Chapter 11
As my last class finished up on Friday, the professor adamantly reminding us that our second midterm was fast approaching, I walked out of the room feeling utterly relieved. The weekend could not have come at a better time. I'd had six assignments due over the last four days, and even though I had a full day without classes, I still ended up spending my day off surrounded by textbooks in full-on work mode.
I was in desperate need for a break, and tonight was going to give me that.
Tonight would be awkward to say the least. Even though Dean had been the one to set it up, the feeling that it was a date was definitely dancing around my mind. Albeit, it was a date with a three-year-old chaperone; but it was a date nonetheless.
I had half been expecting a phone call from Ryan sometime throughout the day, telling me that he'd wanted to cancel, but as the hours trailed on, my phone stayed silent and my nerves gradually settled.
Breathing in the fresh LA air as I followed a crowd off campus, I pulled my sweater tighter around my shoulders. It was already the middle of November, and even though it sometimes felt like the temperature would never drop, a much needed breeze blew gently as I headed across the street.
Turning and following the familiar path to Abbie's daycare, my train of thought circled one particular track, and every stop seemed to link back to Ryan. What was he doing? Was he as nervous as I was for tonight? Was he excited? Every question seemed to have a variety of answers, but I knew which ones stuck out as the ones I wanted to be true.
Time passed quickly as my thoughts swept me off my feet, and minutes later I was walking into the daycare. Expecting the kids to be running around and playing like they normally were, I was thoroughly surprised to see them seated in the middle of the room, not making a sound.
'Well, there's my answer,' I thought to myself, smiling as I rested my back against the wall, quietly observing the sight in front of me.
Ryan sat on a chair in front of all the children, a book in his hand as he grinned animatedly at his young crowd. "The moon lit up the sky as Nellie looked up at it from her window," he read, enthusiasm clear in his voice as he flipped the page of the picture book.
Other parents slowly started to trickle in, flabbergasted to see Ryan Adams sitting there reading to their children. I'm sure it wasn't everyday that they found themselves in the midst an A-list actor.
A smile stretched across my face as Ryan finished the story, a happy ending causing the children to cheer and applaud. Finally taking notice of the other people in the room, I saw Ryan's gaze sweep over the handful of parents before his eyes locked on mine; a small, sexy smile growing as the kids in front of him scattered themselves across the room.
Before my instincts kicked in and caused a blush to dust my cheeks, I averted my gaze as Abbie came skipping happily towards me, arms wide in excitement. "Did you see it momma?" she squealed as I dropped my school bag, wrapping my arms around her in a hug and situating her comfortably on my hip. "Ryan came in and played with us at playtime, and then he read us a book!"
"He did?" I asked in amazement. She nodded. "That's pretty great of him, isn't it? Did you say thank you?"
Her mouth popped open in shock, telling me that, no, she hadn't thanked him, but was sorry she'd forgotten. Her head whipped around to where Ryan had been talking to the leader of the daycare, wiggling herself down off my hip before scurrying over to Ryan. Smiling to myself, I saw her tug the side of his jeans, grabbing his attention before starting to speak. I could hear her enthusiastically thanking him like I'd told her to, but before I knew it, they were both grinning at each other as she grabbed his hand and tugged him in my direction.
"Hey," he greeted, the side of his mouth tilting up enticingly.
I played with the hem of my sweater, suddenly very aware of the curious eyes of the other parents. "Hey," I returned shyly, "What are you doing here?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Well, the three of us are still going to Dean's game tonight, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Doesn't the game only start at seven?" I asked, confused, suddenly thinking I'd gotten the time wrong, as it was only half past four.
He nodded. "Yeah, but I thought that maybe we could grab a bite to eat first," he trailed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "My car's parked around the corner, we could walk into town and then drive to the game?"
"Oh, I want to!" Abbie cheered, jumping up and down eagerly. "Can we get hotdogs momma?"
"I don't know," I trailed, looking back up at Ryan with a smile, "Do you know any good hotdog stands?"
He grinned back at me. "Just a few, but they're a little bit of a walk," he replied before crouching down to Abbie's level. "What do you say Abbie? You think you can handle walking for a bit?"
