“I’m glad that he’s gone, but I hate that it’s hurting her.”
“She’ll recover,” I say, getting up from the bar. “One day, she’ll wake up and realize this was a blessing, not a curse.” I start to walk toward the door.
“You sound like you know this from experience. Someone broke your heart?” he asks softly.
I snort. “You can’t break what isn’t willingly given to you,” I say as a matter-of-fact, and he tilts his head to the side as if considering my words. He opens his mouth to speak, but I give him my back as I start to walk to the front door of his hotel room.
“Where are you going?” he asks in a rush.
I turn to face him as I continue to walk backwards. “I’m going down to our hotel room to get her some clothes, and then when I get back, I’m gonna order some breakfast.”
He picks up his room key that sits on the counter beside him and tosses it to me. “That way you can get back in.”
“Thanks,” I say as I catch it.
“And no need for room service; we can go downstairs and eat.”
I shake my head at him. “Men. They have no clue how a breakup works.” He frowns at my words, and I give him a soft smile. It’s not their fault that they are clueless. “She’s not gonna wanna go out in public whatsoever. I’ll be surprised if she even comes out of your room.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
RYDER
Ashlyn was right, but I would never tell her that. It’s a little past noon, and my sister is still in my bedroom. She had brought her clothes back and then ordered food. Ashlyn even ate hers in there with her. And she informed me that she changed their flights, but it’s not until tomorrow morning. I wish we could stay another day with them, but our plane leaves at five tonight for New York.
Jaycent and I are sitting on the couch. He’s flipping through the channels, looking for something halfway good to watch, when my bedroom door opens. We both turn to look over our shoulders and see Ashlyn walk out. And to my surprise, my sister walks out after her.
“Hey, sis,” I say, standing up. I feel like I should hug her. Possibly hold her? I don’t know what to do for a woman who has a broken heart. Growing up, I always fixed her boo-boos or made her laugh when she cried, but now, I’m at a loss.
“Hey,” she replies softly. She looks better than she did last night when she was crying her eyes out at the kitchen counter. Her green eyes are still red and puffy, but that could be from the alcohol she consumed last night.
“How do you feel?” I walk up to her and give her the one-arm hug, just feeling out the situation. She wraps both of her arms around me and hugs me tightly, so I hug her back.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“For what?”
She pulls away and continues to the couch. “I ruined your vacation too. You came here to see me, and I haven’t spent any time with you.” She takes a deep breath. “And I ruined your birthday,” she adds with a sniff.
“No, you didn’t,” I argue. I’ve never been one for birthdays anyhow. But in no way did she ruin it for me. Just getting to be here with her made it amazing.
“I’ve ruined everything. I should have never let Conner come with us.” She drops her head and lets out a little sob.
I walk over to her and kneel down in front of her. “Becca, look at me.” She slowly lifts her head. “You didn’t ruin anything. I promise.”
“I just miss you so much.”
I give her a big smile. “I miss you too. And just think, after next week, we will see each other every single day.” That gets a smile out of her.
The next few hours went by quickly, but with every minute that passed, I could see the smile return to her face. Ashlyn even got her to laugh a few times.
“You’ll keep me updated on how she’s doing?” I ask Ashlyn as we stand at the hotel’s entrance. Our car is outside, waiting to take us to the airport.
She chuckles but nods. “Every hour on the hour,” she jokes.
“I just worry about her.” Seattle is so far away.
Her face softens. “I know. But I’ve been watching over her for four years; that’s not about to change.”
I wrap my arm around her thin waist and pull her towards me. Her blue eyes widen in surprise, and she sucks in a deep breath. “I know.” I lower my lips to hers. “And thank you for that.” I press my lips to hers and give her a soft kiss. When I pull away, I stare into those gorgeous blue eyes that will forever remind me of the ocean. I search them as she stares up at me in surprise. I lift my hands and cup her face. She parts her lips and sucks in a ragged breath before licking her lips. I don’t know why, but I don’t wanna leave her. I just met this woman and already the thought of going a week without her makes my chest tight.
“Ryder—”
Before she can finish that sentence, I press my lips to hers again. Just a soft kiss on her lips, but I linger longer than I should when she doesn’t push me away. When I finally do pull away, I kiss her forehead. “See you soon,” I say roughly then spin around and walk out the front door.
“Ready?” Jaycent asks me as he shuts the trunk, securing our bags.
“Yeah.” I get into the back of the cab, and I look out my window to the front door of the hotel and see my sister standing next to Ashlyn, her arm over her shoulders as they both wave.
The cab pulls off before I can even lift my hand to wave back. “She’ll be okay,” Jaycent says. I turn to look at him sitting beside me. “Ashlyn seems to have things under control.”
I nod my head in agreement, but that doesn’t mean I like it. “And what about Conner?”
“He won’t be coming back,” is all he says, and I grunt.
“Hopefully, you didn’t do anything that will put your ass in jail.” I can’t help but laugh as I say it.
