Dallying with Ryder

An order for a meeting.

I needed to get out . To be with a friendly face . To be in the company of another human being but my own self .

From the moment my eyes would open up until the time I went back to bed , my mind would be flooded with intrusive thoughts and all that could go wrong in this situation . It certainly was not healthy at all .

This was the last week before I would start working again in the job position that I had worked really really hard for and sought after it even harder . Surely , my time remaining with out responsibility should be enjoyed and languished as opposed to what it is now . . stressful , boring , and tensed .

This whole business with Ryder would bug me until it saw its end which was very hard to tell when that would be with the gossip hungry reporters refusing to let it die down . I knew that I could not hide forever in the safety of the walls and roof of my house and would even have to venture out and in to the open whether I get eaten by the wolves or manage to escape them .

Meeting with Gabby for a little but would help immensely and Gabby never judged in all the years we have been friend which had been a very very long time now . We have been together through broken hearts in high school , during our teenage break out years , and even now as we were fully grown and independent women .

I groaned and turned to my bedside . Reaching for my phone , I pressed the button at the side to bring it to life but the bright light had assaulted my eyes for a moment . After over coming myitgle ordeal , I quickly sent a message to her asking her to meet with me today for a little catch up and she responded about six minutes later saying that she will meet me at 11 a . m at our usual spot .

With that taken care of , I kicked my feet over the side of the bed and resisted the urge to roll over and get comfy again , devoured my its warmth . It was currently just before ten and I realise how I had over slept but sleep was better than being awake for longer with nothing to do and my mind having a field day of its own .

I dragged myself over the bathroom and turned the faucet on to heat the water up while I relieved myself . About half an hour later , I was done with each part of my body scrubbed longer than necessary and my hair freshly washed . I moved to my dressing room and then quickly through on a pair of jeans and light weight blouse over my underwear before I got working on my damp hair . I dried it fully then ran my heating hair iron through it .

I kept my face bare aside for moisturiser and sun protection before grabbing my bag , a pair of sun glasses , and heading out . The drive to the cafe was only a few minutes away from my condo but when I got there , I saw Gabby's car already parked a few spaces in front of me .

I looked at Gaby sitting across from me at our usual cafe that we frequented to do brunch every so often . She had planned this one after calling me up at the c***k of dawn to meet with her . She , like everyone else , had questions of her own . She was hesitant at first , or should I say careful , to not bring it up initially but once our hot brunch had been served , she dug right in to , not only , her crispy golden hash browns and sunny side up eggs .

" So , is there anything that you would like to tell me ? " A huge grin splayed across her lips . I took a bite of my French fries and prepared myself to clear the air with yet one more person .

" Before you reach your own overly drawn out assumptions like every one else has , I will come right out and say it . " Her fork had paused mid reach for another crispy spud . " Ryder and I are not dating neither have we slept together - " She opened her mouth to suggest another option and stared at her pointedly . " and nor do I intend on every seeing him ever again . " Her round eyes had widened slightly at such a firm statement .

" Then why ? " She didn' t have to say much to know what she had been refering to . It was what every one seemed to be referring to for the past three days .

I dragged the porcelain coffee cup closer to me . " Because Louis had been f*****g Camilla for who knows how long and , judging from what I know about Louis , I doubt that she was the only person he messed around with but that is irrelevant . The point is , he was in the vicinity of the reception . " I was happy for the poor lighting , now that I thing about it .

Not only did it shield them from any unwelcome attention but it also saved me from having to behold any more than what I have already witnessed . It made retelling the incident easier on my recollection .

" The nerve of him to pull such a stunt right outside the reception venue . It' s nearly like he wanted to be caught . " Gaby said and I couldn' t have agreed more to the notion .

If Louis had been cheating on me through out our relationship then he had made sure to be careful and discreet about it . However , he decided to be risky and compromising hours after I told him about my plans to be saperated from him for good and right outside and in the open of the reception venue . Perhaps it had all be an orchestrated stunt to ensure humiliation upon me and my family making it tougher for me in my future relationships .

" I mean it is Louis . I am not entirely surprised . I should have seen it coming , really . " I said before taking a sip of my strong black coffee . "

Anyways , I was so triggered in the moment that I blurted out that I had been cheating on him , too . " Gaby flinched at that and I watched as she pieced together the rest of it and connected the dots .

Her eyes had lit up in fascination . " I should have known . After all , you despise Ryder for as long as I can remember . There was no way you two could have possibly been doing the nasty on the down low . " She reached for the salt to season her eggs and I was drawn to my own plate in front of me .

" Thank you ! Finally , some one who believes that I am not in love with the man . " Gaby laughed at that .

" However , he has been recieving significant heat about it . " I winced this time recalling the news clip . " I am surprised that he even opted to help you out at the reception . " She pointed out yet she was not the only one who wondered about that .

I nodded . " I was equally as surprised that he hadn' t pushed me back like I was the plague . " I shrugged . " Perhaps he saw it as a favour to Chase , saving his family from scandal . " I shrugged , seeing that as the only sensible explaination there is for him not leaving me to fend for myself against the wolves . Not to mention , he actually kissed me back so it did not look one sided at all .

