BONUS CHAPTER 2 - BACK HOME

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* This scene takes place almost a week after Evelyn's New Year's concert in Paris when Ryan and the others have come back to Seattle. *

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" A glass of iced beer coming right up! " Tori smirked at me flirtatiously, leaning down on the bar counter in such a way that it gave me an unobstructed view of her ample chest. Coughing awkwardly, I smiled a crooked smile and averted my eyes. Why couldn't she get the hint that I had a girlfriend?

Still smirking mischievously, she leaned off the counter and walked to one of the beer dispensers at the end of the bar, her eyes trained at me the entire time. I squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze and tried to look anywhere but her.

A hand suddenly clapped at my back and I turned around a little to see my best friend smiling widely at me. My own lips lifted up into a grateful smile, " Oh good, you're finally here. " Evan laughed lightly, dropping his heavy body onto the barstool next to me and slumped his arm across my shoulder in a friendly gesture. " I see your female admirers haven't left you alone, yet. I wonder what Evie would have to say about this. " He said in a light tone eyeing Tori who was now making her way over to us with my beer in her hand.

I almost snorted at Evan's words, " Yeah, she would probably whip out her gun at them. That girl is something else. " Evan snickered along with me. " She can be scary sometimes, " he countered, his eyes twinkling with humor. " When is she coming back? " He asked and I shrugged in response, " She said she isn't sure herself. It's pretty hectic right now. " Evan nodded in understanding, " Yeah, I just don't want her to overwork herself. " I smiled and nodded, " Me too. "

" Here's your beer, Ryan. Oh hey, Evan, long time no see. S'up? " Tori put my beer glass down in front of me and leaned across the counter again to bat her lashes flirtatiously, this time at Evan. I barely held in my laughter as I saw him cringe away from her over-friendliness.

" I'm good, Tori, how're you? " Evan said after coughing a little awkwardly. She twirled the ends of her long ponytail as she skimmed her fingertips over Evan's hand who immediately withdrew it as if zapped by electricity and quickly looked around the bar nervously. That's when I saw it. More like, saw her.

Jenny stood not more than 30 feet away from us, her hazel eyes narrowed in on Tori and her hands clenched around the two glasses of drinks she was most probably carrying to one of the tables she was serving tonight. I was afraid she would smash the glasses if she squeezed any further.

I bit the inside of my cheek. It was getting harder to hold in my laughter. Evan's eyes finally landed on his girl and his entire body froze. I sucked in my lips at seeing the comical look of fear on his face as he laughed awkwardly and batted away Tori's hand. Jenny smiled a sarcastic smile at him, bowed her head dramatically, and sauntered away from the bar. She was mad. And Evan was so dead.

A gasp of laughter sputtered through my lips and Evan turned back around to shoot me a dirty look. I held my hands up in defense but still couldn't keep myself from laughing. Evan scowled, " Yeah yeah, laugh all you want fucker. You're lucky Eve isn't here yet or she would have had your head by now if she saw you flirting. " I laughed at his words and shook my head before bringing the cold beer to my lips, the silver ring on my finger clicking against the glass.

I looked at the ring for a minute. The small silver band with her initials carved on it was a reminder of her. A constant reminder that she was mine and I was hers. A reminder of all the promises I had made. All the promises she had made. A reminder of my undying devotion to her love, not that I needed to be reminded.

I smiled as the familiar feeling of warmth and happiness that I felt every time I thought of my angel flooded my body. I was so whipped.

" Who's Eve? " Tori chirped suddenly, totally ruining my moment. I scowled inwardly and lifted my head to look at her. " My girlfriend, Tori. How many times do I need to tell you? " This time it was Evan who held his laughter back.

Tori's eyes suddenly became fiery and she leaned forward a bit more. " You mean the girl you're just fucking with for now? " She asked in a mocking way and I grimaced at her words. Evan stiffened at my side but I quickly placed a hand on his arm to keep him from saying anything rude. He was too protective of his sister.

" No Tori. She's the woman I love, got it? " I spoke out in a slow deliberate voice. She smirked at my words and flicked her hair behind her shoulder. " Oh come on Ryan, she's just a girl. You'll get over her. After all, I bet she can't give you what a real woman can. " She spoke in a confident voice and I shook my head in disapproval. " You're wrong, Tori. She has everything I have ever wanted and more. " I replied even more confidently while taking a big gulp of my beer.

Irritation flashed through her eyes as she scoffed disbelieving, " Oh really. Then I want to see this woman. What does she have so special that she has you wrapped around her little finger like this? " A slow smirk spread across my face and I leaned forward on my elbow. But before I could have said anything another voice spoke up from behind me.

" Oh, I don't have him wrapped around my little finger, Missy. That's called loyalty. Maybe you should learn it too. Don't you have a husband? "

I whipped my head around as I instantly recognized that smooth soft yet confident voice. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open in surprise. " Eve? " I gasped out. She smirked at me a little and then slowly walked up to the bar counter. Placing an arm over my shoulder she leaned down to place a kiss right onto my lips. Too shocked by the events, it took me two seconds to react.

