Mission Love - Chasing Mr. Right ✓

Twenty-Nine

Recap: Ryan nearly choked to death.

I swallowed hard, my heart slamming against my ribcage. How could I possibly explain without sounding like a total idiot?
His gaze was unrelenting, and I felt the weight of his confusion—and maybe irritation—pressing down on me.

"I—uh—" I started, then stopped.

Think, think, THINK.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, his lips pressed in a firm line, waiting.

"It was a joke!" I blurted, my voice breaking halfway through.
"Just… you know, one of those awkward jokes that isn’t funny? Haha?"

He didn’t laugh. His expression didn’t even twitch. The silence that followed was suffocating, and I wanted to crawl under the table and disappear. He leaned back slightly in his chair, folding his arms, his intense eyes still locked on me.

"A joke?" he echoed, tone flat.

I nodded furiously.
"Yes! A totally random, badly-timed joke. Happens all the time! Nothing serious."
My words tumbled out so fast, I couldn’t stop myself until it was too late.

He tilted his head, his gaze narrowing, and I realized too late how unconvincing I sounded.
"You don’t joke like that," he said, his voice low. "Not with me."

Crap.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, lips pressed in a firm line, waiting.

"It’s because… God, I hate my brain sometimes." I mumbled underneath my breath.

"What—"

"Serena saw us," I blurted out, cutting him off.

"What?" He scowled. Dangerously.

"She saw us. Apparently," I muttered, avoiding his gaze. "When we were coming back from your parents’ house. She saw us in the car and… said something about it."

"Said what?" Ryan’s voice was sharper now, his eyes narrowing.

"Asked, to be precise—"

"Asked what? I swear—"

"She asked if we were having sex! There, happy?" I snapped, the heat rushing to my face.

Ryan blinked, his expression unreadable. "What?"

"Snap out of it," I scowled, mimicking his exact reaction—wide eyes, slack jaw, and all. "You look ridiculous."

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. Ryan leaned back slightly, his gaze unreadable.

"And that’s why you asked me that?" he finally grumbled, breaking the silence.

"I panicked!" I threw my hands up, frustration bubbling over. "She got in my head, and then I didn’t know what to do, so I just… blurted it out."

Ryan rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a groan. "Unbelievable. Serena sees something, tells you, and instead of talking to me like a rational human being, you—" He waved a hand vaguely toward the table, his tone brimming with exasperation.

"I didn’t know how to bring it up!" I snapped, my voice rising. "It’s not exactly casual conversation, Ryan."

"Well, you’ve brought it up now," he muttered, his piercing gaze locking onto mine.
"So, what do you want me to say?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words stuck in my throat.
What did I even want from him?

"What if I say yes?" Ryan leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. "What if I admit I’m dying for you, that I lust for you?"