Falling For Ryan: Part Two

by Tracy Lorraine

  Eventually, though, she does start a conversation up that gets Molly’s attention. “Ryan and Abbi, you will never believe who has moved back to Liverpool…” We both just look at her, waiting to fill in the blanks. With our mother, it could be anyone. “Beth and Caleb. Their father’s contract in America came to an end and they decided to come back.” Beth and Caleb are the same ages as Abbi and I, and we went through school together. Well, that was until their family moved when Beth was sixteen and Caleb was eleven. They lived a couple of houses down from us and we all spent a lot of time together, Beth and I especially. I was gutted when they had to move. For a while I thought she was the one, and I know Abbi was much younger, but she adored Caleb.

  “Oh really, that’s, uh…good, I guess.” I don’t really know what to say to this news. It’s been so long that I’m sure none of us would have anything in common now.

  Mum’s eyes light up before she speaks. “Beth asked for your number so you two could catch up. She’s single, from what I gather.” My blood boils at the thought of her trying to set me up in front of Molly.

  “I guess it will be good to speak to her again, but don’t get any ideas, Mum, and definitely do not get involved,” I beg, and she just gives me a look.

  Throughout this whole conversation, I’ve watched Molly’s eyes move back and forth between me and my mum like she’s trying to figure something out. Surely, she can see what my mum is doing, but I’m not liking the look on Molly’s face. She looks kind of resigned and that worries me. A lot.

  Everyone continues to chat apart from Molly again, who’s staring down at her hands. Suddenly, everyone’s conversations are interrupted when her phone starts ringing. She grabs it quickly, apologises, and then hurries away from the table. I watch her talk briefly with whoever is on the other end before she returns, looking regretful.

  “I’m sorry, guys, but I’m going to have to go. That was my brother. Something’s going on with his in-laws and they need me to look after my nieces,” she explains as she grabs her bag and coat. “The bill’s been settled, but if you want any more drinks or anything, then please go for it. They’ve got my card details. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” She turns to my parents and sisters. “Have a safe trip back, and I’ll see you all soon.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” I say, going to stand up.

  “No, I’ll see you later. Enjoy the time with your family.” Abbi and Liv give her quick hugs but then she’s out the door before I can blink. We all look at each other, completely bemused, but slowly everyone gets back to their earlier conversations.

  Apart from me, because I’m now more concerned than ever about what’s going on. I need to get everyone out of here so I can hunt down where her brother lives.

  Molly

  The look on Ryan’s face as I announced I was leaving broke my heart, but it didn’t stop me from practically running out of there and away from his interfering mother. I can’t believe she’s trying to set him up with an old friend. Wait, no, I totally can, especially if she lives in Liverpool. All Karen’s dreams could come true at once: Ryan could have a ‘nice’ girlfriend and move back home. I get a little choked up at the thought. Shaking my head, I focus on driving before I get so distracted, I end up in a ditch.

  I pull back up outside Jax’s apartment building and let myself in with the keys he gave me earlier. When I get in, Jax is still laid out on the same sofa as he was earlier, but he’s wearing a different pair of boxers and his hair’s a little damp. At least he’s managed a shower.

  I take my coat and boots off before throwing myself at the other sofa and lying in the same position as Jax. His living room is laid out with two sofas facing each other with a coffee table in the middle.

  “How’d it go?” he asks, looking over at me, getting comfortable.

  “Shit. He’s so angry with me, and hurt, but I just don’t know what to do for the best.” Jax raises his eyebrows at me, so I go on to explain all about Karen and her little scheme to get rid of me.

  “Wow, what a bitch. You’ve got to tell him, Molls. He deserves to know what she’s really like,” he says once I’ve finished.

  “I don’t disagree. He does deserve to know, but I just don’t know if I can do it to him. His family is so important to him. I don’t want to be the one to break it. I’d give anything to have a caring and supportive family like his, even if his mum is a…little misguided.”

  “Don’t you think that’s up to him to decide? I would say that you’re just as important to him as his family, if not more, Molly. And really, you’d give anything to have a family like that? Have you looked at the people you have around you lately? The Morrisons, your brothers, Megan, Ryan, me,” he says, pointing at himself. “Just to name a few. Just because we aren’t all blood related doesn’t make us care for or support each other any less.”

  I think for a few minutes about all the people he’s just mentioned. “Yeah, you’re right. I need to focus on what I have got and not what I haven’t, because what I have got is really fucking good. Thank you, Jax.”

  “You’re still not going to tell him though, are you?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, what if she’s right and I’m just not good enough for him? What if I’m not cut out for the committed relationship thing and I’m just going to hurt him anyway? Better to do it sooner rather than later, don’t you think?”

  “What if you don’t hurt him?”

  I watch the cogs turning in Jax’s head before he jumps up. “I need a drink.”

  “What about the hangover?”

  “The hangover isn’t numbing the pain. Alcohol will, though. You with me?”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely.” I follow Jax into his kitchen where he pulls out a bottle of wine, a couple of beers and a bottle of vodka. He turns and grabs a wine glass and a couple of shot glasses before filling them and handing me my drinks.

