by S. L. Jayne
A smile spread across her face. “I also haven’t forgotten your promise that we would talk, so spill- I want to know what you’re going to do and do you think going out with Reece will make you forget Ryan?” She said as she tilted her head to one side.
I leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Ry. Right now I need to focus on keeping my brain in check and not letting it drag up all those feelings I kept locked up. I’m not going on a date with Reece to forget Ryan, I’m doing it because I like Reece and I refuse to put my life on hold for Ryan fucking Sanders. I know I can’t believe what he says and I know I’ll only get hurt if I so much as soften towards him,” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “I’m sorry, Ry. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you.”
Rylee reached over the table taking my hand in hers. “I know it’s hard, Ava, but what if he’s telling the truth? Remember what you have always said to me about having faith and believing. Granted I’m not totally fixed but I would never have gotten this far if it wasn’t for you believing in me and helping me believe in myself,” she said with a small smile.
I nodded and smiled back. “But I’m not good at taking my own advice. I do believe in giving people a chance and having trust in them but this is different, I don’t trust Ryan, he’s a player and he’ll hurt me. I’ll stick to Reece, at least he cares.”
“Who’s a player? Who will hurt you? And who is Reece?” Matt said as he sat down next to Rylee after catching the tail end of our conversation.
I looked over to him. “Don’t worry, it’s a big mess, Matt. Ryan is a player, he will hurt me and Reece is the guy from speed dating that I have been getting to know and been out with a couple times and going out with again tonight,” I said smiling.
Matt frowned and his eyes flashed to Rylee and back to me. “Got it. So I’ll kick Ryan’s ass if he hurts you. Simple. And speaking of players, I know a guy called Reece from the gym, he’s a total prick though- always talking about his conquests. It’s awesome sparring with him though, I get a few cheap blows in when we box,” He chuckled.
Rylee and I laughed. “It can’t be the same Reece, the one I know is sweet when we’re together,” I said.
Rylee scoffed. “Yeah, when he’s around. He ignores you most of the time, though… until he is ready to have your attention.”
I glared at her and shook my head, I know we’re never going to agree on what type of guy Reece is, I just hope that one day she will see for herself that he’s genuine, even if he is a little crap at returning calls or takes a day or so to reply to texts.
“Blah, blah, blah, Rylee Blake! You’ll see,” I said laughing trying lighten the atmosphere.
Matt laughed and turned to Rylee.
“Well, if Ava is going out tonight you should let me take you to see the gym. I still want to give you self-defence lessons and seeing the gym will give you a feel for it. Trust me,” he said flashing his killer smile.
That smile is his weapon and he knows how use it.
***
Reece is picking me up at seven thirty, I have an hour to get ready. Rylee had agreed to go and see the gym with Matt so he picked her up thirty minutes ago, before she left she made me promise to text her when I leave.
Deciding to go for casual but sexy I changed into my skinny jeans and tight black shirt, setting the outfit off with my favorite red shoes. I piled my hair on top of my head securing it in place with hair pins, letting the stray locks of hair stay where they fall. I took a quick glance into the mirror, running my hands down my front to smooth my shirt and made my way out of my bedroom to the living room. I had 10 minutes until Reece was due to arrive so I quickly went to the kitchen and poured half a glass of wine.
Hearing the doorbell chime, I smiled as I walked through the living room. I take a deep breath and open the door. Reece was leaning up against the post with one hand in his pocket, I swallowed hard as my eyes roamed up and down his body. He looked sexy standing there in dark jeans and shirt.
“You took your time,” he said with a smirk.
Damn that’s hot.
I smirked back. “Well a girl has to look her best when she opens the door, you never know who it’ll be”
He stepped forward and brought his hand up to cup my cheek he leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Baby, you look stunning. Maybe we should just stay in and go to your room for the night.”
“Not happening, Mr! We’re going out, I’m hungry!” I said with a smile.
Reece pouted and shook his head slightly. “Damn, I was so sure that would be a winning line,” he winked and grabbed my hand leading me to his car.
