A Deadly Affair

Eighteen

"Wait so you're telling me that Ryan knocked Miles out with one punch?" Maya recounts what I literally just told her, a grin spreading across her porcelain face. "Score for Ryan."

"It was crazy, MJ." I sigh softly, as I curl a lock of her hair. I'm helping her get ready for her first official date with Ben; which she's extremely nervous and excited for. I haven't helped her get ready for a date since high school, so this must be really important to her, which I hope is true. Her and Ben would be perfect together; he'd take care of her unlike all her ex boyfriends who either cheated or were losers.

"He was defended you though." She frowns, and I wave her off.

"No, I'm happy he punched him." I admit softly, and she nods. "I just- how can he do that? Is there some secretive past?"

Maya furrows her thick brows, before shaking her head, which annoys me since I'm trying to curl her wild hair. "Just be thankful to have such a strong boyfriend who can take care of you, Jules."

"I am," I breathe, as I finish the last curl. "I don't know, I still feel like he isn't being totally honest with me."

She stands, runs her fingers through her curls, then turns to smile at me. "Just give him time, babe. He'll open up fully soon enough." She shrugs, before spritzing on her favorite perfume; it smells of vanilla and reminds me of our high school days. "How do I look?" She spins, and I grin.

"Amazing," I comment, making her grin in return. She gets a text, then rushes to throw on her coat and boots.

"He's here. Thanks for your help, love you, bye!" She rushes, hurrying from her room and down the hall of her house. I sigh softly, before falling back on her bed; I need to get over these conflicting emotions. I know Ryan was only defending me, but I still can't wrap my head around how good of a fighter he is. It's like second nature to him. I resist the urge to groan, as I haul myself to my feet and grab my keys. I need sleep.

Normally when I come home, the apartment is quiet; so when I start to insert my key and hear a high pitched squeal followed by Ryan's laugh, I hesitate. Someone is in there with him; it couldn't be a girl, but that high pitched squeal- I know that squeal. I gingerly open the door, waking in cautiously to find my boyfriend and my nephew standing on our couch. "Aunt JJ!" Liam shouts in excitement. "Get on the couch! Quick!"

"Hey kiddo," I say, dropping my bag slowly and shutting the door, eying them suspiciously. My heart melts when I look up and Ryan sends me his beautiful smile.

"The floor is lava," He informs me, as I look between the two of them and he extends his hand. He helps me up onto the couch, causing Liam to whoop in excitement and hop from the couch to the recliner. "Drew's car broke down at work, so Charlotte had to pick him up but she didn't want to have to bring Liam while dealing with fixing the car and she didn't have a babysitter so."

"I'm sorry, you should've called." I reply, grinning over at Liam as he hops around excitedly. Ryan places his hand on the back of my neck, squeezing lightly.

"You apologize too much." He comments, earning a laugh from me.

"Probably."

"Aunt Jules, Ryan is really good at this game." Liam informs me, crossing his arms. "I don't know how to beat him." I tap my chin, a smile spreading slowly as I nod to my nephew, all while Ryan eyes me warily.

"Don't even think about it." He warns, as Liam grins, hopping back to the couch and shoving one of Ryan's legs, causing him to chuckle. I join in, pushing against his back; unsurprisingly he's a rock and it's harder than I thought. I decide to resort to dirty tactics, and when Liam is distracted, nibble on Ryan's ear. This catches him off guard, and In his moment of weakness, we manage to unbalance him, causing him to step off the couch: but not before he spins around, grabbing me by my waist and twirling me around, causing me to laugh in surprise and grip him for dear life. "Cheater," He accuses in my ear, while still holding me in his arms. I giggle, before stifling it, and look up at him.

"You're a stone wall, I had to be original." I shrug innocently, grinning up at him, as I wrap my arms around his neck.

He smirks down at me, "You might have started something you can't finish JJ."

I gape, before biting my lip to stop the smile from breaking through. Something tells me I won't mind when we do finish what I started. We're taking things slow, but between the tension in this apartment that grows with every make-out and every longing look, I think we're picking up speed. "Let's play again!" Liam suggest excitedly, oblivious to the tension between me and my boyfriend. At least I know they like each other.

"Sure, kid." Ryan grins down at me, before winking and setting me down. I punch his chest lightly, making him laugh; I like this playful side of him, it's much better than how tense he's been since our encounter with Miles two days ago. "Was Maya excited?"

I scoff, "Excited is an understatement." I inform him, as I hop back on the couch. "Ready to play, Pierce?" I smirk down at him, which earns me a smirk in return. Maybe I really shouldn't challenge a brick wall: but it's just too fun. Ryan joins us on the couch, and I watch as the two males exchange a look before Liam smirks up at me. "Don't you dare." I breathe, before Liam pushes my legs. "Liam Montgomery Covington!" I exclaim, as I lose my footing, falling to the floor landing on my back. I feel the breath leave my lungs for a second, before a laugh bubbles out of me; Ryan checks on me, concern and guilt on his face, but I wave him off, laughing. He grins down at me, before placing Liam on his shoulders and doing a victory lap. I roll my eyes, despite the stupid grin on my face; at least they like each other. I squeal when Liam is tossed on top of me, laughing wildly as he hugs me, which melts my heart. Based on Ryan's grin and Liam's laughter, I know Liam is going to have to make frequent visits from now on- not that anyone of us will complain