Lindsay picked up my phone and scrolled through to find Ryan’s text.
“Not here. I can’t listen. Go in the bathroom. And turn the water on so I can’t hear anything.” Lindsay gave me a sympathetic smile and went into the bathroom. I was hoping she would be back out soon, meaning the video was short. But as the minutes went by, I grew more and more anxious. I sat huddled on my bed, hugging my legs to my chest with my head on my knees. As more minutes passed the tears started falling, and that’s how Wyatt found me. I didn’t even hear him knock, or maybe he didn’t. But suddenly I felt his arms around me.
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” I just shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. “Is it me? Did I do something? Taryn, please talk to me.” His voice broke and my heart nearly did as well. I raised my head to see his eyes full of pain and confusion. I threw my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap. “No no no, Wyatt. It’s not you. I can’t tell you what’s wrong right now, but please, trust me when I say it’s not you.” Before he had a chance to reply Lindsay came out of the bathroom, and I could tell by her expression and the length of time she had been in there, that the video covered everything that happened by the pool.
I kissed Wyatt and whispered, “I need to talk to Lindsay. But I meant it Wyatt.” He framed my face with his hands and kissed me tenderly before getting up to leave the room. “You can talk to me about anything. Trust me, Taryn.” I could only nod as my eyes filled with tears again.
Lindsay set my phone down on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed to give me a hug. “It shows everything, Taryn. From the time you came outside until you both went back in.” Lindsay hopped back up to pace the floor in the same path I had been walking all night, and I flopped backwards and stared at the ceiling.
“What a fucking asshole! How the hell did he get that footage? He must have put a camera out there when he was here with you.” Lindsay spun around as she realized what I had already thought of. “What if there are other cameras here ? In here?” She said harshly.
“I know. I already thought about that. What am I going to do?”
“I think you need to tell Wyatt, and let him take care of it.” I sat straight up. “No way. He would kill Ryan.” She shrugged and gave me a look that said ‘so what’.
“As much as I would like to see that, I don’t want him involved in this. Ryan is my problem. We’re going to that fundraiser and I’m going to try and talk Ryan out of whatever it is he has planned.” Lindsay put her hands on her hips. “And how exactly are you going to talk Wyatt into letting you go to there. There’s no way he’ll be down with that.” I sighed, “He’s not the boss of me, Lindsay. Besides, if my parents are going, then it’s only natural that I would go too.”
I broached the subject of the Mayor’s fundraiser at breakfast, and I could feel Wyatt’s eyes on me but I refused to look at him. “Dad, are you guys going to the Mayor’s fundraiser dinner thing tonight?” I asked while pushing my food around on my plate. Ryan and the video had effectively wiped out my appetite. My dad lowered the paper he was reading and took a sip of coffee. “Yes, sweetheart. Your mother and I are planning to go.”
I bit my lip and then decided to get this over with. “Can I go too?” My mom look ed up at me surprised. “Of course, Taryn. You are always welcome to go with us. Your father and I just assumed you wouldn’t want to go because of Ryan…” She trailed off uncomfortably. I waved my hand dismissively, “It’s not that big of a deal…”
Lindsay interrupted me, “It’s really me that wants to go Aunt Rebecca. There’s this guy, a friend of Ryan’s that I really like. He’ll be there tonight and
“Not here. I can’t listen. Go in the bathroom. And turn the water on so I can’t hear anything.” Lindsay gave me a sympathetic smile and went into the bathroom. I was hoping she would be back out soon, meaning the video was short. But as the minutes went by, I grew more and more anxious. I sat huddled on my bed, hugging my legs to my chest with my head on my knees. As more minutes passed the tears started falling, and that’s how Wyatt found me. I didn’t even hear him knock, or maybe he didn’t. But suddenly I felt his arms around me.
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” I just shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. “Is it me? Did I do something? Taryn, please talk to me.” His voice broke and my heart nearly did as well. I raised my head to see his eyes full of pain and confusion. I threw my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap. “No no no, Wyatt. It’s not you. I can’t tell you what’s wrong right now, but please, trust me when I say it’s not you.” Before he had a chance to reply Lindsay came out of the bathroom, and I could tell by her expression and the length of time she had been in there, that the video covered everything that happened by the pool.
I kissed Wyatt and whispered, “I need to talk to Lindsay. But I meant it Wyatt.” He framed my face with his hands and kissed me tenderly before getting up to leave the room. “You can talk to me about anything. Trust me, Taryn.” I could only nod as my eyes filled with tears again.
Lindsay set my phone down on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed to give me a hug. “It shows everything, Taryn. From the time you came outside until you both went back in.” Lindsay hopped back up to pace the floor in the same path I had been walking all night, and I flopped backwards and stared at the ceiling.
“What a fucking asshole! How the hell did he get that footage? He must have put a camera out there when he was here with you.” Lindsay spun around as she realized what I had already thought of. “What if there are other cameras here ? In here?” She said harshly.
“I know. I already thought about that. What am I going to do?”
“I think you need to tell Wyatt, and let him take care of it.” I sat straight up. “No way. He would kill Ryan.” She shrugged and gave me a look that said ‘so what’.
“As much as I would like to see that, I don’t want him involved in this. Ryan is my problem. We’re going to that fundraiser and I’m going to try and talk Ryan out of whatever it is he has planned.” Lindsay put her hands on her hips. “And how exactly are you going to talk Wyatt into letting you go to there. There’s no way he’ll be down with that.” I sighed, “He’s not the boss of me, Lindsay. Besides, if my parents are going, then it’s only natural that I would go too.”
I broached the subject of the Mayor’s fundraiser at breakfast, and I could feel Wyatt’s eyes on me but I refused to look at him. “Dad, are you guys going to the Mayor’s fundraiser dinner thing tonight?” I asked while pushing my food around on my plate. Ryan and the video had effectively wiped out my appetite. My dad lowered the paper he was reading and took a sip of coffee. “Yes, sweetheart. Your mother and I are planning to go.”
I bit my lip and then decided to get this over with. “Can I go too?” My mom look ed up at me surprised. “Of course, Taryn. You are always welcome to go with us. Your father and I just assumed you wouldn’t want to go because of Ryan…” She trailed off uncomfortably. I waved my hand dismissively, “It’s not that big of a deal…”
Lindsay interrupted me, “It’s really me that wants to go Aunt Rebecca. There’s this guy, a friend of Ryan’s that I really like. He’ll be there tonight and
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