Abbie nodded, eyes wide as Ryan tempted her with one of her favourite foods.
I laughed. "Hotdogs it is then," I replied happily. The truth was, although I didn't eat it often, I really could never turn down junk food – it tasted too good to give up.
Cheers of excitement emerged from Abbie's mouth as Ryan offered to help her grab her bag.
Watching the two of them walk off to the other side of the room, I noticed that, although most of the other kids had left already, a few had yet to be picked up as Diane, one of the leaders of the daycare, and the one I saw most frequently, came over to talk to me.
"Ryan Adams huh?" she asked, a small smirk playing on her face, but not delving any deeper into the topic. "Abbie seems to get along great with him."
"Yeah, she really likes him," I replied, admiring the way that Ryan helped her reach her bag as she struggled on her tiptoes.
"Well it looks like you've found yourself a keeper," she smiled gently, as she watched the same scene I was. "Just remember that he's welcome back any time. The kids seemed to love him."
I nodded shyly, ducking my head as I picked up my bag, a blush slowly spreading across my cheeks. "Noted," I muttered, saying a quick goodbye as Abbie and Ryan headed towards the door, both beckoning me to hurry as I followed the two of them out the door.
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The 'little' walk to the hotdog stand turned out to be not so little. It seemed like we were going nowhere after twenty minutes of dodging the busy Friday crowds as Abbie easily coaxed Ryan into giving her a piggyback ride, grumbling that her feet were starting to hurt.
Finally, forty minutes after leaving the daycare's parking lot, we'd come to a marketplace set up around a park ground.
"What is this place?" I asked, looking around in awe at the stalls and booths that were just as lively as the rest of the city.
Ryan smiled, having already adorned his signature hat and sunglasses as he took a look around. "The North Market," he replied, "My parents used to take Dean and I here a lot when we first moved out here, but that," he stopped, nodding off towards his left, "Would be the reason why we're here."
Following his gaze, my eyes locked onto one stall in particular, and it seemed to be one of the busiest ones. Steam and smoke bellowed from the back of the stall where the barbeque sat, mixing with the smells of the surrounding stalls. "These better be some top notch hotdogs," I smirked as we headed over to join the long queue.
"Trust me," he grinned back, "They're definitely worth it."
It took us a few minutes to move up enough steps so that the menu was visible, but even with the extra time I couldn't decide what I wanted when the three of us were called up to order. In the end I'd just gone with their original hotdog, ordering one for me and one for Abbie, while Ryan ordered one of the specialty dogs. I'd also tried to convince him to let me pay for my own food, but that conversation didn't last too long when he simply handed the man running the stall enough change to cover both our orders.
My eyes widened slightly when our order number was called and they passed us our food. "You sure you'll be able to eat all of that?" I asked, amazed as I watched Ryan help Abbie cover the top of her hotdog with mustard and ketchup. The hotdogs we'd been given were, in fact, huge, and if I didn't think I would be able to finish mine, I wondered how my three-year-old would manage.
"Mhm," she nodded greedily, stuffing the end of hers into her tiny mouth. I looked down at her, holding in a laugh as I picked up a pile of extra napkins, knowing I'd definitely need them as her chin was already covered in ketchup.
Walking away from the condiment stand, we looked around for a spot to sit. Luckily enough, it didn't take us long to find a free bench near the edge of the chaos, sitting down promptly to enjoy our meal.
Abbie barely made it halfway through her hotdog, complaining that she was too full to eat another bite. She did, however, take immediate interest in the baby ducks that were swimming in the pond a few feet in front of us. With out even having to ask, she looked up at me with wide doe eyes and I smiled, nodding as she shrieked, skipping off with happiness.
"So," I started, shifting towards Ryan a little more, tucking my knees underneath my body, "Does your body guard know you're out in public like this?"
My teasing tone made him crack a grin as he shook his head. "He thinks I went to my parents house for dinner before Dean's game," he replied cheekily.
"Do you usually lie to him like that?" I laughed, taking another bite of my hotdog. Despite the size, it was one of the best hotdogs I'd ever tasted.
