The Stepfather

Chapter 12

Ryan slams the car door closed and tosses the keys to the valet guy. I climb out and grab our bags from the backseat. When I get inside, he's waiting by the elevator. We take it up to the third floor, going into our room. "Goodnight." He says lowly.

He goes to the bed and grabs a pillow, pulling a blanket off as he walks to the couch. "What are you doing?" I ask, the pain growing in my chest.

"Sleeping on the couch." He says.

"Babe, please." I say, dropping the bags. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever." He mumbles.

"I keep telling myself I'm the bitch - that I'm the one who keeps screwing up. But honestly, you've done the same thing." I snap.

"How's that?" He asks angrily.

"I told you I was falling for you and you didn't say anything. Don't you see that I'm scared?" I ask, becoming tired of all of this.

"What was I supposed to say?" He asks.

"I don't know. Something. If this relationship isn't going anywhere, there's no reason to be in it."

"I don't know what you want from me!" He yells. "You don't understand what I'm going through right now. I'm sick and I'm tired of everything. I'm sorry if I don't do things the way I should but this is me."

"You're an ass." I say. "You didn't have a problem screwing my mom on the first week."

"That is way different and you know it." He growls.

"How is it different?" I ask, exasperated.

"Because it is." He shrugs.

"Next time you feel like being generous and taking someone out, take my mom." I say.

"Maybe I will." He sighs.

He shuts the light off by the couch, leaving only the bedside lamp on. I quickly change into an over-sized t-shirt before crawling into bed.

The next morning, I listen as the breakfast is delivered to the room. I walk to the bathroom, rubbing my eyes. After I go to the bathroom, I crawl back into bed. "Do you want something to eat?" Ryan asks.

"No." I say, hugging my pillow.

"Do you wanna talk about last night?" He asks.

"No." I repeat.

"What do you wanna do?" He asks.

"I want you to leave me alone." I sigh.

"We need to talk." He says.

"We have our whole lives. You're marrying my mom, remember?"

He sighs but says nothing.

I spend the whole day in bed, only getting up to go to the bathroom. It's about ten o'clock when Ryan sits on the edge of the bed. I bury my face into the pillow, refusing to look at him. "You need to eat." He says.

"I'm not hungry." I mumble into the pillow.

"You haven't ate all day."

I sit up using my elbows and look at him. "I just wanna go home."

"If you'd just talk to me-" he begins.

"Obviously this isn't working for either of us. There's no point in trying."

He lays back onto the bed, looking at the ceiling. "Are you breaking up with me?" He frowns.

"We were never together. You never asked me out." I point out.