" Whatever his reasoning had been , I doubt he imagined it costing him this much . He can barely go any where with out being swarmed by reporters . " She said seriously and I nodded in agreement . Gaby had been a quarter of the way done with her food and I was get to start .

" Neither one of us did . " I stated , finally digging in to my food . " It was supposed to remain there and not leak out but , obviously , I was not anticipating the story reaching the media . " I assumed that who ever had been present were all trusted , loyal family friends but I did not factor in the snake itself spewing this out .

Gabby thought about something as she chewed and then looked up from her plate . " You do know that this is not going to die down any time soon ? " I groaned hating to have my inner thoughts said back to me . " Not with the type of man Ryder is and from the family that you come from . This is going to go on until the rumours itself become unbearable . " I shook my head more so in denial than in anything else .

" Surely , that can not be entirely true . At some point , it would have to die down . It has to ! " Gaby frowned for a moment .

Her fork and knife and hovered over the edge of her plate . " You are scared of being confronted by Ryder , aren' t you ? " I stared at her blankly .

Because it wasn' t so much as being scared than it was picturing being civil with him when I hated the man . A situation like this , if he even chose to meet to clear this up once and for all , it would have to be done in a peaceful way . Yet , I could not imagine being the opposite with him . The mere thought of such a thing alone was enough to have me laughing .

" No . No , I am not . I just do not want to be in the same place as him let alone come to any agreement with him . " Gaby rolled her eyes like she was finding me absolutely rediculous .

" Well , you didn' t mind being all up in his personal space to kiss him when you saw the need . So , what big deal would it be if you met him to resolve the issue . After all , I mean , he did try to save you . " She reminded me again and I sighed . " It would be no big deal . You two meet in a formal setting , say out for dinner or even brunch like this , and resolve the matter . At least , come to an agreement in terms of what statement you two could publically make so it coincides with the other persons . " She suggested and I had to admit that she made a very good point .

Not that I believed that he ' saved ' me , as Gaby had put it , but he definitely did play along with me and landed himself in to deep trouble but perhaps this was his karma for making my life miserable all those years ago . He was never apologetic neither did he ever try to explain to me the reason behind his interference in my life . In fact , I recalled that devious , satisfied smile he always threw me when he got me in trouble or meddled in a way that pissed me of .

" The scandal is still fresh . Perhaps it will settle down . " She waved her hand , dismissing this topic and rolled her eyes .

A week had gone by and , contrary to what I was hoping , the matter had only grown more serious . Ryder had been facing more interruptions and inconveniences with people now showing up and disturbing him at his massive home . Not too long after the reporters had swarmed my parents at their estate causing a scene that require official' s to step in and , now , as I tried to drive in to my driveway , a crowd had formed outside preventing me from doing so . The sharp flashing of their cameras had become blinding . It took me a few moments to gather myself and my concentration again , adjust my eyes back to the road and speed of to avoid the swarming paparazzi .

They wanted a story or maybe just more to their story . More for them to twist and change and spread even more gossip .

I drove in circles for maybe an hour not knowing where to go until I gave up and stopped over at a Waffle House. This was insane but maybe everyone was right . This had been a bigger matter than I wanted to accept .

I was still full from brunch with Gaby and there was no way that it would feel right just sitting in the Waffle House seeking refuge without buying anything but I could definitely do ice - cream for dessert .

It was nearing the afternoon and the once bright blue New York sky had began to lose its luster as the sun rays began to mute itself out lending only a warm glow about the skyline . A treat with a view to clear my mind for a little bit .

The Waffle House was not quaint and cosy as one would imagine . Rather , it had been an upscaled , modern take of retro dessert spots and they did not serve regular bland waffles but gormet styled Belgium waffles . They also did a mean ice cream sundae which is what I had chosen once I settled myself down at a small table seated for two . I don' t think single seats were often laid out anyways . I allowed myself to relax for a little bit and forget every thing that was going on for a few minutes . My back had began to relax against the back rest of my seat and I took in a slow , steady breath .

" Hello , Liana . " My back went ramrod straight at that chilling voice . " Did you miss me ? " I looked up to see Ryder smiling tightly at me with zero humor in his striking eyes .

I was dumbfounded , my lips parted slightly in surprise . " I would rather be anywhere else but here , really , " He dragged the empty chair across from me and invited himself to join my table . I found my voice and opened my mouth to tell him that he is not welcome but my planned and intended protests had been hushed when he spoke louder to muffle whatever I wanted to say . " but the circumstances require it . " He crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest and I hated that I now knew the feel of being pressed against it .

I closed my mouth and composed myself to deal with this devil . " I guess it is about time that we addressed this issue once and for all . It has been causing everyone a great inconvenience , if you ask me . " He nodded but just once and it was a curt one .

Ryder wore his usual three piece suit and it clung to him like a glove , showing of the vast expanse of his chest , complimenting his olive skin tone and exuding power and superiority .

" A great inconvenience indeed . " Was all he said yet his eyes had studied my face like a spy gathering all their forces and tricks before flattening the enemy .