He shrugged. "Sometimes when I want a bit of privacy, sure," he answered honestly. "Chad's a great guy and everything, but he works for my manager, not for me, so sometimes he can be a bit overbearing with the security and stuff."
"Have you talked to him about it, or even your manager?" I asked awkwardly, not really knowing how the whole 'famous' thing worked. Glancing to see Abbie still safely playing near the edge of the pond, I looked back to Ryan, waiting for his reply.
"Chad's cool about a lot of things, that's why when he is around he usually stays in the shadows," he explained. "My manager, on the other hand, thinks that every time I step outside I need to be watched. He doesn't realize that not everybody in the city is out to spot celebrities. I usually don't get noticed when I'm like this, I just have to watch out when I have a movie coming out or I'm in the spotlight."
"Why don't you just find a new manager?"
Ryan shrugged. "Besides being overbearing when it comes to publicity, he's actually a good manager," he reasoned.
I shook my head. "Doesn't it get hard, not having a lot of privacy?"
"Sometimes," he offered, "But I can't imagine ever doing anything else. I just see myself as lucky; not everybody finds a job that they love."
It was strange, hearing him talk so much about the other part of his life. It was true that he'd never tried to hide the fact that he was famous, at least from me. Sometimes it just felt like there was just an invisible wall between us, blocking me from seeing him for what he truly was; an actor.
Smiling as our conversation slowly veered onto a different track, I was glad that I'd gotten a tiny snippet into his stardom. We talked easily about what we'd been up to the last few weeks, how my classes were going, and a funny interview he'd recently had for a magazine.
I didn't even realize the time was flying by until Ryan brought it to my attention. "Oh wow, we'd better get going," he said in a rush, picking up the garbage we'd placed on the bench beside us. "It'll take us a while to get back to my car and the game starts in about an hour and a half."
Calling Abbie in from where she'd started playing with another little girl, I saw the small mud stains she'd picked up as she ran back, grinning widely with damp and dirty hands.
"We might need to stop back at my place quickly," I stated with amusement, as Ryan looked at me curiously. "It seems that someone had a bit too much fun."
When his eyes landed on Abbie, an understanding grin crossed his face. "Well, I guess we'd better hurry then," he said, not even bothering to wipe Abbie's hands clean before he crouched down in front of her, "Hop on."
Shaking my head at the two of them, I waited for Ryan to get Abbie situated on his back, getting slightly dirty in the process, before the three of us began the long walk back through the city.
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More than an hour later, after a five-minute stop off at the house to change Abbie's shirt, Ryan was pulling his car into a parking space at the edge of a high school parking lot.
"Aren't you going to need those?" I frowned, looking at him curiously as he took off his sunglasses and hat, leaving them on the center console.
He shook his head. "I've been to some of Dean's games before and I'm pretty sure the whole school knows he's my brother," he explained. "It's not that big of a deal."
"But what about..." I trailed worriedly, abruptly cut off as Ryan's hand covered my mouth lightly.
"Zoe," he started sincerely, looking me in the eyes as the edges of his lips tilted upwards. And just with that simple movement, I could already feel the tension dissipating from my body. "Don't worry about it, it'll all be fine," he continued, moving his hand away as he spoke. "The worst thing that'll happen is a few people asking me for my autograph, so trust me, okay."
"Okay."
Seeming happy with my answer, Ryan nodded, taking the keys out of the ignition and opening his door. "Now come on, we don't want to be late."
Walking into the gym I was stunned. For a high school basketball game everything seemed so intense. Upbeat music was blaring from the speakers while both teams ran through warm-ups; the stands full of friends, family, and onlookers ready for the game.
Looking down as Abbie squeezed my hand, I was slightly worried that she'd find the gym too hectic, but the expression of awe on her face as she gazed around the gym told me that she was fine. Turning my gaze towards the court, I tried to spot Dean, which was a bit harder than I expected, as about thirty guys, all about the same height, were continuously moving, shooting and stretching.
Dean finally caught my eye, wearing the same white and orange jersey as the rest of his team as he passed the ball to a teammate before jogging over towards us. "Hey," he greeted with a smile, "You guys made it."
