Going back to the picture, I see Ella untagged herself from it. Jake, a tall guy with black hair and brown eyes, better not mess with my wife. I trust her. But she's a funny, smart, beautiful woman so I know other men are attracted to her and I can't let him try to take what's mine. "Wow, you sound like a caveman!" I tell myself shaking my head while still being aggravated. I've never cared about someone the way that I care about Ella. Being away from her is challenging me.
I was asked to join the team in charge of the brand's promotion for dinner. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt I go to the hotel lobby where the uber is waiting. Dinner goes well until Steph, a team member orders drinks for all of us. I feel torn between the need to drink it and the fear of what might happen if I do.
"Ryan, come on drink! My treat for all your hard work the past week!" Steph says.
That's all I needed to give in, still annoyed about that Jake guy. I bring the glass to my lips and with one sip the damage is done. Within minutes I'm on my second already ordering a third one. "Fuck, what have I done again?"
Ella sends me a text when I get back to my room asking if I'm still mad about Jake. "I'm going to punch him." I want to reply but instead, I tell her I trust her. She questions me on my typos but I lie saying it's dark in the room.
The next day
Impressed to see I can still wake up without being hungover, I get ready for our meetings. The day is long but productive. It's a breath of fresh air being invested in creating clothing items and feeling like the team really cares about my opinion. I never knew I would enjoy that aspect of my job as much.
Ella and I exchanged a few texts here and there during the day. The time difference is testing for our communication but we're trying hard to stay in touch. I love her so much I would do anything for her.
Later that night when I got to the hotel, I went to Jake's Instagram because I'm now monitoring it. I noticed that he's been liking all of Ella's pictures, even commenting on some. Comments such as "You look good in this dress, Wow great picture of you." were left on her pictures. Anger takes over my body fisting my hands by my side. Being on the other side of the world makes me feel powerless. I've been jealous before but not on that level. He's clearly trying to get into her pants. I know she would never let him but I can't wait to meet him face to face so I can tell him to back off.
Without even thinking I go down to the bar and order myself a few drinks. Once I've had enough to give me a good buzz I go back to my room.
"The fucker better back off! I want to talk to him when I'll get to Calgary." I text her seeing that he posted on his story saying he's single and ready to mingle. He's really getting under my skin.
I lay in bed promising myself I won't drink anymore knowing I'm seeing her in a few days. I better step up before an idiot like Jake comes and takes her away from me. Although I know Ella loves me, the love we share is the everlasting kind you read about in romance novels. There's still fear within me that I could lose her if I don't get better. I don't even know why it got bad again. I miss her but I should be used to it by now.
The next few days in Spain turned into a blur back to my bullshit routine, doing great at work, getting drunk at night trying my best to avoid Ella's facetime requests. I know she's getting suspicious and worried.
My hand lingers on the last beer in the fridge but I find the strength to empty it into the sink just as Ella sends me a Facetime request. I'm going home tonight, I can't avoid her anymore.
"Hey, babe," I clear my throat.
"Hey! You picked up!!" she sounds so happy.
"Yeah sorry, I've been working a lot," I say truthfully.
"Oh, okay, I didn't mean to bother you," Her eyes are now filled with sadness.
"No, no, baby, I'm always happy to talk to you," I'm glad to see her smile return before I add. "Has Jake been trying to hit on you again? Because he's been all over your Instagram and he's pissing..." She cuts me off.
"Stop! He's not worth it, tell me about your day," she's giving me pleading eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Ever growing 2
FanfictionSecond book. Ella and Ryan are facing new challenges forcing them to push themselves. Ryan will reveal things about himself that may rock their world. Will they make it through the hardships as a couple?