Once we were inside the restaurant and seated I pulled my cell out and typed a quick message to Rylee letting her know I was out at a place called Benny’s and I hoped she was having fun with Matt.
Reece had gone to order our food and drinks, I looked around the room taking in the surroundings. It’s a nice little place; it has an Italian feel to it with the walls decorated in deep reds, it almost feels like an intimate setting. I glanced over to where Reece was standing and saw him talking to the waitress, my eyes drop to her hands as I watch her pass him a napkin which he takes from her and slips into his pocket.
Did he seriously just take her number while he is here with me?!
Reece makes his way back to the table and as he sits down I notice a change in his mood.
“Are you okay? You seem edgy,” I say cautiously. I’m not sure what kind of person he is when he is in a mood so I’m not overly confident with being abrupt with him.
I watch his eyes flash to the waitress and then back to me. “Yeah, baby, I’m good. I can’t wait to get out of here and get us some alone time.” He winked.
I really don’t feel like I know him well enough to go all the way with him.
I smiled back at him. “Um, Reece?”
He looked up at me from his phone, I didn’t hear it go off so I guess it’s on silent.
“Yeah?” He said with a raised eyebrow.
I swallow hard. “You know I’m not going to just jump into bed with you, right? Just so you know, I’m not like that.”
He needed to know that it wasn’t going to happen tonight.
He nods at me while he is still looking at his phone, “Yeah, I kinda guessed that when my line didn’t work back at the house.” He said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
I can’t help wondering if I’m thinking too much into his ways, I don’t want to be one of those girls who compare guys to the one that ‘could have been’. No, I’m not going there. I will not think about Ryan or what could have been.
Reece’s voice drags me from my thoughts.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but my brother just text me, we’re going to have to cut this short he needs me,” he said as he shrugged one shoulder.
I look up at him as he stands, I stand and smile at him trying to hide my confusion.
“Is everything okay?” I ask as I quicken my pace to catch up with him.
He glanced over at the waitress again and then back to me. “Yeah it’s all good, something just came up that’s all.” He said as he headed to the door.
Chapter Twelve
It has been nine days since I saw Ryan and eight days since my date with Reece, if you can call it a date. When Rylee got home that night I was lying on the couch in my PJ’s and she saw that I had been upset, she demanded that I tell her what had happened but I told her I didn’t want to talk about it. I felt stupid because it wasn’t Reece that had upset me, it was my thoughts of Ryan and I didn’t want to go over it with Rylee because I knew her thoughts about Reece so out of them both, and I had a twisted feeling she would back Ryan. I had let my mind go crazy in the hour before Rylee returned home. I understood Reece needing to go to his brother, when I got home I started thinking about him and the waitress, also his sudden mood change which led me to start feeling bad about the passing thoughts I had about him. The waitress could have been nothing, but yet I jumped to con
clusions.
I also know that try as I may, I can’t avoid Ryan forever. He’s here in Vista and the Ryan I know always gets what he wants in the end. He’s also my weakness, he just doesn’t know that part. He doesn’t know how hard it was to walk away from him that night, he also doesn’t know how much strength it took to push my feelings for him aside. My silence towards Rylee didn’t last long, I had ended up spilling everything on our way to work the following day. Rylee has been a little off with me since, I’m not sure if something happened with Matt or if she is just holding her thoughts and about Reece and Ryan in for my benefit, either way it’s bugging the hell out of me not knowing what she is thinking.
“We need a movie night, we haven’t had one in forever and I have the perfect movie in mind,” Rylee said as we left the Ashby building after a long day at work.
I turned to face her and saw a suspicious look on her face. “Perfect for what exactly?” I ask cautiously.
A big grin spreads across her face. “You’ll see!”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Rylee Louise, I don’t think I trust you right now.”
She giggled. “Shut up, Ava, you know you trust my movie choices. I have great taste.”
I shook my head. “Not this time I don’t, I have a gut feeling there is going to be a hidden meaning in this one.” I said laughing.