"We told you we would," I nodded.
"Hi Dean," Abbie chirped, buzzing with excitement.
Dean smiled down at her. "Hey sweetie, are you ready to see my team win?" he asked confidently. She nodded. "Great, just make sure to cheer when one of my teammates gets the ball in the net."
"Okay!"
Dean laughed, looking to his brother as he nodded towards the middle of the bleachers. "Mom and dad are already sitting in the stands if you want to find them," he said, turning his attention back to the court as his coach called him. "I've got to get back to warm-ups, but hopefully I'll be able to see you guys after the game."
"Good luck kid," Ryan said, smiling proudly at his brother before he turned and jogged back onto the court.
"Your parents are here?" I asked, looking down at Abbie nervously.
Ryan, who was leading us towards where his parents were presumably seated, looked back at me and immediately picked up on my nerves. "Hey, don't worry about them," he smiled encouragingly, "I told them a few days ago that you had a daughter and they didn't seem to mind."
Still not fully comfortable with the situation, I nodded, squeezing Abbie's hand, a little less stressed that his parents at least knew she existed.
It didn't take long for Ryan to find his parents amidst the crowd, mostly due to the fact that his mom waved the three of us down as soon as she spotted us.
"I'm so glad you guys could make it," Sophie, Ryan's mom, said as the three of us sat down in the free spot next to them. Ryan took a seat next to her, Abbie beside him, with me on the end. "It's good to see you again."
"You too," I replied, smiling shakily as I saw her eyes drop to Abbie.
"And you must be Abbie," she spoke softly; looking down at her as though she was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.
"Abbie, this is my mom, Sophie, and my dad, Brad." Ryan smiled, introducing the three of them.
"You're Ryan's parents?" she asked curiously, and when they both nodded, she grinned at the both of them. "Hi!"
Sophie laughed at my daughter's cheerfulness, and even Ryan's dad was smiling down at her, cracking a grin as his wife handed her a noisemaker to cheer on her son's team. My heart clenched at the thoughtful gesture as it became abundantly clear that every member of the Adam's had a soft spot for children.
"I told you everything would be fine," Ryan mouthed to me as Abbie climbed up on his lap to continue talking with his mom.
A soft smile drew slowly on my lips as my nerves flew free. "Thank you," I mouthed back, sliding closer to him as a few people squeezed past us on their way to their seats. I noticed, looking back down at the court, that although the opposing team was huddled at their bench, Dean's team seemed to have disappeared. "Where'd the team go?" I asked Ryan.
"Never been to a basketball game before?" he smirked. I rolled my eyes, shoving his shoulder as he chuckled. "They just went to the locker-room to talk before the game starts. Don't worry, they'll be back out when the buzzer sounds."
Sure enough, about ten minutes later when a loud buzzer sounded, Dean's team came running through the gym doors energetically, feeding the crowds enthusiasm for the game as everybody was soon up on their feet with cheer.
It didn't take long for the game to start once both teams were settled on their benches. The starters took to the court and I instantly spotted Dean standing next to one of the refs, wearing a look of concentration and the number 8 on his back.
The whistle went, the ball was thrown into the air, and Dean's teamed earned first possession as him and one of his teammates quickly passed the ball to each other and scored the first two points of the game.
Abbie was enjoying herself as her and Ryan's mom cheered every time the ball went threw the hoop for our team, and although I was truly having fun, I just didn't have the energy that they seemed to.
Watching both teams play against each other, it made perfect sense for them to be competing against one another for the championship. Both teams had solid defense, offensive plays that left the opposing team puzzled, and were making shots that looked close to impossible.
By the time the buzzer went, signaling the end of the first quarter, our team was losing by a mere six points. However, when the second quarter started and the clock ticked down from eight minutes to zero, they came back with a new aggression and power, finishing off with a three point lead going into the second half.
"So, high schools don't happen to have half-time shows, do they?" I asked jokingly.
Ryan looked at me, amusement spreading across his face as he shook his head. "Unfortunately no," he chuckled. "But they do have something," he continued, nodding up to jumbotron at the end of the gym.
