False Starts

Chapter 18

RYAN looked at his chicken salad and realised he wasn’t hungry.

      “Look, Ry, if you don’t want to do it, it’s okay, we can cancel. They’ll still have Elizabeth Victoria,” Erika stated, watching Ryan carefully as she took a bite of her pasta salad. 

      Ryan shook his head. He pushed his food around a bit more, sighed and then took a bite. He swallowed and took a drink of water before saying anything else. “It’s okay, Erika.”

      “Okay.” Erika nodded and continued eating. She was relieved that Ryan hadn’t asked to back out of the photo shoot. It would be great publicity and she hated backing out of things. “I swear, I didn’t know she’d be doing it,” Erika went on, truthfully. If she had known that Abbie Dunham was the photographer, she wouldn’t have said yes in the first place. Even with the publicity, Ryan always came first, and Erika wasn’t sure if being around Abbie was good for his psyche. She didn’t know exactly what happened between them but whatever it was broke their friendship. But Ryan said he would do it, so it would be up to Erika to make sure that he would be okay.

      After lunch, Erika and Ryan got in the car provided by the magazine and they were driven to the location. It was an old hotel used in the movies and there were already people setting up for the shoot. A PA greeted them and led them to a sort of lounge area where they met Elizabeth Victoria, who was as gorgeous as they thought she would be and nicer than Erika expected. She and Ryan seemed to get along easily enough, but that was a given. Ryan got along well with everybody. He was just that kind of person.

      Ryan, for his part was doing his level best not to show his anxiety over seeing Abbie. Mostly he was worried she’d punch him in the face the moment she saw him. He would let her, of course, but it would still hurt. Abbie could punch really hard when she wanted to. She punched a hole in her room’s wall once, angry at her brother for breaking her camera. She yelled for an hour then pulled her arm back, aiming at Ryan’s head. He ducked just in time and her fist hit the wall, breaking the plasterboard and her hand. They ended up laughing about it in the emergency room. Ryan smiled at the memory.

      “So anyway, I was just thinking, maybe we could go out for drinks sometime?” 

      Elizabeth’s voice poked through Ryan’s thoughts and he pulled his attention back to the conversation he was supposed to be having with the Hollywood star. He smiled at her and replied, “Sure, maybe, if you’re not too busy. I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out with me.” There. That was sufficiently charming. Erika wouldn’t have to kill him now.

      “Sounds like everyone’s getting along,” said a voice from behind them. Ryan turned to see Abbie walk up and felt his heart drop to his knees. She was wearing just jeans and a Beatles shirt, standard for when she was doing shoots. She said it was so she didn’t have to worry about getting her clothes dirty if she had to lie on the ground or something for a shot.

      Ryan thought she looked amazing.

      “Miss Victoria, Mr. Lochte,” Abbie said in greeting. 

      “Call me Elizabeth,” Elizabeth answered. Ryan was too busy looking around for his dad to respond. Then he realised Abbie meant him.

      Abbie nodded before going on. “I’m Abbie Dunham, we spoke on the phone earlier…” 

      Ryan didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. He stood there and watched Abbie trying to decipher what she was thinking, though it was difficult when she wouldn’t look at him for more than half a second. It used to be so easy for him, but now he kept hitting a wall. He couldn’t see past her eyes, not like he could before, but he could see that her smile didn’t reach them.