Exhausted from interacting with all the people Rylan asked me to talk to, I sat down with a loud sigh at one of the party's tables. A man with the name Leon would never stop bragging about his company. How much better the germans are at producing weapons than the Americans or any other country.
Honestly, I couldn't give a flying fuck about what he had to say. It's not like I wanted to be here in the first place. Leon managed to piss off a few people who left the conversation, yet so did I.
Rylan has been hiding in the background all evening, in quietness, which she has been ever since we woke up this morning. She had fallen asleep in the chair while I was in bed. I figure to let her sleep as I went into the shower. The thought of waking her and telling her to go back to her bed came to mind, but I was worried she might go back to sleep if I did.
However, when I returned from the warm shower, she was gone. Maybe I woke her up, I don't' know, and she didn't say anything when we met downstairs for breakfast. The entire time she was on her phone, most likely going through the information Mario had sent her from my father. Then as well as checking every route, weather conditions, and news around the city of Berlin, knowing her, she might have checked the entire country along with it.
"Hello," An older woman came and sat down next to me, perhaps around her mid-thirties.
"Hi," I said, baffled by her American accent. She looks pretty in that black dress with her brown hair up in a fancy-looking ponytail.
"You look tired," She said, and I nodded in agreement, expressing my boredom.
"It's been a long evening, and the men are so self-centered," I complained, and she started laughing.
"I know, that one is mine," She pointed at a man, who looks like everyone else in here, black suit, slick hair, and a fake grin on his face.
"He looks nice," I said slowly, and she rolled her eyes.
"I guess I shouldn't have married him," She leaned in closer to me as she told me that.
"I'm Jenna," She reached out her hand, and I accepted it.
"Hadley," I smiled back at her.
"Which one is yours?" She asked, and I snorted loudly.
"I'm here for my father. I don't have anyone, expect her," I pointed at my security guard, who is leaning up against a wall, watching me like a hawk.
"She looks intense," Jenna said, and I raised my eyebrows up and down.
"She is sometimes, but compared to the other guards that I have had, she is different," I smiled lightly but put it aside quickly. I don't even know why I said that.
"What makes her different?" She wondered, and I was about to tell her why. Then I realized that I don't know the woman across from me and why she is asking so many questions.
"Hadley," I turned to my left, meeting eyes with Rylan as she extended her hand out to me. I hesitated as I took it but excused myself from Jenna as I held onto Rylan's hand. She pulled me away from the tables and onto the dance floor. A few others are dancing slowly around, and I faced Rylan with a frown as she laid her hand at the back of my shoulder blade.
"What are you doing?" I asked as I took a step away from her in discomfort.
"Just let me," She said, stealing my left hand into hers and placing her hand at my back again.
"You could at least let me lead," I complained, and she laughed as she moved us around calmly.
"Why would I do that?" Rylan smiled as she gazed down at me with her bright blue eyes.
"Because I like to be in charge," I answered through gritted teeth.
"I know, but I'm taller," She said cheekily, and I rolled my eyes as I let out an annoyed breath. Of course, she had to use that as an excuse, even though we both really know that she would like to be in charge.
"Why are we dancing, soldier?" I wondered as I don't understand what happened.
"Because the woman you were talking to is someone you shouldn't be around," She replied, and I raised my eyebrows.
"So you decided it was a good idea to bring me out here to dance instead of pulling me to the side to tell me that?" I asked, and she smiled cheekily.
"I guess that could have worked as well, but she might appear again," She shrugged, and I nodded as I got what she meant. I let her move us around; usually, in this situation, I would be uncomfortable and feel so small, but strangely enough, I don't feel it with Rylan.
Something is soothing with the calmness in her eyes as she is staring down at me. The way she moves us around, it feels safe and relaxing at the same time.
"So, where are you from, soldier?" I asked, feeling the heat in between the both of us, which should defiantly not be there.
"I was born in Iowa," She answered, and I got the feeling that was not all of it because the other day, she said something about not having parents or something like that, at least.
"Did you like it there?" I wondered, but she didn't say a word as she only glanced at me with softness in her eyes.
"Rylan," I said quietly.
"Yeah?" She whispered.
"You didn't answer my question,"
"I know," She responded, and I let out a sigh. I can't seem to cross any of her borders.
"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?" I wondered, and I noticed that we are much closer than we were at the start of the dance. Her chin almost hits my temple when she is standing straight.
"There is nothing to know, Hadley," She responded, and I clenched my jaw as I looked away from her gaze.
"I doubt that," I slipped my hand out of hers and took a step away from her.
"I think I will go back to the hotel," I said and walked away, but I know Rylan is following after me from a short distance.