is Ryanne,” he extends his hand. I glance down at it for a second and then look towards Colton. He briefly nods his head, so I place my hand in his. When our hands connect, he pulls me towards him, using a little more force than is necessary, so I slam into his chest. I can hear the guys exhale angrily behind me. He grins at me, before bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing it; his eyes never leaving mine.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ryanne.” Not politely, I yank my hand away from his.
Backing up, I say, “Likewise.”
When I near him, Colton puts an arm across my shoulder and pulls me closer. I let him. I don’t like how James keeps looking at me. “James, this is Liam, Bragden, and Emma.” He just points to each person. He politely nods to each person. His eyes linger on Emma, before looking back to me. Phillip just stands off to the side quietly.
“James, Phillip, why don’t you come with me. I’ll show you to the guest bathroom, so you can wash up a little before dinner,” says Tom.
When they leave the room, I turn towards Colton, “That guy gives me the creeps.”
“Is he always that…obvious?” asks Liam, disgusted.
“Yep. And it’s obvious who he’s interested in,” David answers. “We’ll have to keep an eye out for you, Ryanne.”
I start messing with the end of my shirt, another nervous habit I have acquired. It’s too large anyways. Twisting it around my hand, I wonder how this night is going to go. After meeting James and Phillip, I’m definitely going to heed David’s advice and stick with someone at all times.
After witnessing my nervous habit, Liam looks at me, concerned. He seems to finally get a good look at me, “Is that my shirt?”
I glance down and nod. “Yeah, I forgot to give it back to you after I washed it. It was clean, so I just changed into it. You don’t mind, do you?”
He shakes his head and opens his mouth to talk, but Claire comes out of the kitchen and announces that dinner is ready. “If either of those boys tries to touch you…Ahh.” She angrily walks back into the kitchen.
“Whoa, I’ve never seen Claire like that,” Emma says. It’s true though. I’ve rarely seen Claire as anything but calm and collected. James, Phillip, and Tom are all already at the table, waiting for us when we walk in. The guys take the seats, directly across from them. Emma and I sit at the end of the table.
It’s very awkward to say the least.
“So, Ryanne, are you prepared for the fight tomorrow?” James asks.
I feel my whole body tense thinking about my earlier vision. “Yeah, I can’t really prolong it anymore, I guess.” I stop eating and look down at my plate. I’m not really hungry for spaghetti, but I don’t want to be rude. “I just have to accept whatever tomorrow brings and deal with it.” I smile sadly, forgetting that I’m supposed to be ignoring him. “Life’s too short, you know?”
I know he can tell that there is something more to what I am saying, but he just nods and finishes eating. He doesn’t try to talk to me the rest of the dinner. However, he does keep glancing over at me. In fact, I feel most eyes on me during the course of the meal.
Once dinner is over, we head back to the entertainment room. Colton turns towards me, still gripping my arm, “What was that about?” I don’t understand what he is referring to. “Talking to him like that.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I forgot who I was talking to. I have a lot of my mind!”
His grip lessens on my arm. He leans back against the armrest of the couch and runs his hand through his hair. We are both aware of everyone watching us. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. I just don’t like how he was looking at you. Like you were some treat that he couldn’t wait to devour.” I roll my eyes. I know that he is being serious, but I want to lighten up the mood in the room a little. Everyone is so solemn right now.
“Everyone else in the room can see it. Everyone else but you. You don’t know you’re beautiful,” he says, the corner of his mouth rising with a small smirk. He knows that I understand the reference and is waiting for my reaction.