Chapter 10

"Are you sure about this?"

Emily was currently sitting in a plush chair at the hair salon, and from where I was standing behind her, I could see her hands clenching the arm rests firmly, the tips of her fingers turning white as she did so.

She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "I'm sure."

A few days ago I had mentioned to Emily that I was planning to get a haircut soon, as I was in desperate need of a short trim, and asked if she knew any good hair salons. It turned out that not only did she not know of any hair salons, she had also made the split second decision to dye her naturally brown hair a rich, deep purple.

I was shocked at first, but after being shown numerous pictures of the hairstyle that she wanted, I conceded, that although it was out of the box, the style actually fit her creative personality.

The next thing I knew the two of us were scouring the Internet for the closest hair salon, which happened to be on the top floor of the local mall, and booking our appointments.

I had already had my hair trimmed and was quite happy with the way it'd turned out. The hair stylist hadn't done much, only taken a few inches off the ends, but it already looked a lot healthier than it had been.

"I can't believe you're actually doing it," Colette noted, bouncing Abbie up and down on her knee as they sat on one of the free chairs. Her parents had given her the weekend off, and I thought it wouldn't hurt inviting her along on our 'girls days out'. "If I ever have the urge to dye my hair, I always wimp out at the last minute."

"Not helping," Emily said tightly, her teeth clenched as her shoulders tensed.

"Sorry," Colette apologized sheepishly, turning her attention to Abbie as she held out her phone, introducing the three year old to a few games to pass the time.

Turning back to Emily, I put my hands on her shoulders to ease some of the tension. "You know you don't have to do this right?"

"But I want to," she replied softly, wringing her hands together in front of her, "My nerves are just all over the place."

Before I could ask her anything further the hair stylist returned from the back, looking happy to see Emily seated in her chair. "So," she started, looking down at Emily with a kind smile on her face, "Are we ready to get started?"

Awaiting her reply, I saw Emily nod her head slightly, taking a deep breath as she replied. "Let's do this."

Twenty minutes later her hair was washed and trimmed as the stylist mixed the hair dye in a small jar. Pulling on a pair of gloves, the hair stylist dipped the end of her brush in the dye, picking up a small chunk of Emily's hair before lathering it from root to tip in the purplish substance.

"Well, there's no going back now," I stated, offering her an encouraging smile as I sat next to Colette and Abbie, watching and waiting for Emily's hair to be finished.

Emily smiled tentatively back at me through the mirror, breathing calmly as another piece of her brown hair was covered in dye.

"Don't worry darling," the hair stylist said encouragingly, "This colour is going to look absolutely gorgeous on you, just you wait."

"Let's hope so," Emily muttered, "But how about you guys try to get my mind off it."

"Umm... okay," I replied hesitantly, glancing to see if Colette had any ideas. With a shake of her head, I tried to scrounge up anything that I could. "How's your job going at the art gallery? Anything exciting happening?"

Emily rolled her eyes at my useless attempt at making conversation. "It's fine, but nothing's really exciting there unless new pieces come in," she replied. "What about you; how's your job?"

Her tone was teasing, as though she knew something that I didn't. "Good," I trailed, raising an eyebrow wondering where this was going, "Why?"

"You're the one who brought the topic up in the first place," she pointed out.

"She's right you know," Colette added in, joining the conversation as Abbie immersed herself into a matching game on her phone.

"Anyways, you're saying the café's just good?" Emily repeated teasingly. I nodded warily, confused as to what she was thinking. "What, has your boy toy not been dropping by to see you enough?"

And there it was. She'd brought the conversation around to somehow focus on Ryan and I, like she'd done numerous times over the past few weeks.

"Oh trust me, he's been stopping by," Colette cut in, a smirk growing on her lips. "Almost every day she's working he's there ordering a drink or waiting for her to go on break." Emily's eyes widened at this information. "He even drops by when she's not even there, trying to play it off like he's just in the mood for a coffee, but I still see his eyes searching the store for hints of our little Zoe."

I threw a glare towards Colette. "Shut up," I mumbled embarrassedly, "He doesn't come that often."

"Oh yes he does."

"I still can't believe neither of you have made a move yet," Emily stated, and when she saw my reflection through the mirror, she continued, "And don't even try to say that you don't want something more from him."

"We're friends," I mumbled non-convincingly as my cheeks started to colour.

"Friends don't buy each other necklaces like that," Emily pointed out, referring to the green emerald that was currently hung around my neck. "And I know for a fact you haven't taken that thing off since he gave it to you."

"Wait, wait, wait," Colette said, looking between the two of us before she focused her gaze on the pendant, "Ryan bought you that for your birthday?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"I just thought it was something that she'd found in her things and decided to start wearing. A family heirloom or something."

