Page 45 of Just Another Meet Cute
Following his gaze, I could see Dad in the other car. He was still parked by the theater. His profile was cast in the shadows, but I could tell by the way his face was turned down, by the way his shoulders were slightly hunched over, that he was disappointed. Sad.
I felt it, too.
For a split second, I almost told Ian to unlock the door. Almost called out to Dad to tell him—everyone—that I changed my mind. And that we could go get ice cream together after all. Maybe we could try to be more than just roommates for Mom’s sake. And that I wanted to trust him and be a normal family.
But I didn’t. Instead, I buckled my seat belt and looked out the other window until we pulled out of the parking lot and Dad’s car was out of sight.
In terms of car rides, this one had to be one of the absolute worst. Right up there with the time Linh got carsick on the way home from New Orleans. In the dead of summer with no AC.
It wasn’t anything that anyone said or did. It was just so excruciatingly quiet. Painfully silent. Ian even turned the music up louder, but it seemed to just bounce around the empty space and make the awkwardness even more apparent.
Maybe I should have risked the ride home with Dad after all.
I was so relieved when we finally pulled into their driveway that I didn’t even notice Ian and Ryan both getting out at the same time. And that they both opened the door for me on their side.
I froze.
Time slowed down as my head whipped back and forth between the two doors. All I could really see were their lean torsos and legs as they waited for me. It was like that iconic wrist-grab scene in all the K-dramas where the heroine was forced to make a decision that would impact everyone and set the course for the rest of the show.
Which was stupid because it wasjusta car door. This wasn’t a declaration of love. This was just the guys being polite. I wasn’t going to have to marry whoever opened the door for me. And technically, I was a bit closer to Ian’s side, so it would be easier for me to get out that way.
Just as I slid toward his door though, Ian suddenly coughed and shut the door. Pretty much in my face.
Okay, now that was just rude.
Glaring at the car door like it was Ian’s face, I slid back to the other side. Ryan watched Ian walk away with a slight frown. He shook his head and the frown slid into a smile when I came out. He didn’t talk as we walked up the walkway. Nor did he take my hand again.
Once inside, their house was a lot quieter than I expected. I mean, the TV was blaring in the other room, and I could hear voices upstairs. But considering that the last time I was here there were over twenty-five people hanging out in the kitchen, the house was practically empty now.
I was kind of glad that everyone was gone. Okay, really glad. I didn’t want an audience to know that I followed Ian and Ryan home like a lost puppy tonight.
Ian tossed the keys on the end table by the door. “Do you want something to eat?”
“I’m not that hungry.”
“I guess we could hang out and watch TV or something,” Ryan suggested as he ran his hand through his hair. He absentmindedly tugged on the ends a bit, messing up his perfectly styled hair for once. I couldn’t help noticing how much he looked like Ian when he did that. “Hopefully Chloe and Ella haven’talready camped out in the living room. If they are, then there’s no way we can pry the remote from their hands. Do you have anything to do, Ian?”
“Uh, I don’t know—”
Kathy came around the corner and let out a squeal when she saw me standing between Ian and Ryan. “I didn’t know that you were coming over, Nina,” she said, rushing over to our side.
“I didn’t plan to …”
Ian let out a reluctant snort. “Yeah, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
She gave us a curious look, but thankfully didn’t ask. “Well, you’re just in time, because I was going to start a game of Pictionary.”
At her words, they stared at her in horror like she announced she was going to eat a bucket of live frogs. And make a necklace out of their bones.
“You can’t—”
“I thought we got rid of that game!”
“I know the uncles did!”
With a wide grin, Kathy moved over to the hall closet. “I bought another set and smuggled it home. I’ve been waiting ages for a chance to play again.”
They both backed away when she pulled the box out and tucked it under her left arm. I half expected Ian to do the sign of the cross or something the closer she came to us. “C?u Luke is going to kill us if he finds out.”
