Crushing Bad

Chapter 9

We stepped out of the restaurant into the windy weather that obstructed Los Angeles at this hour. Colourful lights from different shops and the other diners were illuminating the street, giving it a whole authentic vibe.

"So how's your jaw?" I stole a sideways peek at Ryan who was gracefully walking next to me. He raised a hand to feel the almost unnoticeable bruise as if my words had reminded him of something he had long forgotten already.

"It's alright now," he responded after a few seconds of thoughtful silence. "I applied a bit of medicine after everything so it's good as normal," he added insouciantly. I offered him a small nod in return before deciding to change the topic to something more casual.

"So you're on a vacation too yeah?" I asked.

He let out a snort before covering it up with a light chuckle as if I had just told him a hilarious joke. "I guess, you could call it that," he said, staring ahead.

That was a strange answer. I ignored the way his cryptic tone somehow swelled my curiosity further but it would have been a bit nosy of me to ask him for an explanation so I decided to let it slide. He moved unconcernedly and took a left turn to enter a new street. He seemed to know this place well, maybe he visits often. "Are we going somewhere specific?" I trailed off.

He swirled his head to take a glimpse of me. "Not really but we could go see the beach if you like? I just figured we should try to get to know each other or something before you actually drown someday," he scoffed, fighting a ghost of a smirk against his cherry lips.

I narrowed my eyes to slits and attempted to smack his arm playfully. "You make it sound like I don't know how to swim at all," I grumbled in false rage, folding my arms over my chest as a cool breeze brushed softly against my face. The sky was as dark as a slate but it was still more than a starry night.

"You don't," he bit back and then quickly stepped away from my reach when I raised a hand to hit him again.

It was a few seconds before he spoke again. This time adjusting his voice to a lower, more husky pitch. "Can I ask you something?" He asked calmly but it still sounded more like a demand. I gave him a sour look, receiving half a smile from him at my murderous yet playful expression. "If it's about swimming then no," I snorted. He shook his head at my words.

"Is that your boyfriend? That guy in there?" He questioned and I quickly raised a puzzled eyebrow at his sudden serious tone. Even though he hadn't exactly clarified who he was referring to I could still tell it was Samuel from the guarded look he was giving me.

"Why do you ask?" I retorted in mild amusement and surprise.

"So he is," Ryan was quick to gauge my enigmatic expression but continued before I could correct him properly. "It feels like he has some kind of a problem with me. I'm simply curious."

I attempted to match the rhythm of my pace along with his and opened my mouth to chuckle at his  assumption. "Look I don't think that's true because Sam's really not the type to keep an unnecessary grudge. And no he's not my boyfriend. What makes you even think so?"

"I don't know," he furrowed his eyebrows, a thoughtful expression on his handsome features. "He kind of behaves like he is, don't you think?" His intense gaze pierced right into mine and I swallowed.

"How?" I asked.

An almost inaudible huff rippled through him. "He got so mad at me because he thought I pushed you and was ready to practically kill me without even knowing who I was. None of your other friends acted like that," he explained and I furrowed my eyes when he visibly clenched his jaw at his own words.