Compass (17 page)

Absolutely! Welcome home. Missed your scrawny ass.

Ryan was about to back out when the reply came. If there was one thing he hated, it was people who couldn’t put their cell phones down long enough to drive. He put the car back into park and grabbed his phone. A huge smile ignited his face as he sent her a reply:

Perfect! On my way now. And thanks, good to be home. As for my ass, we’ve discussed this. It’s not scrawny anymore. And I do think you have a slight obsession with my postiere. Would you like me to send you a picture?

He dropped his phone into the cup holder once the message was sent and backed out of the parking space. His fingers gripped the steering wheel tight, fighting the compulsion to read her next message as he merged onto the freeway. DFW airport was a cluster in itself without giving into the temptation to look at his phone. He had to remind himself it was only a fifteen-minute drive from the airport to the diner. He could wait.

Upon arriving at the diner, he parked his car and noticed hers was already there. He snatched up his phone and read her message. Ryan curled his lips inward, holding back his laughter. All week long their messages were filled with innuendos. Toeing the line but never crossing it.

No need. I have the one of you in a Speedo saved to my phone. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll make that my new wallpaper...well, part of it at least.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, rereading the message as he got out of the car. He rubbed his fingers over his stubble-dusted jaw. “Must not read too much into that,” he muttered to himself, but that was difficult to do. He knew the picture she was referencing. It was him at his latest IronMan Triathlon. He was linked, arm in arm, with a few of his buddies, including Declan, in a straight line. While everyone else was shirtless and wearing riding shorts, he was wearing nothing but a black Speedo, a pair of sunglasses, and a goofy grin; and his butt was nowhere to be seen in that photograph.

When he reached the door, he slipped his phone into his pocket and stepped into the diner. The smell of grease and cheese sent his stomach into a tyrannical rumble. The Goth girl at the counter glanced up from her phone and jerked her head toward the dining area. “Sit wherever you want,” she droned.

Ryan barely heard her speak, for in that moment, he found what he was looking for. Alexis sat in a booth, her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, dressed in dark blue scrubs. She glanced up from the menu, almost as if she felt him enter the building. He was drawn to her, pulled by an invisible line that was attached directly to his heart.

Alexis dropped the menu and waved him over, her smile as bright as the sun. Ryan strolled to the booth, his hands in his pockets, to keep from running to her. When he reached her, his whole body felt like a livewire ready to spark.

She slipped from the booth and wrapped her arms around his neck. The piece of him that had been missing for the last week was restored in that one simple hug. His arms encompassed her and he buried his nose into her hair, breathing her in. She smelled like raindrops after a fresh spring rain. “Hey, you,” he breathed, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

“Hey, you,” she murmured against his neck.

For the longest time they stood there, holding one another. There was no urgency between them, only the quiet need to be together. A tall, heavyset, woman with jet-black hair peppered with gray approached them. “I see he made it, doll.”

Alexis stepped out of their embrace and smiled. Her arm wrapped around his back, and his over her shoulders. It felt good to be holding her. Almost natural. He hated that he’d had to leave her alone to unpack by herself, but duty called. If it hurt this bad to leave her now, he hated to think what it would feel like after they spent more time together.

“He did. Safe and sound.” She patted his chest. Ryan smiled at her, brushing his thumb over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered at his touch.

They slid into the booth, sitting opposite of each other, but their hands remained linked together. “Can I get you some coffee?” the waitress asked him.

Ryan glanced up at the woman, catching sight of her name tag, “Please, Judy. That’d be wonderful.”

The waitress grinned at his use of her name and teetered off toward the kitchen.

Ryan leaned back, his thumb rubbing the top of Alexis’ hand. “So, how many other pictures have you saved of me on your phone?”

A tinge of pink blushed her cheeks. She batted her eyelashes and pushed her phone toward him. “You tell me.”

Ryan turned his head, giving her a sideways glance. “This is a trick. I can feel it. No girl gives up her phone freely. At least none I’ve ever known.”

