"You ready to head upstairs?" He asked and when she turned to look at him, she was met with a barely-there, wicked smile played on his lips which gave no doubt regarding his intentions which caused anticipation to flush under her skin.
Desire pooled between her legs at his heated look. "Let me grab a bottle of water first."
His smile grew. "You're going to need it for what I have in mind."
She gave him a light, playful shove. "Head up without me. I'll be up there soon."
Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her in for a slow, tantalising kiss which had her following his mouth as he moved his head back. He chuckled against her mouth as he kissed her again before turning her around in the direction of the kitchen and nudging her slightly.
His hand reached out and slapped her ass for good measure, only smirking when she protested with a mock frown.
Rushing into the kitchen, she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge with the intention of heading upstairs to spend some quality time with her sexy boyfriend â hopefully, naked and sexy boyfriend by the time she got up there.
But before she could leave the kitchen, her eyes wandered over to the light which shone underneath the door to the dining room. It made no sense for anyone to be in there at this time, especially since it was nearly midnight and the kitchen was closed until 7am.
Darcy's curiosity got the best of her as she found herself walking towards the door.
"Ryland?" She called out to the man sitting exactly where she had last seen him at breakfast that morning. He remained slumped over the table, his head bowed over what appeared to be a bowl of ice cream, not having seemed to have heard her so she called out to him again.
His head whipped up at the sound of her voice. "Darcy? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I can't sleep." He admitted honestly, something which she had not anticipated from him since she barely knew the man but it appeared that perhaps, he needed someone to talk to.
She pursed her lips and held back her tongue, unsure if it was okay to probe further, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really," he shook his head. "But I think it would help."
A small smile graced her lips and she slid into the booth, sitting in front of him. She slid the water bottle across the table, leaving it directly under him.
He nodded his thanks and uncapped the bottle, chugging back some cool, refreshing water.
"What's on your mind?" She asked.
He lifted his head and gazed at her, his brown eyes piercing into her soul. Ryland Oliver was a handsome man with his bronze copper hair which he chose to wear short, a straight nose and sharp jaw. He was a little shorter than Thelonious but had a more muscular and athletic physique, the result of many hours in the gym. He was the kind of man that you would do a double take for when you passed him on the streets but with the way he was now, wallowing away in sadness and in his own misery, it was painful to watch.
Thelonious had spoken very well of his friends a few times during the time that they had been together and she was excited to meet another one of her boyfriend's best friends, but it hurt to watch him this way. It was like Ryland was the shell of the man she had heard so much about.
"I tried to win her back and she didn't want me."
Darcy reached over and placed both her hands over Rylands. She was afraid that he would refute the sentiment, that perhaps he would feel uncomfortable, but was glad when he let it be. She felt like he needed the reassurance, even if it was just holding hands.
"Thelonious mentioned that you guys broke up after university and you followed her."
He sighed. "I cheated on her."
Darcy was shocked at the admission but held back her judgement. She didn't believe in kicking people while they were down, even if it was for something disgusting such as cheating. Ryland was clearly very broken up over what he had done and the repercussions of his actions. He didn't need her berating him for it. It appeared he was doing enough of that himself already.
She felt that right now, Ryland needed someone to listen. He needed to get everything off his chest and if he wanted her advice, then she would give it but not a moment before that.
He needed to be ready to hear the truth otherwise it would do him worse than good.
"I worked part-time as a janitor at the university and Tracey was graduating soon. We had been going out for about 6 months. I knew that she was moving back home to Wales to become a social worker in her home town. The idea of long distance wasn't for me, but she was special. I felt like I fell in love with Tracey the first time I saw her walking down the hallway one day. Things were getting so good between us. I could picture spending the rest of my life with her."
"But Tracey was graduating soon and I think I got scared. The day before her graduation, we went to a party together and I ended up getting shit-faced drunk and making out with her best friend. I don't know what I was thinking." He scooped some ice cream into his mouth with his free hand. "She broke up with me but I went to her graduation anyway. I needed to see her. She refused to speak to me, not that I blame her, and then she left for Wales."
"And you went after her?"
"I moped around for 2 months before Thelonious encouraged me to go win her back if I truly loved her. I did, and so I went after her only to find that she had gotten back with her ex-boyfriend from high school. I spent 4 months trying to win her back. I stuck around when he proposed, hoping that it wasn't too late and she would change her mind. I went to her wedding as a part of the catering service. I waited until they said their vows and got married before I finally left. I didn't think she would actually go through with it."
"Why is that?" She asked, feeling like there was slightly more to the story.
"The day before the wedding, she slept with me."