Surprisingly enough, the score of the game had been moved to the bottom corner of the screen as it now displayed two giant words, delicately displayed and handwritten in pink.
Kiss Cam
"A kiss cam?" I asked, "The school let's them do that?"
Ryan shrugged. "Well they don't have a cheerleading squad and they retired their mascot outfit a few years back," he explained. "They need something to keep the crowd awake, plus, it's amusing sometimes."
Looking down to see the guy with the camera filming couples as the crowd egged them on to lock lips, I shook my head. "You find strange things amusing."
"What's weird about a few teenagers being pressured into kissing on camera?" he asked, although I was positive he knew what I was talking about from that sentence alone.
"Umm... everything."
"I'll let you know, Dean happened to have his first kiss on the kiss cam in freshman year, and he didn't seem to mind one bit."
"Really?" I laughed, "His first kiss?"
Ryan nodded, concealing a laugh himself. "Yep," he replied, "I was sitting right beside him at a varsity game he wanted to come and watch. He ended up kissing the girl that was sitting next to him. Her father didn't look all that happy with him after that."
My laughter continued, trying to imagine what the girl's father must've thought about the random boy who was kissing his daughter. "Oh my god, that's..." I trailed, wiping my eyes to keep my tears at bay. When I re-opened my eyes however, Ryan's amusement had completely washed away, replaced with an irritated aura. "Ryan?" I asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"
I became all too aware of my surroundings in that moment. The people sitting around us were starting to whisper and cheer, having noticed that Ryan Adams was in the building. It kicked in, however, that not only were people around us cheering, but almost the entire gym.
"That kid is going to get it," I thought I heard Ryan mumble under his breath, clenching his fists in his lap as he took a few deep breaths.
Looking around the gym, all eyes were on us, but only as I glanced up at the jumbotron did I realize why.
There, on the giant kiss cam screen, was Ryan and I.
Gulping, nerves shot out through my body as my hands clammed up and my cheeks turned pink. "I... what... I," I stuttered, not able to form a sentence as I looked to Ryan for reassurance.
I could see his parents faces as they sat there awkwardly next to us, but for some reason, they looked more amused than uncomfortable, and Abbie, well she was now sitting on the other side of Ryan with wide and expectant eyes.
All I wanted to do in that moment, as everybody around us started to chant, begging for us to kiss, was disappear – hide underneath an invisibility cloak and fade from people's sight.
This wasn't going to happen, and looking up at Ryan, I prayed for him to do something, anything, to take the attention off of us. And sure, it'd be awkward getting rejected in front of all these people, but at least it'd be the right thing to do.
As Ryan's eyes met mine, I saw a similar discomfort and uneasiness, but as he brought his hand up, seemingly to signal the camera and crowd that there, in fact, wasn't going to be a kiss, he surprised me.
Instead, his hand came up to softly cup the side of my cheek, and before I could even process what was happening, he was leaning in, his eyes turning apologetic before they closed completely as his lips softly met my own.
It was a light pressure at first, my eyes widening at the sudden contact before they slowly fluttered close, our surroundings fading from my sight and my brain. One of my hands slipped up to grab the side of his shirt, bunching the material within my fingers as I tentatively began to move my lips with his.
I didn't know if my response was the one he wanted, but as his lips turned up into a smile underneath my own, I felt the significant flutter of butterflies come alive in the pit of my stomach.
Slightly encouraged by his reaction, I increased the pressure slightly, moving my lips in sync with Ryan's. It was over all too fast though. I heard the quick hitch of his breath just seconds before distance wove it's way between us, reality coming crashing down around us.
I had just kissed Ryan and it was abundantly clear that we were not alone.
Cheers, boos, and all things alike were hitting my ears as my mind suddenly became a jumbled mess. It felt as though everybody's eyes were on us as the kiss cam screen faded from the jumbotron, the buzzer sounding as both teams emerged from opposite sides of the gym.
The second half started in a flash, a blur of plays and points as I tried to pay attention to the court. Yet, it didn't matter how hard I tried. Ryan was still sitting beside me, my mind reeling with flashes of the kiss we'd shared, and I couldn't seem to keep myself focused on the game.