Alexis released his hand, crossing her arms over her chest. Ryan felt his ribcage pinch at the loss of their skin touching, but being close to her and seeing her brilliant smile prevented the wide open chasm that had been apart of his anatomy for the past week. “Well, I’m not like any other girl you’ve known then.”

Hesitant, Ryan reached for the phone. He looked around the diner, wondering what the other patrons might think of him holding a phone with a pink cover. “Chicken,” she muttered in a low tone.

His head shot up and he met her gaze. Her lips pursed and she wiggled her brows, teasing him. “Fine.” He swiped his finger over the warm, flat surface of the phone, bringing it to life. Instead of being greeted with a picture of his package, which was what he feared was the whole purpose of this experiment, he found a picture of her with Cora. The little girl he’d known, all knees and grins, held her younger sister in her arms. Cora had no hair, having undergone chemo, but she was still very pretty for a little girl, her eyes shining with love.

He glanced up at Alexis whose smile had faded. “She keeps me grounded,” she told him. “Whenever I question what I’m doing, all I have to do is look at my phone and I’m reminded of my purpose in life."

“She’d be proud of you,” he noted.

Alexis smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “She had a crush on you. Did you know that?”

Ryan glanced back down at the cute little girl and chuckled. “I had no clue.”

“She did,” came her response in a soft, nostalgic cadence. “Scrawny ass and all.”

This time her smile brightened her eyes, burning deep into his chest. “There you go again with my ass.” He lifted his hip, glancing over his shoulder at his backside. “Are you sure you don’t need a picture.”

Alexis reached over to her phone, her chest pressing against the table, forcing her breasts to push up. Ryan diverted his eyes. She was fully covered by her scrubs, but the image of those sweet mounds in his hands caused his pants to tighten. She didn’t appear to notice his discomfort as she tapped on an icon. A gallery of pictures exploded before him, including the one she’d mentioned. “Jesus, woman, how many pics
did
you save of me?”

The table began to move with the vibration of her legs bouncing beneath it. Ryan reached under the table, placing his hand over her kneecaps. She stopped the instant he touched her. Ryan caught sight of her chest rising with an intake of breath. She sat back, crossing her arms back over her chest. “All of them.”

He sat up straight, his back pressed into the seat, hoping he concealed the surprise he felt was pretty evident. He’d done the same thing, not that there were many pictures on her page with it only being a couple of weeks old, but he couldn’t help himself. He liked having that piece of her with him without the confines of a social network getting in the way.

“Which reminds me...” She grabbed the phone from him and slid her finger over the glass rapidly. When she found what she was looking for, she thrust the phone back at him. Ryan took the phone, but didn’t have a chance to see what she was showing him, because Judy reappeared with his coffee.

“Here ya go,” she said, resting the cup on the table. A few drops of the hot liquid sloshed over the top of the cup. “Y’all ready to order?”

Ryan picked up the menu, having forgotten about his hunger.

“I’ll have a double bacon cheeseburger and fries,” Alexis requested, giving Judy her menu.

He handed his menu to Judy. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

“Got it.” Judy wobbled back off.

Ryan dressed his coffee with as much sugar as he could manage, the sweeter the better in his opinion; he then picked the phone up from the table where he’d laid it. The picture she’d chosen was of him, wearing a peach colored Polo shirt and a straw fedora. To the left of him was Declan and to the right was Reagan. On the other side of Declan stood a pilot friend of theirs, Shane Devereaux.

His chest felt tight in anticipation. This picture was taken the night he and Reagan had slept together. They were very cozy looking together, with his arm draped over her shoulder. He braced himself for what he expected to be an assault of questions.

Alexis tapped on the picture, glancing up at him. “So, you remember me telling you about the other fellow I work with?”

Ryan, a little confused, nodded.

She pointed to Shane. “She’s married to this guy.”

