Sweet Caroline {Ryan Blaney} ✔️

two

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The click of the hotel door shutting woke Ryan from a dead sleep. He sat up, his eyes searching for Lydia but he came up empty.

"No." he choked out, throwing the covers from his body onto the empty bed where she had laid, wrapped around him. How hadn't he woken up when she got up?

He glanced at the nightstands, hoping maybe that she had left her number but the notepads were blank. His shoulders drooped as he realized that he had no way to get ahold of her.

He had tried to get her to tell him anything about herself but she had been vague. There was a fear that flashed in her eyes when he asked so when it became clear that she wasn't going to divulge any information other than her first name, Ryan quit pushing. He had expected to have a little more time, expected that he'd at least give her his number.

Ryan knew that he had one last chance, maybe he could catch her in the lobby -- she had said something about leaving early. Ryan pulled on a pair of discarded shorts and a shirt. He grabbed his wallet before making his way down towards the lobby.

He scanned the lobby, a familiar figure walking away, Ryan's heart pounded.

Lydia.

"Lydia! Wait." He called, striding towards her. The night before had been breathtaking, mindblowing even. And even though Lydia had kept him at a distance, they had connected in a way that Ryan had never connected with anybody before. What she had told him was that she was into everything that he was into -- she checked every single box that he had for a dream partner. He desperately wanted to get to know Lydia and see where it took them.

"Ryan!" A shrill voice called from behind him. Ryan sighed, instantly recognizing the voice as Stacy, one of his sister's best friends.

Ryan ducked his head down, trying to make it to Lydia before she drove away. Stacy was nice, and she was pretty with a pretty obvious crush on him and any other time Ryan would make small talk but not today. Today, he was a man on a mission.

"Ryan," Stacy grabbed Ryan's arm, stopping him.

Ryan let out an exasperated sigh as he watched Lydia's silhouette disappear into the parking lot. His chance to get to her was slipping through his fingers.  "What?" He tried to keep his voice steady, hoping that maybe the quicker the conversation started, the quicker that it would end.

"Did you have fun last night?" She purred. "I tried to find you last night to dance with but I couldn't find you."

Ryan snorted lightly. "I don't dance, you should know that by now." The truth of the matter was that he had hidden in the bathroom to avoid having to turn Stacy down and invoke the wrath of his sister who was deadset that he and Stacy were the perfect match. He turned to leave, his heart was hopeful that he could make it out of the parking lot.

"Wait." Stacy grabbed his arm again.

Ryan turned back towards her, struggling to hide his annoyance. "What is it, Stacy?"

"I was hired as a pit reporter for MRN." She squealed, "Isn't that great, Ryan?" Her hand slid up his arm, resting on his chest. "We'll get to see each other every weekend. We can really get to know each other."