goose bumps arise on my skin. Thankfully for the sweatshirt, he can’t see that. My heart is pounding a mile a minute. The hand on my cheek moves down to my chin, slowly tilting it up. “Ryanne…”
I look up and gaze into his eyes. I’m about to lean forward when I hear laughter.
Laughter? Who would be laughing?
Hearing people entering the room, I try to step back, but I am already pressed up against the counter. My blush darkens. Muttering a few choice words, Colton takes a few steps back, but never takes his eyes from me. I, however, turn and look at who came into the room. Emma is grinning like a madwoman at me, while David is standing there with a smirk on his face looking at his brother.
“Oh, morning guys.” I say quickly.
“A good morning it is, I see,” David says.
“I’m going to go take a shower now that Emma is out.” Keeping my eyes on the ground, I brush past them and run up the stairs. That was close.
Too close.
Turning the water on as high as it can go, I get into the shower. After a couple of seconds, the room is already full of steam. The shower is one of my favorite places to think. There’s no one to disturb you. It’s just you and the water in a peaceful little bubble. Washing my hair, I start going over everything.
That’s twice now that Colton has tried to kiss me and we were interrupted. I think he tried the night of the backyard attack at the other house...and that didn’t end well. Is that a sign? Maybe the universe is telling me that Colton and I aren’t meant to be together. I don’t even know if I like him in that way. Any girl would be crazy to not find him attractive. He’s probably only interested in me because I’m one of two girls he’s around all the time and the other one is possibly accounted for already. There’s no other reason why a tall, muscular, incredibly good-looking guy would be interested in a short, awkward girl like myself. Natasha mentioned something about wanting to get Colton back, meaning they were together at one point. We are two completely different people. Colton and I are in two distinctly separate leagues. I don’t want to be someone’s toy—a thing to pass the time until something better came along. I want to be someone’s first choice, not a replacement.
That’s it. I’m going to try and stay out of situations like that with Colton without making it too obvious. Maybe he’ll get the point and move on.
Hopefully.
Chapter Twenty-One
Walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, I see Emma sitting on the bed reading through one of Tom’s outdoor magazines. Emma would never read one of those magazines, so I know that she has something up her sleeve.
“So….you and Colton, huh?” She says without glancing up from the magazine.
“There’s no me and Colton.”
Dropping the magazine, she jumps off the bed and walks over to me, “Well why not?” I brush past her and leave the room, hoping that the conversation would end with my departure. “Ryanne, why not?”
Stopping on the stairs, I look down in the living room and when I see no one, I continue, “Because I’m no one’s first choice, Emma, and I never have been. I’m the girl that gets picked on. The easy target. Everyone picks on the insecure girls. I’ve been told by a crapload of people that I’m not good enough. You think if a guy like Colton had a choice, he would pick me?” I don’t wait for her to respond. “No. He wouldn’t. We belong in two completely different social classes. And I can’t seem to keep danger away from me. I’ll just get someone killed and I don’t want it to be him. I don’t want it to be any one you guys.”
“What if you were his first choice?” She calls after me as I walk down the rest of the stairs.
Walking into the kitchen, I say, “I’m not.”
“Not what?” asks Logan. I briefly glance in his direction. He’s sitting with David, Colton and Liam at the kitchen table.
“Tall.” I walk to the fridge, grab out a water bottle, and leave the room, heading back upstairs. Emma is still trailing me.
“Ryanne, please talk to me.” I hear the sound of chairs scraping in the kitchen, so I have a feeling that the guys are trying to listen in.