My best friends crush

35. Stop staring at her you creep.

We followed his brother to the dining room and there was already a lot of people seated. People I hadn't seen before.

"Ryan!" A girl yelled and jumped into his arms. A smile spread across his face as he embraced her.

"God I've missed you! You have to visit more often." She said as she pulled back. She was tall with light brown highlighted hair.

"I will, I will." Ryan turned to me with a genuine smile. "This is Christine, my cousin." She turned to me with a smile as well. "His favorite cousin to be correct. And you can call me Chris. Everyone calls me that, well except Ryan." She said and rolled her eyes.

"Well Chris, I'm Tessa. Ryan's—friend." I said and smile awkwardly. She laughed a bit a my expression and took a seat by the table.

She looked back at me and pulled out the chair next to her. "Come sit." I did as she said, and Ryan followed taking a seat across from me.

It was a empty seat next to me—oh well not empty anymore. "Hello Tessa." Nicolas said as he sat down on my right side.

I slowly looked up to his face. A big grin spread across his lips. "Hi." I said unsure. He kept ginning at me and I felt Ryan's eyes burn to the side of his face.

"Stop staring at her you creep." Chris said to Nicolas from my other side. He rolled his eyes and smiled to his brother.

It was a awkward silence until Celia(Ryan's mom)sat down at the end of the table and everyone started piling food onto their plates.

"You guys have a big family." I said to Chris. She swallowed a mouthful of water before replying.

"I know. It's a lot sometimes." She raised her eyebrows as if she just remembered something. "By the way, have Ryan told you who everyone is?" She asked and I shook my head.

"Well, that over there is my mom and her boyfriend." She pointed to a woman seated across from Celia and a man who looked much younger then her mom.

"You probably already met Celia and Lorenzo. That's Abuela, have you met her?" She asked looked back at me. "Yeah, I met her when we arrived." I explained.

She nodded and looked back to the others. They were all chatting with one another.

"That's our other aunt and uncle. And that little girl over there, is their kid." I looked to where she pointed.

To the little girl seated next to her mother. She didn't look older then seven. Her hair was light brown almost blonde, with little curls in it.

"You already met Nicolas from the looks of it, and I have no idea who the girl next to him is since he brings a new one every year."

I frowned at how he talked about Nicolas. How everyone talked about him. No one seemed to like him really. I can't blame them, from the little I have seen of him I don't like him either.

"What about Celia's parents?" I asked curiously. "Oh, they never come here. They only sends gifts."

I swallowed some food before asking more. I was curious, always been.

"Why don't the come here?" She shrugged in answer. "Who knows. Celia probably, but she never tells us." Chris took a big sip of her water again.

It was weird. Why weren't they here. It was Christmas after all. I know it's none of my business, but still. It's weird.

Actually who am I to judge when I'm here. That's weird. I don't even know these people, but I'm gonna spend Christmas with them.

I started playing with my hands, so lost in my own thoughts.

They must think it's weird too. What if they don't want me here. If that's the case I hope they tell me, so I can leave. I don't want to stay here if I'm not wanted. Am I not wanted?

Now I'm just overthinking... Nicolas brought a girl here too. That's the same. But he probably calls her his girlfriend. I'm not Ryan's girlfriend.

First I introduced myself as 'someone who goes to the same school as him' and now as his 'friend'.

I was cut off from my thought's when a foot slightly brushed against my leg. My eyes shot up to Ryan, who was already looking at me.

It gently stroke up and down my leg. As if it was to calm me down. Had he seen that I was stressed?

We held eye contact as his leg continued stroking mine. His gray eyes searched through mine. As if he was trying to find any sign of discomfort.

I tried not to show any until Nicolas slightly pecked my arm.

"Are you guys having a staring contest?" He asked me as I turned to face him.

The stroking on my leg stopped. And when I looked back to Ryan before answering his expression was hard.

"Ehm, what?" I heard perfectly fine what he asked. I just said that in hope he would brush off the question.

He chuckled a little and shot Ryan a smirk. "Ryan seems a little mad today don't you think?" Nicolas asked me while brushing off the first uncomfortable question with a new one.

"If you get tired of it you know where to find me." He said and got up. So did the girl he was with. She looked me up and down as she followed right behind him.

Ryan got up too and was about to follow his brother, but I stopped him. "Don't. It's fine." I reassured him.

"I'm done eating." He said flatly. I didn't like him like this. He was so cold towards me. Towards everyone.

I grabbed his hand to keep him from going and turned towards Chris and the others. "The food was lovely. Ryan and I are a bit tired so we're gonna go take a nap." I said to Celia and she gave me a smile in return.

"Good to hear. Go get some rest now." She said and excused us.