You Before Me (3 page)

“How did you get your name?” He asks,
looking over the menu.

I shrug like it's no big deal and like
it never bothers me. It's not just a name though. It's an identity.
And mine is tied to nothing I would consider good. I've even
thought about changing my name, but deep down, I know it fits me.
So I keep it. But I don't tell Gabe any of that. Instead, I say,
“My parents wanted a boy and loved the name Ryan. Turns out I've
never been able to meet their expectations. They decided to name me
Ryan anyway. What about you? Any special significance to your
name?”

“Not really. It was the only name my
parents agreed on.”

Better than what happened with me.
“You said being in law enforcement runs in the family?”

Gabe nods. “Yeah. All the men and some
of the women have been in law enforcement at some point in their
lives. My dad and granddad are retired. My older brother actually
works for the FBI. Being a police officer just fit.”

“That's cool.” With a small pause, I
continue, “I guess I should apologize for my behavior the other
day. I don't usually leave the house without pants. Pretty sure
that's what led to me getting the ticket. Next time I'll know
better.”

Gabe laughs. “Oh, yeah. It was that
part of your behavior that sealed the deal. Your attitude and
actual violation had nothing to do with it. I feel kind of bad
about it now that you're buying me a late night snack.”

“I deserved it.” I shrug.

The waitress returns to take our
order. Gabe gets pancakes, and I order French toast. She keeps
giving me sideways glances. What the hell is her problem? When she
walks away, Gabe chuckles, shaking his head as he catches my
attention.

“It's probably because of how you're
dressed in all black. You look a little sketchy.”

I look down at my clothes. “Well, I
had to dress the part. That's half the fun.”

“Yet you were still spotted. You're a
terrible criminal.” He laughs, and it's such a hearty laugh. It's
adorable. “You're a college student, right? What's your
major?”

Frowning, I say, “I'm undecided. You
sound like you had it all figured out. Your career path was
basically laid out for you, and you knew that you would be happy
with that job. I'm assuming, anyway. I, on the other hand, don't
have a fucking clue. You have a passion for it. I don't have any
passions or anything that I'm so good at that I would want to do it
for the rest of my life.”

Well. I didn't intend to say all of
that, but my big mouth has a mind of it's own. To avoid looking at
this practical stranger, I stare into my glass as I take a
sip.

Instead of giving me an inspirational
speech that I wouldn't care two cents about, Gabe simply tells me,
“You'll figure it out. Find something you like and run with
it.”

I don't bother telling him that
nothing catches my interest enough to make a job out of it. Our
waitress brings our food, and Gabe smiles at her good-naturedly. He
gives me the vibe of a pure, one hundred percent good guy. Maybe
it's that stupid girl in me, but it makes me a little wary. There
has to be a kink in his shiny exterior. It's so the stupid girl
talking, trying to rationalize it because guys can't simply be
good.

“Was he cheating on her?”

“Huh?” I look up from my French toast,
my mind still lost in my good guy debate.

“You were spying to see if your
friend's boyfriend was a cheater. Was he?”

“Oh!” Nodding, I say, “Yeah. They were
starting to go at it like animals right before you showed up.” I
shake my head with a guilty grin at the memory. “I should probably
be consoling my friend, but she left me to get caught, so she'll be
fine. Are you from around here?” I rather learn more about him than
talk about Viv.

“Yeah, born and raised.
You?”

“Nope. People are supposed go away for
college, and since my parents wouldn't let me go out-of-state, I
went across the state. This was as far as I could get. We used to
come to a town not too far from here for beach vacations,
though.”

He nods as if he's considering
something. “Why do you think people should go away for
college?”

“Well, isn't college supposed to be a
time of your life where you get away from what you know to really
experience new things? To learn about yourself and who you are
apart from your family? At least, that's why I wanted to leave
home.”

I have Gabe's full attention
now.

“That makes sense to me, although I
never went far from home,” he says in response.

“Maybe you didn't have to. Maybe you
already knew all those things,” I tell him quietly, looking down at
the table. Our plates are empty now, and the conversation isn't fun
anymore. It's more personal than I care for. I clear my throat,
smile, and add, “I'll be right back.” I grab the bill from the edge
of the table and begin to slide out of the booth.

“You don't have to. I'll pay,” Gabe
objects.

“My treat, remember?” I leave to take
care of our tab before he can say anything else. This is why I
always carry some cash in my pockets because I left my purse at my
apartment. Gabe walks over to tell me he left a tip. It's time to
go home now.

I let him open all the doors for me,
wondering if he's the type to come inside for a little sex.
Probably not. He opens doors for women and even called me a “lady.”
I don't think he's that kind of guy. Besides, he hasn't even been
home yet, and he just got off work.

“Where do I need to take you?” He
asks.

I give him directions to my apartment.
We ride in silence the rest of the way. When we get to my place, I
thank him for the ride and for allowing me to treat him to dinner
before getting out. Gabe rolls the window down and calls out for me
to wait. I lean down to see what he wants. Maybe he is that type
after all.

“Here.” He holds out a slip of paper.
“You seem to find yourself in trouble quite often. If you ever need
help, call me.”

With a grin, I ask, “Is this your way
of giving me a chance to ask you out again?”

Gabe chuckles, but ignores my
question. “Have a good night, Ryan.”

“You too.”

When I get inside, I stare at his
number. There's no time to think about him because Viv bursts into
my apartment.

“Do you even know how to
knock?”

“What the hell happened?” She throws
her hands up like I'm the one who abandoned her.

“You tell me. You let me get caught!
You didn't even warn me!”

Viv's shoulders sag. “Sorry. I
panicked. You didn't get arrested, did you?”

