(Unedited, first draft)
Chapter 12: Crossing Lines
With the unexpected wedding, it kept me on my toes with helping the wedding planner set everything up to the betrothed couple expectations. It seems my father had most of everything already set up, so it was all that stressful, but still with Ryan around it was throwing my nerves at an all-time high. He would simply follow us around, but never saying anything direct to me but to Brain and Victoria on what would illustrate their vision more.
The only time Ryan wasn't around was during the evening hours when Connor would get home from school, and they disappear to the basketball courts. One the first day Samuel, Connor's best friend, join them, but on the second night, he left early and Ryan finally had the alone time he wanted. I could tell Connor was still unsure about Ryan, but he made it appear, he was enjoying having him around.
After they were done practicing for the day, they both come up to the suit and have dinner. At that every first night we had been having dinner together, and it was starting to feel like we had been a family for years with everyone getting along and joking among one another.
"Are you going to come back after the wedding?" Connor asked one night during dinner.
Ryan gazed over at me with a smile, "I plan on it."
"Maybe I can stay with you this summer." I should have known since they had been spending so much time together, this was going to have some kind of effect on him.
"Don't worry buddy, you will be seeing me again in a few weeks." I couldn't quite figure out what he was trying to devise but knew he was up to something that I wouldn't be pleased about. "You know you still owe me that date, Ayanna."
I had hope with me working during the day and him spending time with Connor, he would have forgotten about the entrapment he put me in with making me go out with him. "Yes, what about it?"
That's when his smile turns into a playful one, and I knew I was in trouble. "Well given I don't have a date for the wedding, I thought maybe you liked to go with me."
"Can I come along," Connor interrupted now perk up in his chair. "Brain's cool."
Ryan's eyes shifted over to our son and away from me, "There isn't going to be any other kids there, but if you want to come, then I wouldn't mind to bring you also."
Connor then slumps back in his chair, "No I don't want to go if there's not going to be any other kids. Can I just go to Samuel's?"
"Maybe Samuel can come here, and he can stay the night. You can even invite some of the other boys from your team over." Trying to think of a way out of going to the wedding.
"Is that your way of telling me, No, to being my date?" Ryan interferes eyeing me closely over the rim of his glass.
"Mom, go with Ryan to the wedding. I just want to go to Samuel' suit." Connor interferes now done with his food. He got up putting his dishes in the sink before turning to go to his room. "I need to go, finish my homework."
"So Saturday one clock?" Ryan asked seeming pleased about our son's approval on me going to the wedding.
"Isn't there some bride maid you can talk into going with you? If you haven't noticed I have a company I'm trying to help run." I mention hoping he would understand I had no intention of going out with him.
Ryan made a sour appearance on his face wrinkling his nose and sticking his tongue out. "Have you seen those girls. There nothing but a bunch of sorority bimbos, who have rocks for brains." His eyes scratch together while I moved out in my chair uneasy. "You know if you refuse to go with me, I could simply just come up here after the ceremony and join in on the sleepover. I'm sure I would be more fun with a bunch of boys then some mom hanging around."
"Are you insulting me now," I asked ready to kick his ass out of my live-in suit. "You don't know anything about the things I've done with Connor over the past ten years and how much he enjoys having me around.
"Clam down Ayanna, I'm just saying most boys like their fathers around when they have their friends over not that you're a bad mom. I just want to be able to spend as much time with the both of you before I leave in two days," he reveals now looking about the room appearing tense with how this was turning out.
"Ryan I understand wanting to spend time with us, but I don't want to complicate things between us. We called it truths the night Connor was born to be friends, so please let's not cross that line."
"Crossing what line? Ayanna, what is it that makes me being here makes you so uneasy?" He questions getting up from the table and walking around taking the seat that Connor had been in. "I thought we got past all this childish stuff the night we made those promise to one another."
"Those promise we made for us to grow and become better people for our son, not to become a family." Ryan's face drop within shock with my outlook on everything we had discussed
"Why can't we try?" he asked reaching for my hand. "We never really gave ourselves the chance to really get to know one another."
I try to pull my hand out of his hand but he only grips harder into it. "No Ryan, I don't want to be with you or anyone for that matter."
"Why not? What has you running scared that you won't give us a real chance?" he asked being his other hand around to touch my cheek softly. I closed my eyes feel the tranquility he was putting me in with the simple touch. "Please, Ayanna."
"I'm scared of getting hurt and what might happen with Connor is we don't work out. It's just best we stay friends." Opening my eyes I saw how his face had softened up as he analyzes what I had said His hand released mine moving to my waist has his other moved to along the other side until both hands were raised against my waistline. He then picked me up and placed me on his lap. "Ryan, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Showing you that there is something between us," he replied wrapping his hands around the back of my hand before pressing his lips against mine. My body went into heat once again wanting to be close to him like we had been in the elevator, but my brain was screaming at me to stop. I placed my hands against his chest and pulled away. "Ayanna how do you know we wouldn't work out if we don't try."
His hands moved down my back keeping me in place, ""I don't know but right now I feel you need to focus more on your relationship with Connor than with me."
"Has it not cross your mind that maybe him seeing us together might help him see I'm not going up and leave." I felt my blood start to boil with that little statement that I pushed myself out of his lap and onto my feet.
"Stop you're not going to gentle trip me into whatever twisted plan it is you have by using Connor," I yelled a little too loudly and hoped our son wasn't overhearing what was being discussed.
"That's not what I'm trying to do, I just want to show you to the type of man I've become, to show you that I'm not the same boy you knew. I want you to be with me because you want to. Not because you feel entrapped to be with me.
"Ryan wants part of I don't want to be with you do you not get then," I asked crossing my arms, trying to not get sucked into his mind game.
That's when he let out a little laugh that made me nervous, "You also said you didn't want to be with anyone, but I know that's a lie. I already know the real reason why you won't give us a chance, Connor already told me yesterday about your special someone you've been having dinner with. I had hoped though with me telling you I wanted to work things out you would at least give it a thought."
"What are you rambling about? I've never brought any guy around Connor and the few dates I've had he was nowhere around." I didn't want him to think I had broke any part of my promise with him and bring men around that I didn't think he would appear.
"Erik Maverick"
As he spoke I could hear the despise in his voice saying his name and knew he had found out the truth, "What about him?"
Ryan then hung his head while shaking it back and forth, still keeping his eyes locked onto me. "Connor told me that you've been going out to dinner with him. He always said it wasn't that often, but he's the only one that you've gone out with."
"Ryan it's not what you think," I tried to explain, but knew that no matter what I said now would make him chance his mind about the situation.
"What I think is that you lie to me. I never expect you to not date Ayanna, but I had hope you would have been smart enough to stay away from him," he said appearing disappointed now.
"Why does it matter who I spend my free time with?" I asked taking a step back away from him not knowing what was going through his head has his eyes turn to a mystery blue. "I understand you have some kind of grudge against Erik, but that has nothing to do with me."
"So he never told you how we know one another," he laughs looking about the room now. Standing here I was starting to feel uneasy again and wondering how did the night turn into such chaos.
"I guess he does feel the same way about me."
"Ryan, what is it between you two that makes you hate one another. Did you use to be lovers or something?" I question trying to figure out those two.
"I'm not gay Ayanna. You should already know that." he reframes tilting his head to the door where Connor room was. "And no we have never had the same interest in women until now, but we do share a common denominator that makes us despise one another."