Love Unscripted

He followed me back to the bar. “Before I go, I just want to make sure you’re okay.” He glanced around, determining how many people were

within earshot before continuing. “You seemed really nervous before. Are you sure things are fine? Any of his fans giving you problems? I know you

don’t have a bodyguard assigned.”

I thought about the new letter that was in my pocket and how terrified I was when I read it. I feigned a smile and lied.

“I’m okay, I swear!” I answered immediately. I knew if I told Kyle about the letters, he’d insist on protecting me. That would never fly with Ryan.

“So his fans have been leaving you alone?” Kyle questioned again.

“Yeah,” I confirmed, hoping to cast off his concern.

“Hmm, that’s good then.” He nodded oddly, appearing distracted by a group of people carrying on by the poolroom. “Well, since everything is

fine, I’m going to take off. Have a good night.” He squeezed my shoulder lightly on his way to the door.

I made Marie go to the grocery store with me Friday afternoon; I was a little afraid to go out on my own. I was growing increasingly paranoid and

leaving the building was becoming more and more frightening.

“So did you tell him?” Marie asked, buckling her seatbelt.

“Tell him what?”

“About the letters? About Kyle being in the pub last night,” she reminded me.

I stared blankly out the windshield.

“Taryn!”

“Don’t start. If I tell Ryan that Kyle was in the pub he’s going to flip out and I don’t need him flipping out on me.”

“You know he always finds out somehow. You’ll just piss him off that much quicker if you don’t tell him right away.”

I huffed. I hated that she was right. Ryan was ridiculously jealous of Kyle.

“I’m trying to keep Ryan from getting hurt, Marie!” I justified. “Kyle is a black belt. He’s a walking lethal weapon. I’m surprised Ryan even

attempted to fight him New Year’s Eve.”

“Men are so stupid.” She laughed. “Testosterone and beer… makes them feel tough.”

Horrible visions of Ryan fighting with Kyle just like he fought with that stunt actor on the set of Seaside flashed through my mind. I already saw

Ryan made up to look like he was in a fistfight and I shuddered to think of the bloodied mess Kyle would turn him into if the two of them ever went at

it for real. I had no doubt that Ryan could hold his own in a fight but Kyle was trained in self-defense. Despite Ryan’s best efforts, he didn’t stand a

chance to win that battle. I had to keep those two apart at all costs.

Unfortunately Kyle was the least of my worries. Staring me in the face in the checkout aisle was a new glossy picture of my boyfriend gazing

lovingly at his supposed rekindled love, Lauren Delaney.

The headline, in big, bold letters a

TOGETHER AGAIN!

Lauren admits, “I never stopped loving Ryan”

Those words embossed themselves to my every thought. When Thomas cheated on me I at least had the luxury of being blissfully ignorant to it,

but I felt even more demeaned to hear about it and allow the lies to continue.

“He’s back,” Marie sang her words when Kyle walked through the front door of the pub Friday night. I was surprised that Pete let him in.

I watched as Kyle slipped through the crowd on his way to the bar.

“Hey, how are you?” He smiled and nodded at me, taking the last seat left at the crowded bar.

“I’m great,” I lied. Deep down I was wondering if I made a mistake by telling him it was okay for him to come around. Kyle was safety and

danger all coiled into one.

“Two days in a row,” Marie muttered. She too was watching me out of the corner of her eye.

The cute brunette sitting next to Kyle tried to strike up a conversation but he effortlessly blew her off.

“Marie, you have to work his end of the bar. I can’t be near him.” I shook my head. “I don’t even want to talk to him. Cory, go that way.” We all

shifted.

“Did you use your phone today?” Marie questioned, giving me a stern look.

I frowned and slid a Captain and Coke to the girl waiting at the bar. I still hadn’t told Ryan about Kyle showing up.

“So what’s it like?” the girl asked as she handed me a five dollar bill to pay for her drink.

“What’s what like?” I asked, having no idea what she was referring to.

“Being with him! Ryan Christensen?” She giggled. Her girlfriend looked just as eager to hear my answer.

I pressed my lips tightly together, holding back the desire to tell her off. Her intrusive question and the complete disregard for our privacy

instantly irritated me.

“Hey...” Marie waved to the girl to come closer. “Did you ever dream about being with Ryan Christensen?”

“Hell yeah! All the time!” the girl gushed.

“Just keep dreaming then!” Marie snapped back.

“Taryn, can I talk to you a sec?” Cory motioned. I followed him into the kitchen, grateful for the distraction.

“Hey, so what’s up with that Kyle guy? Is he supposed to be here?” Cory asked.

“No, not really,” I groaned, still completely irritated by the encounter with the female customer. “I don’t know why he keeps coming around either.”

Even though I said it, I knew why Kyle was here. I pondered for a moment how different my life would be right now if I had met Kyle first. Would

some random girl be asking me what it was like to be with my boyfriend if it was Kyle in Ryan’s place?

That first day I met Ryan and he asked me if I was dating someone – what would have happened if I had said ‘yes, I am’ like I always did when

any other man asked me that same question? That would have probably been the last time I ever saw Ryan Christensen.

“Does Ryan know?” Cory questioned.

“Know what?” I asked, distracted by my thoughts.

“About Kyle being here?” he reiterated.

“Oh, no. Not yet. But I’m going to tell him,” I admitted.

“Well there are enough guys around here. We can toss him out if you want?” Cory seemed to enjoy that idea a little too much. “I’d offer, but I

don’t think I could take him on my own.”

I turned quickly when Pete came through the kitchen door.

“Taryn, I didn’t know what to do about that asshole Kyle,” Pete groaned. “I gave him shit about coming here but he said he’d be cool. Do you

want him in here or not because you know Ryan won’t like this!”

Ryan certainly had enough watchdogs looking after me. I rested my hands on my hips, unsure of what to do about it. I didn’t want any of my

friends to get hurt or worse; I didn’t do a weapons check tonight.

“I know Ryan will be angry; I haven’t told him yet that Kyle has been here. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Ryan. Please let me tell

him,” I urged.

Pete shot me an angry look.

“Pete, I don’t know what I can do about it. I own a public bar. I’m not going to call the police or anything like that. Besides, Kyle isn’t causing any

problems – probably because he knows Ryan isn’t in town.”

Pete became irritated. “I thought you made it perfectly clear to this joker the last time that he wasn’t welcome around here, and yet he keeps

showing up. Doesn’t the guy know when to quit?”

“Apparently not,” I muttered. “It’s getting a little obsessive, actually. I mean he knows I’m with Ryan. I don’t know why he keeps coming around.

Does he think I’m going to change my mind?”

I wondered for a minute why Kyle was still pursuing me. Why wasn’t I a lost cause in his book?

“Maybe he’s hoping,” Cory replied.

“Well you already have one PFA out on a whacko. You could always get one on him,” Pete suggested.

I thought about how much of a hassle it was to get a protection order and the irony of having to get one against a bodyguard whose job it was to

protect people.