  “To interfering mother-in-laws who need to keep their fucking noses out of our business and love lives,” he says, raising his shot glass.

  “To being fucked over by your mother-in-law,” I agree, before necking the shot at the same time as Jax.

  “So where does Ryan think you’ve gone? Because I’m thinking that if he knew you were here, he would have broken the door down by now, trying to get to you,” Jax asks, starting to slur his words slightly.

  It’s been hours since I left the pub. It’s dark out and I’m waiting for that bang on the door. I know that everyone would have headed home by now, and I’m sure Ryan set straight about finding me. I’m not stupid enough to think he won’t figure it out.

  “I told him Steven needed me to babysit the girls. I’m sure it won’t be long before he figures out where I am.”

  “He doesn’t know where I live, though, does he?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’m sure Abbi will soon tell him.” Jax groans and downs another shot at the sound of her name.

  “If she means that much to you, you’ve got to fight for her.”

  “What, like you’re doing for Ryan?” he asks with a quirked eyebrow.

  “Shit.” I squeal, putting the wine glass and bottle down before trying to wipe off my t-shirt and jeans. If I can’t successfully fill my glass back up, it means I’m drunker than I thought. Jax watches me and laughs. “Have you got anything I can change into? These are soaked.”

  “Yeah, come on,” he says, holding his hand out to pull me up. “I’m guessing you’re sleeping here tonight?”

  “Uh…yeah, I guess. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. Here, take this,” he says, handing me a t-shirt. “You can have a shower if you like.”

  “Thank you, Jax,” I say, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “You’re a really good guy, you know that? Abbi is stupid to let you go.” He lets out a breath at my words before plodding back towards the living room, leaving me in his bedroom.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ryan

  “And you haven’t spoken to her all day?”

  “N
o. Ryan, I’m sorry, but she really isn’t here,” Steven repeats for about the tenth time since I’ve been on the phone with him. At first, I thought he was covering for her, but now I’m starting to believe him. “Will you call me when you find her, though? You’ve got me worried.”

  “So, she’s not there, then?” Abbi confirms when I end the call.

  “No, and he hasn’t spoken to her all day.” It’s just gone nine in the evening and I’ve not heard anything from Molly since her disappearance from the pub earlier this afternoon. My parents and Liv left not long after we got back. Abbi is still here, even though she has to drive back to Manchester tonight. “You need to get going, you’ve got a long drive.”

  “No, I’ve told you I’ll stay. I can ring in sick tomorrow if need be. I want to make sure Molly is okay.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” I try to say in a reassuring voice, but it comes out sounding anything but. “She’ll just be at a friend’s. I don’t want you missing uni because of us. You go, and I promise I’ll call you when I’ve found her.”

  “You promise?”

  “Yes, I promise. Now, get going. It’s a long drive in the dark on your own.”

  “Yes, Mum, calm down!”

  I carry Abbi’s bag downstairs for her and put it in her car before giving her a hug and sending on her way; not before I’ve promised again to ring her when I’ve found Molly.

  I head back inside and plonk myself on the sofa, trying to decide what to do for the best. She’s not at Steven’s, which I think I pretty much knew to be the case because I could tell she was lying when she left the pub. Where is she most likely to go to hide?

  The office.

  Grabbing my keys, I jump in my car before speeding into the city to see if she’s there. I’m quite hopeful, because every time she’s run before, this is where she’s come. As I drive down the road to Cocoa’s, butterflies erupt in my stomach, but my heart drops when I see the empty parking spaces around the back.

  I can’t leave without making sure, so I grab the keys from my glove box and jog up to the door, letting myself inside to see for myself that she isn’t here.

  Feeling defeated, I get back in the car and rest my forehead against the wheel while I think about where she could be. If she’s not here alone, then it means she has gone to someone. Who would she go to?

  Megan.

  I shove the key in the ignition and back out of the space.

  “Hi, angel. Is everything okay?” Susan asks when she pulls her front door open. It’s gone ten o’clock, which is late for Susan and Pete. She’s stood there in her dressing gown, looking worried by my late night visit.

  “Um…is Molly here, by any chance?”

  “No, I haven’t seen her since she left the pub. Is everything okay?” she asks as she opens the door wider for me to enter.

  Susan looks even more concerned after I finish explaining her weird actions today. She knows as well as I do that it isn’t like Molly.

  “I was hoping you could give me Megan’s phone number. I’m guessing she’s most likely gone there.”

  “Megan had the weekend off, so I don’t even know if she’s about.”

  “Still worth a try,” I say as I follow Susan into her office.

  After a very brief conversation with Megan, I discover she’s out of town for the weekend and hasn’t heard anything from Molly.

  I run my hands through my hair. “Where the hell is she?”

  “Which other friends is she likely to go to?” Susan asks.

  Susan makes me a coffee while I ring Chris to see if either him or Shane have heard from her, but no such luck. The only thing I’m achieving is getting them worried, which really isn’t helping the feeling I have in the pit of my stomach.

