Free Forever Yours (#2) by Deila Longford Page B

reaches out and takes my hand in his and
then he moves closer to me, staring into my eyes in the process. My
heart begins to race at his affection and I don’t want to offend
him by pulling away, but with an image of Dalton in my head,
pulling away from Ryan is exactly what I feel like
doing.
    Ryan and I dated for six months, when I say dated, I really
mean that we went to the movies and had a quick kiss in the front
of his mustang. I feel that we were one of those couples, who were
such good friends, that we owed it to ourselves to give dating a
try. We were far from the perfect couple; we never spent any time
alone. Charlene and Elliot were always around and what shocked me
to the core, was that Ryan and I didn’t mind them being there. It
never occurred to us to ask them for some privacy, I think deep
down that neither one of us wanted it. Ryan was the first to say
that he loved me and I said it back, out of obligation. As I think
back on my time with Ryan, I can honestly say that I never loved
him. I see him more as my lovable friend who I like to take the
piss out of. He is rather charming and not hard on the eyes, and he
always says that we will end up together. He feels that we are made
for each other and that it’s our destiny to get married and have
babies. I nod and play along with his unrealistic hopes, as I know
for sure that what he is thinking, will never happen. I don’t look
at him that way, and I can honestly say that I have never looked at
Ryan in the way that I do with Dalton. My mind buzzes and my heart
shatters into a million pieces, when Dalton flashes me his wicked
smirk. As I stand frozen, looking up into Ryan’s dark eyes, I
realise that he has absolutely no chance of getting me back, as I
my heart now belongs to Dalton.
    My day at work has been busy and exhausting. I have worked
from ten until six, with only one break. I am shattered and I all I
want to do is, fall into my bed. I slide my coat onto my body and
then I say my goodbyes to my co-workers. Ryan rushes up to me, with
his phone lodged into his hand. He places his hands onto my
shoulders and he holds me in place. His dark eyes are playful and
his black shaggy hair is messy around his forehead. He stares at me
and I slightly blush from his closeness. I feel bad for the guy, as
I know that he hasn’t moved on from me, but at the same time, I
don’t want to lead him on. I gently shrug my shoulders as I try to
fight off his touch. He senses my intentions, so he pulls his hands
away from me. I flash him an awkward smile and then I listen
intently at what he has to say.
    “ Tomorrow night is Charlene’s birthday, we’re going out on the
town, and you gotta come, girl.” I sigh and then I nod in
agreement. Charlene is my friend and I can’t miss her twentieth
birthday, even though I am dreading the thought of a night out. I
feel so drained and tired and my bed is all that I can think of
–along with Dalton and his burning kiss.
    “ I wouldn’t miss it,” I say as I head in the direction of the
door. Ryan rushes after me, sliding his hand onto my back as we
walk. I exhale at his touch, but I don’t offend him by fighting him
off. Instead, we walk side by side to the exit of the store. We
step out into the cold and my heart skips a beat when I see Dalton,
parked into a space and leaning against his car. My eyes flutter at
the sight of him, standing coolly in his dark blue jeans and white
shirt. I march over in his direction and Ryan pulls me
back.
    “ My cars this way,” he says in a sarcastic tone.
    “ Yeah, but Dalton’s this way,” my mouth runs away with me and
my cheeks blush at my words. Ryan looks confused as he follows me
over to Dalton. I reach him and he moves away from his car and
lunges towards me. My eyes can’t adjust to his beauty and I am
annoyed and mesmerised to see him. He reaches out and places his
hand onto my cheek; I smile as his hands are warm. Dalton smirks at
me and vivid memories of his astonishing