Boys and Girls, Part III: Can't Stay Away

Chapter 4 – Just Friends

Surgery had just commenced a few hours earlier, but the after-effects of the anesthetic still made Ryan groggy and grumpy. He wanted to be alone, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Jacy that. Everyone else was at the football game that NMU was playing against UCLA. Jason and the gang would come by later, but Ryan hoped that maybe they’d find something better to do.

Because Jacy was driving him nuts. She kept singing, and even though she had the most beautiful voice, Ryan could only listen to show tunes for so long before wanting to shoot himself. She wasn’t singing to entertain either – that would’ve been weird; Jacy was just singing to herself as she read Newsweek, but Ryan could still make out every little word she uttered through song.

As Jacy hit a particularly high note singing “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music, Ryan decided that enough was enough.

“Jacy?”

She stopped and looked up from the magazine. “Oh, you’re awake?”

“Yeah, I’m awake,” he answered all groggily. “Could you…uh…

She regarded him seriously.

“…stop singing?”

“Oh,” she answered slowly. “Sorry.”

Ryan sighed. He was such a pussy. “You have a very beautiful voice, Jacy, but I’m just in a really bad way right now, and –

“It’s okay,” Jacy interrupted, smiling. “I should’ve been more sensitive toward your recovery.” She giggled. “Sheesh, you don’t have to look so ashamed for wanting peace and quiet, Ryan. You just got your knee cut up not five hours ago.”

Ryan managed a smile and remembered why he liked Jacy so much. “Thanks.”

Jacy put the magazine down, and got up from her seat. “I’m actually kind of hungry. Did you need anything?”

“To eat?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah,” Jacy answered.

“I don’t think I can keep anything down right now, Jacy, but thanks anyway.”

Jacy smiled and quietly left the room.

She had been gone no longer than twenty seconds when a knock sounded at the door. Ryan sighed. “Yes?”

“Ryan?” a familiar voice inquired.

Ryan wasn’t completely conscious, but he recognized that stream of silky jet-black hair right away. It was Ailani.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she answered quietly, pulling the door open. Ryan peered past her, hoping that Navy Man hadn’t tagged along. He hadn’t, thank God.

Today, Ailani was looking stunning in a green tube top and a denim skirt with silver sandals on her feet.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like hell,” Ryan grumbled. Although his mood brightened considerably at the sight of his hot crush.

“NMU won.”

Ryan was too groggy to know how to react to the news, but he uttered a half-assed “great” anyway. He stared at Lani closely, realizing that her violet eyes were looking directly at his knee. He shifted self-consciously, and Lani’s head snapped back up.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s okay,” he answered. He tried to mask his discomfort by changing the subject. “You missed Jacy.”

“No, I saw her,” she responded. “She was in a mad dash somewhere, so I assumed she was headed to either the washroom or the cafeteria.”

Ryan chuckled. He didn’t want to mention he-who-must-not-be-named but figured it was the polite thing to do. And since he was hopped up on painkillers, Ryan figured now was the best time to address the painful.

“Where’s the sailor?”

“At the apartment. We just came from lunch,” she answered.

“Sleeping off the calories?” he asked jokingly.

“No, I told him to stay,” Lani responded in all seriousness.

Ryan didn’t say anything for a long time. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, I wasn’t ready to deal with you being all ‘Mary Sunshine’ if he had come with,” she answered. “I know how much you like him and all,” she added sarcastically.

“I’m on so much shit right now,” Ryan responded. “I could’ve handled it.”

Lani just laughed. God he loved that sexy laugh of hers. “Well, let’s just say I’m trying to ease you into liking Hunter.”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “You’re the boss.”

Lani’s smile eventually faded and she regarded Ryan a little more severely than he was comfortable with. “Look Ryan. I hope that by doing this we could work toward becoming better –

“Don’t say it,” he groaned.

“- friends,” she continued. “And I eventually want to be able to bring Hunter.”

“Bring him now. I don’t care,” Ryan grumbled, his mood suddenly shifting.

“But I want you to want him here,” Lani pleaded.

“Not gonna happen,” he countered. “If you’re just visiting me in the hopes of my giving the green light to bring over your boyfriend, don’t hold your breath.”

“Why are you being so stubborn?”

“Did we not already have this conversation?” Ryan fired out. “Look, if the price of seeing you by yourself is eventually seeing you and him together, then I’ll have to pass on your visits all together, sweetheart.”

Lani regarded Ryan with exasperation. “I’ll be here with or without Hunter, Ryan.” She sighed. “Okay…if you don’t want to see Hunter, that’s fine. We’ll work around it. He’ll be gone after first semester anyway.”

Ryan groaned. “You mean he’s here until December?”

Lani gave him a warning look. “Do you want him to stay through spring semester because I can arrange that?"

Ryan shut up.

“You won’t ever have to see him, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” he answered, satisfied.

“But…”

“But what?” Ryan asked cautiously.

“You act nicer to me,” she ordered.

“Okay,” he agreed.

“And you at least let me talk about Hunter,” she added.

“Fine,” he bit out a tad more reluctantly.

“And you finish all your homework and study extra hard for your exams,” she finished.

What the hell? “Excuse me? What does that have to do with anything?"

Lani regarded Ryan with concern. “Football might not be a viable career option for you now, Ryan. I’m going to help you through the physical therapy along with everyone else – I’m a kinesiology major, remember? But I want you to try hard and really earn your Bachelor’s degree. It’s gonna help you out a lot.”