  “Here you go, angel,” Susan says as she passes me a steaming mug. “Any luck?”

  “No, no one’s heard from her all day. She’s been so weird today, but I just can’t put my finger on it. She went downstairs with Mum last night and…”

  “What is it, Ryan?”

  “Jax…she’s with Jax. My mum said something to her and she’s gone to Jax because he’s having the same problem with Abbi, and he’ll know how she’s feeling.” I pace the Morrisons’ kitchen floor as all the pieces fall into place.

  “What could your mum have said to upset her so much?” Susan asks, looking bemused by the idea.

  “Oh, trust me, my mum could have said plenty. She can be vicious.”

  “Oh,” Susan says, looking a bit confused. I guess when you’re the world’s perfect mum, it’s hard to imagine saying something nasty to one of your children’s friends. Especially when they know how much they mean to them. “Well, what are you hanging around here for? Go find out,” she says, as she stands and gestures towards the door.

  “I…I don’t know where he lives.”

  “Well, get on the bloody phone to your sister and find out.” Wow, Susan must be more worried by this than I thought if she’s throwing swear words around.

  I’ve tried Abbi five times but no answer; she must be driving. This both pleases and frustrates me in equal measures. I’m glad she isn’t on the phone while driving, but I’m also desperate for Jax’s address. I need to find out what the fuck has happened.

  It’s a long twenty minutes later when Abbi eventually returns my call. She’s very apologetic because she didn’t realise her phone was on silent, and it wasn’t until she stopped at some services for a caffeine fix that she saw my missed calls.

  I quickly say goodbye to Susan, then I’m back in my car and speeding towards the address Abbi has just relayed to me.

  Jax lives in the middle of the city, so it’s another thirty minutes before I’m pulling up outside his apartment building. I know she’s here, because her car’s here. I’m just about to press the buzzer to his flat when a drunken couple comes stumbling up to the entrance. I let them go ahead of me but catch the door before it closes. I watch as they enter the lift before turning and taking the stairs two at a time until I’m on the top floor.

  I begin hammering on Jax’s front door loudly enough that it would wake him if he’s asleep. I continue banging for a good few minutes before I hear any movement inside, and a male voice grumbles that he’s coming.

  “I know she’s here. I saw her car,” I say, shoving the door after he’s cracked it open so hard it ricochets off the wall behind it as I march into Jax’s flat.

  “Come in, why don’t you?” Jax says with a smirk from behind me.

  “Where the fuck is she?”

  “I think you need to calm down, mate.”

  “Don’t fucking tell me what to do,” I say as I poke my head into the kitchen, then the living room, before making my way down the hall towards what I presume is the bedroom. What I see makes my blood boil. “How about instead you explain to me what the fuck is going on?” I shout as I shove his shoulders until I have him backed up against the wall of his bedroom. It doesn’t even occur to me that Molly hasn’t so much as stirred at my shouting and crashing about.

  When Jax doesn’t say anything, I get right in his face. “Well?”

  Molly

  Turning over, I cuddle into the duvet before willing myself back to sleep so I don’t have to feel my head pounding and stomach churning. Eventually, I give in, and decide I’m going to have to go in search of painkillers instead.

  I gently ease my eyes open and my breath catches in my throat at the sight in front of me. Ryan’s staring down at me, looking anguished. I break my stare with him to quickly take in my surroundings, and I’m totally confused when I realise I’m in his bedroom. The last thing I remember was drinking on Jax’s sofa. How and when did I get here?

  I look back into his concerned eyes. “Ry…” I try speaking, but my throat is so dry that I have to swallow and try again. “Ryan?”

  “There are painkillers and water on the side if you need them,” he says coldly.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, slowly pulling my body up enough so that I can
take them without upsetting my dodgy stomach.

  Once I’m done, I lie myself back down and look over Ryan’s features. His eyes are bloodshot with dark circles around them, and his hair is more of a mess than usual. I let my eyes roam down his body, noting that he’s still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. “Ryan, what…” I start to ask the first of the many questions that I have, but he interrupts me.

  “No, Molly. You need to go first. You have the most explaining to do.”

  I’m reminded of everything that happened over the last two days, and it makes me want to dive under the covers and hide. I never got to make a decision as to whether I wanted to tell Ryan the truth, but it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice now. He must see the internal battle I’m having with myself, because he prompts me to start talking. There never really was a decision to make—I made it a long time ago.

  I roll onto my back so I don’t have to look at him and let out a huge breath before saying very quietly, “Your mum tried paying me off.”

  The silence in the room is almost painful as Ryan takes in what I’ve just said. “So, yesterday was you leaving me?” he asks, making my head snap back to his.

  “What? No…Ryan, that wasn’t it at all.”

  “But you ran. You did what my mum wanted and left me.” His face is pulled tight with anger. “Was that it? If I didn’t find you last night, would we be over now?”

  The pain in his voice causes me to scramble out of bed and crawl over to him until I’m on my knees by his feet and holding his trembling hands in mine. “No,” I repeat.