Page 60 of Liberating Bells
“Why don’t you go enjoy it somewhere else,” a new, deeper voice says from the other side of me. I turn around and see Ryan sitting down next to me. He extends his arm across the back of the barstool, his fingers brushing against my arm. I feel a small smile threatening on my lips, and a wave of relief come over me.
“Who are you?” the rude man asks. He’s frowning at Ryan, whose face is impassive but shows he’s not playing around.
“The guy who’s gonna rearrange your face if you don’t leave the lady alone.”
The other man leans back against the backrest of his stool and takes another drink. “Ah. thefiancé.” I notice Ryan doesn’t correct him, though his firm stare remains. The guy raises his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I know when to cut my losses. You better keep a close eye on this one, though,” he drawls, shooting one last indecent grin at me. “She’s quite the catch.”
Ryan’s face morphs into a scowl, and he mutters, “I’m aware.”
The guy walks away from the bar, chuckling under his breath. I turn to look at Ryan. “Thank you, but I can take care of myself, you know.”
He scoffs. “Right. All five-foot-three of you? That guy was atleasttwice your size. Do you even know how to escape if he were to grab you?”
Images of Mark holding me against my apartment wall flash in my mind. My heart rate picks up slightly, and I have to restrain my fingers from fluttering up to the healing contusions on my neck. I take a sip of my beverage and shrug, doing my bestto hide my impending panic. “It’s a public place. Someone would have stopped him.”
Ryan stares at me long and hard, those green eyes twinkling underneath the dim bar lights. “Seriously, Bells.”
“Seriously, Ryan.”
“Have you ever thought about taking self-defense classes?”
I hold his gaze for a long second before calling the bartender over. I’m questioning his motives here. This couldn't just be from the guy touching my hair. Suggesting self-defense classes is not exactly a topic of small talk. Did Ryan know something about the Mark thing last week? Has my makeup worn off, and he can see that bruise there? Maybe I should run to the bathroom to check, but I thought I saw that pervy guy head that way. No—Ryan would have definitely said something if he could see it.
He might be right, though. Thinking back to last week, I was utterly helpless against Mark and his anger. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible idea…
“I’ll think about it,” I tell Ryan right as the bartender walks over to us.
“What can I get you?” he asks.
Ryan stays quiet for a second, glancing down at the mojito sitting in front of me as if he’s really pondering what kind of drink he wants tonight. “I think I’ll just have water.”
The bartender nods and heads off, tapping the top of the bar. I turn to Ryan with a frown. “You sure you don’t want anything else? I’m buying.”
Ryan smiles at me and leans back, the picture of ease. “Nah, I’m good tonight. I’ll just stick to water.”
We sit at the bar for what feels like forever, Ryan, with his water and me with my mojito. As we talk, he finally moves past whatever awkwardness he was holding on to. He starts to open up a bit, becoming more comfortable as he tells me everything that happened today at the Bates meeting, not leaving out eventhe smallest detail. He feels like he nailed the proposal and isn’t too concerned they’ll turn him down. I have no doubt he did a great job. Ryan succeeds at just about anything he puts his mind to.
“They would be crazy to do that, knowing what you’re capable of,” I tell him.
Ryan’s eyes twinkle again, offering me one of those smiles that makes my insides flip around. “Thanks, Bells. That means a lot coming from you.”
I blush and flick a crumb off of the bar top. “So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
Ryan’s eyebrows pull together slightly. “Well, we could check out the Parthenon for you in the morning, then we can hit those concerts downtown in the afternoon. Then, fireworks, of course.”
“That would be great!” Excitement bubbles in my belly, knowing Ryan went out of his way to add something to our agenda that he knew I’d appreciate. I can’t imagine Mark ever taking that extra step. If he found it even remotely boring, he wouldn’t even bother.
“I figured you would have already been there,” Ryan says, chuckling as he watches me. I can tell he’s amused by my apparent excitement.
I shrug a shoulder, still smiling. Of course, I’ve already been to the Parthenon, but Ryan doesn’t need to know that. I’m just grateful he’s thought of me on this trip. It’s nice being considered. It’s something I’ve gotten out of the habit of expecting. But being back with Ryan, even if just in this platonic situation, reminds me of how good it feels.
“I like seeing you this happy,” he says, his voice hesitant, as if he’s worried saying it out loud might ruin the moment.
My smile lowers a bit, but I hold his gaze. My fingers knot together in my lap. “I like being this happy,” I admit.
His familiar green eyes study my face before he changes the subject back into lighter topics. We chat a little bit longer before deciding to call it a night. Ryan picks up the tab for my mojitos despite my protests, and then we walk back to our hotel rooms. Though we walk side by side, he keeps his distance, respecting the boundary. When we get to our rooms, Ryan gives me a quick goodnight. He shoots me that boyish grin of his that has my heart skipping a beat, before disappearing into his room and leaving me alone in the hallway.
I can’t help but smile as I slide my keycard into the slot, unlocking my room. I glance around at my stuff and then flop onto one of the beds, landing on my back. My head spins as I look at the ceiling, tracing the patterns of the popcorn detailing. It might be from the mojitos, but I think I’m just looking forward to tomorrow.
