Free If I Forget You by Michelle D. Argyle Page B

if he was important to her, or connected to her father in any way. She was pretty sure he was far more interested in Tam than he was in her, so what did any of it matter? Unless he might make a good friend. There was always a shortage of those in her life.
    After dessert and coffee, they all played a game and then sat around talking as the minutes ticked by. Avery lost track of time, completely forgetting about the party as Ryan sat next to her on a sofa in the corner of the living room. They were far enough away from their parents that they could have their own conversation.
    “Yeah, Victor’s trying to talk me into enlisting with the Marines,” Ryan said with a shrug when Avery asked him about his shirt. So far she had managed to avoid any mention of the last time they had met. “He says it’s a great way to get my life started. I can try to take some college courses while I’m serving.”
    Avery smiled. “I don’t think my dad planned on staying in as long as he did, but he kept advancing in rank, and they wanted him there, so he stayed.”
    Ryan blinked his brown eyes, taunting her with the memory she hadn’t forgotten — the way he’d looked at Tam and the connection that had sparked between them. Why did Tam always get the guy before Avery even had a chance?
    “I like to take pictures,” he said, looking away. “I’ve never admitted that to anyone. I want to travel so I can photograph everything. Maybe get into photojournalism.”
    She liked that about him. Honest. Open. At least with her. “Do you think you can do that while you’re in the military?” she asked. Her dad had never taken many pictures when he was deployed, so she wasn’t sure if it was an option.
    “I guess so. I’ll have free time.” He leaned forward, a sad expression filling his eyes. “There’s so many things we can choose to do when we’re our age, just starting out, you know?”
    At that point, Avery knew she was in trouble. She liked Ryan. A lot. She was starting to like the scruff on his jaw and the way he smelled woodsy and the way his T-shirt fit just tight enough to show off his toned arms. Sure, he was short — maybe only an inch taller than herself, and he had a funny nose, but so what? When she put him all together and looked at him, he was intriguing and different. He really paid attention to people when they talked. How had she forgotten about meeting him the first time? Had she been completely blind?
    “I’m not sure what I’ll major in yet,” she said. “At least I’ve decided to go to college instead of backpacking across Europe or something. Not that I’d mind that, but I’ve made a decision. It’s one step forward.”
    He laughed. “Yeah, it’s further than me. I envy anyone who knows exactly what they want.”
    She studied his face. They were in a dark corner of the room and nobody was paying attention to them. He inched a little closer, and Avery’s heart felt like it might pound right out of her chest. Was he a player? He didn’t seem like a player, but maybe he was. He touched her shoulder and slid his fingers up to her cheek, pausing a moment to play with a few pieces of her hair near her jawline. She held her breath. So maybe he was interested …
    Her phone rang and she tore her attention away from Ryan to look at the screen. Unknown number. Against her better judgment, she answered.
    “Hello?”
    “Ave, it’s me.”
    “Oh, hi, Tam.”
    Avery tried not to notice the way Ryan’s eyes lit up when she said Tam’s name. Until that moment neither she nor Ryan had brought Tam up. If she’d known it was Tam calling, she wouldn’t have answered. Something about that thought made her feel terrible.
    “So, do you think you might come later when your guests are gone? I’m kind of bored. I keep waiting for Ryan to show up. Remember how he said he might?”
    “Yeah, I remember.” Avery turned away from Ryan, lowering her voice.
    “I think I’m going to try to get something going with him,