"Like our parents would give us something that valuable," Emily snorted in disbelief before a smug-like smile blossomed on her lips. "All I know is that I came home on Halloween to see her and Ryan cuddled up on the sofa, a rectangular box resting on the coffee table, and that emerald necklace hanging from her neck."

"I wish I had a guy like that," Colette sighed wistfully as she stared at the pendant that I now held between my fingertips.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "He's not my guy."

"Honey, if he gave you a necklace like that, there's something going on," the hair stylist pointed out, having been eavesdropping on our conversation as she finished up a section of Emily's hair. "He may not be your guy, but he sure doesn't sound like just a friend."

"She's right you know," Emily added on, as the last of her hair was stripped of its natural colour. "I've seen you guys together, and even if you don't see it, there's times when he looks at you like your some kind of miracle."

"He really does," Colette added in.

Emily nodded, staring at me knowingly. "Just be ready, because sooner or later one of you guys are going to make a move, and then there's no going back."

As the hair stylist finished up the last strand of hair, directing Emily towards the sinks and chairs at the back of the salon, and Colette and Abbie got into a heated debate about game was the best, I sat back, taking in what Emily had said.

I fully acknowledged that my feelings for Ryan were slowly blossoming into something more. How could they not? He was sweet, kind, handsome, funny, and didn't seem to mind playing with Abbie when opportunities arose.

The only thing that was holding me back from doing something about it was my own insecurities. Besides what people kept telling me, I honestly had no idea if Ryan had feelings for me, and it was scary – falling for someone always was. I just didn't know if I had the courage to put my heart on the line if there was a chance I'd end up with a broken heart.

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"So, any regrets?" I asked, turning to Emily as the four of us walked side-by-side out of the hair salon.

It seemed as though her mind was elsewhere as she held her phone in her hand, ignoring the people and stores we passed, playing and admiring her new hair-do. She'd had a bit chopped off, her hair now falling a few inches past her shoulder, and the colour truly looked amazing. It wasn't too bright and it wasn't too dull – it was just right.

"No," Emily replied after a pregnant pause, shaking her head as a smile bloomed on her face, "I actually regret not getting it done sooner."

"I'm guessing you like it then," Colette, who stood on the other side of Emily, said, nodding to the newly purpled hair. Emily nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "What about you Abbie?" she continued, looking down at the toddler who had her hand wrapped within mine. "Do you like your aunt's new hair?"

Abbie, who seemed to have gained a new liking for Colette over the past hour or so, grinned back at her. "It's purple!" she exclaimed happily.

"Yes it is," Colette nodded, smiling back at Emily. "Well, I think she approves."

Emily laughed, seemingly amused with her niece's reaction. When her laughter dwindled down to a smile, her eyes slowly started to wander, finally taking in the stores as we passed them.

As a result, the next hour or so was spent going in and out of several stores, trying on different clothes and shoes, and just enjoying the day. Both Emily and Colette appeared to be going all out on this girls' day, while I had only purchased a summer dress for myself and a cute bracelet for Abbie.

"I'm hungry," Abbie whined an hour later as we exited the sixth shop, pulling gently on my hand to get my attention. "Can we eat lunch now?"

I laughed at her moaning. "What do you say guys, are we ready for lunch?" I asked the other two teasingly, knowing that a stop for food was way over due. Abbie whipped her head around quickly, sporting wide eyes and a jutted lip as she looked up at Colette and Emily with hope.

The two of them shared a glance of amusement before smiling down at a jittery Abbie.

"I was actually thinking about checking out that store over there," Emily trailed, gesturing to a small boutique a few stores down. The sides of Abbie's mouth turned downwards, not picking up on the sarcasm. "But, I guess we can squeeze in a trip to the food court before that."

The life sprung back into Abbie's face, a broad grin emerging as she jumped for joy. "Yay!" she chirped, pulling me forward eagerly. "Come on."

The three of us laughed as Abbie continued to scurry her tiny feet in front of me, never letting go of my hand as she zigzagged through the multitude of other shoppers. As we reached the edge of the food court, she gave me an extra little tug, bringing me off balance slightly as I bumped into someone walking past us.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I apologized as I realized what had happened, taking notice of the two bags that had fallen out of the person's hand.

"It's not a problem," a male voice replied - a slightly familiar male voice. Looking up at whom I'd hit, I came face to face with Dean Adams, Ryan's little brother. "Oh hey," he greeted in recognition, "Zoe right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, how've you been?"

"Oh you know, surviving my senior year the best I can," he replied jokingly. I smiled, knowing that he was probably doing more than just surviving. From what I remembered, Ryan had said he was quite popular, as well as smart, and had already earned a basketball scholarship for the following year. "And who's this?" he continued as he bent down to pick up the bags he'd dropped.