The familiar feeling of her soft warm lips on mine was heavenly. I kissed her back for a brief moment, my arm snaking around her waist and I felt her smile against my lips. But she pulled away too soon for my liking and looked back at the fiery bartender who was standing there gawking at us. " Can I get a glass of wine, please? " Evelyn asked in a sickly sweet voice and I couldn't help the chuckle that left my mouth.

Scowling just a little but still staring at Evelyn almost wistfully, Tori gulped and nodded her head before scurrying away to get my girl her drink. Evelyn sighed and stepped away from me a little, her eyes falling onto her brother nervously. Evan looked at the look of dread on Evelyn's face and burst out laughing. I could almost feel her sigh a breath of relief at seeing that he didn't skin me alive for kissing her in front of him.

" God, that was funny. You should've seen the look on Tori's face. She was completely shocked and she was so checking Eve out. I think she was deciding which one of you to have. " We both cringed a little at that. Evelyn's cheeks flushed with color as she denied that Tori could be checking her out. However, knowing that Tori swung both ways, I was cringing on the thought of her eyeing my girl like that.

Putting those thoughts aside, I made a move to ask Evelyn what she was doing here, but Jenny beat me to it. She practically dashed across the whole eating area and flung herself onto Evelyn. Evelyn's eyes widened at the sudden unexpected attack and she wobbled a little on her feet. Chuckling, I reached out to steady her at the same time as Evan reached out to keep Jenny from falling off of Evelyn's shoulders.

Gasping out a small laugh, Evelyn pulled Jenny in front of her. Giggling, Jenny threw her arms around Eve, " Oh damn I missed you so much. " That made all three of us chuckle. " We just met three days ago, Jenny. " Evelyn said in an amused voice.

Jenny pulled away from her embrace and scowled at Evelyn's words, " If you call seeing each other backstage of a concert while you were running around with Sophia prepping for the performance a meeting then our definitions are very different! " Evelyn laughed and pinched Jenny's cheeks playfully. Evan and I just sat there looking at the weird but cute interaction play out.

" I know, Jen. I'm sorry. But I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere until the tour starts so we have 4 whole months to enjoy. Sounds good enough? " She said excitedly and my eyes widened at her words. " Wait, you mean you'll be staying in Seattle? Really? " My voice probably sounded too desperate and hopeful but I didn't care. It had been too long that I had her all to myself. Her visit to LA for Christmas and then our stay in Paris hadn't exactly been.... private.

Evelyn turned to look at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes, " Why, babe? You don't want me to stay here? I mean, I'm sure I can look up some hotel nearby or I can look for an apartment or something...., " I quickly reached over and clutched her hand in mine to stop her from saying anything else. " No! I... You don't need to do that. You can stay at my place. " My ears were probably red by now, I could feel them burning. What was wrong with me?

Evan chuckled from beside me, " You don't have to do that, Ryan. She can always stay with her brother. I have a spare room, you don't. Oh wait, you do actually... Oh well, don't bother." My breath hitched at his words and I saw Evelyn's eyes widen immediately. She made a move to say something, probably to tell her brother not to bring that up, but I squeezed her hand to stop her.

Clearing my throat I let my hand drop back in my lap, " Yeah, you... you're right. Evelyn can stay over at yours. " I could almost feel her frowning at my hunched figure. Why was Clara's room such a hard topic for me still? I thought I was over that.

" Nope. I'm not gonna stay at your place, Evan. Who knows what I'll end up hearing at night. " Evelyn said, innuendo dripping from her words and I lifted my head to watch her look at her brother with a teasing look. Evan's ears turned an awkward shade of red and he coughed loudly. Jenny was equally flushed and Evelyn had a victorious smirk on her face.

She turned to look at me, " And you. You stupid jerk, where else do you think I'll stay, huh? My car and my precious guitar are still at your place. You're not getting rid of me so soon. " She walked around me and sat down in the unoccupied barstool on my other side. I didn't know how she did this, calm everyone down by just her presence, but I loved her for that even more.

" Here you go, a glass of red wine for the beautiful lady. It's on the house, love. " Tori winked at Evelyn and my eyes widened. Snaking my arms around her stiff shoulders, I narrowed my eyes at Tori. She grinned and winked at me before walking away to entertain the other patrons sitting on the far side of the counter.

Evelyn blinked blankly before turning to give me an exasperated look, " Did she just flirt with both of us? " I laughed in disbelief and shook my head, " I have no fucking idea. "

She laughed softly, lifting the glass of wine to her lips and then immediately grimacing at the taste. I chuckled, " Not a fan of wine? " She shook her head quickly, " No, I love wine. Just haven't had this brand ever. " I shot her a teasing look, " Oh, not used to cheap wine I see. " Her eyes immediately widened and a horrified look made its way across her features. I loved doing this, teasing her, and watching her skin turn that lovely delicious shade of pink right in front of my eyes.

