Resist Me Not

33

"Where to next?" Ryan asked as we climbed into another cab after I had finished signing all the paperwork to get the ball rolling on moving into my new apartment.

I didn't realize how much time it had taken us. I knew I had only planned to take two hours for lunch, which meant we only had thirty minutes before I had to be back at work. The drive alone from the apartment building to the florist would take at least fifteen minutes, with the amount of mid-day traffic.

"Back to the office. I have to get back to finish the forms for the school, so it'll be finalized and filed tomorrow."

Ryan turned to see me out of his good eye. "Are you sure? Like I said, I told Adam we were at a job site. He knows that can take hours."

As much as I really wanted to go see the florist, I didn't want to waste time during the day, only to have to stay later to finish my actual work. "It's fine. I can call the florist and reschedule."

Shit! I couldn't believe I let it slip. I could see Ryan's eyebrow trying to rise with his curiosity, but it clearly hurt when he tried. Instead, he turned his attention to the cab driver and gave him the address to our office. Then he sat back and looked out of his window, while I turned and looked out of mine.

The taxi driver drove down one busy street after another. We didn't drive more than a few feet before he'd slam on his brakes or honk his horn loudly at the other cabs and cars that would cut in front of him. Only in New York City would there be a shouting match between our cab driver and a pedestrian that he almost hit, who tried to cross the street as we were making a right turn.

We were less than five blocks away when we were caught in a heavy traffic jam, due to lane closures. Construction workers had blocked off part of the road as they were trying to dismantle some scaffolding off a newly renovated building. Not one of our builds, but it was still exciting to see the process. Working on the planning side of construction and then seeing it in real life was always fascinating to me.

"Hey," Ryan said, grabbing my attention. "Since we're so close to the office, how about we just walk the rest of the way? I don't see us moving from this spot for at least another ten minutes."

He was right too. I nodded in agreement. He paid the cab driver the price that was on the meter and added a little extra for good measure, before opening his door to step out. I scooted over and stepped out to the busy sidewalk. A random man charged past us, to claim the now available cab, and in the process knocked my shoulder, which made me bump into Ryan.

"What the hell!" Ryan yelled at the man as he shut the door.

I could see he was clenching his fists, trying to resist acting out on his anger that was clearly visible in his face. "Ryan! It's fine, really. This stuff happens all the time."

He took in a long deep breath, and as he exhaled, his body relaxed, and he fists opened. He apologized for overreacting, stuck his hands inside his coat pockets, and started walking through the crowd towards the office.

We walked down the first block in silence. I didn't really know what to say or if I really wanted to say anything. I could tell Ryan was lost in his own thoughts about something. Part of me wanted to know what it was, but the other part of me still didn't care.

We came to a halt as we approached a crowded corner. I glanced at the other New York yuppies who stood around us, also waiting for the light to change, to allow us to cross the street.

"So I know it isn't really any of my business. But are you and Eric completely over?"

I had a feeling he was trying to put the clues together, with us going to the apartment and me saying something about the florist. "I don't know," I admitted. Which was true. Even though I knew I gave him back his ring, there was still a sliver of uncertainty and lack of closure that plagued my mind.