A Silver Lining

Chapter Thirty Nine: Knots & Nods

Chapter 39: Knots and Nods

Neither Ryan nor Aubrey noticed us.

"I didn't know he was seeing her again," Phoebe said, equally frozen as me. "I thought- I mean after what he-"

I was still staring at them, not caring if it was making me look like a creepy pervert. I just couldn't turn my gaze away.

If I try to be honest, I hadn't seen it coming either. Especially after he said he was over her. Not that what he said in the past mattered. Not after facing the reality least.

But still- a part of me- a very tiny yet horribly hopeful part of me wished that to be true. Even if I tried to deny it, I couldn't escape from the fact that I liked him, not as a friend.

"It's not what-" Noah tried to explain again. I glared at him.

"Would you stop with that?" I gestured toward where Ryan and Aubrey were. "I think we all have eyes with which we can see. And it says a lot."

Phoebe reached for my arm. "I'm sorry."

I sighed, it doesn't matter now, it never did.

"You don't owe me an apology, or explanation," I said looking at Noah. "Neither does he. Not that it matters."

I free my hand from Phoebe's grip. "I should get inside." I looked at the happily reunited couple once again, feeling my hearts ache. It was stupid of me.

So I turned in the opposite direction and walked, actually ran, not inside the building but straight to the parking. It was more than enough to have a long night.

I felt a tear running down the cheek, followed by another, and another.

It shouldn't matter, I shouldn't feel cheated, yet I did. And it was so embarrassing and frustrating.

I didn't want to cry, I wasn't sad either. I was mad.

At everything. Especially at Ryan, more at myself.

I always let people win over me and they always left me vulnerable.

Stupid Stella for thinking he liked me. Of course, he wasn't over her. How could he? The fault of their relationship not lasting wasn't them. It was what they had grown through. They fall apart and now glued together again.

I wasn't even in the story.

Why would he like you that way? You're his best friend's sister. He might see you like a sister, a friend at the top.

No need to spice up my wounds. It's not the fact that he was with his ex-girlfriend, it's the fact that he lied. He said it was his dad's call.

But now that I'm seeing, I think of the evening, when he simply agreed to come along. And the phone call. Maybe it was her who called, and he was going to visit her here anyway.

He could've just said he was going to meet her. There was no reason to play with it. Or tell me it was her who called him. When I reached the parking, I realized I had no ride. And I don't think Scott will be willing to leave the job because he was getting paid just to drive me home.

I sighed and leaned against the first car in sight. It started beeping loudly with no will to stop.

"Shut up you fucking four-wheel!" I cursed.

"If it wasn't you, I would've thought the poor creature is totally wasted." A familiar voice spoke.

Jeff was striding toward where I was standing.

"Did you just call me a creature?" I narrowed my eyes.

"That's my car," he said before switching the buzzer off. He unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for me.