More Than Friends

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

They talked and drank for another hour before they noticed that Nicole and Paul had never come back from their last trip to the bar.

"Maybe I should go check on them?" Ryan said, scooting toward Drea as if he wanted to get out of the booth. She looked at him like he had grown two heads. "What?"

"You're serious?" She seemed stunned that he would even suggest such a thing. "Is your friend an ax murderer or something?"

"What? No. I just mean they've been gone for a while. I want to make sure he's fine. I'm his ride so if he's ready to go, I need to find him." This time she laughed out loud.

"Trust me, they're fine."

"How do you know?"

"They're probably doing it in the bathroom or something. Don't worry about them. I don't think she'll hurt him... too badly."

She laughed as she said it but Ryan got the feeling there was something she wasn't telling him.

"Speaking of, I need to use the loo. I'll be right back."

While she was gone, Ryan quickly sent a text to Paul to tell him he was ready to leave. Drea was really sweet and very pretty but he didn't feel an attraction to her. Just as she returned from the restroom, Ryan got a reply text from Paul.

NICOLE WILL TAKE ME 2 MY CAR. HAVE FUN STUD!

"Oh, I guess Nicole is gonna drive Paul home so I should probably get going. I need to get up early tomorrow. It was really great to meet you. Can I get you anything else before I leave?"

He was suddenly anxious to get out of there. He just wanted to go to bed and wallow for another few weeks, or months, before trying this single thing again.

"God! That's so typical. I came with her and now she's ditching me. Again. I don't know why I ever let her drive." She dug into her purse looking for her phone. After trying three times to reach Nicole, she gave up and looked over at Ryan.

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'll give you a lift. Let's go." Over the course of a few hours, he'd only had a few beers so he felt pretty comfortable driving but as soon as they left the bar, a police cruiser pulled out behind him and followed at a fairly close distance.

"Fuck. I cannot get stopped. How far is your place?"

He was trying to sober up by rolling down the windows and crunching breath mints. He had never watched his speedometer so intently in his life.

"Just a few blocks away. You'll be fine. Just don't run a red light and you're good."

She didn't seem worried but it wasn't her license, or her job, on the line. Ryan worked as a parts runner for a local electronics store and would be fired if he got a DUI.

"That building on the left. Just pull in behind the red car and you can come in for a few minutes. I'll make you some coffee," she offered.

He really just wanted to get home but couldn't take the chance of the cop waiting for him so he parked the car and followed her into the two story building. When they got to the top of the stairs, Drea reached up to feel around on the door frame and produced a single key.

"You weren't supposed to see that." She smiled at Ryan as she unlocked the door.

They walked into a dark room that was lit by an enormous flat screen taking up half the far wall. In the glow of the video game, he saw the bare back of a guy wearing a headset and pounding a game controller.

"That's my cousin, Zach. He's doing some video game tournament or something." She walked in front of the TV to get his attention. "Zach, this is Ryan. He's gonna hang out for a few and sober up." Ryan nodded at the guy wearing nothing but a pair of pink and black bermudas.

"Hey. Make yourself comfortable." Zach barely looked away from the screen but he seemed friendly enough.

"So, do you want me to make you a cup of coffee or something?" Drea asked. Ryan glanced at his phone and was surprised to see it was after one in the morning. He had a class at nine and knew there was no way he'd get any sleep at all if he had any coffee.

"Thanks, but I should probably get going. I'm sure that cop is gone by now." He walked to the window that faced the street and saw the cruiser parked about half a block away with only parking lights on. "Fuck. That asshole is actually waiting for me." He looked around the room, evaluating his options. He lived about four miles away so he could walk home but then he'd have to walk back the next day to pick up his car. Probably not worth the effort.

"You're welcome to stay here tonight. This sofa is really comfy."

Ryan took another look at the sofa. It was a huge U-shaped leather sectional that Zach was perched on one end of. It actually did look pretty comfortable.

"I guess I can hang out for a bit. Maybe he'll get a call soon and take off." Ryan went to the far end of the couch and took a seat. Drea walked back from the hallway with a pillow and a few blankets.

"Here ya go. Just in case you doze off. Zach could go for hours so hopefully the light won't bother you too much."

"No problem. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Ryan was not the type of guy to make himself comfortable in a stranger's home but he was too tired and too pissed off at Paul for ditching him to care about manners. He leaned back into the corner and settled in with the blanket. Drea said goodnight and went to bed.

Apparently, she felt the lack of chemistry just as strongly as Ryan did. He tried to close his eyes but the light from the fast paced video game was really distracting. He glanced at Zach and realized he had been watching Ryan curl up in the blanket. Zach quickly looked away and went back to his game.

Ryan had never really been into video games. He played at the occasional arcade growing up but had always been more into riding his bike or playing sports with his friends to get really into gaming. He studied the screen for a few minutes trying to understand what the purpose of it was.

"You play?" The question brought Ryan back to the present.

"Oh, uh, no. Looks interesting but I haven't played myself."

"I'd let you take a turn but I've got $500 on this round so I need to stay focused."

"Don't let me distract you."

He was feeling pretty tired and wanted to sleep but he was fascinated that grown men could spend hours of their lives playing these games. He looked at Zach and caught him staring again. They locked gazes and Ryan waited for Zach to tell him something else about the game but he didn't. He just stared, like he was confused about something.

"So, how do you know Drea?" Zach finally asked.

"We just met tonight. My buddy took off with her friend so I gave her a ride home. She seems cool."

"Are you into her?" He seemed focused on his game but he glanced back to Ryan to see his response.

"Well, I just got out of a long relationship and I'm not really ready to get into another one yet. Still trying to figure out what I want, I guess."

"Is Drea your type?" He emphasized type as if he was trying to ask something more. Ryan didn't want to offend him by saying he didn't feel anything for his cousin so he tried to play it off.

"Yeah, I guess so. But, I'm not sure we're right for each other. And, since she doesn't live around here, it's probably not meant to be."

He got up and checked the window again to see if the cruiser was still parked outside. The bastard was still there. Was there so little crime in this town that he could wait there all night?

"Looks like I might be stuck here for a while. Are you sure you don't mind me staying?"

"Yeah, no problem. Do you need anything else?"
"I'm good here. I'm so tired I'll probably just pass out."