“No. It was the same officer who
pulled me over the other day. We went out to eat because his shift
was over.” Like a true winner, I hold up his phone number with a
smirk.

Viv playfully shoves my arm with a
laugh. “You bitch. Here I was worried I would have to bail you out
of jail, and you went on a date!”

“What can I say? Troublemakers come
out on top too.”

* * *

Last night, Viv wanted to focus on
Gabe instead of her shitty boyfriend, so we talked about him while
drinking rum. That was how she consoled herself. I knew better than
to text while drunk, because we did get drunk and danced terribly
to loud music that pissed my neighbors off, but today, I'm sober.
The slip of paper with Gabe's number on it is burning a hole in my
purse. I can't stop staring at the side as if I have x-ray vision
and can see a glow around it, beckoning me.

While the professor is droning on, I
decide I can't take it anymore. I dig for the number and grab my
phone. Once he's added as a contact, I think for a moment on what
to text him. Technically, he gave me this number in case I needed
any help. But who cares about technicalities? Not me. My thumbs get
to work, and I send him what I think is a cute, little
message.

Hey. It's Ryan. Thought
you should have my number in case you wanted to call & ask me
out. I went first. Now, it's your turn. :)

Five minutes pass, and I'm positive
that had to be the stupidest message I've ever sent. There's no way
that will earn me a response. Last night was pleasant, and I
wouldn't mind another one, even though I rarely get second dates.
Gabe's new, not a part of the college world, and really hot. Why
not pursue him? Never know what could happen. Plus, the chase is
part of the fun!

Damn it.

I sound like a guy. At
least, what I think a guy would sound like. Maybe I
should
have been born a
boy. Then some of my definitely-not-girl-suitable thoughts would
fit, and my parents would have been happy with me. My phone
vibrates and lights up with an incoming call. Holy fuckaroo! He's
calling me right now! Grabbing only my purse, I scramble out of my
seat, being extra thankful I picked one close to the door, and run
out of the classroom.

“Hello?” I answer, slightly out of
breath from the rush.

“Hey. Is this a bad time?” He
asks.

“Oh, no. Not at all.” I'm not skipping
class or anything.

“Good. If Friday night works for you,
I'd like to take you out on a date. A real one because the diner
doesn't count.” There's a hint of laughter in his voice, and I
can't help but smile.

“Why wasn't mine real?” I question
curiously.

Gabe chuckles. “Because it wasn't.
What do you say to Friday? You aren't going to turn me down now,
are you?” he teases. Gabe seems more carefree today. It's
contagious.

“Not a chance.”

“Great because you are an intriguing
person, Ryan. I'll let you know the details soon.”

“Okay, sweet. Talk to you
later.”

We end our conversation with that. I'm
intriguing, though? What does that even mean? Doesn't matter
because now, I have a hot date.

Mission accomplished.

Gabe

Ryan Kavanaugh appears to be the
personification of trouble. A pure dose of seductive trouble to be
exact. I honestly don't know why I called her. When I first met
her, I definitely wasn't expecting her to have so much skin
showing. Those tan legs and ass are still haunting me. There was
something about the way she carried herself with how confident she
was with her body. She didn't care that I saw her. It was like, to
her, having me see her like that didn't matter because she knew she
looked good.

I liked that.

Too much.

And then, I found her snooping outside
someone's house, dressed ridiculously in all black, but she looked
damn good. Her wavy, dark red hair was a lovely contrast to her
dark clothes. She wasn't happy to see me either. My comment about
her name pissed her off more than it should have. And then she had
no problem making sexual comments. It's brazen. She conned me into
going out with her, which turned out better than I would have
expected. Between what she said about her parents and school, I was
intrigued, just like I said.

I can't fathom my parents being
disappointed in me. Ever. Maybe in some of my actions, but not as a
person in my entirety. There's definitely something more to this
girl. That last word reminds me of her age. She's young and in
college. It seems odd that I would be asking her out. It almost
goes against my good-natured ways. Her age, for me, walks that
line. I honestly feel a little bad about giving her the ticket,
which is one reason why I threw caution to the wind and called
her.

Can't say that I regret it
either.

Not yet anyway.

I have to think about what we're going
to do on this date now. Movies and dinner seem so outdated, even
for me. It's a classic, sure, but something tells me that Ryan
would have more fun doing something else. What that is, I'm not
sure yet. This is so hard to do without getting her input because I
don't know a lot about her. She's either going to love it or hate
it.

It's late afternoon when my phone
rings, and I smile when I see it's my little brother. Who is only
three years younger than Ryan. This is spelling out trouble over
and over again. My family's opinion matters to me, and I can
guarantee that Ryan's age would be of concern to them.

“Hey, Owen. How's it going?” I
answer.

“Good. School sucks as usual, but
things are good,” he says.

“Still keeping up good
grades?”

“Of course. I can't play football if I
don't. That's why I was calling.”

“Oh yeah?” I question, already having
a feeling of where this is going.

“Yeah, we have a game tomorrow against
our rivals. Mom and Dad have some dinner party thing, so they won't
be there. Think you'll be able to come?” He sounds hopeful, and I
can't blame him.

We're a close family, but work has
kept me from going to most of his games. This is the first Friday
I've had off in a while, and I feel guilty that I chose a girl
before thinking about him. I wonder if Ryan would be up for a high
school football game. We can always do something afterwards too. My
parents won't be there, so I don't have to worry about my mother
thinking I'm robbing the cradle. If Ryan doesn't want to go, then
we'll reschedule. My family comes first. If Owen wants me there,
that's what I'm going to do.