19. Ryan

Chapter 19

Ryan

While my sister gets drinks at the bar, Cameron tries to smooth things over, telling me the same story Hannah told me at the house.

I’m in no mood to hear it, but I am surprised to learn she told him all about the exes who treated her like shit. She’s had a hard time trusting anyone since they fucked her over, so that must count for something good.

We probably have a lot more to talk about before I can get cool with this, and I have no idea how it will play out long term, but it’s a start. My sister means the world to me, but I don’t want to lose his friendship either.

“Look who I found,” Hannah says, returning with Kayla by her side. She’s still in her ski gear after a day of lessons, but she looks gorgeous as ever.

Unlike the four tequila shots in her hands.

“Let’s celebrate you two being out in the open, shall we?” she says, setting them on the table and hopping up onto the barstool next to me.

“You knew?”

“Er, yeah. Look at them,” she says, waving her hand in their direction. “I knew the second I laid eyes on him they were hot for each other. God, Ryan, you’re such a dumbass. How did you not notice? ”

I grip the leg of her stool and drag it closer to mine. “I must have been too busy looking at you.”

“I thought we were being subtle,” Hannah says, burying her face in her hands.

“Please,” Kayla laughs. “You were not subtle at all. I saw you kissing on the slopes while I was teaching the other day. And holding hands at the parade.”

I wouldn’t have noticed, I was too busy trying to hold her hand. Across the table, Cameron brings Hannah’s hand to his mouth and holds it there. How can this be happening?

Hannah glares at me when I grunt at the sight of the two of them. “Stop it. We're both consenting adults. We don't need your permission to do what we want.”

“I don’t see this ending in anything but disaster. You live thousands of miles apart.”

“Ryan, stop being such a little shit,” Kayla says, smacking me on the arm a lot harder than I deserve. “Some people don’t need to be together all the time. You should know that better than anyone.”

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Cam points his finger at her, holding his shot glass up. “I like this girl. She's smart.”

“To long distance lovers,” she cheers and they all toss their drinks back.

A few rounds of drinks and cards later, and my head is fuzzy in a different way. The music’s too loud, the bar is too crowded, and my emotions are getting the better of me. My leg starts twitching and Kayla squeezes my thigh to ground me.

“Are you coming back to mine?” she asks, booping me on the nose. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.