Saving the Second Male Lead

Valentine's Day Special Chapter

Hey guys! While I'm working on the next few chapters, I wanted to share a deleted scene between Ryia and Lawrence as a (belated) Valentine's Day Special. This scene would have taken place during the events of chapter twelve and is from Lawrence's POV, but I wasn't able to find a good place to intersperse it, especially since it's practically its own chapter lengthwise, so I ended up removing it from my final draft of the chapter. Still, I really liked it, so I've been saving it since I can't bear to delete it. Let me know what you think of it, and I hope you enjoy it!

        I also wrote this while listening to "Unknown/Nth" and "Cherry Wine" by Hozier on repeat, and they go really well with the vibe of the chapter, so if you're someone who likes to listen to music while reading, I'd highly recommend those two songs!

        Lawrence and Ryia left the other two behind, exchanging glances as they did so. Ryia led the way towards a more wooded area, where a small pathway appeared at its edge. Tall birches and maples made up the forest line, their shade a much-needed reprieve from the afternoon heat. The path itself was nothing more than padded down dirt, tufts of grass and ferns dotting its borders.

        Once far out of earshot, Ryia looked over her shoulder toward the pond, and Lawrence followed suit. They could just barely make out the other two as they made their to the pond's shoreline.

         "I'm glad those two seem to be getting along," Lawrence said as he watched June and Oliver talking. Not getting an initial response from Ryia, he turned his attention to the path, picking out a pebble to kick along as he walked.

        Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Ryia just nodded and started humming through a closed-lip smile, her hands behind her back.

Lawrence looked up from his rock. "What's that expression for?"

        "Nothing," she said coyly before returning to her tune.

        Lawrence watched her for a few seconds, his lips parting in realization. "I'm guessing she talks about Oliver the way he talks about her."

        She bit the inside of her cheek, trying herself to keep her mouth shut but eventually failing.

        "She doesn't talk about him that often." She paused, pulling a nearby leaf off its branch before continuing. "But she's never been great at hiding her facial expression, especially when it comes to Oliver. Though I don't think she's lying about just seeing him as a friend right now. It's just that she doesn't quite realize how much he means to her yet, but that's only a matter of time." She tore the leaf into pieces, getting lost in thought. She then perked up, her head turning to Lawrence once again.

        "Wait, so does that mean he talks about her?" Ryia asked, doubling back with a mischievous grin. Lawrence chuckled at her interest, shaking his head. He couldn't remember a time when she didn't want to know about all the gossip; he'd have been concerned if she hadn't asked to hear more.

        "He's talked about how similar the two of them are and how comfortable he feels around her." Lawrence paused, hesitant to add the next part. "He also said once that he likes to make her laugh. He thinks she has a pretty smile."

        Ryia sighed in return and kept walking, and soon Lawrence fell into place a few steps behind her. He followed her through the forest in silence, watching as light flitted through the tree leaves, dancing across her face. All he could think about as he walked was how much he wanted to reach out in front of him to grab her hand, how much he wanted to walk at her side. But she was just out of reach; she always had been and always would be. She was bound to find a better man than him, and Lawrence knew that taking her hand would only lead to him dragging her down. He wasn't strong enough to protect and knew that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never be enough for someone like her.