“You were drunk,” I said pointedly. “And who is ‘they?’”
Hannah looked at Kian, and it clicked.
“Ah.” I directed my attention to Kian. “Your brother, I’m assuming?”
This time, his shrug was bashful. “He may have made some pretty convincing points.”
I closed my eyes and recentered myself. “Hannah, I don’t know what you thought you saw the other night, but you were so drunk I’m surprised you knew your own name. Kian, I can’t leave yet, so I need you to take her home. Now. Then go home yourself. Forget we ever had this conversation, and I won’t tell your parents that you were sneaking around the back alley of a bar in the middle of the night. Have I made myself clear?”
Hannah nodded.
“Yes, s—” Kian faltered beneath my glare.
I took a step back while they both got in the car. Only afterthey were out of sight did I allow myself to breathe, letting the tension out of my body. My hands started to shake; my knees felt weak. I paced back and forth in the empty parking lot until the adrenaline wore off and I couldn’t stand the cold anymore. I went back to the front door, which was now locked. I let myself in, basking in the heat while I recollected the nerve I needed to get through my awkward conversation with James.
I couldn’t be the only one who felt the tension whenever we were together. You could start a fire with the sparks that flew between us—and I wasn’t just saying that to be cocky. I’d never felt as strong a pull as I did with him. It was… odd, but I didn’t want to fight it. In fact, it only made me want him more. Made me want to figure out what it was about him that was so damn magnetic.
I looked around the room. It was strangely empty. Had Dani snuck out while I was dealing with Hannah and Kian? With a deep breath, I made my way down the hall to James’s office. As I approached the door, a noise inside made me slow my steps. A sigh?
The door was cracked, and I nudged it open as quietly as I could. James stood with his back to me—his lips attached to Dani’s neck.
Chapter 15
It was my weekend—thankfully.I was more than grateful for the time to work through my thoughts and my possibly irrational emotions. I knew I was being a bit of a coward by avoiding Dani and James, but until I knew exactlywhatI was going to do, I welcomed the space. I replayed every conversation I’d had with them. How had I missed it? There had to have been signs, right? All I could think about was how James looked at me when we were alone, or how Dani encouraged me to act on my crush. Maybe she hadn’t exactly said those words, but she hadn’t told me to stay away from him either. An open relationship, maybe? Fuck, that sounded messy.
Thursday evening rolled around before I trudged out of bed and stopped feeling sorry for myself. Instead, I picked up my phone and called Erin. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Hannah since Tuesday night when I’d caught her and Kian.
“Ryder? To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hey Erin. Is… um… do you or Ben have plans with Hannah tonight?”
She didn’t immediately answer. “Not that I can think of. Why?”
“Would it be okay if I surprised her and took her out for dinner?” I paced around in the kitchen, unsure what her reaction would be. She’d been warming up to the idea of me being in Hannah’s life, but I still treaded lightly. “Being around” and “unsupervised time together” were two very different things.
Her response was everything I feared to hope for. “I don’t see why it would be a problem.” A pause. “Is everything okay?"
“Of course,” I answered out of reflex. “I just… miss her. Is that weird?”
Erin laughed. “No, that’s not weird. In fact, I think it’s really sweet. She thinks the world of you. Though I can’t for the life of me figure out why.”
I rolled my eyes. Her tone was light, indicating she was joking—mostly. “Is it that hard for you to believe someone actually likes me, Erin?”
“From what Hannah says, a couple of someones like you. What’s the deal with you and James?”
Oh, God. I groaned. “I’ll be there at six to pick Hannah up. Is that okay?”
“Oh, deflecting—typical Ryder.”
“Goodbye Erin!”
I ended the call before she could interrogate me further. I didnotmiss living in a small town, not one bit.
When I arrived,I dodged more questions and knowing glances from Erin. It was only dinner, but Hannah seemed excited all the same. Upon dashing down the stairs to see me, she threw her arms around my waist, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t ease mynerves. She was already dressed to go out, so thankfully I didn’t have to wait with Erin any longer than necessary.
Hannah and I walked the streets of downtown Salem, trying to decide what to eat.
“So what’s the occasion?” she asked. I had my hands in my jacket pockets, and she looped her arm through mine. “Why’d you decide to surprise me tonight?”