I'd remembered that I hadn't mentioned Abbie when I met Ryan's family, and now, as Abbie cozied up to the side of my leg, I felt a tad nervous about how the information would be taken. I placed my hand on her shoulder, smiling softly. "This is my daughter Abbie."

At the word daughter Dean's eyes widened, looking back and forth between Abbie and I, taking in the information. Seconds later he let out a low whistle. "Well damn," he said rubbing the back of his neck slowly, "I thought you and my brother were..."

I shook my head, keeping my blush at bay. "No, sorry."

"It's just, with the way he talked about you recently..."

"He's talked about me?" I asked incredulously, the words slipping through my lips before I could stop them.

Dean held a calculating look in his eye as he noticed the blush of embarrassment diffuse down my neck. I saw the exact moment understanding crossed his eyes as a knowing smirk appeared on his lips. "Ah, I see," he voiced as if he'd just come across a solution to world peace, "Her father's not in the picture, is he?"

"No, he's definitely not," Emily cut in, sending a sideways smirk my way before addressing Dean once again. "Hey, I'm her sister Emily and this is our friend Colette."

"It's nice to meet you," he acknowledged before turning to Colette, "And I think I've met you before..."

Colette nodded. "My parents own Corner Café in the city," she explained. "I think I've seen you there a few times with your brother."

"That'd make sense," he said, clicking his tongue as he remembered. "Speaking of my brother, I was actually heading to meet Ryan for something to eat. Do you guys want to join?"

"Your brother's here?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes..." Dean replied, his smirk reappearing, "I stayed over at his house last night and told him I needed to pick up some things from the mall, so he came with. "

"I'm sure he'd love to see you," he teased as an afterthought.

"What, is he wearing a ski mask or something?" Emily asked jokingly, somewhat voicing my thoughts. How could someone as famous as him be in this mall and not have already caused a commotion?

Dean shook his head, seemingly relaxed about the issue. "Actually, people don't usually look twice at him."

"Really?" the three of us voiced skeptically, Abbie keeping quiet as she merely listened to our conversation.

"Look how many people are in this mall right now," Dean replied, gesturing around him as numerous people passed by, "If anybody recognizes him they'd have to be looking pretty hard. Usually he just wears a hat, puts a pair of sunglasses on, and has his bodyguard follow us at a distance. Plus, a lot of the people that are born and raised here don't tend to scour the city for celebrities in their free time."

He spoke as if he knew exactly what he was talking about, but I figured that since he'd grown up in LA with an actor as a brother, he probably did.

"What do you say Abbie?" I asked, crouching down to her eye level. "Do you want to eat lunch with Ryan and his brother?"

Her eyes shone with recognition and happiness at Ryan's name, nevertheless, her face scrunched up with confusion as she glanced up at Dean. "You're Ryan's brother?" she asked, making Dean nod. "But you don't look like him."

It was true to an extent. While the two didn't look alike now, Ryan having grown into himself height and muscle wise, their similar facial features proved that Dean would more than likely grow to look very much like his brother in the next few years.

"Yeah, but I'm the more attractive brother," Dean winked at me.

"Come on hot shot," I replied, rolling my eyes as I grabbed Abbie's hand, "Lead the way."

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"Look who I bumped into," Dean announced, shaking his head with mock disgrace as we approached the table where his brother sat, "Dropped my bags and everything." I rolled my eyes at his verbal nonsense.

"Hey," Ryan greeted, a mask of surprise washing over his face, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Shopping," I replied simply, "Plus, Emily wanted a new hairstyle."

An understanding smile appeared as his gaze dropped to the bags in our hands. "I can see that," he said before taking in Emily's new do, "And it looks good Em."

"Thanks," she grinned, bringing a hand up to comb through the ends of her hair.

Abbie wiggled her small hand out my grip, skipping her way over to Ryan with wide arms. "Hi," she chirped, squirming her way up onto his lap with a cheshire smile.

"Hi there," Ryan returned sweetly, poking her sides gently, "Did you get to buy any new toys today?"

"No," she frowned, shaking her head slightly before a smile appeared once more, "But I picked out a pwetty bracelet," she continued, pointing to the small bag that I was holding which held her purchase.

"I'm sure it looks very pretty," Ryan grinned, "But how about after we eat, I take you to the toy store to pick something out?"

"Really?" Abbie cried, eyes wide as she bounced on his lap with excitement.

"Yep," he replied happily, before wincing my way with apologetic eyes, "That is, if it's okay with your mom."

Both Ryan and Abbie were looking at me, but I couldn't get one word passed my lips, as I stood there, shocked still – and I wasn't the only one. Both Emily and Colette were sporting identical looks of fascination, making it seem like Ryan had just offered to buy them each a new sports car, while Dean, well, he was almost the opposite.