Darcy's eyes widened at that, but still she held her tongue. Yes, he had cheated on her, but he had tried to win her back. Even a blind person would be able to see that Ryland was head over heels for Tracey. A blind person would also be able to see that Tracey had led him on even when she was back with her ex-boyfriend. Her sleeping with him the night before her wedding just proved that further but Ryland had done the smart thing and chosen to leave. Though the notion appeared that her sleeping with him was an eye for an eye. Except, he slept with her and suffered an immense amount of regret and remorse while her sleeping him had more to do with cold feet and getting her own back.
She couldn't imagine how hard that had been for him. To force himself to watch the love of his life marry someone else and then leave without looking back.
Or perhaps that was the closure that he needed to finally move on.
"You shouldn't have cheated on her." Darcy finally spoke up, not surprised that he hadn't reacted to her words. He had probably heard it from a lot of people, condoning him for his mistake and they were right. It was a mistake. "But she shouldn't have slept with you the day before her wedding."
Her last statement caught his attention.
Ryland's head snapped up and his chocolate brown eyes swimming with unshed tears locked with hers.
"You made a mistake but so did she. I'm not saying that they cancel each other out, but both of you cheated That makes both of you in the wrong."
"She was confused. Tracey was very stressed with the wedding planning and everything and I guess-" he didn't get to finish his sentence as she cut him off.
"Don't defend her."
"What?"
Darcy felt like she was tiptoeing on dangerous territory, but she gulped and willed herself forward. It felt like Ryland needed to hear what she had to say. "I said, don't defend her." When he made no move to stop her or disagree with her words, she continued. "You cheated on her and she left you. You went to fix things with her and then she cheated on her fiancé with you and married him anyway. I'm not saying that what she did is worse than yours or that you deserved to be treated that way, but what I am saying is that both of you made mistakes."
"I told her not to marry him."
"After you slept together?"
He nodded and leaned back in his chair, pulling his hand out of hers as he gulped some water down to calm his nerves. Darcy didn't want to read too much into things but Ryland pulling his hand away suggested that he was recoiling away from her.
"I woke up next to her on her wedding day and begged her to leave him. I suggested we get married but she refused. I stayed and watched as the ceremony started and they said their vows. I gave her time to change her mind before it was too late, but then she married him." He grinned up at the ceiling, not that there was anything particularly humorous regarding the conversation they were having. "He's a good man. I know they broke up after high school because she wanted to study in London and he wanted to start his own business in their home town, so I guess things worked out perfectly when they got back together. He would never cheat on her. He would never hurt her the way I did."
"That doesn't make him a better man than you."
"Yes, it does."
"No, it doesn't." She shook her head. "You cheated on her but the most important thing is that you move past this. You've been beating yourself up about this for a long time now and then you followed her to Wales to rectify your mistake. You need to forgive yourself if you want to move on."
"What if I don't want to move on?"
"Then you'll be destined to be sad and alone for the rest of your life." It was harsh, but perhaps he needed to hear it.
When he tore his eyes away the ceiling to glance at her, she shrugged.
"I'm not saying that you have to forget her or the memories you guys shared, but what I am saying is that you need to leave them as that, just memories. You need to give yourself a chance."
He snorted at the notion, finding it absurd. "What if I don't deserve to be happy?" Despite the question, he placed his hands on the table and rested them on the middle of it. She held back the smile that threatened to take over her face and reached out to meet him halfway. Right now, he was a friend that needed someone to talk to.
"Everyone deserves to be happy." Her voice was soft and gentle, willing him to listen. Willing him to believe what she was saying.
"I don't believe that."
A small smile played on her lips. "I think you do."
Ryland shook his head in denial, but grinned regardless. "I see why Thelonious is so fond of you."
"Because I give solid advice?"
"There's that." he chuckled. "But there's something about you which brings out the good in everyone."
Darcy nodded because she didn't know what to say in response.
A small silence passed between them, both of them lost in their thoughts.
"You're good for him."
"What do you mean?"
"I've only been back a day but already I can see that he's happier. He's not the same man he was when I left. He was content with his life then but now, he's in love with it. I used to always say that his only reason for living was the hotel, but that's not true anymore. He's got you now."
Darcy gulped, feeling like something was lodged in her throat as she attempted to blink back her tears. His words had really touched her; moved her.
What he didn't know was that she needed Thelonious just as much, if not a whole lot more.
"Don't cry." He chuckled. "I don't want your man busting my ass for making you cry."
She laughed and ran her thumbs under her eyes. "He makes me happy too."
"He's probably waiting for you right now."
Darcy nodded and stood up with the intention of heading back to the kitchen to grab herself another bottle of water before she headed upstairs but before she went, she glanced over her shoulder one last time. "Ryland," she called out to him. When he looked up, she continued. "Don't do this to yourself. You deserve better."
She wasn't sure if he believed it, but he smiled and nodded, promising that he would be heading up to bed himself soon.
-
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Layla Knight
07.05.2020