She liked that idea?
He knew they were on the same wavelength.
“I heard that,” he smirked, “Plan B is official. Now tell me what you wanna talk about.”
She cleared her throat. “First, about you and me, and what is this between us. Also, clearing up everything you still don’t know. And second, something about the accident.”
TWENTY-ONE
Lisa
“Why don’t we take a stroll through the neighborhood and change the scenery?” she suggested.
She saw Ryan’s forehead fold down into a frown. “Do we need a change of scenery?”
“It’s nothing serious.” She tried to smile. “Depending on how you take it.”
He exhaled, then pushed away from the counter he was resting against and strolled into the hallway, pulling open the closet, and he came back with Lisa’s puffy white hooded coat. “Put this on; it’s cold as fuck today. But fair warning, Lisa, if you’re using this secondary location to ditch me, you should know I run faster, and I will catch you.”
He was so dramatic.
And she loved it.
So much so that she laughed as he held out the coat for her to slide her arms into. He even turned Lisa around and pulled up the zipper, just like a perfect gentleman. But nothing in the deep depths of his eyes promised that Ryan Gold was a gentleman.
Quite the opposite.
And Lisa also loved that.So much.
“Like I’d run. Pft.” She huffed, grabbing the house keys. Once outside, she decided they could head a few blocks away to the local park. It was a weekend, still fairly early, and they only saw a couple of dog walkers. They hadn’t even left her driveway when Ryan grabbed her hand, tucking it inside his warm palm.
Everything in Lisa went into dreamy mode as she tried to suppress a smile and failed big time.
She wondered if he even realized all the small things he did for her and how much they’d gone toward Lisa deciding she really wanted to have a future with him.
It wasn’t only every single time they’d chatted or how focused he was on anything she spoke about. It wasn’t only the meals they shared or the way he made her laugh with his silly MC stories. It wasn’t only how he sat through her TV dramas and even seemed to get into them, asking her questions and calling randomly during the day to warn her not to watch the next episode without him.
It was every sweet act, like holding her hand, surrounding her in affection, making sure she was walking on the inside of the street. It was making sure she was warm enough or that she’d eaten that day. Several times while working from home, he’d dropped by in between his own work to bring Lisa some food because he knew she’d forgotten.
It was the way he waited for her outside spin class to walk the few blocks home with her.
He was set on winning her over and didn’t let up for a moment, no matter how busy his job kept him, even when she wasn’t giving Ryan any sign she might want the same.
And he hadn’t pressured her.
He was the most laid-back man she’d ever known.
And now she’d decided – more like let herself accept the truth that she’d never gotten over Ryan. And had she been brave enough to stick around back then, she knew absolutely they’d still be together, in a stronger partnership.
With the guilt in her chest, she clasped his hand and walked alongside him.
“You’re quiet.” He remarked. “Are you figuring out how to tell me what you wanna say?”
“Nope,” she popped the P, looking at him. “I have it all in here.” She tapped the side of her head.
“Do you wanna share those thoughts with me?”
Without missing a beat or giving herself room to second-guess, she went all in and confessed, “I like you, Ryan.”
