RED

Begin Again

Chapter Three – Begin Again

                I woke up with a smile on my face. I didn’t know why I was smiling like crazy but one thing was clear. I was going to face Ryan today once more. Who could’ve thought that we were slightly okay already? But I still wasn’t sure going to make amends with him. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to readily accept him to my life once more. I was afraid of getting hurt again, especially to him. Breaking my heart by him would likely be the last thing I ever wanted to happen in this world. I sat up on my bed as I pulled out a yawn. It was a regular Wednesday morning, a day I always waited. Every Wednesday, I would go to this private café my friend owns and I wrote down my stories there, just to clear my mind out of things. Just to be out of the world for once.

                I could smell the aroma of bacon. Dad was a great cook—especially in frying.  Well, all I could say was he was practically a good cook until he burned the whole kitchen down—just kidding. I stood up and went downstairs, only to see Ryan and Dad sitting near the kitchen island, smiling like idiots and talking to some things I couldn’t comprehend. All I could feel was my stomach grumbling, apparently wanting to munch down the bacon that was now on the plate, ready to be eaten by the these two men I knew. I raced down going there, and much to their surprise, they saw me grabbing the plate of bacon and eating eat like I didn’t give a damn about them.

                “What?” I asked them as the bacon’s juice left my mouth, wanting to eat some more. They all stared at me with wide eyes as I could see Ryan’s mouth starting to curve up into a smile. He looked amused because I was eating like a hungry pig.

                “Good morning to you too,” Ryan said, giving me a toothy smile. His dimples showed off and he looked good on it but I had no plans on saying it to him face-to-face. His ego might go as large as the size of Canada.

                “Darling, are you going to the café today?” Dad asked. I turned around because I was facing his back. I nodded my head up and down in response but all he could give me was a frowned look. Was there something wrong with the way I answered? Or did he have plans? I was going to go on the latter part. I could hear my dad sigh and Ryan leaving the kitchen to give us privacy. That was what I like about Ryan, he knew where to stand or not.

                “Can I ask you a favor?” dad asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

                “What is it?”

                “Can you go to the café with Ryan, you know—“

                “I know that Dad,” I interrupted, closing my eyes and breathed in a heavy intake of air. My day did not turn out right—again. Thanks to my dad. He really had to ruin things like my plans. I wasn’t planning to take Ryan with me but I had to. It was for Ryan’s career. I placed a hand on my temple and started to rubbing it to keep it from aching. Bad day. Bad start. I woke up at the wrong side of the bed.

                “I’m sorry Hannah, you know I’m doing this for both of your best interests,” Dad whispered as he stood up, leaving me isolated in the kitchen. I sighed another heavy breath as I continued to gobble up the half-eaten bacon that was lying on the kitchen island, waiting for me to eat it. It was going to be a long day, for me.

                                                                                                   oOo

                “Are you ready?” I asked Ryan as I made my way to the garage, where my silver Porsche was parked. It was dad’s birthday gift to me when I turned twenty-five. I know. He liked to give me big expensive gifts when I could buy one like that.