I ignored him. As he bent to pick up the papers, my heart nearly stopped.
Then his phone rang. Sarah’s shrill voice pierced the air.
“Ryan, where are you? Your brother’s gone and you dare ignore me? You’re dead!”
If Ryan looked at the papers for even a second, he’d know about the baby.
But he just stuffed them back into my arms without a glance, then hurried to reassure Sarah.
“I’ll be right there. She’s drunk, I can’t leave her alone.”
Before leaving, he tried to placate me.
“Be good, honey. I booked a fireworks show to make it up to you. Go enjoy it—we’ll have our night together.”
Without waiting for my reply, he was gone.
Every time I needed Ryan, Sarah’s call would drag him away.
Too many times to count.
When I collapsed in the bathroom from acute appendicitis, Ryan Walker was busy playing video games with Sarah Lee.
When I worked late into the night with a high fever, Ryan went hiking with Sarah to watch the sunset.
When I had a kidney stone attack and my car broke down in the middle of nowhere, Ryan was accompanying Sarah to Comic-Con.
His heart and eyes were filled only with Sarah.
I used to think I could endure it, but not anymore.
I opened my phone and typed in our shared TikTok group: “Ryan Walker, we’re done.”
Hours later, the breakup message remained unread.
Just as I turned off my phone, a WhatsApp group notification popped up with a video.
Sarah and Ryan, still not done drinking, were at a Bar with friends.
Sarah lounged lazily in Ryan’s arms, the backdrop a big red banner that read: Happy Birthday to Me.
She had lost a round of Truth or Dare and was dared to kiss a man for two minutes through a rice paper sheet.
The crowd pushed Ryan toward her, and Sarah lifted her chin proudly, pretending to resist.
“No way! You want me to kiss him? Over my dead body.”
Ryan smirked at her. “If not me, then who?”
Sarah reluctantly tiptoed and hooked her arms around his neck. “Fine. Like being chewed by a pig.”
The two kissed through the paper, clinging to each other so hard they didn’t even notice when the sheet tore.
Minutes later, they rested their foreheads together, panting.
Ryan stroked her lips tenderly, with a depth I had never seen in his eyes before.
Sarah shoved him away, her lip bleeding.
“You bit me, you dog! Get lost.”
Seeing someone recording, she laughed.
“Don’t film this. If Emma sees, she’ll misunderstand again. It’s her birthday today—we promised to wish her well.”