearly embarrassed to admit existed was fanned to life again. Man, she was going to sound so pathetic when she asked the question poised on the tip of her tongue...

"Was? Has she reformed, then?" She tried to keep her tone as light and conversational as she could, forcing herself not to drop her eyes to her cup. She was sure she was blushing, though. He looked at her curiously for a moment before a grin of his own was appearing. Was it just her, or did it seem faintly forced? Her heart sunk again. Oh boy...he'd just realized she was interested and was figuring out how to let her down easy.

But then the grin widened.

"Reformed? Nah. She'd just not my girlfriend anymore." She'd always thought the idea of someone's heart fluttering madly at just a smile was a silly notion...but oh, was it an apt description for the feeling in her chest right at the moment as he smiled across the raised bistro table at her.