Chapter four - One Fine Piece of Chocolate(2)

The rest of the week went by smoothly like Valerie predicted Ryan grabbed a cup of coffee from their place every day of the week and women noticed. Their place became more popular just because Ryan Parker liked their coffee. Rachel didn't question it since she came to realize that there was more to Ryan than meets the eye. He made her laugh and gave her a lot to think about whenever they had time for a small chat. She liked his view on the world. It was positive and less dark than Ethan and Gabriel's view since both men were corrupted by the world they lived in. Not that there was anything wrong with the partners in crime, they were fine the way they were, but she realized they were much harsher due to reality hitting them square in the face while Ryan still had some innocence left in him. That being said he was plotting to do something to Gabriel. Whenever he spoke about Gabriel she noticed the warmth in his eyes so she didn't feel the need to reach for her phone and warn Gabriel about Ryan's plotting. They'd figure it out on their own.

It was a busy Friday morning, all seats already taken in Emma's Haven while Rachel was restocking the trays with muffins. Her eyes trailed up when someone cleared their throat, a smile spreading across her face as she met Ryan's warm eyes.

"Morning." She greeted him.

"Morning." He smiled at her.

"The usual?" She asked, ready to prepare his coffee.

"The usual." He told her, his phone in hand which he never used whenever he paid her a quick visit to grab his coffee, she appreciated the gesture even if it was small and would look insignificant to others, "Your boyfriend still in Boston? To me, it's a blessing not to have him glaring at me like he wishes I'd get hit by a bus but you must miss him."

Rachel laughed, "Yes, Ethan can't share Gabriel with anyone other than Valerie but he's coming back Monday." She prepared his coffee carefully, wanting to make sure it was perfect, "Two weeks away from each other did us good though. Sometimes it helps to get a better perspective of your needs."

"That's very mature of you." He told her taking the cup from her and paying for his usual order, "I'm glad you're doing well."

"Thank you."

Her eyes lowered to his phone when it rang, it was a different ringtone than usual. It meant that it was someone close to Ryan. It would be the first time he'd choose to use his phone in front of her after their first meeting.

"Go ahead." She told him quietly, "I'll still be here."

With a smile he answered the phone, "Gabriel, what can I do for you?"

Rachel's eyebrows shot up, hearing Ryan speak so fondly to Gabriel. What surprised her more was when Ryan locked eyes with her, nodding at things that Gabriel was telling him.

"I'll ask her." He told Gabriel, "Valerie wants to have dinner with us at their place."

Rachel gestured between them, "As in us?" She wasn't aware there was an 'us' but apparently her sister seemed to think there was, "Sure." She told him hesitantly, confused by her sister's new plotting. Valerie mentioned she was playing some sort of game which Ethan also played, yet she had no clue as to what her sister was referring to at the time. She was figuring it out now. Not sure if she liked the game at all.

"Alright, tonight at seven." Ryan agreed, "I'll make it work. No, it's no problem at all, I'll make sure to pick her up."

He ended the call which Rachel took as a sign to step in, "So you're not only my date but also my ride to their place?"

"Yes, you okay with that?"

Rachel shrugged a shoulder, "I mean they didn't give us much of a choice, did they?" She then leaned forward and narrowed her eyes on him, "I feel like things are happening."

Ryan pocketed his phone and leaned closer as well, her heart skipped a beat realizing just how close they were. Anyone would misinterpret the situation, if she looked at it as a bystander she would have done the same. Yet she couldn't pull away, kept in place by those intense eyes and the fresh scent of citrus lingering around them.

"Even if they were, is it such a bad thing?"

She had no words, it was one of those times someone managed to catch her off guard completely. Ryan didn't say much, he was being vague yet she understood his words perfectly clear. The firm rejection never came from her lips though. Ryan grabbed his cup of coffee and pulled away.

"See you tonight. I'll pick you up around six, does that work for you?"

"Yeah." She muttered, watching with dazed eyes as he made his way to the door.

"Alright, see you tonight." He called over his shoulder, leaving her dazed like that.

Things were happening and she didn't put a stop to it because maybe it was indeed not such a bad thing. She'd only figure it out if she let it happen.

***

Rachel made it a point not to dress up for dinner at her sister's place, she'd view it as a casual dinner between people who cared for each other and liked to spend a nice evening together chatting about what they were up to. She knew Gabriel and Ryan rarely got the chance to hang out like that because there was no trust between Ethan and Ryan. She'd focus on that rather than this being a ploy which Gabriel and Valerie came up with to see where things could lead. It meant that they were all aware that it wasn't going the way it was planned between Ethan and her. She wasn't ready to face that truth yet, so she ignored it.

She pulled her hair up in a messy bun and pinned it to her head. She did her eyeliner, a perfect wing and kept her eyebrows looking natural. She had thrown on a pink sweater and a pair of high waisted light wash jeans, pulling her pink socks over her pant legs and throwing on a woolen gray coat. She reached for her boots, her heart racing when her phone started ringing. Ryan was already there, it was just a little over six. She quickly put on her boots, grabbed her bag and locked up the apartment heading to the elevator while answering her phone.

"I'm on my way."

"Rache?" She stopped in her tracks when Ethan's voice called out to her, "You there?"

She swallowed, "Yeah, I'm here. How are you doing, ready to come back home?"

"Definitely." He answered her firmly, "Can't wait till Monday." He chuckled, "You meeting with Valerie?"

She walked to the elevator and pushed the button, "Yeah, I'm having dinner with the newlyweds." She inhaled deeply, knowing Ethan wouldn't like it what she'd tell him next, "Ryan was also invited so it's going to be an interesting evening."

She left out the part that Ryan was kind of her date and also her ride to the newlyweds, she knew he'd lose his mind if he heard that. Ethan and his trust issues were the one thing which made him hard to deal with. Nobody was perfect though, his trust issues were his downfall.

"Of course Gabriel invites Parker over now that I'm in Boston," Ethan muttered.

"You'll never be replaced, Ethan. You're Hunter and Starr." She reminded him, "You'll always have a special place in Gabriel's heart."

He laughed, a genuine laugh which made her feel less tense and uptight, "You know the right words to my heart." He told her, "I won't be holding you up any longer, just needed to hear your voice. Have fun, Rache."

"Thanks." She smiled, "See you Monday!" She added, not wanting to end the conversation like that.

He matched her excitement, "And talk to you Saturday and Sunday."

She entered the elevator, pushing the button to the ground floor, "And you Ethan Hunter, know the right words to my heart." She told him, "Love you."

"Love you too."

She ended the call and put her phone in her pocket, feeling a lot better after talking to Ethan. She had no idea where tonight would lead her, what she did know was that she wasn't letting go of complicated and tiring because it was worth her while. With a smile she left the elevator and headed outside, spotting Ryan standing next to his car a phone in hand. He looked surprised as she approached him with a skip to her steps.

"Someone looks eager tonight."

He opened the door to the backseat for her and let her climb in first. He followed after and closed the door, telling his driver to head to Gabriel's apartment. She faced him, her whole face lit up after the conversation she had with Ethan.

"Just talked to Ethan." She told him.

"Oh, how is he doing?"

"Reassured after I told him that he has a special place in Gabriel's heart."

Ryan threw his head back and laughed, "Good to hear." He quieted down and faced her, matching her grin, "I mean for a second the thought of Ethan taking the first flight back crossed my mind."

She left out the part of her not telling Ethan about her being friendly with Ryan and him being her ride to the newlyweds' apartment. She knew that would be the reason why Ethan would take the first flight back to them. Ethan needed to wrap things up in Boston without anything in the way, so she figured it wasn't such a big deal to keep those things from him.