The Pick Up by Sadie Ryan

By the time I realize Ralph isn’t the man he claims to be, it’s already too late.

I didn’t want to come out tonight. The wine bar is too loud. Too crowded. And I’m still not over my ex.

Then I see him.

Tall. Silver haired. Watchful. Like he’s waiting for someone.

‘Hi, I’m Ralph.’ He smiles. ‘Want to get out of here? I know a quieter place.’

And just like that, everything changes.

At first, it feels perfect. Fancy restaurants. Expensive wine. The way he looks at me like I’m the only woman in the room.

But then the cracks begin to show.

The stories that don’t quite add up. The friends who don’t seem to know him. The money he always promises to pay back.

Everyone tells me to be careful. But I want this to work so badly that I stop asking questions. Like why he chose me. What happened to his first wife. And why does it feel like he knows everything about me.

Meeting me was never an accident . . .

By the time I realize Ralph isn’t the man he claims to be, it’s already too late.

I didn’t want to come out tonight. The wine bar is too loud. Too crowded. And I’m still not over my ex.

Then I see him.

Tall. Silver haired. Watchful. Like he’s waiting for someone.

‘Hi, I’m Ralph.’ He smiles. ‘Want to get out of here? I know a quieter place.’

And just like that, everything changes.

At first, it feels perfect. Fancy restaurants. Expensive wine. The way he looks at me like I’m the only woman in the room.

But then the cracks begin to show.

The stories that don’t quite add up. The friends who don’t seem to know him. The money he always promises to pay back.

Everyone tells me to be careful. But I want this to work so badly that I stop asking questions. Like why he chose me. What happened to his first wife. And why does it feel like he knows everything about me.

Meeting me was never an accident . . .

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