Page 58 of Just Another Meet Cute
That was pretty much the perfect thing to say. And Ryan was the perfect guy to say it. Who else would think to bring me allergy medicine? Plus, it was so easy to be around him. Easy tolikehim. Sure, I wasn’t overwhelmed with emotions, but I wasn’t confused, and I didn’t doubt myself either. And I liked who I was with him.
The tip of his finger slid down my neck and made a trail to curl around my shoulder as I took a step closer to him. Our faces were barely a foot apart now. It wouldn’t have been difficult at all for him to lean down or for me to tiptoe up. I could reach out to hold on to his arms to balance myself. Our lips would have been touching within seconds.
But neither of us moved to take the first step. We stayed in that position for ages. Seconds. Minutes. It all felt the same at this point. Slowly, Ryan let go of my shoulder and stepped back. My skin instantly felt a shock of cool air instead of his warm fingers.
With a shy grin, he held out his hand in my direction like a peace offering. “Well, now that we don’t have to worry about the medicine anymore, do you mind if I take you to my favorite place in Austin?”
Ian’s face flashed in my head, and I mentally pushed him away as I reached for Ryan’s hand. “Sure.”
Wrinkling my nose, I stepped out of the car and let out a low whistle at the packed parking lot full of tourists. “This is your favorite place in Austin? No offense, Ryan, but I’m kind of judging you a bit right now.”
Laughing as he shook his head, Ryan reached out to lace his fingers through mine, instantly warming them with his touch. “I know this place is a tourist trap and the food sucks, but it does have some good points.”
“Like what?”
Instead of answering, his grin just widened as he tugged me along. Past the front entrance of the Oasis, with the vivid blooming flowers and little statues, up the stairs, and along the corridors. I barely had a chance to glance in the colorful store windows before we zoomed by.
Finally, we stopped at a long stretch of balcony with a glass railing that showed off the shimmery blue lake in front of us. The sun danced off the water, making it look deep indigo in some areas and pastel blue in others. And all the different blues made the greens and browns of the shore even brighter in contrast. It was like a perfect postcard of Lake Travis at its finest.
I stepped forward and leaned against the top of the rail. “Okay, thisispretty nice.” My voice was low, as though the noise might startle the serenity of the lake.
“So, I didn’t lose any points?” Ryan asked as he stepped up next to me. It was so crowded on the balcony that his elbow rubbed against my arm. Not that I minded.
“Nope. In fact, I think you might have gained some.” A gust of wind blew a couple of strands of my hair into my face. “Although if I knew we were coming up here, I would have brought a jacket.”
“I can help you with that.” In one smooth move, he lifted his arm and slid behind me until both of his arms were around me, partially shielding me from the wind.
Twisting my head around, my cheeks grew warm when I saw just how close his face was to mine, barely an inch away. If I tilted my head slightly to the left, his lips would be touching my forehead. And if I raised up on my tiptoes …
A burst of laughter behind us made my gaze snap back to the lake. “Something tells me that I’m not the first girl you’ve brought here.”
“No, you’re not.”
Surprised at his honesty, I giggled. “Wow. You know, it’s okay to lie sometimes.”
His chest rumbled against my shoulders as he laughed. “No, I would never lie to you.”
Even though that could have just been a total line, I had a feeling that Ryan was telling the truth. Just like I instinctively knew that he meant what he said and would be there when I needed him. He just had that comforting,dependable quality. Plus, I never had to second-guess how he felt, since he justtoldme, which was super nice. He didn’t do one thing and say something else, like other people who shouldn’t be on my mind.
Nope, not on my mind at all.
Without a warning, Ryan stumbled to the right, causing me to trip over my own feet at the sudden movement. The older couple beside us didn’t even apologize as they jostled us out of the way as though their lives depended on getting the perfect shot for their Instagram or whatever.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I stepped back, and our prime view was immediately swallowed up by the crowd.
His handsome face twisted, and for a second I thought he was going to say something. But Ryan just let out a deep breath and turned back to me. “You know, that’s one of the reasons I don’t come here as much as I would like to.”
That was one of the reasons I never came here at all. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Maybe once or twice a month.” He dropped onto one of the nearby benches. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s kind of hard to get time to yourself at my house.”
“No kidding.” Instead of just sitting down beside him, I turned to curl my legs beneath my butt and faced him. My elbow rested on the back of the bench. “At least you have your own room now. Ian told me he moved in with your dad,” I added at the surprised look on his face.
“I didn’t think he—well, yeah, I do have my own room, but just because mydoor is closed doesn’t mean I get left alone,” he said with a short laugh. “I love them. I really do, but they can be a bit smothering sometimes.”
There was something different about his laugh. It was a bit off, almost like he was annoyed, but Ryan never got annoyed with anything. I studied him more closely. He was watching the crowd with a slight absent smile like he didn’t have a care in the world. I almost thought I was wrong until I saw his finger scratching into the bench like there was an itch he couldn’t scratch.