Ryan covered his mouth with his hand. “Holy crap. I didn’t even think...wait...I thought she was in pediatrics?”

“Pediatric oncology. Same as me. She’s ahead of me by a year.”

Ryan let out a small laugh. He was certain she would go on the defensive about Reagan. This came as a surprise, a very good surprise. Shane was a great pilot and a good friend. To know that Shane and Mary would be able to keep watch over Alexis when he was away made him feel relieved. “That’s amazing. They’re good people.”

“I agree. Mary’s hilarious. A little scatterbrained at times, but I like her. She knows her stuff.”

Her phone buzzed in his hand. He glanced down, out of habit, and recognized a text message coming in. It was from Declan. His head shot back up. “You just got a text from Declan.”

“Okay.” She reached for her phone but he pulled back. Her brow scrunched together. “Ryan, what’s wrong?”

“Why is Declan texting you?” His words came out a little more callus than he’d planned, but he couldn’t hide his aggravation. He had no claim on her, he knew that, but not Declan. Anyone but Declan. He was certain he couldn’t handle watching his roommate parade her around if they hooked up. It would kill him. And when Declan dumped her, because he would, Ryan would have to kill the bastard for hurting her.

“I don’t know. We were just talking,” she replied, ripping the phone from his hand.

Ryan rubbed his forehead, his teeth scraping over his upper lip. “I see.”

“Ryan, it’s no different than your
girlfriend
texting you while at my Dad’s house last weekend,” she snapped. “I bet you anything she’s texted you a dozen times since you landed.”

“Reagan isn’t my girlfriend! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that. We’re only friends. And no, she hasn’t.” His chest rose and fell in rapid breaths. His pulse was so loud in his ears. He wondered if she could hear it.

“Just like Declan and I are friends. And we were talking about you. I told him you were home. That’s it.” She slid her phone into her pocket without having read the text. That mere fact alone made him breathe a little easier. Romantic attachments usually enforced the instant reply rule. “Besides, I thought you’d be happy I get along with your roommate.”

Ryan leaned forward, clasping his hands around the coffee cup. “I am, it’s just…”

Alexis dropped her shoulders, the flicker of defense washed away from her eyes. She reached out and took his hand from the mug, “You want to protect me. I get it.”

Their eyes met and his mouth twitched. “Yes.”

“Ryan, I knew the moment I met Declan that he was a player. A hot player, but a player all the same.”

“You think Declan’s sexy?”

“I didn’t say sexy.” Her eyes bounced as she wrapped her mouth around the rim of her own coffee mug. Ryan caught the mischievous gleam in her eye.

“But you like him?”

“Well, yeah. Sure. What’s not to like?” She lifted her shoulder in a nonchalant shrug.

Something inside Ryan howled to keep her away from his roommate. He knew he had no right to be jealous, but it burned through him like wildfire. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, determined to hold his tongue. He could tell her about Declan and the revolving door on his bedroom, but as she’d already stated, she knew Declan liked the ladies. His confession wouldn’t tell her anything new.

In a swift motion, Ryan lifted the necktie dangling around his neck up in the air, treating it like a hangman’s noose. He sputtered and gagged, making awful choking noises. His eyes lulled into the recesses of his skull, as he imitated being strangled. Alexis stood up, smacking his hand. Her eyes darted around the room to see if anyone was looking.

“Dramatic much?”

He gave one last good tug on his tie, lifting himself up out of his seat, as if he were swinging from the ceiling. His head fell forward and his tongue flopped over his straight, white teeth. She reached over and pushed him hard, forcing him into his seat.

Ryan’s laughter mixed harmoniously with hers. “So, what is it that you see in him anyway?” he asked.

“I don’t see anything in him, but I do like his eyes.” She blew a few stray hairs away from her face. “I’ve always had a thing for a guy’s eyes.”

“Eyes? Hmm,” he swallowed, pushing his nerves down in order to squelch his curiosity. “And what about my eyes? Do they appeal to you?”