It wouldn’t be the first time she had done it, she also did it once when we were thirteen years old.
“Ten minutes and I’ll be there with the movie,” Rylee called over her shoulder as she rounded the corner to her house.
We had spoken a bit today about our plans for when we grow up, we still wanted to move away and start fresh because Nate had still been drinking behind Lexi’s back and still made Rylee feel worthless at every opportunity. We are so happy she gets to still come to movie night, it’s the one thing Nate has never been able to stop happening.
I opened the door and let Rylee in, she handed me the DVD and I looked at her with wide eyes.
“Oh my god, you borrowed it from Mya?” I said with a huge smile.
“Yep, you’re thirteen now and this movie is so good, it’s totally us!” She said handing me the DVD.
I have wanted to watch Now and Then since Hanna and Rylee said they had watched it one afternoon when Rylee had dinner at her house, although my parents are lenient they do have their strict moments and I wasn’t allowed to watch it until I was thirteen because of the sexual reference. I shake my head remembering that conversation.
The movie was almost finished when Rylee whispered to me. “Don’t you just love how they promise they’ll always be there for each other and they stick to it? That’s why I wanted you to watch it with me because it reminded me of us, it’s been five years since our last serious pinky promise so I think another one is due.” She said holding out her pinky finger.
By now we could consider this our signature move.
“I promise that no matter what I’ll be here for you, no matter where you are or what has happened. I’ll always have your back,” she said with a huge grin.
I hooked my pinky finger around hers and smiled back at her. “I promise that too, Ry.”
We stopped by the store on our way home from work to get some groceries for the rest of the week and to stock up on ice-cream and pretzels for tonight’s movie. It’s eight thirty pm and I’m almost ready to settle down and watch this movie that Rylee has in mind. I pull my cami over my head and run the brush through my hair before making my way into the living room.
“About time! The ice cream is going to be melted by the time you get your ass ready, I still don’t see why you need to look pretty to go to bed,” Rylee said as I dropped myself onto the couch.
“Rylee, Rylee, Rylee, don’t you remember what I told you that first night you ever slept over at my house?”
She looked at me as she thought for a moment and then rolled her eyes and burst out laughing.
“No way, Ava. Don’t start that again. “You have to look pretty when you go to bed because you never know who you might meet in your dreams”, She said in a high pitched voice mimicking me when I was six years old.
I leaned over to nudge her hard making her fall to the side.
“I was six, don’t make fun of me! Go put the movie on, wench,” I said through my laughter.
Rylee got up and put the DVD in the player carefully hiding the box so I didn’t see the title or cover.
We got comfortable on the couch and Rylee pressed play on the remote as she gave me a sideways look and a grin.
I turned my head to face her. “What are you playing at? I’m all kinds of nervous right now because I know this movie has a hidden meaning, I know how your mind works remember,” I said tilting my head to the side.
Keeping the grin on her face Rylee paused the movie before I even got to see the start-up screen, she shifted slightly in her seat to turn her whole body towards me with her legs underneath her.
She let out the long breath that I didn’t realise she had been holding. “Firstly, I want you to promise me you won’t be mad at me for not telling you straight away, you have to understand that you were upset about Reece and confused over Ryan the night I came back from being with Matt and the last thing I wanted to do was upset you some more.”
Hearing her say that made me panic, my heart started beating faster when I saw her eyes drop to her lap where she was playing with her fingers- something else she did when she was nervous about something.
I reached out and grabbed her hands in mine making her look at me. “I promise, Ry, but you’re scaring me now what happened when you were with Matt? Did he push you into talking? I’ll text him now and tell him to stay away from you if you need me to.”
I pursed my lips waiting for her to tell me what the heck is going on.
“No, don’t! It’s not like that. It’s not about Matt, yes he did ask me a few things but I was okay, Ava, you’ll be proud of me when I tell you that story.”