His eyes were trained on his brother and my daughter, a calculating manner to them as though he was trying to put together the last pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. As his gaze turned to me, I saw the exact moment when understanding crossed his brain, not a clue as to what he was thinking, as a knowing smile graced his lips.

Focusing back on the situation at hand, I felt bad saying yes. I wanted Ryan and Abbie to bond, but I didn't want him to think that he had to buy her things that I might not be able to afford. However, I knew that with the way that she was staring up at me, I didn't have the heart to deny her this small grain of happiness.

"Sure," I forced out as it felt like my heart lodged itself into my throat. Abbie let out an excited whoop noise, smiling broadly as she glanced happily between Ryan and I. I needed a moment to process this, the fact that not only did he seem interested in getting closer to me, but my daughter as well. It was all a bit too much for me at that moment, and to me, volunteering to go and get everyone's food seemed like the best option.

Luckily, everybody seemed okay with burgers and fries. After putting in the rather large order, I wasn't sure if I was happy or not when Dean walked up behind me, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized when he realized he'd made me jump, having not seen him approach, "Just wondering if you're going to need any help with all the food?"

Looking at the two trays that the people behind the counter were currently stacking full with my order, I sighed, nodding at Dean. "Yeah, if that's all right."

"It's what I'm here for," he declared, making me raise an eyebrow in disbelief, calling a silent bullshit on his statement. He chuckled at my reaction, "You know, you're pretty smart Zoe," he stated, dipping his hands deep into his pockets. His expression turned from one full of amusement to one of full seriousness. "Honestly, it's clear I don't know much about what's going on between you and my brother, but rest assured, he's a good guy."

I laughed lightly under my breath, trying to ease some of the tension from my body. "Did Ryan send you over here to wingman for him?"

"Nope, he didn't need to ask," he grinned, "And even though I might not be the best person to be giving you this advice, trust me, Ryan probably just needs a little encouragement to make a move."

He spoke as if he knew something I didn't, as I hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was talking about. Before I could ask anything further the order was up and Dean picked up one of the trays, waltzing back to the table with an unnerving glint in his eyes. I didn't dwell on it, but by the time everybody was sat down comfortably and enjoying the food, it became fairly apparent to me as to what Dean's intentions were.

"So, Ryan," Dean started halfway through his burger, my eyes flicking between the brothers as he continued, "Did you tell Zoe about my basketball game next Friday?"

Dean looked somewhat smug as his brother choked slightly on the food in his mouth, taking a drink of his soda before replying. "No," he coughed nervously, "I, uh, didn't get the chance yet."

My eyebrows were scrunched in confusion as I looked to Dean. "What game?"

"My team made the state championships," he replied proudly, greeted with congratulations from both Emily and Colette. "The games' at my school next Friday, and Ryan mentioned wanting to take you if you were up for it."

Glancing to my left, I saw Ryan sending a glare across the table at his little brother. "Really?" I asked shyly.

"Umm, yeah," Ryan admitted, looking to me tensely. "I know you finish classes a little late Fridays, and sometimes you work, so I wasn't sure if you'd be able to."

"She's free," Colette jumped in with a wide smile, staring between the two of us encouragingly. Emily wasn't much better, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she hid her grin behind the burger she was biting into.

Before I could reply, Abbie popped into the conversation as she looked at Dean curiously. "What's bas'etball?" she asked. I smiled to myself, knowing she was trying as she stumbled over her words slightly.

"Well Abbie, it's a sport I play with my friends where we have to shoot a ball into a hoop," he explained simply, smiling as Abbie tilted her head to the side.

"Is it fun?"

"Oh," Dean smiled widely, "It's tons of fun."

"Can I come?" she asked eagerly, seeming generally interested as she stared up at Ryan and me with wonder.

Looking to Ryan, I saw a smile grace his lips as he nodded his head slightly, in turn, making me smile.

"I guess it sounds like a plan," I replied softly, making Abbie clap her hands cheerfully. She quickly went back to devouring the fries still left in her kids' meal, as I gazed at Ryan, a shy smile growing at the way he was looking at me.

It was like he was happy, surprised, and amazed all at once.

"Fantastic," Dean said wickedly, looking as though he'd just pulled off the greatest magic trick of all time, grinning across the table before turning his attention back to his food.

Shaking my head, I ducked my head as I realized Ryan's seventeen-year-old brother had just set the two of us up. The more prominent thought that was circling my mind though, was whether or not this was meant to be a date.

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Another Friday, another chapter... and even though it's shorter than most of the other chapters, I hope it tides you guys over until next week. If you can't already tell, as of the next chapter, the story's real excitement begins!

Two things: I'm now seriously considering entering this in the Wattys this summer (maybe) and the amount of support I received last chapter was amazing <3

Please remember to vote and leave a comment below! I love to read what you guys think of the story so far and what predictions you can make about future chapters! xx