The Quirky Tale of April Hale (Quirky Series #1)

2.27. In case of unexpected feelings, press the STOP button

R Y D E R

Ordering a drink wasn't something that had proven to be a problem for Ryder, even when he was younger.

At house parties, the only requirement for him to get alcohol was for him to yell a little bit more intimidatingly. 'Get me a drink!' and then in less than five second, a bottle of beer would appear out of nowhere.

At bars, he still thrived even when there was a crowd. Bartenders prioritized him. He didn't even know why, but they just did.

At the Black Dahlia, though, Ryder witnessed someone getting a bottle of Don Perignon just for existing.

Alex literally stepped into the bar, and the bartender just gave him a bottle. No question asked.

Ryder had a very strong urge to smash the bottle into Alex's dirty blond hair. But then it would constitute as assault.

(As if Alex hadn't assaulted him emotionally. As if Alex's 'group of friends' hadn't assaulted him financially. As if Alex didn't deserve to be assaulted at least once in his life.)

But hey, Alex's 'girlfriend' was making him laugh, so maybe Ryder could try to be civil for a change.

"So... May Hall, huh?" he smirked at Alex. "That's subtle."

"Oh, shut up," Alex seethed. "Just shut up."

"Where did you find her?"

"You know."

Ryder did knew. Alex's family was powerful enough to give him the access for people who do a lot of odd-jobs. Ryder was sure that 'find people who look like April Hale' was something that these people could do in a cinch.

"Their resemblance is striking," he commented, and because he wanted to annoy Alex a bit.

"And the way you smile right now is irritating," Alex scoffed. "Why do you look so happy about it?"

"Because I can see it now. You never expected this to happen to you, huh? You never planned to really like her."

There was a flinch that Alex had expertly hid. He was good at maintaining a pokerface, a skill that made him thrive on being a businessman. Alex closed his eyes slowly, and when he opened them, there was a sly grin placed on his mouth.

"Maybe May Hall is just a starter bedwarmer before I backtrack to my favorite month."

Ryder knew an empty threat when he saw one. Including this. "No. Alex. Because if you're really planning to be with her, you would have done it from a long time ago."

Alex managed to maintain his composure, but Ryder could see his shoulders shift a bit from left to right, a sure sign of discomfort.

"You really broke her, you know that?" he finally relented. "I could fill two hotel rooms with her tears. Suite-type."

Ryder signaled his hand, and all of a sudden, a waitress came to give him two glasses. Ryder then gestured Alex to pour the Dom to both of their glasses. He drank one sip, two sip, before he answered. "I came back."

Alex drank too. "You did. Three times."

"So you know the other two times," Ryder felt like he shouldn't be surprised by how far Alex knew about his past endeavor.

"It was right for you to stay away until everything's really, totally safe," Alex said. "My 'friends' aren't exactly merciful when they're dealing with people with as much debt as your family had."

"I know. I also know one other thing: if they were to give me a break, your family will make sure that they'll lose their heads. And their family's heads."