Finding Forever

Chapter 14

I've never travelled by ferry boat before. The ride passes in a blur of ocean, warm winds, strong coffee and Liam at my side, his arm wrapped around my waist as we watch the bay disappear from the bow.

Jayce leads the way off the ferry boat, bypassing restaurants and shops and toward an area called "Fun Zone," where an arcade is inside a building beside an enormous Ferris Wheel and other amusement park rides. As we wait in line to purchase arcade tokens, I can't help but watch Ryan and Tiffany ahead of us in line. She laughs at everything he says like he's the most amusing person in the world and slides her arm around his elbow, tugging him closer to her side. He glances back once to get a good look at me and Liam but says nothing before redirecting his attention to Tiffany.

Something is off between us. Ryan is not his usual teasing and smiley self. You'd think he'd be beaming from ear to ear after the fun-filled day he had paddle-boarding with Tiffany, Kale, and Sophia.

I'm still annoyed that he neglected to extend an invitation my way. He always includes me. Tiffany better not be whispering in his ear to try and persuade him to ditch out on me like she attempted to in the past when they were together. The thought of Ryan listening to her caddy murmurs makes my skin crawl, and an unbearable heat travels from my toes up to my face. I take a deep breath, resisting the urge to grab the first Whack-A-Mole hammer I can find to knock Tiffany in the head.

"Yay for carnival games," Tiffany exclaims as we walk into the arcade. Dimly lit and full of flashing lights and noise, I stuff my tokens into my purse, trying to calm my breathing, only to see Ryan watching me. I swear by the slight smirk on his face; he must be able to read my thoughts.

"Will you win me a big-ass teddy bear?" Maisie smiles at Jayce.

"I'll try my best, babe," he laughs.

"Think you could use your big arms to win me something too?" Sophia winks at Kale.

"Hell yeah," Kale says, smacking her ass. "I'll win you the biggest stuffy in this place."

Sophia giggles and kisses his cheek. They take off together in pursuit of roller ball while Maisie and Jayce break away to a game of Pac-Man. Leaving me, Liam, Ryan and Tiffany huddled together awkwardly.

"What are you starting with, mate?" Liam asks Ryan.

Ryan shrugs, "I don't know. Maybe Basketball Toss." He smiles over at me, mischief twinkling behind his dark eyes. "What do you think, Jonesy?"

He's challenging me and playing into my competitive spirit. He knows Basketball Toss is my favourite game and will occupy me for hours in an arcade. Last semester, we spent an entire night at Dave and Buster's in front of Basketball Toss. One monetary bet after another rolled into the best two out of three, then the best five out of seven and so on, before a crowd of unfamiliar faces formed around us to see who would take home the championship. Ryan ended up winning - by fluke - like he usually does. He has horseshoes up his ass to make up for his lack of talent. Not only did I owe him one hundred dollars, but I also had to buy him a pitcher of beer and a pound of wings and then kiss him on the cheek in front of everyone and say, 'You are the most amazing human on the planet.'

To say I want redemption would be an understatement.

I playfully glared at him before saying, "I think you're a pompous ass that thinks because they lucked out last time at Basketball Toss, you can beat me."

Ryan laughs his heartiest full-bellied laugh, eyes sparkling in my direction. "That wasn't luck, sweetheart. That was pure skill. But if that's what you need to tell yourself to sleep at night..." his voice trails off into a chuckle.