Sinner

Chapter 11

Ashley's POV:

Ryan said he'd be here an hour after he dropped me off. It's been an hour and a half. He's a half hour late. I wonder what's keeping him.

Sighing, I sit down on the couch and reach for my ponytail to tighten it. It's still pretty wet from my shower. After I sit down my stomach growls and I realize I haven't eaten all day. I get back up and start walking towards the kitchen. When I pass by the door a knock sounds. I stop and open the door to see Ryan.

"Half an hour late" I say and cock an eyebrow.

Ryan glances at his phone. "25 minutes late" he corrects.

"We round up here" I mock.

Ryan rolls his eyes and extends his hand. "Come on already! I'm starving. Have you had lunch yet?"

I hesitate to take his hand and he notices. He awkwardly takes it away and pretends to scratch the back of his head. Smooth, Ryan. Smooth.

"Sorry, old habit" he says and I notice a tint of red on his cheeks.

"It's okay. And yeah I'm starving!" I say and step out of the apartment.

We start walking to the elevators. "We'll go to lunch before Walmart then" Ryan states.

"Perfect" I say.

We step in an elevator that just arrived on our level.

"I know a good place to eat" Ryan says.

"Okay. I haven't eaten out in years so I'm counting on you to choose something good" I tease.

Ryan looks at me. "I'm taking you to my favorite place" he says and grins.

The elevator arrives on the ground level. We step out and start walking towards the doors I had thought of escaping from days before. When we're outside, I feel relieved. I've been kept inside way too much in the past. We walk towards a black SUV. A typical car for an agent. Ryan pulls out the keys to the car from his pocket.

I get into the passenger seat as Ryan slides into the front. "One day I'll teach you to drive" he says with a small smile.

"Sounds good" I say as we buckle our seat belts.

Ryan pulls out of the parking lot. There's an awkward silence in the car so Ryan puts on some music. A man's voice plays on the speakers singing a song with a beautiful voice. "You're scared of what you don't know, the places you fear the most inside your heart you can't control, this time around I know" the man sings. I smile at how it describes my situation. I don't really know what's going to happen in the future and I'm scared.

"His name is JR, he's a good friend of mine" Ryan says commenting on the singer.

"He's amazing. Not that I have much of a musical background" I reply.

"Ashley, I know this whole situation is tough, but I want you to know I'll be here for you. I'll do what I can to help you accommodate to your new life" Ryan says, quickly taking his eyes off the road to glance at me.

I look at him but he's already facing the road again. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" I ask.

Ryan frowns. "I thought a lot about this whole thing. That's why I was a half hour late in picking you up. And I've accepted that this isn't your fault. You were right. This is the S.I.N.S.'s doing, not yours. I hope you can forgive me for the extra shit I put you through. You don't deserve it" Ryan explains.

"I forgive you. Thank you for saying that" I say seriously.

Ryan pulls into a strip mall and I look around for a restaurant. I notice a Mexican grill called 'Chipotle'.

"I hope you like Mexican" Ryan says and finds a parking spot.

"I can't remember. Haven't had it since I was little" I say as we get out of the car.

"I thought you had a photographic memory" Ryan says and smirks.

"I remember exactly how it looks. Just not how it tastes" I reply with a small laugh.

Ryan playfully rolls his eyes as we walk towards the restaurant.

We enter and the smell of delicious food on the grill enters my nose.

"Smells good, doesn't it?" Ryan looks down at me. I just nod my head as my mouth waters.

Ryan walks up to a guy behind a counter and tells him what to put on his burrito. I take about 1 second to glance at the menu hung on the wall and memorize it, deciding that a chicken and cheese quesadilla would be plain enough for me.

When Ryan finishes his order I tell the guy mine and he goes into the kitchen to make it.

"I never pictured you for a Mexican kind of guy" I tell Ryan as we wait for our food.

"Is it because I'm Japanese?" Ryan asks with a smile.

"Probably" I say bluntly and Ryan laughs.

The guy brings back our prepared food and Ryan generously pays for it while I sit down at a table. Ryan brings the tray over with our food.

"Thanks for lunch" I say.

"No problem" he replies.

We dig into our food and I find out I have a liking for Mexican food just like Ryan.

As I chew my last bite Ryan says "It's good, yeah?"

"Excellent" I say and grin.

When I look up at Ryan he looks deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I wish I could just take you away from here. Give you a normal life" Ryan says and runs a hand through his hair.

"Why does it matter to you?" I ask curiously.

"Maybe because I..." Ryan starts and trails off.

"You what?" I pry.

"I care."