Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 9 • Sleepover

Five minutes later, I was sitting rigid in my seat, fully aware of Lynch who was sitting in the back seat. When he had strolled out of the hotel he was staying at, I tried to offer up my seat but neither him nor Dria would let me. Now, he's cramped into the bench seat with little to no leg room. I moved my seat forward as much as I could but it wasn't much.

Dria never turned on the radio or her Bluetooth whicph left me to drown in the uncomfortable silence. It's ironic because I used to be the most sociable person in high school. I would always find something to talk about to break people out of their shells. Now, the roles are reversed. I'm the quiet kid in desperate need for someone to come up with a topic.

I knew Dria wasn't going to say anything so it was up to Lynch to try to start a conversation. I wanted to implode. Why did Dria have to pop this on me like it was nothing? I thought it was just gonna be us but now she's somehow got Lynch here and Ember and Dakota are coming. I'm not sure how much insanity I can take in one day.

I sunk farther into my seat as Lynch asked, "So what are we gonna do exactly?"

"Sleepover! Well, kinda, not really, because Ember and Dakota are only gonna hang out for a few hours before they go back home. It's up to you if you want to stay over but our mute friend, Ryder is definitely staying," she placed a hand on my arm and I looked up at her.

"Sure, I'll stay over. I'm still getting used to the town so it's nice to have a few friends," I really wanted to say that we could show him around but I held my tongue.

"C'mon, Ry, say something. You've been quiet this entire time," Alexandria urged.

"Would it be fine if I just hung out with you all day Dria? Bridget told me to take a day off so I don't have work tomorrow," I finally asked.

"Of course, sugar. It's good to see you taking a break. You work yourself too hard."

"Gotta have money for rent and bills," I mumbled.

"Do you think Bridget will have me take over your shift?" Lynch asked from the back.

I shrugged then realized he probably didn't see me, "Maybe. I normally work the front counter and make drinks so I'm not sure of she'll have you do that just yet. She might have you stock the shelves with the books we pulled out."

"Alright. I'll ask her about it when I go in for my shift."

It fell back into silence but this time, Dria turned on her music. I lip-synced the lyrics while she belted them. I'm surprised she hasn't lost her voice yet. She turned onto a familiar road and I sat up some, getting ready to get out of her car. I needed to put distance between me and Lynch, even if there was a small voice in the back of my mind saying that it would be good to be near him.

I felt like I could cry with relief when she pulled into a spot in front of her apartment. I noticed Dakota's truck a few spaces down with him and Ember sitting inside. I didn’t have to wonder if Shire was with them, E needs to have him with her at all times when she goes out.

I unbuckled and stepped out of the car, hurriedly rounding the back to avoid Lynch climbing out. Dria popped the trunk for me and met me to help lift the bags out. Dakota and Ember strolled over, both eyeing the bags of clothes. Lynch leaned against the car, watching us too. My face heated with embarrassment.

Dria, being the empathic and overdramatic person she is, slammed the trunk shut and tossed the bags over her shoulder, sauntering up to her ground level home. I picked up the rest of the bags and followed after with everyone else ambling behind, making a train. She unlocked the door and held it open for us while we marched in.

While everyone else settled in her living room, she took me back to her room where we stashed the bags of clothes. I'm going to have to lie to Liam. The thought was both nerve-wracking and exciting. I followed her back to the living room where everyone was already sitting down and talking. Lynch was sitting on the far end of the couch. Ember and Dakota were relaxed on the loveseat with Shire on the saggy carpet.

Before I could even move to the opposite end of the couch, Dria beeline for it and plopped down. I stared at her for a few seconds before accepting my fate. The couch was bigger than the loveseat but it wasn't ginormous which meant even though I curled up, I was still only inches away from Dria and Lynch.

I tried to squish myself further but I couldn't get any smaller. Everyone kept talking around me but Ember kept her eyes on me. She knew I was uncomfortable. I had a silent conversation with her until eventually she pulled away from Dakota and stood up. He looked up at her, hand dropping to her thigh.

She looked over her shoulder, "I'm just going to get a beer, Kota. Do you want something?"

"Sure, get me a beer too, thanks baby," he released her and she walked past all of us, motioning for me to follow.

I stood up and hurried after her. She was standing next to the fridge when I entered. I slowed my approach and wrapped my arms around myself.

"What's going on?" She asked immediately.

She made sure to keep her voice down so not to let anyone else hear.

"Liam... He doesn't want me anywhere near Lynch. He said I was acting too friendly with him when he saw me shaking his hand. Dria wants me to get to know him but it scares me," I admitted.

"I know it does. But the only way you're gonna get over it is if you talk to him. If Liam wants to say something, we'll help lie for you. Just let yourself live a little tonight. You deserve it after leading a repetitive and toxic life with him."

My throat cinched and tears overflowed from my eyes. I reached for her and pulled her into a bear hug. She returned it and rocked me until I calmed down.

"When will I learn?" I murmured.

She pulled back to look me in the eyes, "It'll take the right moment and time to learn. You're holding on to the caring and sensitive Liam from the start of your relationship. Not the callous guy you deal with now. He knows what he's doing. He's taking advantage of your kindness and desperation to make it work. I'm going to be honest with you, Ry, you're relationship ended a long time ago. He's just trapping you because he takes pleasure in keeping you on a tight leash."

Unable to say anything, I nodded. A soft knock on wood and I spun around to find Lynch standing in the doorway. He was looking between the two of us but I knew he saw my tear stained face. Heat rose in my face and I looked away quickly.

"Sorry if I interrupted something, I was just coming to get a drink."

"You're good. We just finished our conversation so we'll be out in a sec with the rest of the drinks. The beers are in the door if that's what you want," Ember said smoothly.

"Um, yeah, thank you," I heard the refrigerator open, the clink of a bottle, and the door shut.

Footsteps disappeared into the living room and I turned around again. E moved away to grab the beers she promised Dakota, but not before handing me one. I took it half heartedly and found the bottle opener to pop the top off of all of them. The caps were dropped into the trashcan and I took one last deep breath before following E into the living room.