Personal Assistant (Ryden)

Chapter fourteen

"You're done for the day, thanks," Gerard tells Brendon, and Brendon nods. He gets dressed once he reaches the tent, changing into his normal clothes instead of his character's clothes, then wipes off the subtle makeup. He stays silent on the way back to the cabin, part of him hoping that Ryan will pass him, the other part telling him to stop thinking about Ryan, about his little temporary assistant. 

But when Brendon walks into the room and doesn't see Ryan, he allows his heart to sink, especially when he notices both of Ryan's phones on the bed. Ryan wouldn't just leave like that, certainly not without at least one phone, but here he is.

He leaves to go find Ryan. For the first hour of searching, Brendon is determined, but as double looks turns into triple and he asks several questions, he pulls out his phone and texts everyone he knows who would have seen Ryan.

Brendon: Have any of you seen Ryan today?

Spencer: Not since this morning

Dallon: Nope

Frank: Not at all man

Josh: I saw him around 12ish. He was with Sarah

Pete: I saw him leave a few hours ago

Brendon: Where? He left his phone here so I can't call him and I haven't seen him since early this morning

Dallon: ooh B's worried about his boyfriend

Pete: Towards the town I think

Brendon ignores his manager's comment, but instead turns his phone off and grabs his keys, leaving the cabin and going to his car outside. 

The drive is short, like always, but eventually Brendon finds Ryan sitting outside of a motel, looking at the snowing sky, so he parks outside and walks up to Ryan. 

"Why the hell did you leave your phone at the cabin? I've been looking for you for the past hour and you just decided to randomly leave and not tell me?! What on earth made you think that-" Ryan looks Brendon in the eyes, and Brendon doesn't realize until now that Ryan's been crying. His heart dares to sink and he just stops. 

"You sound as if you were worried," Ryan says, looking away again.

"Well, I wasn't. Just... annoyed," Brendon says. 

"I know," Ryan mumbles. Brendon goes to defend himself, but doesn't. Ryan is obviously upset, there's no use in pushing him. Brendon will be nice. Maybe.

"So, why are you all mopey?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't." 

There's a long silence that follows the two before Ryan speaks again, "So why'd you come?"

"Needed some things to get done and you weren't there to do it," Brendon lies. Ryan stands up.

"If I'm so bad at my job, maybe you should just fire me," Ryan replies quietly, and something in Brendon's heart shatters. 

"Why are you acting like this?" Brendon asks. Ryan stops. One of the rules: no telling me about yourself because usually I'm not actually interested.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."