Ryan didn’t particularly enjoy being bossed around by Ailani, but he was happy that she cared so damn much to be ordering him around in the first place
.
“All right,” he answered at last. He leveled his intense gray eyes at Lani and finally understood why she was so good at everything she tried. Ailani Bennett was a born fighter. She might not always have to win, but Lani was the type of person who admired trying one’s best. It was a very attractive quality, and in his current state, Ryan needed Lani’s encouragement and persistence more than ever.

“So I’ll visit you and help you out. You be civil and pleasant, and I’m sure things will work out for the best.”

Ryan hesitated. “Uh…aren’t you like super busy with the ten billion other things going on in your life right now?”

Lani regarded Ryan curiously. “Like what?”

“Like…I don’t know…like volleyball and stuff?”

“Oh,” she answered, as if finally realizing what Ryan meant, “well, I quit.”

His jaw dropped. “You what?”

“I quit,” she repeated.

“W-w-wha-when?” Ryan stammered.

“A few days ago,” she answered casually.

“Why?”

“Because this is more important.”

“What is?” Ryan asked densely.

“Making sure you get better,” she answered.

Oh sweet Jesus, if he hadn’t already been so much in love with her, Ryan was pretty sure this was the moment that he would have realized it. Lani was giving up something she loved to help him out? What kind of person made a sacrifice like that – particularly someone he hadn’t treated so nicely in recent weeks?

“Now why would you do that?”

“Because we’re friends.”

That stupid ‘f’ word again. That wasn’t the ‘f’ word that Ryan wanted popping into his head when he thought of Lani and himself together.

“Volleyball’s just volleyball, Ryan. I do it to keep myself busy, but doing this is actually productive. You heal, and I get to help you out. We both win…don’t you think?”

As Ryan’s gaze lingered on Lani’s tanned and fit body, he couldn’t have agreed more. But his brows furrowed with worry. “Won’t you lose your scholarship if you stop playing?”

Lani looked confused. “Why would I need to play volleyball to keep my scholarship?”

“Well,” Ryan explained, “if I quit playing football, I would lose my scholarship, and –

“I don’t have an athletic scholarship, Ryan,” Lani interrupted.

Ryan looked stunned. “Well, what the hell kind of scholarship do you have?”

“I got an academic scholarship,” she explained. “You’re looking at the valedictorian of Manoa High’s class of ’04.”

God, was there anything this chick couldn’t do? Ryan was seriously impressed. “Well, I guess that settles it, then.”

Lani extended her hand. “Shake on it?”

Ryan smiled and accepted her hand. Her fingers were long and graceful, and it felt good to hold them in his large hands. Perhaps he had let the handshake linger a little too long. Lani slowly pulled her fingers away, looking uncomfortable.

“So I guess I’ll stop by tomorrow?”

“I guess you will,” Ryan answered, staring directly into her violet eyes.

“Umm…bye, Ryan,” she answered moving for the door. Ryan waved. Just as Lani was about to turn the door handle, it opened. Jacy’s head lifted in surprise.

“Oh, you’re leaving already?”

“Yeah,” Lani replied almost apologetically. “I’m coming back tomorrow though.”

“Okay,” Jacy answered. Jacy stepped inside, and Lani left. The expression on Jacy’s face was a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. She looked directly at Ryan.

“Did I miss something?”

Ryan looked right back, and put on his best poker face. “Nope.”

****

Lani walked into an empty apartment. After Lani had requested that Hunter not follow her to visit Ryan, Hunter had agreed to tour North Mission instead. Lani couldn’t help but feel guilty about neglecting her boyfriend. Hunter was taking Ryan’s unwillingness to compromise like a real trooper, and Lani felt like she should reward him by being a better girlfriend than she was being right now.

She stripped and walked into her shower stall. The warm water felt good as it pounded her skin. As steam rose all around her, Lani’s thoughts drifted back to Ryan and his shattered dreams. In the grand scheme of things, Lani knew that giving up volleyball was no sacrifice at all. As an athlete, Lani knew how quickly lifelong dreams could be shattered because of an injury. A busted knee to a football player spelled disaster, and even though Lani had heard many success stories of athletes recovering enough to play again, Ryan was especially vulnerable because he was a college athlete in transition.

Without a contract, Ryan was still just a college player. He had no real power. With an injury like the one he had, no one in his/her right mind would want to sign him. Forget all the wins he had contributed to during his first three years at NMU; Ryan Mackey was a lost cause now, and it broke Lani’s heart.

She wanted him to succeed in spite of his injury. Since he probably wouldn’t ever be the same football player he used to be, Lani hoped that he’d direct some of his drive toward school. She knew that Ryan was a smooth talker, and that he could succeed in anything he put his mind to; that’s what made him such a great football player, after all.

Hot water rolled down in slow rivulets, and the steam continued to rise around Lani. Her mind drifted back to the way Ryan had stared at her so intensely and the way he had caressed her hands when he thought she hadn’t noticed. But she had.

And something had ignited within her during that subtle, chaste caress of her hands. She couldn’t begin to describe it, but she knew it was something she needed to be wary of.

It was then that Lani made a vow to herself. If she was going to continue meeting and helping Ryan, there would be no touching between them. It always opened a can of worms and caused too many problems. She would have to think of Ryan Mackey as a friend and nothing more. She’d help him. Hopefully he’d thank her. And that would be the end of that.

It just had to be.

****

A/N: I know, I know...Lani sounds too good to be true, but I promise that she's got her issues too. Keep those reviews and comments coming!