I smiled back at her as I watched a smile spread across her face. “I’m already proud of you without knowing what you told Matt, It’s a huge step for you but I’m confused as to what you think I’ll be mad at and what this movie is supposed to tell me?” I said as I frowned with confusion.
Rylee sat up straight and kept my hands in hers. “Okay, so when we were at lunch with Matt and he mentioned that he knew a Reece and you said it can’t be the same one, well we saw his Reece leaving the gym as we pulled up and it turns out that his Reece is also your Reece and I was baffled for a few minutes when he said “that’s the douche I told you about at lunch”, he looked dressed up ready to go out so I guessed he was coming straight to you from the gym and by the time I had gotten my head around it I knew he would be close to arriving to pick you up so I didn’t want to text you and freak you out,” She sighed.
I know I should say something right now but I can’t think of anything to say, my mind has hazed over. Reece can’t be a player he’s too sweet when he wants to be, players are like Ryan- they are jerks to girls and only want them when it suits them.
Rylee started talking again. “Say something, Ava, I’m so sorry, I should have texted you especially when you told me which restaurant you were at, but Matt said it would be better to talk to you when we were both home and then when I did get home I wasn’t thinking straight after my talk with Matt and you was too upset. I didn’t know when would be the best time to bring it up. I wanted to talk about Ryan-”
I cut her off before my mind exploded.
“What do you mean when I told you about the restaurant? What’s the restaurant got to do with it?” I asked quickly as my mind went straight to the encounter with the waitress.
She bit her lip for a moment before she spoke. “Well there’s a woman at the gym that Reece has set his sights on, reckons she’s his next conquest- she works at his brothers restaurant, Benny’s to be exact,” She stopped talking, giving me a moment to process what she had just said.
I ne
eded time to think about all of this; I know I thought he had taken her number but I couldn’t be sure of that, he didn’t tell me it was his brother’s restaurant, did he? I don’t remember anything other than him getting a text from his brother, if it was actually his brother! I can’t start that again, I don’t want to be paranoid. I need to talk to Reece, I have to find out what the hell is going on.
“Thank you for being honest with me, Ry, I’m not mad at you at all, I understand why you waited. I’ll talk to Reece and ask him what’s going on, I’m sure he’ll clear it all up,” I said with a small smile.
Rylee’s eyebrows drew together as she studied my face. “You don’t seriously believe that he’s going to tell you the truth about her, do you? Ava, he’s going to lie his way out of it and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand by and watch you get played!”
I nodded at her. “I know, Ry and I love you for that. I won’t just believe him but please understand that I do like him and he’s really sweet to me, so I kind of find it hard to believe that’s all. I’m going to text him and tell him we need to talk.”
Rylee’s sigh sounded like a defeated sigh. I hate that this has gotten her all wound up, the sooner I can get Reece to talk the sooner I can explain to Rylee that it’s all a mix up.
“Okay, as long as we’re good and you’re not mad at me I can deal with leaving you to handle Reece,” she said smiling as she glanced at the TV on the wall. “Oh, did you want to know what movie I had chosen to watch?” She added.
I laughed as I raised my eye brows and nodded. “Go on…”
“Ghosts of Girlfriends Past! Perfect for Ryan, right? Because I did want to talk about him too but it’s almost bedtime and we need a good few hours to go over him!”
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re not going to give up on the Ryan thing are you? I don’t think there’s much to talk about, Ry, give him another few days and I’m sure he will find someone new.”
***
This day is dragging, I still have a few more hours left at work before I can confront Reece about the waitress. I have decided not to bring Matt and Rylee up, it’s not fair to throw them into the mix when Matt has to train with him. I had sent Reece a text last night when I got into bed telling him we needed to talk, he tried to play it off with a joke but I wasn’t in the joking mood and once he realised that he said he’d come to my place and we could watch a movie together; he didn’t even ask what I wanted to talk about. That’s another reason why I’m not totally sold on him being a player, because wouldn’t a player worry that he’d been caught out? I don’t want to ruin what I have with him by judging him on Ryan’s standards.