12

12

Her Boyfriend

"I FEEL like I've barely seen you at all this month, Ken," Phoenix said as she plopped down onto the couch next to Kendall.

"That's not true," Kendall replied, shaking her head. The two were in Phoenix's condo, gorging on Chipotle. It was a quarter past noon, so Ryan was still at work. Kendall didn't understand why Ryan had to go to set on a Saturday, but apparently the dreary weather was perfect for a scene he was in.

"It totally is true," Phoenix opposed. "Ever since you and Ryan became a thing, your schedule's been: eat, see Ryan, sleep, repeat."

Kendall furrowed her brows at her friend. "No it hasn't."

"Yes, Kendall, it has." Distracted by her white cat that was brushing itself against her leg, Phoenix picked her up, then turned back to Kendall. "It's like he's smothering you."

Kendall sighed and shook her head. "He's not smothering me."

Kendall didn't want to admit to herself that Phoenix's words might be true. Everything had been perfect between her and Ryan, and she didn't want to lose the limerence that she felt whenever she was around him. But Ryan had been so kind to her, so she didn't realize that she was spending most of her time with him. Ryan made Kendall feel like she was sinning if she even thought about giving her time to someone else. But he was her boyfriend, and Kendall figured that it was supposed to be that way.

Phoenix stroked her cat. "Well, Bunny thinks that Ryan's way too possessive." Kendall opened her mouth to respond, but Phoenix quickly spoke again. "Don't you dare give me that 'he just cares about me' bullshit. I care about Maria, yet I don't feel the need to spend every waking moment with her because I trust her. And I know that Ryan's the clingy one in your relationship, so what does that say about his trust in you?"

Trust had always been important to Kendall. She knew that it was the base of every relationship, whether it be between a mother and her daughter, sisters, or friends. Trust was something that she wanted others to have in her because it made her feel good. She loved knowing that people felt like they could confide in her with their issues or secrets. Trust was like a promise of love and acceptance to Kendall. If a person trusted her, she knew that they valued her. Kendall wanted to believe that Ryan trusted her, but Phoenix was causing her to wonder if he really did.

Kendall shrugged and played with her mint-colored fingernails. "I don't know."

"Bullshit. You know exactly what it means." Concern swirled in Phoenix's eyes as she tilted her head to the side, noticing how Kendall's mood suddenly shifted. "I just want you to be careful. You and Ryan might not be in the healthiest relationship right now. Something about him just doesn't seem right."

Kendall nodded weakly as her phone began to ring. She picked it up from the glass coffee table, looking almost immediately to see who was calling.

It was Ryan.

Kendall's thumb hovered over the green accept circle. She didn't know if she should answer him or not. The phone's ringtone seemed to be screaming at her to pick up. Kendall hesitantly moved her thumb to press the taunting green circle, but Phoenix quickly snatched the phone from her before she could do so.

"No. You're going to have a Ryan-free day today." Phoenix held up the phone and waved it in Kendall's face, taunting her with it. "I'm turning this off, and later we will celebrate your future record deal."

Kendall pursed her lips. "Fine."

★

Music shook the walls of the night club as Kendall and Phoenix entered. Sweaty bodies danced energetically in the cramped space's pulsing red and blue lights. Kendall felt sick to her stomach. She thought that she shouldn't be at a club when Ryan was probably worrying about her. Kendall wanted to return his call, but Phoenix had confiscated her phone and left it at her place.

Phoenix looked over at her friend who was visibly nervous. "You okay?" she shouted over the blaring music, her voice barely audible.

Kendall nodded, trying to convince herself that she was all right. "Yeah."

Phoenix eyed Kendall wearily. "Maria got caught up at work, but she'll be here soon." She took her friend's hand and lead her to the bar. The two seated themselves on two stools that sat in front of a long mahogany counter. Kendall noticed a young bartender who hadn't failed to notice her as well.

The bartender made his way over to Kendall and Phoenix, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "Good evening, ladies. What can I get you?"

Phoenix placed her shimmery black clutch on the table. "A cosmopolitan and . . ." she trailed off, looking over to Kendall. "You look like a vodka soda type of girl." She turned back to the bartender. "She'll have a vodka soda. Oh, and a mojito for someone who's joining us shortly."

It never failed to amaze Kendall that Phoenix knew her so well. Their friendship wasn't like the ones that Kendall had with other girls in the past. Being friends with Phoenix just seemed so easy.  That first night that they met, both Kendall and Phoenix knew that they had instantly clicked.

The bartender smileed at Kendall before turning to make the drinks. As he did so, Maria sat herself beside her girlfriend. "Hey."

Phoenix smiled at Maria and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Hey."

After five minutes of conversation, the bartender served the girls their drinks. And for the first time in a month, Kendall felt free. She couldn't really describe it. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Kendall downed the rest of her drink and took both Phoenix's and Maria's hands. "Let's go dance."

And so they did.

Kendall danced as if no one was watching. However, in reality, many eyes and cameras were on her. She hadn't noticed the lingering whispers and she was unable to feel the stares from others in the club. As Kendall danced, she could only feel pure euphoria. It buzzed within her from the top of her head to the tips of her fingers. She was high on happiness, and she never wanted to come down. It was in this moment when Kendall was finally glad that she was able to spend a night with her friends. She needed this. Hopefully Ryan would understand.

Shit. Ryan.

"Phoenix, can I borrow your phone?" Kendall asked.

"Why?"

"I need to make a call"

"No. You're not calling Ryan. It can wait."

Kendall bit the inside of her cheek, then headed over to the bar. As she sat, the same bartender from earlier in the night approached her. "You all right?"

Kendall nodded, but continued to draw invisible circles on the wooden countertop. She couldn't help but feel bad for not letting Ryan know where she was. What if he was looking for her? What if this affected his trust in Kendall?

The bartender studied Kendall for a moment. "You look like you need a margarita." He then selected a bottle of alcohol from the shelf behind him.

Kendall smiled and shook her head. "Why a margarita?"

The bartender returned her smile. "Because it's impossible to be sad while drinking one." He continued to make the drink, then placed it in front of Kendall when it was done. "It's on the house."

Kendall tapped her fingers against the cool glass. "Thank you." As she took her first sip of the drink, she could vaguely hear her name being called somewhere in the bar. She paid no mind to it, deciding that it was all in her head. But then she heard the same voice call out her name once more, only this time, the speaker was directly behind her.

Kendall's breath hitched. She slowly turned from her seat to see Ryan, and he did not look happy.

The way Ryan had looked at Kendall made her veins turn to ice. His usual soft brown eyes had turned cold, angry, and detached. Kendall had never seen him so mad before. And if they ever got past this, she never wanted to see Ryan like this again.

"Let's go," Ryan demanded. Kendall didn't dare to argue with him. She got up from the stool and followed Ryan to the door. However, before they could exit, Phoenix ran up to Kendall and tugged at her arm.

"You don't have to go with him."

"Yes, she does," Ryan protested, grabbing Kendall's wrist and tugging her forcefully.

Kendall yanked her wrist away, then turned to Phoenix. "It's okay."

"No. It's not okay."

"Phoenix . . ." Kendall warned softly. "It'll be okay."

Kendall walked out of the bar with Ryan following closely behind her. The two get into Ryan's Range Rover in silence.

"I'm s—"

"Don't," Ryan snapped harshly. "Don't say a goddamn word."

©2019 Brianna Loriston

All Rights Reserved

★

Author's Note

You will be angry with Kendall in the upcoming chapters. But keep in mind that her decisions move the plot along, and lead up to the ending that I have planned.