Fool Me Once...

Part 6

"When am I coming back to pick you up?" Karen asked, sitting in the driver's seat outside Ryan's house.

"I don't know." Stevie shrugged, checking her makeup in her compact mirror. "I'll call you. Maybe I'm not coming home tonight." 

"Understood. Have fun." Karen smirked.

Stevie said goodbye to her assistant and opened the car door to get out. Smoothing her clothes out, she approached the front door and rang the doorbell. This was the first time Ryan had invited her over to his place. It was a date night and Stevie was pretty excited about it. They had gone out a few times and she realized that giving him a chance was the right thing to do. While she wasn't falling in love with him quite yet, she couldn't deny that there was something between them. 

It took a minute for Ryan to get to the door and when he opened it for Stevie, he didn't appeared to be all too happy. She greeted him with a kiss and he didn't seem too into it. Stevie frowned, already feeling like she made a mistake coming there.

"Is everything okay?" Stevie asked, still in the hallway.

"Don't get mad." Ryan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Amanda is here."

"Excuse me?" Stevie's voice was higher than usual. "Weren't we supposed to-"

"Well, look who's here." The other woman appeared and Stevie immediately felt self-conscious. 

Amanda. Tall and slim, her hair obviously dyed blonde, wearing a skin tight dress that barely covered her ass, the high heels giving her a few extra inches. Slowly, she took a couple of steps toward Stevie, who was in her usual attire; leggings and a flowing top, having ditched her boots for flats.

"God, there are so many things I have to say." Amanda laughed harshly, giving Stevie a once over before she faced Ryan. "Really?"

"Shut up." Ryan spat at her. "Just go already. You have no reason to be here."

Amanda placed her delicate hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Give me a call when she's outta here. I'm sure you won't be satisfied."

"Go!" Ryan yelled, pointing to the door. 

Sashaying past Stevie, Amanda stopped to say one more thing before walking out. "He'll come back to me sooner or later."

After the slam of the door, it was deadly silent. Stevie didn't know what to think and Ryan wasn't sure how to make the situation better. Stevie admitted to him she had serious issues with her confidence level and his bitter ex couldn't have helped it much. 

"I'm so sorry." Ryan spoke up, closing the gap between them. He felt some resistance trying to hug Stevie, but he held onto her tighter. "I didn't know she was coming here."

"Why was she here?" Stevie asked, trying to shield her face from him, so he wouldn't see the tears brimming her eyes. 

"She told me, she came to pick up some things she had left over at my place. I thought that maybe she really did, so I let her in. She took her sweet time, wandering around the house, so I told her it was just pretext. I asked her to leave."

"But she didn't, did she?" Stevie felt there was something he was keeping from her.

"I want to be honest with you." Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat, his heart beating fast. 

"Oh, God, you-" Stevie pushed at his chest to break away from him.

"No! I swear, nothing like that happened!" Ryan shook his head. "Amanda tried, I can't lie. She kissed me, but I pushed her away." He lay his hand over his heart. "Stevie, I don't want her anymore in any way. That happened right before you rang the doorbell, that's why I was angry."

"Why wouldn't you want her?" Stevie crossed her arms over her chest. "Have you looked at her?"

Ryan stood in front of Stevie again, placing his hands on her shoulders, look right into her eyes. "All she has is her appearance. I can't deny that she's a beautiful woman, but that's were it stops. She's not a beautiful person, Stevie." His hands slowly made their way from her shoulders, down her back, pulling her a bit closer. "I have made my decision. I told you and I was being sincere. She and I are over, this time for real. I want you." 

Closing her eyes, Stevie exhaled heavily, standing on her tip toes, her arms going around his neck. "I can't take another relationship like the one I just left, Ryan. You have to be absolutely sure. Being cheated on sucks. Feeling like you're not enough sucks."

"I know, baby." Ryan nodded, not having used a term of endearment like that before. "You are the one, who's made me feel things again. I told you that my relationship with Amanda had become purely physical."

"I really don't want to hear that. I mean, now I know what she looks like, I can't help but compare myself to the woman. And there is no comparison."

"You're absolutely right." Ryan agreed, stepping back he reached for her hands, kissing them both. "She doesn't compare to you."

She knew she really couldn't order him to do anything, but Stevie said it anyway. "I don't want you around her."

"I have no desire to be around her." His hands on both sides of her face, he leaned in for a kiss. "How about we move on? Let's open a bottle of wine and talk about anything else besides my ex. Or your ex." 

Stevie chuckled, nodding her head in agreement. "Sounds good."

Ryan told Stevie to make herself comfortable in the living room, while he went to get that bottle and two glasses. Out of his sight, Stevie let the smile disappear from her face. She had a bad feeling. She trusted Ryan, but she didn't trust Amanda at all.