In the end I was at least aware that when the final buzzer sounded it was our team that held the lead. Standing up with the majority of the crowd, I cheered as they were presented with the trophy, watching proudly as Dean hoisted it up into the air with his teammates.
The music came back on in celebration, blasting throughout the gymnasium as everyone slowly left their seats to find friends to celebrate with.
"I'm going to go find Dean before we head out," Ryan stated, as he stood up from his seat. "I'll be right back."
As Ryan disappeared from my view, Abbie crawled along the bench until she was sitting on my lap with a wide smile plastered on her face. "You kissed Ryan momma!" Abbie chirped happily, making me duck my head in embarrassment, glancing to where Ryan's parents still sat.
"It seems she did," Sophie cut in sneakily, the vague outline of a smirk visible as her husband got up, heading towards where Ryan and Dean were talking near the edge of the court. "I thought the two of you weren't dating."
I bit my lip as she looked at me with knowing eyes, a blush slowly spreading across my cheeks. "We're not," I admitted, although, with the airy undertone, it didn't sound all that convincing.
Understanding crossed her eyes and she nodded. "Well, I know my son," she smiled, gesturing to where Ryan was talking with Dean and his dad, "Just give him a chance darling. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for."
I smiled tentatively at her, not knowing what else I could say as she walked off to join the rest of her family. As she reached them, I saw Ryan address her quickly before turning and walking towards me.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Nodding, the three of us headed out into the chilly November air, the moon and streetlights illuminating the ground. The parking lot was slowly being emptied of other cars, people from the opposing team sulking while friends and families from Dean's team were celebrating.
The ride home was awkward, although Ryan seemed fairly calm as he drove the familiar route to my house. Meanwhile, I was in the passenger seat, my leg bouncing nervously as the music coming from the radio failed to level the tension. Abbie kept the ride bearable at least, talking about the game in such an animated way that I knew by the time I got her to bed tonight she'd already be drained of energy.
When Ryan pulled into my driveway, cutting the engine, it was as if the awkwardness came back at full force. Despite my protests, Abbie unbuckled herself immediately, pushing open her door before running towards the front door.
"Umm... thanks for the drive home," I said, playing with the end of my sweater.
He smiled. "No problem."
Seconds of silence followed, a disheartening feeling filling my body knowing that he wasn't going to bring up the kiss tonight. I forced a smile onto my lips, nodding as I went to open my door. I froze, however, when I felt a hand land on my shoulder.
"Zoe, wait," Ryan stammered out nervously.
I turned to him slowly, biting my lip as anticipation built in the pit of my stomach. "Yes?" I asked softly, urging him to continue.
"I was, well, I was wondering," he began as he lowered his eyes, taking a deep breath. I didn't know whose nerves were acting up more in that moment, but as he looked up again, his eyes shining with sincerity and hope, my breath caught in the back of my throat. "Do you want to go out to dinner tomorrow?"
He stared at me carefully, watching his question process, looking as though he was genuinely nervous that I'd say no. "Really?" I asked, biting my lip as to conceal the grin that threatened to appear.
"Yeah," he breathed out.
"Then yeah," I smiled, "I'd really like that."
His eyes widened, as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Actually?"
I giggled, nodding my head. "Just call me tomorrow," I stated, feeling bold as I leaned over the center console and placed my lips lightly on his cheek. Pulling back with a smile on my face, I saw his cheeks flush the lightest of pinks. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he returned as I finally stepped out of the car, turning to wave at him as I reached my front door.
Stepping inside, I was able to let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Leaning back against the door, my lips tugged up into a smile. I could hear Abbie describing the game to Emily in the next room, giggling as she told my sister about Ryan kissing me.
I didn't matter though, because in that moment I was happy – truly happy.
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And thus starts the rollercoaster ride that is their relationship! I hope you all stick around to see how it plays out. The new cover is courtesy of _prettyreckless, and the beautiful banner (which goes perfectly with this chapter) was made by Hopefulbooks_.
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