Everything & More (Book 1 in the E.C.N Series)

Chapter 65-Martha

Lori left some time ago so that I could get the house and myself together before Ryan got here. Rummaging through my closet, the one burning question plagued my mind.

What the hell am I going to wear?

I picked out clothes left and right. This shirt is too busty, this is too plain. I felt like I had no damn clothes to wear and this feeling couldn't have come at a worse time.

I can't look like I'm trying either...Jesus Martha this isn't a date! Get your shit together

I took three deep breaths before going with a casual logical option. We were gonna be inside my house so I didn't have to dress warmly. I chose Jeggings and a spaghetti strap and decided to put on fuzzy socks to walk around the house in.

After getting out of the shower I put a leave-in conditioner in my hair and let it air dry. Twisting the left side of my hair back and giving my hair a side part. I made sure to keep the makeup minimal by just filling in my eyebrows, some mascara and a tinted balm.

As I was rustling with whether or not I needed the small stud earrings I had put on the doorbell rang with a light knock. Rushing down the stairs was my first mistake because the fuzzy socks were soft and slippery against the wood. I instinctively grabbed the hand railing before my ass could feel any impact.

"Alright Martha," I whispered to myself, taking a few breaths to calm the rapid heartbeat of almost dying. "We are going to take that as a sign to calm the fuck down before we kill ourselves" My pep talk was doing wonders as I neared the front door.

Remembering there was a mirror off to the side and I immediately took a few extra breaths fixing my hair and shirt for nonexistent wrinkles. Another knock came to the door jolting me out of my obvious stalling.

Opening the door a gust of cold air covered my shoulders bringing with it a new revelation. It was different now. This wasn't just my best friend, he was a guy that I kissed not twenty four hours ago. "Hi" He had a soft smile as he held up a bag of food with a gloved hand. His heavy coat was pure black and it made his eyes stand out way more than I have ever seen. The slight tinge of pink on his cheeks and the fact I was able to see the air when he spoke let me know the winter months really were coming in full throttle.

"Hey, come on in." I stepped to the side allowing him to enter. The fact his frame felt larger and took up more space than I noticed before wasn't lost on me.

Were his shirts always that form fitting?

I knew I was looking at Ryan and I had always thought he was a good looking man but I didn't feel like I was seeing my best friend. That thought alone bothered me.

"I'll take this." I said quickly, taking the bag from his hand and heading to set up food.

I could have missed it if I wasn't so hyper aware of this man but I heard a speck of nervousness when he spoke, "Is what I got okay?"

Confusion hit me as I examined the bag I just set down on the coffee table. It was our usual Chinese food. I looked to find Ryan who was leaning against the living room entryway, eyes flicking between the food and me. I nodded with a wide smile, "It's our usual, it's perfect."

He nodded his head coming into the living room and taking a seat on the other side of the couch. I appreciated him acting somewhat normal for the time being and not jumping straight into what we both know he came here to discuss, but I also noticed him keeping a distance from me.

It's only fair. He doesn't know where he stands with me after our last encounter.

I headed to the kitchen and grabbed two cups filling them with crushed ice and ice tea. In the living room, I set the cup in front of him, "Thank you."