Personal Assistant (Ryden)

Chapter nineteen

It's been another day. Ryan hasn't slept since the night before he relapsed. Dallon's checked up on him when neither were busy, and now Ryan is staring at the fire. He hasn't heard anything from the hospital, and he can't tell if it's good or bad. 

He's been working nonstop, so obviously he's glad that he has a break, but now he has time to think and he's left alone to his own mind. 

He blinks and it feels like another 10 minutes pass. He keeps his eyes on the fire. He's exhausted, yet he knows he isn't gonna sleep again tonight. He'll probably sit and stare out the window like he has been, then get up before Brendon wakes up to yell at him. 

Snow is falling gently, seeming to ease Ryan's mood. A tear runs down his cheek, causing him to feel even colder. He can't lose his grandmother, that's his only family member left. 

"George, darling, you've got dirt on your cheek!" Ryan's grandmother tells the 7 year old boy, who giggles in response. She wipes it with her thumb with a smile on her slightly purple painted lips. His parents walk through the front door, yelling and arguing once again, and Ryan stops laughing. She sighs, shaking her head. "Come with me, we're gonna go to the park. Would you like to invite Spencer?"

"Can I?" He says excitedly. 

"Of course, darling," she tells him, then looks around and makes her voice get quieter, "maybe we could all go and get some ice cream after."

"Yay!" Ryan says excitedly, hurrying into the house with his grandmother, who grabs her purse and hat, leaving the arguing couple to themselves.

Ryan smiles faintly at the memory. She let him forget every bad thing to happen in that damned house. His mom left a few years after that, and his dad started drinking heavily quickly after her decision. 

Ryan takes a deep breath, pushing himself up and going back to the cabin. To do what, that's a mystery. Either way, someone walks close to the fire, probably to sit down, so he doesn't have to worry about it. 

He makes his way to his room, stopping when he unexpectedly sees Brendon standing there, looking at his phone almost worriedly. His phone buzzes for the eighth time in the past 20 minutes as if on cue.

Brendon looks up as Ryan walks across the room to his bed. 

"Where were you? I've been texting you, and you haven't been answering-"

"I was out. Taking a breather, sorry," he says, voice raspy. Brendon frowns, then feels some sort of feeling sting in his heart when he sees how dark his eyes are right now.

"Did you sleep last night?"

"Why would you care?" Ryan immediately asks. 

"I... I don't," Brendon says, returning to his snappy tone.

"Exactly. So stop pretending to," Ryan tells him, then grabs his laptop and opens it, sitting on the bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to send some emails." 

Brendon frowns, feeling almost offended at how rude he seems to be right now. He has a sad and tired look in his eyes, and his reactions seem to be a little more delayed. 

"Dinner's almost ready. I expect you to be there," Brendon says, and Ryan tenses slightly for a second. One too many seconds for Brendon to notice, however.

"Okay." 

He puts on his headphones before Brendon can say anything else, and Brendon scoffs and rolls his eyes at how closed up he's being. 

Then again, has he ever really been open with Brendon?