Page 111 of Untying the Knot
Ryot:Since you work at night, probably phone calls in the morning, an afternoon FaceTime where you shimmy your perfect tits in front of the screen, and then we both get off, followed by texts after the game so when you get off work, you know I’ve been thinking about you.
Myla:Sounds intriguing. I can get into tit shimmy.
Ryot:Don’t make me fucking hard right now.
Ryot:I’m going to miss you, Myla. I don’t think you have any idea how incredible I think you are.
Myla:I’m going to miss you too, Bisley. Is that too soon? Too crazy?
Ryot:No idea. I’ve never felt so close to someone so quickly. I think it’s all you.
Myla:Maybe . . .
Ryot:LOL. Smart-ass.
Myla:Honestly, I’ve never felt so seen before, Ryot. Never felt treasured.
Ryot:That’s a tragedy. I need you to know that I will always treasure you as I know how rare you are.
Myla:You’ve made my day.
Ryot:You’ve made my year.
ChapterFifteen
RYOT
Present day . . .
“Dude, where’s Myla?” Banner asks as I adjust my tucked-in button-up shirt.
“Not here,” I say quietly.
“What the hell happened?”
“Can’t get into it now or I’ll have a goddamn mental breakdown.” I’m on the verge of losing it. I woke up this morning, red-eyed and devastated because last night . . . last night, I said goodbye to the love of my life. The feeling pumping through me is utter dread. Dread to move on, to take a step away from her, to allow this to happen despite me not wanting to let go. I swallow hard and say, “The excuse we’re using for her absence is that she’s visiting Nichole, who might be sick again.”
“Hold up.” Banner grips my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “That’s not the reason she’s not here, but Nichole might be sick, so I told Myla to be with her.”
“Well . . . fuck. Should I call her?”
“No, Jesus. Then she’ll know we’ve been talking about her, and you know how much Nichole hates that.”
“Right.” He sticks his hands in his pockets and stares at the floor.
“I thought things weren’t serious with you guys.”
“They’re not, and I truly mean that. They’re not at all. But she has been a part of my life on and off for years. She’s also my sister-in-law’s best friend, so there’s that.”
“Ex-sister-in-law,” I say. “As of last night.”
“What?” Banner says just as JP and Kelsey walk up to us in the lobby.
And fuck do they look happy.
Smiles are plastered across their faces, there isn’t but an inch of space between them, and love is just radiating around them. True happiness. True joy. It reminds me of how it used to be with Myla. How we would spend every free hour we had texting, talking, and being with each other. How even though we had to maneuver around busy schedules, we were each other’s number-one priority.
