Chapter 143 I've Moved On
RYAN'S POV
I got downstairs and saw Tracey sitting on the couch, her legs crossed neatly at the knees, her posture relaxed like she belonged there.
“Hey,” I said as I walked toward her, my tone neutral. “What’s going on? I didn’t ask you to come over.”
She looked up at me, lips curving into a small smile that lingered a second too long. “Oh hey. Yeah, I know,” she said lightly. “I was just passing through the street, saw your mansion, and decided to come say hi.”
I stopped a few steps away from her. “Not for anything important?”
She tilted her head slightly. “Well, I consider saying hi just as important as any other thing.”
I frowned. “Why? I mean… you’ve never done this before.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Relax, Ryan. It’s just a harmless hello. Not like I’m going to do anything you wouldn’t approve of.”
“That’s exactly the point,” I replied. “I don’t approve of you coming here without my consent. What if Anna was here with me? Did you even consider that?”
She chuckled softly. “Come on, we’ve cleared up that misunderstanding.”
“That doesn’t mean you should come here unannounced, Tracey,” I said firmly. “Things are different now. I’m in a relationship with Anna. You know that.”
I noticed it then, the way her eyes rolled dramatically at the mention of Anna, subtle but unmistakable.
I narrowed my gaze slightly. “What was that?”
“What was what?” she asked quickly, smoothing her skirt as if nothing had happened.
“The eye roll,” I said. “You did it.”
She shrugged. “You’re imagining things.”
“I’m not,” I replied. “And that reaction says more than you think.”
Tracey shifted on the couch, uncrossing and recrossing her legs. “Look, I didn’t come here to argue.”
“Then why did you come?” I asked.
She hesitated, just for a moment, but it was enough.
“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” she said. “Is that a crime?”
“No,” I replied calmly. “But showing up like this isn’t appropriate anymore, come on trace, we’ve talked about all this and this isn’t the first time”
She scoffed. “Since when did we start using words like ‘appropriate’ between us?”
“Since we stopped being together,” I said bluntly.
That wiped the smile off her face.
“Wow,” she muttered. “Straight to the point.”
“I don’t like confusion,” I replied. “Especially when it involves my personal space and my relationship.”
She leaned back against the couch, arms folding loosely over her chest. “Relax Ryan you said it yourself, we've talked about all this, everything is in the past, I thought when I come you would welcome me, at least give me something to drink, but it almost sounds like you want me to leave..”
“Yes I do,” I said without hesitation. “I’m glad you were able to notice my reaction, and people usually leave when they’re no longer wanted”
She studied me closely, her eyes roaming over my face like she was searching for something familiar. “You don’t even look at me the same way anymore.”
What?
I don’t even look at her anymore?
What brought that into the conversation we were just having?
And why was she suddenly saying all this?
“That’s because things aren’t the same anymore,” I replied.
For a brief second, something flickered across her face, annoyance? Disappointment?
“You used to be warmer,” she said quietly.
“And you used to respect boundaries,” I replied just as softly.
She laughed, but it sounded forced. “So this is it? I stop by to say hello and suddenly I’m the villain?”
If Anna were to find out about this I’ll be the villain, and am trying to avoid that.
“I didn’t say that,” I said. “But I need you to understand where I stand.”
“And where exactly is that?” she asked.
“I’ve moved on,” I said. “I’m with Anna. Fully.”
Her jaw tightened. “You say her name a lot.”
“Because she matters,” I replied.
Tracey looked away, staring at the far wall. “Funny. You never used to say my name like that.”
“That’s enough,” I said firmly.
She turned back to me. “You’re acting like I’m here to seduce you or something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you?”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Excuse me?”
“You show up unannounced. You dismiss my relationship. You roll your eyes when I mention my girlfriend,” I said evenly. “Tell me what I’m supposed to think.”
She stood up abruptly. “You’re full of yourself.”
“Am I?” I asked. “Then correct me.”
She took a step closer. “I just miss the friendship we had.”
“Yeah, we were friends before we started dating, but all that ended when we had a relationship, I only speak with you as friends when I want to buy a flower bouquet from your store, just to show that there’s no awkward tension between us and we’re cool, nothing else”
She laughed bitterly. “is that so? You say that like it meant nothing.”
“It meant something,” I said. “That’s why it ended the way it did.”
I've seen all this in too many movies, read it in too many books, and I just hope Tracey isn’t trying or heading down the path that I think she’s about to go.
She stiffened. “Can’t you at least offer me a drink and let's talk?”
“I can't do that, if we were still in a relationship and you found out I was letting girls into my house so we can have a drink and talk, I know you wouldn’t like that, neither would Anna” I replied.
“You shouldn’t have come at all Tracey, to avoid all this,” I said.
She picked up her purse from the couch. “I see. So I’m not welcome anymore.”
“You’re welcome to respect my boundaries,” I said. “Nothing more.”
She paused at the doorway. “If Anna wasn’t in the picture… would you be this harsh?”
“Yes,” I answered immediately.
She nodded slowly, like she was filing that answer away. “Good to know.”
She turned and walked out without another word.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door.
That wasn’t a harmless visit.
Neither did she just come here to say hi.