Fighting to go on

Chapter 8

*Samantha’s POV*

            When Ryan dropped me off later that night, I was expecting to have to deal with a very irate Charlie. So I was completely surprised when he calmly greeted me and then went about his own business.

            My brow furrowed as I tried to figure out what had caused this change, but I eventually just shrugged it off and got ready for bed.

            A few days later, I was sitting with my new group of friends at lunch, when Ryan suddenly stood up and turned to me. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.

            I frowned, but nodded. He took my hand and led me out of the cafeteria. He stopped when we reached an empty hallway and turned to face me, but he was looking at the ground. After he was silent for a few moments, I cleared my throat. “You wanted to talk to me?” I asked.

            He blew out a breath and finally met my eyes. Uncertainty flashed over his face before he composed himself. “Willyougoonadatewithme?” he asked in a rush.

            “Um, what?”

            He cleared his throat and tried again. “I asked if you would go on a date with me.”

            My eyes widened and I stared at him in shock. “Uh…”

            He lifted a hand to my cheek. “I know you’re afraid of men, but I think you’re fairly comfortable with me.” He waited until I nodded before continuing. “I just want you to give me a chance to maybe show you that I can be something more then a friend.”

            I couldn’t answer him at first. What he said was true; I was pretty much terrified of men, but I was comfortable with him. But did I really want to change my relationship with him? What if something changed, and I no longer had him in my life?

            My indecision must have shown on my face, because Ryan stroked my cheek, causing tingles to run through my body, before he dropped his hand in defeat. “It’s okay, I don’t want to force you into anything.”

            I reached forward and took his hand in mine, and again tingles ran through me, and that gave me my answer. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Ryan.”

            His whole face lit up. “Really?”

            I laughed lightly. “Yes really. I’ve never been on a date before though, so I may not be very good at it.”

            He squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it easy. How about just a simple dinner and movie date? We can go tomorrow night if you want, since we have to work on the project tonight.”

            “That sounds simple enough.” I gave him a cheeky smile. “You were nervous about asking me out, weren’t you?”

            “What? No, of course not,” he said defiantly.

            I chuckled. “You so were! Aw, that is sooo cute!” I said in a high-pitched voice.

            He glared at me. “Shut up,” he said, but there wasn’t much conviction behind it.

            “You know, you have this reputation for being a badass scary guy, but I’m beginning to think that everyone is just crazy. You’re just a big softie.”

            He growled at me. Yes, he actually growled and I had to clap my hand over my mouth to prevent the laughter.

            Suddenly, I was pressed back against the wall and he was caging me in with his hands on either of my head. He leaned in close, until our noses were almost touching. “Still think that?” he asked softly.