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18 Mayıs 2023, 00:45
The night after meeting Ryan's parents, Brody was playing pool with Drew, Bax, and Tolya at an Arlington sports bar. He took his shot, missed, and stepped back for Drew, and told them about the dinner. "Her dad asks me if I ever played football, because obviously he thinks that's the only sport worth playing." Brody shook his head. "Jesus. So there I am, trying to find a nice to way to say, no, I didn't want to play the sport that he's obsessed with." "Did he ask you about your intentions towards his daughter?" Bax elbowed him. "Would have been my first question." "You mean you would have let him in the door?" Drew joked and Bax laughed. "Come on, Brody. So her dad's a big football fan, so what?" "I'm telling you guys, it was like the Twilight Zone meets Leave It to Beaver." Brody took a swig of beer and leaned his cue stick against the wall. "Her dad takes me into the den, and there's these two huge cabinets, all glass, you know?" He gestured with his hands to indicate their size. "They must have kept every single award her brothers ever got and put them in there. " "Well, is that so bad?" Drew stood back for Bax to take his turn. "I mean lots of people keep stuff like that." "Not like this." Brody shook his head. "I mean, everything. Those participation certificates they give you when you're six years old. Box scores from the newspapers. Old jerseys and helmets." "Could have been worse," said Bax. "Could have kept the jock straps." They all laughed at that. Bax took his turn and stepped aside so Tolya could take his. "And then, oh, man." Brody waited while Tolya shot. "Her dad took me upstairs to show me stuff they hadn't put downstairs. It was incredible, and I don't mean that in a good way. No parents should keep that much stuff." Drew laughed. "You're just jealous." "Bite me." Brody studied the table, sank his first shot and missed the next, Ataşehir escort bayan (http://atasehir.t2bro.net/) then made room for Drew. "And her mom. Don?t get me wrong, she's very sweet. Can't make spaghetti sauce worth a damn, though, and she bought the cheesecake. Anyway, she's like some kind of Stepford wife. It was all 'isn't that right, Jim?' and 'Jim doesn?t like that, do you, Jim?'" He shuddered. "Very creepy. "I tell you guys, now that I've met them, it's no wonder Ryan doesn't talk to them much. They are bizarre. Nice enough, but bizarre." "Just think," Bax said as he lined up, "her mom probably has you lined up as a future son-in-law. Maybe they can put your awards in there, too." "Bax, that is so not funny." Brody gave him a pained look. "Especially since you're not likely to win any," Drew said, and laughed at Brody's glare. x-x-x-x "You okay?" Lara poked her head into Ryan's room. Hard, heavy music stomped out of the speakers. "Yeah, fine. Why?" Ryan looked up from her notebook and turned the music down. While Brody was out with his teammates, she was trying to get a handle on preparing for the tour. Since coming back from dinner the night before, she'd been in a lousy mood so she hadn't even bothered working on any songs. "How did dinner go last night?" "Swell. They thought he was great." "Well, that's good, isn't it?" Ryan shrugged. "Better than the alternative, I guess. I should have sent him alone, I doubt they would have missed me." Lara pushed the door open and stepped in. "It couldn?t have been that bad. Did they yell at you or something?" "No, although you should have heard them with the tour. What about your job? What about your apartment?" Ryan snorted. "I don't know why I thought I'd get anything resembling a congratulations. I seem to have a blind spot that way." "You know it doesn't matter, Ry. You're really Escort Ümraniye (http://umraniye.t2bro.net/) good at what you do. We are really good at what we do, or they wouldn't have taken us on the tour." "I know, I know." Ryan nodded. "It was just annoying. Even a little embarrassing. I bet if one of Brody's siblings said something like that, their parents would throw a party." "Well, that's why we have Mitch's mom." Lara grinned. "She'll throw us a party and we'll have all kinds of fun." "Yeah, we will." Ryan forced a smile. "Speaking of moms, I'm headed over to see mine now. Do you want to come? Female bonding time and all that?" "No, thanks. I'm not good company right now, I don't think." "Okay. Call me if you change your mind." "I will, thanks." Ryan stared at her notebook and heard Lara leave. She envied the close relationship Lara had with her mother. Ryan had never been close with her own. She shook her head, turned up her music and focused on making lists in her notebook. x-x-x-x On Sunday, Brody rubbed his hand over his face as he went down to get the mail that he'd forgotten the day before. It was almost lunch time, and he wondered whether Ryan had eaten. Stupid question, he thought. From what he'd learned, Ryan didn't eat on a terribly regular schedule. "Hey, Brody." He looked up from the mailbox. "Hi, Lara. How's it going?" "Good, and you?" "Not bad. Hey, Ryan told me about the tour. Congratulations. I think it's fantastic; you guys will blow them away." "Thanks." She nodded and gave him a tentative look. "Say, do you know if anything is up with Ryan? Any problems at her parents?" "No, why? I haven't had a chance to talk to her since then; we've been playing phone tag." "She's in a snit. She's been listening to her angry music." "Angry music?" He had to smile. "The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, groups like that. She likes Bostancı escort (http://bostanci.t2bro.net/) to think I don't notice, but I do." Lara made a face. "You have no idea how many times I had to listen stuff like that in high school and college after something would happen with her family." "Is she home now?" Lara rolled her eyes. "She was in full brooding mode when I left, with musical accompaniment, and I have no reason to think it's changed." "I gather forewarned is forearmed?" "I'd hate to send anyone in there unprepared." "Much appreciated. Should I put my pads on?" Lara laughed. "I don't think it's that bad. But listen, can I give you some advice about Ryan?" "I'm a guy. When it comes to women, we need all the advice we can get. That's what my sister says." Lara smiled. "Ryan keeps a lot of things to herself. I have the best-friend connection, and I know the music cues, so I know when she's upset. I gave you the heads-up this time, but I won't always be around to tell you." "See, it's a girl thing, I knew it." He shook his head in mock frustration. "We men have no chance." x-x-x-x Ryan stared at the keyboard and it stared back. She hated when she was like this, so upset and frustrated that she couldn't work on her music. She'd been in a bad mood since the dinner at her parents' house. Not just because of her parents and the way they'd handed her that box, as though they wanted to erase any indication of her. Okay, she would admit she might be overreacting there, but that's what it felt like. They kept every freaking thing her brothers had ever received, but nothing she did was good enough. They reminded her of that every time she saw them, which made her wonder why she kept trying. She'd been telling herself for so long that she didn't need or want her parents' approval, and most days she believed it. Then something would happen, and she realized she did want it, and it ticked her off. She was also mad at Brody's reaction, or lack thereof. How could he not see how hurt she was? Because I'm such a good actress, she thought with a bitter laugh. She didn't like that either; she did not like to think she was one of those women who expected her boyfriend to read her mind.