I took in a breath through my nose slowly and let it out quickly . " I think making a public statement together would help douse the rumours , at least . " I suggested but his lips twitched and I couldn' t gage if it had been because he hated the idea or because the sound of the word ' together ' had put him equally as of as it had disgusted me .

Ryder leaned forward and I resisted the urge to lean away but I was not going to be intimidated at all , least of all by him . His interlocked fingers had formed a ball and rested against the table .

" I have a better idea . Some thing that would work to the benefit of the both of us . " He said slowly and I found myself intrigued . " However , I do not want to conduct such a discussion in a public place like this . " He said , looking around the waffle House .

I raised a quizzical brow at him . " What makes you think that I would meet you in a private setting ? " I challenged and he seemed to have been laughing at something but to himself .

" Because you' d want to hear this . " I felt like he was baiting me into thinking so when it would turn out to be a disappointment .

" What ever it is , I do not see why we can' t discuss right here , right now . " I insisted and he sighed .

" You always have been a spoilt little brat . I thought that you would have grown out of that phase by now but it looks like it wasn' t a phase all but a character flaw . " I grit my teeth together resisting the urge to scream at him .

But I remained composed . " And you are still the same bully that you were all those years ago . I guess we both weren' t just merely having a phase . " I shot back at him with the same humour and sarcasm that he had .

His eyes narrowed at me but he seemed to have been fighting of a grin from spreading over pursed lips . My gosh , how I hated this man .

" I hate to be the one to break it to you , " He started and I prepared myself for another insult . " but Camilla and your famous ex - boyfriend are planning on announcing their engagement soon . " I gasped at that .

" That is absurd . They barely even know each other . " I objected and he nodded like I finally pointed out what he wanted me to .

" Exactly , which means that very soon the media is going to begin to question why it is that you did not get his families famous heirloom on your finger . " I swallowed the lump that had formed at the back of my throat realising that this could all be the beginning of an even bigger scandal .

" B - Because Louis is a cheater . " I said quite frankly and he scoffed at my feeble reasoning .

" You may know the truth but the rest of the work are left to believe something else entirely . I am sure that you are intelligent enough to use that brain of yours right now and realise the headlines that would come out of this . They are going to paint you as one who lost in the whole story . You would be without an engagement ring unlike Camilla . You would look like the scorned cheating ex - girlfriend whilst they appear to be innocent souls who got a second chance . " My shoulders had slumped just thinking about it all .

Ryder was man things but , if there was one thing I knew he was not , it was stupid . I knew that each of his moves were calculated and well thought and planned out . So , I also know that he was telling me all of this with a solution .

I looked to him again . " So , what now ? What do we do about this ? " I asked hating to use the term ' we ' in regards to him or any words that may have rendered or suggested that we were a team of any sorts .

Ryder let out a small , throat chuckle . " We ? " He scoffed , humoured at my use of words . " There is no ' we ' in this . You would essentially be on your own . " Did he come all the way here to upset me by telling me things I did not need to know that would only seek to annoy me further ?

Then again , this is Ryder we're talking about , nothing is every impossible with him .

" So , you chose to tell me all of that for no constructive reason ? " I asked , audibly annoyed at this now .

I was not expecting Ryder to shake his head . " As much as I would revel in adding to you sorrow , I do have a way out for you . " He said and , this time , I laughed .

" You want to help me ? " I questioned in utter disbelief .

Was the sky about to fall and come crash down on earth ? Have all the rivers and oceans dried up ? Is doomsay upon us already ?

Ryder leaned against the back rest of his seat . " Yes , but only for our mutual benefit . " He said carefully .

Of course , there had to he some benefit to him , too . Ryder Huxley would never even utter the word 'help' when it came to me unless , of course , the matter served him , too .

" What is your plan of mutual benefit ? I am quite interested to know because I can' t imagine a more unlikely notion . " Ryder flashed me a small , devious smile like he had had me right where he wanted me .

" See , now for me to tell you that , you would need to meet me elsewhere . Like I said earlier , it is not a matter I want to speak about in public . " He said again and I groaned . " I won' t even try to convince you but you will see the situation deteriorate yourself and you will come to me willingly . " I raised a brow at him and he sighed . " Your window to decide is a matter of a few days . God forbid , Louis and Camilla decides to announce their engagement sooner , then I will not be able to help you . " He said seriously . A time I had never heard Ryder take in my presence . It bordered on to being businesslike but also extremely sincere .

I scoffed to myself . Ryder being sincere where it came to me . Surely , the world must be coming to an end .

When I hadn' t said anything , he reached in to his breast pocket of his crisp white shirt and retrieved a glossy black rectangular card . " My details are here if you decide to get in touch . " He said as he slid the card across the table and I caught it right before it could fall over the edge .

I pressed my lips together . " Thanks . " I muttered just as he turned , his broad back and tapered waist making itself known to me , as he strode out of the waffle House and I found that the hair had become more easily breathable once he had left .

The card had his details inscribed on it in a white cursive font that stood out in its contrast with the black card . I studied it for a moment then had the need to toss it in to the trash can but I had fought against that thought and slipped it in to my bag hoping that I would never ever need to use refer to it at all in the near or distant future .