Page 30 of Just Another Meet Cute

Wrinkling my nose, I stepped out of the car and let out a low whistle at the packed parking lot full of tourists. “This is your favorite place in Austin? No offense, Ryan, but I’m kind of judging you a bit right now.”

Laughing as he shook his head, Ryan reached out to lace his fingers through mine, instantly warming them with his touch. “I know this place is a tourist trap and the food sucks, but it does have some good points.”

“Like what?”

Instead of answering, his grin just widened as he tugged me along. Past the front entrance of the Oasis, with the vivid blooming flowers and little statues, up the stairs, and along the corridors. I barely had a chance to glance in the colorful store windows before we zoomed by.

Finally, we stopped at a long stretch of balcony with a glass railing that showed off the shimmery blue lake in front of us.

The sun danced off the water, making it look deep indigo in some areas and pastel blue in others.

And all the different blues made the greens and browns of the shore even brighter in contrast. It was like a perfect postcard of Lake Travis at its finest.

I stepped forward and leaned against the top of the rail. “Okay, this is pretty nice.” My voice was low, as though the noise might startle the serenity of the lake.

“So, I didn’t lose any points?” Ryan asked as he stepped up next to me. It was so crowded on the balcony that his elbow rubbed against my arm. Not that I minded.

“Nope. In fact, I think you might have gained some.” A gust of wind blew a couple of strands of my hair into my face. “Although if I knew we were coming up here, I would have brought a jacket.”

“I can help you with that.” In one smooth move, he lifted his arm and slid behind me until both of his arms were around me, partially shielding me from the wind.

Twisting my head around, my cheeks grew warm when I saw just how close his face was to mine, barely an inch away. If I tilted my head slightly to the left, his lips would be touching my forehead. And if I raised up on my tiptoes …

A burst of laughter behind us made my gaze snap back to the lake. “Something tells me that I’m not the first girl you’ve brought here.”

“No, you’re not.”

Surprised at his honesty, I giggled. “Wow. You know, it’s okay to lie sometimes.”

His chest rumbled against my shoulders as he laughed. “No, I would never lie to you.”

Even though that could have just been a total line, I had a feeling that Ryan was telling the truth.

Just like I instinctively knew that he meant what he said and would be there when I needed him.

He just had that comforting, dependable quality.

Plus, I never had to second-guess how he felt, since he just told me, which was super nice.

He didn’t do one thing and say something else, like other people who shouldn’t be on my mind.

Nope, not on my mind at all.

Without a warning, Ryan stumbled to the right, causing me to trip over my own feet at the sudden movement. The older couple beside us didn’t even apologize as they jostled us out of the way as though their lives depended on getting the perfect shot for their Instagram or whatever.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I stepped back, and our prime view was immediately swallowed up by the crowd.

His handsome face twisted, and for a second I thought he was going to say something. But Ryan just let out a deep breath and turned back to me. “You know, that’s one of the reasons I don’t come here as much as I would like to.”

That was one of the reasons I never came here at all. “Do you come here a lot?”

“Maybe once or twice a month.” He dropped onto one of the nearby benches. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s kind of hard to get time to yourself at my house.”

“No kidding.” Instead of just sitting down beside him, I turned to curl my legs beneath my butt and faced him. My elbow rested on the back of the bench. “At least you have your own room now. Ian told me he moved in with your dad,” I added at the surprised look on his face.

“I didn’t think he—well, yeah, I do have my own room, but just because my door is closed doesn’t mean I get left alone,” he said with a short laugh. “I love them. I really do, but they can be a bit smothering sometimes.”

There was something different about his laugh.

It was a bit off, almost like he was annoyed, but Ryan never got annoyed with anything.

I studied him more closely. He was watching the crowd with a slight absent smile like he didn’t have a care in the world.

I almost thought I was wrong until I saw his finger scratching into the bench like there was an itch he couldn’t scratch.

Reaching out, I lightly touched his finger with my own, and he immediately stopped. “Why didn’t you move with Ian and your dad? I’m sure their place probably has more than two bedrooms, right?”

“It has four. My dad has an office, and the last one is Ian’s game room. The lucky bas—duck.”

“Oh, I know Ian. The other word is definitely more fitting, but I get it. We’re in a family place, after all.”

Ryan laughed and twisted his body so he could fully face me. Now he watched me as I watched him. The wind lightly ruffled through his hair, making it a little less perfect. I was tempted to brush it back.

Who cared about the picturesque view behind us? Mine was way better.

His finger still didn’t move beneath mine, but it did stop scratching at the bench. “I guess I just knew that I was needed at home. To be there for my mom and my sisters.”

“For support?”

“Yeah, but also physically be there. You know, my mom didn’t even know how to mow the lawn? She didn’t know that our lawn mower needed gas and actually broke it when she tried. My uncles would help with stuff around the house now and then, but she hated asking them for help.”

