“You all right?” Ryan asks.
“I’m fine.” I hold the back of my index finger to the bottom of my nose and smile even though it’s impossible to make this look good.
“Excuse me, can I get a picture of you guys?”
My finger is still plugging up my nostrils when I find good old Rob with his camera at the ready.
Really, Rob? I thought we were friends.
I lower my finger from my nose and sniffle a bit. “I don’t think...”
“One picture won’t kill us,” Ryan says, wrapping his arm around my waist and drawing me to his side.
There’s nothing suggestive about how we’re posing, but having my hip pressed against his feels strangely intimate. I do my best to banish the thought away, facing Rob and giving him my best smile. It falters when Ryan leans down, bringing his mouth so close to my ear that I almost jump.
“This is kind of crazy,” he says.
My stomach flutters, my body turning traitorous. Time slows down but I keep looking forward.
“What’s crazy?”
“Me having you in my arms again. I never thought I would.”
I look up at him the same moment Rob snaps the picture. The massive flash goes off, causing us both to squint in the aftermath.
“Thanks,” Rob says before scampering off.
Ryan’s hand falls from my hip as I instantly move away, situating myself across from him. “Okay, let’s just maintain our distance, shall we?”
“Your body still reacts to me that strongly, huh?”
“If by reacting you mean physically recoiling, then yes, I had a very strong reaction.”
Ryan looks close to laughing and for some reason, I feel the need to stop it from happening.
“And what are you up to now?” I ask. “What do you do?”
“I’m a structural engineer for a construction firm in Raleigh. It’s more managerial than field work since I’m at the senior level, but I like it.”
“That sounds nice. I always said you would be great at something like that.”
“I remember,” he says, his voice now carrying more severity than nostalgia. It’s understandable. I’m sure seeing me again isn’t easy for him either. As much as I choose to focus on all the wrong that happened between us, it’s very possible that Ryan has spent the last ten years remembering all the right.
Maybe he’s secretly happy to see me again. Maybe he missed me. Maybe he only came to New York so he could find me...
“Are you drunk, Sullivan?” he then asks, pulling me out of my head. “You look a little dazed.”
I blink my eyes as I refocus. “No, I’m fine. It’s just hot out here. Are you hot?” I fan myself with my hand, looking around to see if anyone else is doing the same. They’re not.
“Am I hot? Is that a serious question or are you hitting on me?”
I stop fanning myself. “What? No, I’m not hitting on you.”
“Are you sure?” There’s a mischievous flash in Ryan’s eyes and it makes him look so much like he did in college. I sincerely hope it goes away soon.
“I’m one hundred percent positive I’m not hitting on you. We’re just talking.”
“You seem jumpy for someone who’s just talking.”
“Yeah, well, you make me very uncomfortable.”
Ryan gives me an understanding kind of smile as he takes a small step back, giving me space even though I’m sure he knows I’m not really uncomfortable. Just on edge. And confused. And slightly freaking out.
“Sorry,” he says. “You used to like it when I would rile you up.”
I swallow hard and say nothing.
“But clearly, those days are over.”
“Yes,” I agree. “Very much over.”
Ryan nods and glances around before looking back at me. “All right, fun as this reunion has been, I better go check on Beau. He was taking shots the last time I checked and if I don’t keep him in line now, I’ll get stuck laying down bail money for him later.”
“Funny, I would have guessed it would be the other way around.”
“Sometimes it is, but I made the wise decision not to drink too much tonight. Wouldn’t want one of us to lose our cool and cause a scene.”
For a second I think he’s talking about him and Beau, but based on the way he’s watching me, I know he’s referring to the two of us.
“It was good catching up with you, Sullivan. I guess I’ll see you at the wedding. If I pass by your table with the other maiden aunts, I’ll make sure to say hi.”
“How gentlemanly. And if I pass your table where they seat the creepy toads who were invited out of obligation, I’ll bring a scotch for you to cry into.”
“Always so considerate. You have a good night.”
And then it’s over. Ryan turns and walks over to his friend, who is talking up two of Cristina’s coworkers. I turn around to keep from staring when Cristina suddenly pops up in front of me.
“I cannot believe that Ryan is Jason’s friend! This is insane! The two of you really seemed like you were hitting it off.”
I shake my head and take another sip of champagne. “I can say with absolute certainty that we weren’t. How do you know what we looked like anyways?”
“Um, because I was stalking you guys from across the room the entire time, obviously. Where did Ryan go? I lost him in the crowd.”
“He’s talking to your work friends,” I say, nudging my head in their direction.
Cristina peers around me, tracking them with her eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have invited those two. They’re more or less midrange prostitutes.”
“Fantastic, then they should be perfect for him.”
“Never mind them. New plan—what are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow? Nothing, I think.”
“Good. The four of us are going out to dinner. You, me, Jason and Ryan.”
“What? Why?” I feel the floor tilting beneath me as the adrenaline of seeing Ryan evaporates in my chest.
“Why? Kara, your
