Sweet Caroline {Ryan Blaney} ✔️

one

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Ryan walked out of the ballroom, his shoulders low as he watched everybody else pair off and head back up to their rooms. He hadn't really realized it until tonight but everybody had somebody -- but him.

He had been so stubborn about not wanting to settle down. And for what? Some mildly satisfying one night stands. It wasn't even that he needed to figure out his type or anything because he knew exactly what he liked -- brunette, tattoos. Somebody that appreciated music the way he did. Why he had delayed finding somebody long term was now beyond him.

He sighed as he scanned the lobby until his eyes fell on the hotel bar. The last thing he really wanted to do was go back to his room and think about how lonely he was all of a sudden or regret his past choices.

Better than nothing. Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way over there. He scanned the bar, finding an open seat next to a brunette with tattoos littered up and down her bare arms. Ryan smiled inwardly as he made his way over, he could think about settling down tomorrow but tonight? He was going to fill the loneliness that he felt in the pit of his stomach the best way he knew how.

He stopped once he heard her order a shot of tequila. Nice.

"You're going to be sorry in the morning," The bartender told her as he poured the shot.

The woman chuckled a little, "I'm always sorry in the morning..." Her voice trailed off a little and that intrigued Ryan.

Ryan took that as his cue to sit down next to her, "Double scotch, single malt." He smiled at the bartender as he took a seat next to the beautiful woman taking tequila shots. Ryan couldn't help but gaze at the woman for a moment and soak in her beauty -- her chestnut bangs that rested just above her eyebrows, the way her nose sloped into a cute little button, her plump lips in a little pout. She was just Ryan's type and who knows? Maybe he was her type too.

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and Ryan knew he had to make conversation but he was blanking. "So is this a good place to hang out?" He heard himself saying, inwardly wincing. Smooth, dumbass.

She cleared her throat, giving him a wide-eyed look that screamed annoyance, "I wouldn't know. I've never been here before, just staying the night."

"I haven't either." Ryan agreed. "First time here, my sister got married today in the ballroom." He shared with a small nod, hoping that maybe she'd loosen up a little if he made nice small talk, shared a little about himself.

As he explained why he was here, she downed her shot and then continued to stare at her glass, not really acknowledging him. He couldn't tell if she was ignoring him or was just playing hard to get. Ryan guessed it was the former and he found himself chuckling, "Ah, you're ignoring me." He sounded like a mega douche right now and he didn't really even care, he just really really wanted her in his bed.

"I'm trying to." Her eyebrows were raised but her eyes were sparkling with amusement. Ryan's heart pounded as their eyes connected.

"You shouldn't ignore me," He told her, swirling his drink.

"And why not?" The woman pressed him.

"Because I'm somebody you need to get to know to love." Ryan smiled, feeling pretty confident with how this conversation was going.

A smile slowly spread across her face, "Really?"

"Oh yes," The smile on Ryan's face grew into a grin.

She nodded, almost as if she was connecting everything he was saying, "So if I know you, I'll love you?" She echoed, almost as if she was going to tease Ryan for what he had said.

"Oh yes," Ryan answered cooly, sticking to his guns.

"You really like yourself, huh?" Her tone was teasing as if she didn't believe a single thing that had come out of his mouth. Which was probably smart because he was bluffing so hard, it wasn't even funny. It didn't matter how many times he had picked up a woman from a bar, he was never really confident. But this confidence? A product of the buzz he had gotten from the wedding champagne.

He gazed into her dark eyes for a moment before replying, "Just hiding my pain." She laughed and so did he before he let his smile fade before asking, "So what's your story?"

He couldn't help but notice that she tensed up a little before she turned to him, "I don't have a story. I'm just a girl in a bar."

Ryan sipped his drink before replying, "I'm just a guy in a bar."

That seemed to win her over because she relaxed and flashed a smile at him. "Are you going to ask me back to your room or what?" She asked, a mischevious smile on her lips.

Ryan nearly choked on his drink at her forwardness but he wouldn't lie, it was kind of hot. "Forward. I like it." He took another look at her. Scratch that, it was really hot. He set his drink down, grabbing her hand in his, "Let's go."

"Are you going to tell me your name now?" Ryan couldn't help but ask as the elevator doors shut.

She paused, "Lydia."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," He hummed in her ear.

"You can save the sweet talk," She murmured.

Ryan shrugged, "Sweet talk is all apart of the experience."

She spun around, her lips crashing onto his. His hands fell to her hips, tugging him to her. Her fingers twisted into his hair as their tongues danced around each other. Electricity flowed and all it took was one kiss for Ryan to know that if he was going to settle down, it was going to be Lydia. It had to be Lydia.

The elevator ding pulled them apart and for a moment, they stared at each other breathlessly and Ryan knew that he was in for one hell of a night.

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