Finally Found

13. Them?

"What about this one?" Michelle asked over the music from across my room. I looked up from rubbing Toby's fluffy stomach and she turned her computer screen around, showing me a dress that she was considering for her cousin's wedding in a few weeks.

"Ooh, I like it! But I also like the blue one you found earlier," I told her. 

Our Spanish studying session had quickly just turned into us hanging out in my room. We got a bit of work done, but it was a Friday night and we had very little motivation since it wasn't due for another week yet.

I joined her on my bed and watched as she scrolled through dresses. 

"We should actually go to the mall soon so you can try them on," I suggested. She nodded in agreement, but was too focused on the pages of options in front of her to respond. 

The dresses in front of me were starting to look the same so I opened Instagram on my phone and started scrolling through photos instead.

I wasn't sure if I was going crazy or if I really heard a soft knock against my closed door. 

I glanced at Michelle, "Did you hear that?"

She just nodded in response, so I said, "Come in!" They must not have heard me over the music so I trudged out of bed and pulled my door open.

I was expecting to see Alice or Corey, or even Matt telling me to turn my music down, but was surprised to see Ryan instead. He had been looking over his shoulder towards Matt's room, but swung his head towards me when he heard my door open.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Ryan? What's up?" I asked. I wasn't expecting to see him. My music had been so loud that I didn't hear him or Matt come get home.

"Hey, I just-" he was cut off by Michelle yelling from my bed behind me, "Hey Ryan!"

He must not have seen her at first because his head jerked up at the sound of her voice. He sounded surprised and said, "Oh, hey Michelle!" before turning back to me. 

I could see his eyes dart from the ground to me and to Michelle behind me as he spoke, "I- um, I just, um, I was wondering if we had any English homework?"

It wasn't a question that I was expecting, but I guess I didn't really know what he would say.

"Um, just to read the next two chapters," I told him. 

He nodded and thanked me, before turning and stepping back across the hall to the den where I assumed Matt was.

I wondered if Ryan really was acting weird or if I was reading too much into it. I picked up Toby and joined Michelle on the bed.

"Okay, he totally likes you," she said, her eyes still not moving from her computer screen. 

I scoffed out loud, "He doesn't. We're just friends. You think he likes me because he asked me about homework? You ask me about homework all the time!" 

"Oh, come on! He was totally not going to ask you about school until he saw that I was here!" she exclaimed and I shushed her, hoping that Ryan and Matt couldn't hear us from across the hall. She just rolled her eyes at me. 

"You can believe me or not, but Ryan is totally into you," Michelle added, sounding smug. 

I shook my head, but felt a blush rise on my cheeks. He was acting so hot and cold lately that I felt like I never really knew what he was feeling. What else was he going to ask me?

"Anyways, what did you want to do tonight?" I asked, picking up my phone again.

Michelle shrugged, "I'm happy to just hang out. We could see if Matt and Ryan wanted to watch a movie or something. My brother gave me some wine that I could run home and get."