He snorts. “He might be a whiny little bitch, but he’s not stupid enough to tell on me.”
I leave it at that. The less I know, the better.
ASHLYN
It isn’t until minutes later that I realize I’m still waving at a car that no longer sits by the curb. I clear my throat and shake my head as I try to clear it from that kiss Ryder just gave me. I drop my hand and let out a long breath. I bring myself back to reality and look over to find Becca checking her phone for the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes. Expecting a call or text from Conner, I suppose.
“We’re heading home, too,” I tell her. No better time than the present.
Her head snaps up and she looks at me. “What? We have three more days here.”
“I called this morning and got us an early flight home.”
Her eyes instantly start to water, and she sniffs. “I’m sorry I ruined our vacation.” She starts to cry.
I pull her in for a hug. “You didn’t ruin anything.” Then pulling away, I drape an arm over her shoulder again. “Come on. Let’s go up to our room and order some room service for dinner and drinks.”
***
The following morning, our plane left Florida before the sun even came up. We looked like two girls who partied our asses off. Big black sunglasses covered our eyes. I chose to wear Ryder’s oversized t-shirt with yoga pants. Becca wore a hat that I was surprised even fit, considering how big her glasses were. She also wore a big t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts. We had no makeup on and looked like we hadn’t showered in days. In reality, I was still in a trance from Ryder’s goodbye kiss, and she was trying to recover from a breakup that she never saw coming.
I was the nice and responsible friend who didn’t drink a lick of alcohol on the plane although I’m sure Becca drank more mimosas than she could handle. By the time we got back to our apartment in Seattle, she was drunk, but at least she was laughing. Her hat hung off her head, and somewhere between the airport and our apartment, she had lost her sunglasses, so I gave her mine.
I open the door to our apartment and drop my suitcase at the front door. “Home.” I sigh. There really is no place like it.
Becca stumbles pa
st me and into her bedroom. I fall down onto the floor in the living room where the couch used to be. We sold it a week ago. Harry jumps into my lap and starts to meow. “I missed you too big boy.” I pet the soft skin on his back as he purrs loudly.
He meows again. He’s such a vocal kitty. That was one of the reasons I picked him. I wanted someone who would talk to me when I was alone. I hear Becca let out a scream of frustration, and Harry takes off with a hiss.
“Everything okay?” I ask, looking over my shoulder and down the hall.
She doesn’t respond. Instead, she comes storming down the hallway and into the kitchen. I watch her yank a trash bag out of the box underneath the kitchen sink and then slam the cabinet shut before storming back to her room.
“Becca?” I call out. “Need help with something?” I ask, already getting up off the floor.
As I make my way down the hallway, I can hear her cussing up a storm, which is not what she does. I pass my bedroom door and then make it to hers. I stand in the doorway as she sits on her bedroom floor. She starts throwing stuff into the white trash bag. “What are you doing?”
She responds without looking up to me. “I’m throwing anything and everything away that that piece of shit ever gave me,” she growls.
I look around and see that her closet door is open. I can see the side that Conner occupied, and it’s empty. What hangers aren’t thrown on the floor are hanging on the rod with nothing on them. “He was here?” I ask.
She nods her head quickly. “He got all his shit and left.” She angrily wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “I hope that son of a bitch is already back in New York.”
I walk over to her and sit down. “I’m sorry,” I say softly.
When she looks up at me, I’m surprised to see her eyes clear of tears, but they are bloodshot from lack of sleep and drinking. “Don’t be sorry.” She throws a picture with her and him that I took one night while we were out at the Space Needle and the glass shatters into a million pieces when it hits the floor.
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” I ask. She’s mad now, but will she still feel this strongly about him being gone once the alcohol wears off?
She pauses to look up at me once more. “I’ve never been more sure in my life.” Her voice is steady and I smile. Finally, she is going to move on. She has spent the last two days crying, but now, she’s in the next stage. Anger.
Bye, bye Conner. I can honestly say I will not miss you!
The following morning, I’m lying in bed. It’s easily after ten in the morning, but I’m still on vacation, so my ass isn’t getting out of bed until after noon. Not like I have much to do anyway.
I curl up on my pillow and let out a long sigh when my phone dings, letting me know I just got a message. I open it up when I see Ryder’s name. We had exchanged numbers after we finished having sex out on his balcony. Not sure why I gave him mine when he asked for it, but I figured it was best, considering the condition his sister was in at the time. This is the first time I’ve heard from him.
Ryder: Do you think she really is all right?
I smile at how worried he is about Becca.
Me: She seems fine. What did she tell you?
I’m not sure she has told him about the scene we came home to yesterday or not.
Ryder: I messaged her last night just to check on her, and she said that he was history and assured me that she was over him. I just tried to call her, and she didn’t answer.
Me: She was still upset yesterday and ended up getting drunk on the plane coming home. But once we got here and she realized he was really gone, it was like a light switch. I believe her when she says she’s okay. And she hasn’t answered because she’s probably still asleep.
Ryder: Probably? Are you not home?
