Riding The Line

Chapter Fourteen- A Long Night

Ryan already knew this night was going to test him. 

It felt like every single time he looked back at Cass, she was slamming down another shot. That wouldn't be that bad, but Ryan also felt like he was looking at her every few seconds. He wasn't worried, she could definitely hold her own and certainly didn't need him looking out for her. But Ryan didn't have better things to do. Normally, he had to watch over the rest of the group as they drank, making sure they didn't get themselves killed somehow or do anything stupid. Now that they all had their own partners here, that was far less likely to happen. Thus, Ryan didn't have a whole lot more to do that watch everything that happened around him. 

Cass came over every few minutes, checking on him as she became increasingly drunk. He felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see her standing there, red in the face. She'd probably been dancing after she wandered off. 

"Hey, I'm gonna get a drink, but like, can you keep an eye on me? Don't want me doing something stupid, ya know?" She smiled and didn't wait for an answer, moving to the bar. When she returned, she carried a drink that he wasn't sure the name of, but it looked fruity. It was a dark red color, and she stirred it around as she looked at Ryan. 

"Want some?"

"I'm good, thanks." He smiled softly and Cass felt a sudden tensing in her chest. She ignored it. Instead she made a comment about how busy it was, and Ryan responded that it was always like that. They talked for a while about their favorite bars, which turned into their favorite resturants, and soon they were laughing about the last time Cass got pizza at three am when she was drunk, which according to her did not go well. Before she knew it, she'd finished her drink. 

"Well, that's enough of that." She went back up to the bar and ordered something that Ryan would bet money would be a shot. 

He was right.

Cass threw down the shot and drifted off into the crowd. Ryan followed her with his eyes, attempting to keep track of her, but Gavin soon latched onto his arm and he lost sight. He wanted him to come watch something hilarious that Michael was doing but Cass had just disappeared on her own, something she very deliberately told him to not let her do. Ryan shrugged him off and waded into the crowd to try and find her. It wasn't easy, she was short and used it to her advantage, hiding amongst people. She also wore dark colors, and in a dark bar that was very unhelpful. She'd worn a darker top tonight, and Ryan wished he could remember the exact color and not just the fact that it was really low cut. He'd pretended not to notice while she and Michael had joked about how many guys she'd get, and ignored her when she asked if she looked good. Because if he was going to be honest, she looked amazing and he didn't know how to handle it. He kept trying to spot someone with a brace, but that was probably the most difficult thing to spot, considering she about to throw her hands in the air. Ryan felt a hand on his arm, which seemed a lot more intentional than any other time someone had touched him tonight. He turned around and there stood Cass, gripping onto his arm and looking quite uncomfortable.

"Hey, you were supposed to keep an eye on me!" She swayed slightly, and grabbed his other arm to balance herself. That was her brace arm, and she winced visibly, so he grabbed her hip instead.

"You found me, so it's fine."

"Yeah, cause you're easier to find. You stick out a lot. Cause you're really tall."

"I know that."

She held onto him as people moved around them, bumping into them and moving them slightly. Cass hated this, the bar, the people, everything about this situation she hated. This isn't what she'd choose to do for fun. But somehow, holding onto Ryan for this one moment made her forget all about how much she wanted to leave.