Resisting the urge to throw her across my shoulder and take her home right now, I shifted in my seat and waited for the stammered apology I knew was coming. " Ryan, I... I didn't... m-mean it like that. " Ah, there it was. I chuckled before leaning forward to kiss the smooth warm skin of her cheek.

" Why are you so adorable, Sunflower? Calm down, I was just kidding. " She relaxed in my arms and sighed then turned to shoot me a glare, " You alway do that! " I laughed lightly as she nudged my shoulder playfully. " You never told me how did you come here today? " I asked while twirling the ice cubes floating in my half-empty beer glass. " Nothing, we just wrapped up early and I skipped going back to New York and came here instead."

I looked at her with a frown on my forehead, " You didn't go back to New York? But today was- " " Stop, Ryan. I don't want to talk about that. " She cut me off harshly and I quickly shut up. I should have known better. Bringing up her parent's anniversary wasn't a great idea, she was still not ready to face that.

Placing a gentle hand on her back, I rubbed slow soothing circles in an attempt to make her feel better, " I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have brought that up. " She sighed, " No, it's... I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped like that either. " I smiled at her and placed a chaste kiss on her temple, " Don't beat yourself about it, Eve. It'll take time but it'll be okay. " She nodded and looked at me gratefully, " Thank you, Ry. "

A small mischievous smile made its way across her lips and I cocked my head to one side, trying to decipher the look, " What's that look for? " A cute little giggle fell out of her mouth as her eyes glinted with amusement and my heart skipped a beat at the sight. Why was she so fucking beautiful?

" The first time we sat here on the bar like this, you were a stranger to me and I was too intoxicated to even sit properly or remember anything the next morning. " Her words brought me out of the staring trance I was trapped in and I chuckled, shifting in my seat a little, " Good observation, Miss Johnson. The difference though is that you weren't sipping wine that day. "

She laughed and took another sip of her wine, " Really? What was I downing then? " I smirked knowing she wouldn't like the answer I was about to give her, " Good old Spirytus with a little bit of whisky. I was impressed with how specific your order was. "

Just like I had anticipated, her nose scrunched up in the most adorable way, " Ew, no wonder I blacked out. Why the fuck didn't you stop me? " I laughed, " I tried to, but you shot me your world-famous deathly glare. I wasn't as experienced at dodging that as I am now. " She bit her bottom lip to stop the smile that was trying to stretch her lips upwards and narrowed her eyes at me in mock threat. A few months earlier I might have been a little thrown off by that glare but now I just found it cute.

Curling my hand around her chin, I caressed her bottom lip gently and then pulled it away from between her teeth, my eyes locked onto hers the whole time. Her breath hitched as she almost unconsciously darted her tongue out to wet her lips. I gritted my teeth and reminded myself that her brother was sitting right behind me busy doing whatever he was doing with his girlfriend because I knew full well that a part of his attention was still on us.

I needed a distraction. Right now.

Feeling Eve's gaze still lingering on me, I turned around in my chair and motioned for Tori to bring me another drink. I needed it. Evelyn laughed lightly, understanding what I was doing, and wrapped her hands around my arm. I looked down at her as she laid her head on my shoulder, placing a feathery kiss right under my jaw. I smiled automatically at the feeling which in turn made her smile.

" I've been wanting to do something for a long time, you know, " I frowned at her and gestured for her to continue her request. Smiling a cheeky smile at me, she said, " Do you know how to play pool? Remember that day when you first brought me here and we met Jack, I had wanted to challenge you to a game. " I smirked at her, " Ahh, you're challenging the wrong person babe. I'm a pro at that game. "

Her eyebrow shot up in excitement and she quickly sat up in her seat, " Then let's go play. I know I'll beat your ass at it. " I scoffed, " Oh please. " She giggled and slipped off her stool. I turned on mine to face her, a stupid grin on my face. " Evan! Ryan and I are gonna have a pool challenge, mind being the judge? " She asked looking at brother. Evan scoffed and threw his arm around my shoulder, " I love you sis, but you're so going down. Ryan's a pro. "

Evelyn's eyes widened and I threw my head back with laughter. " What the fuck? You're my brother, Evan! " Chuckling I pulled my pouting angel in my arms and kissed her cheek fondly, " Aww babe. He's my best friend first though." She narrowed her eyes at me playfully and I grinned at her innocently. " Alright Mr. Cocky-ass, the game's on. " " Oh, is it? " I asked in an amused voice and she scoffed, " Hell yeah. "

Evan and I laughed as the two girls sauntered away from us towards the pool table. " Call up the twins, Ryan. This is gonna be fun. " I smirked at him and pulled out my phone to call the twins.

This indeed was gonna be fun.

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• Author's note •

Haha, I'm loving writing these bonus chapters, and also I enjoyed writing from Ryan's point of view after so long. This one is not over yet and will have a follow-up chapter coming soon so wait for it.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it :) If you did please leave a vote and comment.

Much love as always

M :)

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