Me: I am. But I’m still in bed, and the apartment is dead quiet. So she must be too.
Ryder: Hmm…. You’re in bed, huh?
Me: Yes. I smile.
Ryder: What do you wear to bed?
Me: Does it matter?
Ryder: Humor me.
What’s it gonna hurt? Not like I haven’t already slept with the guy.
Me: I prefer to sleep naked.
There’s a long pause before he responds.
Ryder: Prove it.
Like those other women you see on the internet, I spend the next five minutes taking more photos than I should have to make sure I get a good one. Not quite sure why I care if it looked decent, but for some reason, it mattered. I end up sending him two. One is of my face as I gave him my best attempt at a flirty smile. The second is of my chest; I have one hand on my boob while the other is holding the camera. I really didn’t care that I sent one without makeup on, considering the two days he knew me, I didn’t have much on anyway.
“Hello, Harry.”
I shoot up to a sitting position when I hear a male’s voice in our apartment. “Bradley? Is that you?” I call out, remembering that I hadn’t told him I was back in town and he didn’t need to come by and take care of my cat.
My bedroom door opens and he walks in with a frown on his face dressed in a black t-shirt and worn-out jeans. Those dang black boots on his feet. “What are you doing home?”
I pull the comforter up and over my chest as I pat the spot beside me. He sits and I fill him in about our vacation, and how Conner managed to break Becca’s heart once again, but I am interrupted when my phone dings.
I pick up my phone to see it’s Ryder.
Ryder: Fuck! Have I told you that you have the hottest fuckin’ tits I’ve ever seen? I roll my eyes but smile at his attempt to flatter me. And you still look as gorgeous as I remember.
I laugh at that one. He’s such a player.
“Who are you talking to?” Bradley asks as he still sits on my bed.
I place my phone face down on the bed. “No one.” I wave it off. For some reason, I don’t want to tell him that I slept with Ryder. Although I’m sure Bradley slept with someone else while I was gone. He has them lined up. He’s good looking, funny, and has his shit together. Who wouldn’t want that? We don’t judge one another, but I still feel like keeping what Ryder and I did between us. He’ll just give me shit for it, and I’m too tired for that at the moment.
“Well, I gotta go,” he says, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. “I gotta be at work in twenty. I have a date tonight, so I wanted to run by and feed Harry this morning instead of this evening.”
See what I mean. “A date, huh?” I ask, smiling.
“Yep. Met her Friday night out at the bar.”
“So is this your first date?” I ask, already knowing that it’s not. When Bradley wants something, he goes for it.
He shakes his head. “Third.”
“Wow! You know what that means?” This girl probably has a three-date rule.
He wiggles his eyebrows, and then he’s out the door. I lay back down and grab my phone, picking up where we left off.
Me: You’re making my teeth hurt with your sweetness.
Ryder: You’re making my dick hard.
I laugh.
Me: Better find someone there to take care of it for you. Maybe have your secretary hide under your desk while she sucks you off.
Ryder: Keep talking like that and I’ll be flying to Seattle and bring you back to New York.
Me: I have always wanted to join the mile-high club. I joke.
Ryder: Seriously so fucking hard right now!
Me: I bet you wish I were there, huh?
Ryder: Are you kidding? If you had come back to New York as I asked you to, I would have called in sick today and would be balls deep in your tight little pussy right now.
I moan. Shit, my pussy throbs, wishing I had gone to New York. He sends me another message.
Ryder: I’m walking into a meeting. Message you later.
I throw my phone beside me as I dig into my nightstand. Gonna have to take matters into my own hands with him on my mind.
CHAPTER NINE
RYDER<
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I place my phone down and open up an email. I have ten minutes before this meeting, and I have spent too much time talking to Ashlyn, so I’m not going to be prepared. I had just pulled up the emails when my door opens. My father walks in and sighs. “I just got off the phone with your mother,” he states.
“And?” I ask, sitting back in my seat. Guess the emails will wait.
“Are you ignoring her?” She only calls him to rant about me or Becca.
“I was on the phone.” She had called a few times while I was texting Ashlyn, and I sent her to voicemail each time. “I’m surprised you answered,” I add.
“She called Jessica,” he growls.
Oh, so the bitch got smart and called his assistant. I can’t help but laugh. Kelly knows when my mother calls the office that I’m either in a meeting or out of the office.
He pinches the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes. My mother rarely calls him, and when she does, she goes on and on about whatever rant she is on for the day. “She informed me that you have not RSVP’d to your cousin’s wedding.”
That’s what was so important? “Right! I will do that today,” I say with a nod.
“Your mother wants you to bring a date,” he states. “She had mentioned Vicki.”
I shake my head quickly. “I have a date already,” I lie.
“You do?” he asks skeptically.
I nod. “Yes.” I start to say her name but stop myself. He doesn’t need to know who I am bringing at the moment. And I’m not even sure that Ashlyn would want to go with me. But I’d be willing to beg her to keep me from going with Vicki.
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