INTERIM LOVER, ryan howard.

022 ⋮ under the influence

ㅤㅤㅤ"You can't hide at home forever, expecting to find happiness alone."

"Maybe, but I can try," Rachel replied.

"Well, the invitation's open if you decide to join," Pam shrugged, not wanting to push the girl. "Everyone's coming, even Roy."

If anything, Roy's presence was a threat to her merry night, and Rachel disregarded all plans of making a surprise appearance at Poor Richard's. "Thanks, Pammy, see you tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes with a grin. "Alright, then. Good night, Rachy."

—

PAM
I decided that I'm gonna be more honest. I'm gonna tell people what I want. So look out world, cause ol' Pammy is getting what she wants.

—

He wasn't planning on getting drunk, but rather, just to go out and get his mind off Rachel's betrayal. But if he ended up getting blackout drunk tonight, he didn't really care.

Neither Jim nor Rachel were expected to make an appearance tonight, most likely having the time of their lives together, Ryan thought bitterly as he took another sip of his beer.

"Hey, you made it."

He turned his head to the direction of the entrance and saw Roy entering the bar with his brother, Pam hugging the large man.

"You guys, uh, want a round, on me?" Roy offered, and everyone cheered, Meridith more loudly than the rest.

"No thanks, I'm good," Ryan replied coldly. Something about Roy didn't sit right with him, initiating something like a 'fight or flight' instinct in him.

"Ryan, he's just being nice," Kelly whispered.

"And that's ok, but I don't want it."

"Ryan you're broke."

"Am not." He crossed his arms and pouted.

"Oh yeah? What about that time you took twenty from my purse?"

"I was borrowing—"

"Borrowing? You never returned it to me."

"I will, I will. I'll buy you a drink, or..."

Ryan grew more fascinated by the lights on the other side of the bar, losing track of the conversation before him.

Kelly recognised two-drink Ryan. Being as skinny as he was, it was no surprise that he was such a lightweight. She checked her watch, and estimated that in three hours he'd be too drunk to stand.

—

She hid behind her blanket, a cowering mess as Chucky's demonic face filled the screen. Rachel should have known better than to watch a horror movie alone in her new apartment.

There was a tapping at the door which made her heart race. She dismissed it for the sounds from the television set. But the knocking was unmistakable, slow and suspensefully, and she wondered what monster was waiting for her.

With her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders, Rachel advanced cautiously towards the door. The knocking continued and now there was a groan coming from the other side.

She peeped through the hole to see Ryan swaying in front of her door. Quickly, she pulled open the door.

"El!" he cheered, and it became apparent to her that he was intoxicated. "I thought maybe you'd died in there."

She grabbed him by the collar, worried about the cameras and how much of this they might capture. There was enough incriminating footage of the two.

"This is way bigger than your last place." He spun around, collapsing onto her sofa.

"How did you even get here?"

"I drove."

"Drunk? Ry, that's awful."

He shrugged. "I've done it plenty."

She walked to the kitchen, getting him a glass of water. She'd dealt with him so many times it became like clockwork.

"Please stop doing it," she said softly, handing him the glass. "You know it scares me."

"Driving scares you? But you drive all the time."

"I don't drive drunk, though."

"I'm not drunk."

She threw him a dry look. Reaching in to her pocket, she said, "We need to call Kelly—"

"No!" Ryan scrambled from the sofa to her seat, pressing his hand firmly on hers. "You cannot call Kelly. I'm here for you, El."

"Ry, we don't do that anymore."

"I have something to confess," he continued, deaf to her words. "You make me so angry."

"Angry?"

"Upset. Dōyō, as the Japanese say."

She wondered where he learnt Japanese.

"Well, you make me upset too," she replied. "You drove under the influence of alcohol. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"No, El, listen to me. You didn't tell me about Stamford, you didn't tell me about Jim and you didn't tell me you were getting married. Fuck, I knew we were never going to be as close as lovers but I thought you were my friend."

"Getting married... to Jim?"

He eyes her for a moment. "Where's your engagement ring?"

"I never—Jim and I—we never dated. He never proposed to me. He was dating Karen all along."

His drunk brain cannot fully comprehend her words. "But Phyllis... at her wedding... she gave you those flowers."

"It was just a rumour," she nodded. "It was a horrible rumour. Jim is dating Karen, and I'm happy with that."

"So you're single?"

"Yes."

He moved surprisingly fast for someone on their seventh drink. He was back on his knees, clutching her hand firmly to his chest. "El, you have to marry me."

She was taken aback, but realised it was the alcohol talking. "No, Ryan, you don't want that. What about Kelly?"

"I don't want her. I never did. It was always you. I love—"

She ripped her hand away, smashing them across his lips. "Stop it, Ryan. You've had a lot to drink tonight, and you're gonna say things that you don't mean."

"But I really do mean it, El."

She took a deep inhale. "If you remember what you want to say tomorrow, then you can tell me, ok? It's really late now, and I think you should be going home."

"But I want to—"

"Ryan," she said sternly. "I think it's best if you leave."

—

KELLY
Ryan has been in the bathroom for an hour now, I know sometimes his bowel movement can be irritable but it usually takes 23 minutes tops. 

—

lol when was the last time i change the cover to this story? im not a fan of it, should i bring the old one back?

ps, thank u for 35 k reads... how is this even real