“And you stayed to help her,” I said when he didn’t continue. “Without her asking.”

Instead of answering, he just shrugged, but the silence said so much. For once, his face was closed off, and I wanted to wrap my arms around him to hug him. Instead, I hooked my finger around his for a small embrace.

It’s funny how Ian left so his dad wouldn’t be alone, but Ryan stayed because his family depended on him. They both sacrificed for their families, and yet somehow they were both still unhappy. Did they ever talk to each other about it?

I had a feeling the answer was no.

They both made different choices, and I respected both of their decisions.

But I definitely preferred one more than the other.

Someone who stayed and was dependable. That was what I craved in my life.

Who else did I have to depend on? Probably Linh.

I knew she had my back, but I was also starting to learn the hard way that she couldn’t always be there for me.

And who else was there? Mom? Definitely not Dad.

“What do you want to do?” I suddenly asked.

Ryan blinked. “You mean right now?”

“No, I mean next summer. After high school. What are your plans?” With a dramatic sigh, I held up a finger. “And I know you probably hate that question. I know I do.”

Pursing his lips like he was trying not to laugh, Ryan finally took my hand in his. His thumb stroked back and forth across my inner wrist. “If you hate the question, then why are you asking?”

My mind drifted back to the night before with Ian, and for the first time that day, I felt guilty. “I don’t know. We’ve been on a couple of dates, but I don’t think we’ve actually talked that much.”

Ryan studied me for another minute or two before leaning back against the bench, like he was getting comfortable.

“Okay, so let’s talk. I’ll go first. Next year I’ll probably go to UT just because it’s in town.

I’m not sure what I’ll be majoring in though.

Definitely not premed like B á wants. Or biology like Ian. ”

“Ian wants to do pre-med?”

“Yeah, is that surprising?”

It was. I didn’t think of Ian as the studious type, but I guess it made sense that he would be interested in that field. He was so attentive with caring for me the first time we met. I couldn’t tell Ryan that. “So, you’re not sure what you want to do?”

“No.” He grimaced. “Is that bad?”

With a wide grin, I threw my arms around his shoulders. “No, that’s awesome. Finally, someone else who’s just as lost as I am!” I pulled back from my hug. “No offense.”

This time Ryan did laugh as he pulled me back against his side. His arm draped around my shoulders, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. “Thank God. I thought you’d be one of those people who had a plan for every month of the year.”

“That’s definitely Linh.”

“People like her suck.” I could almost feel his smile against the top of my head. “No offense.”

“I don’t mind. She’s not here. So, no plans at all?”

His body tensed up beneath me. “Well, I do want to travel. Maybe blog about the things I see. Maybe write a book. Not a mystery. I’m not that creative, but just something. Anything. I probably wouldn’t be able to.”

I tilted my head up to look at him. “Why not? I think that sounds awesome.”

“Because I’m needed at home. Remember?”

Despite the fact that I had just decided that I liked Ryan more because he was dependable and stayed, I couldn’t help leaning up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

His cheek was smooth and cool against my lips.

“I think you should travel if you want to. Maybe you could just teach Kathy how to mow the lawn.”

He bit his lower lip. “You really think so?”

“Yeah, she’s a smart girl. She could handle it. Just make it a competition, and she’ll learn in five minutes.”

His lips curled into a half smile. “I meant, do you really think I should try to travel? A friend of mine has been bugging me to go on a trip with him before school starts. Pretty much texting me about it all the time.”

My mind drifted back to our movie date. “Is that who you were texting with during the movie?”

“Yeah, and every day since. Super annoying.” He tried to laugh it off, but I could catch a slight wistful tone in his voice.

“Where is he planning to go?”

“He doesn’t really have a plan. He just kind of roams. Makes stops when he wants to, or continues driving until he sees something cool.”

That sounded completely awful to me. Then again, I was also the type of person who hated making pit stops, especially for no reason.

I would rather not drink water during a long car ride than take a pee break.

My only exception was Buc-ee’s, and that was because of my obsession with their mini cookies. Crispy bits of butter in a tub.

My hand patted his shoulder. “I think it’s okay to think about yourself sometimes and do what you want to do. As long as you always come back.”

Grasping my hand, he kissed my fingers. “Thanks. I’m still debating, but it’s nice to know I have someone in my corner.”

“Anytime.”

We sat there quietly for a few minutes, lost in our own thoughts. But it was a comfortable sort of silence. Not nervous and tension filled like in the car with Ian. There were definitely more layers to Ryan than I expected. He wasn’t just a nice guy. I mean, he still was, but he was also more .

And the more I found out about him, the more I wanted to know.

He reached out and brushed my bangs out of my eyes and smiled. “What else should we talk about?”

“Everything.”