Authors Note- I didn't think anyone would really like Amber...
Chapter Eight- "And where the hell have you been?"
Ryan stared blankly into Amber's gray eyes, attempting to detect what she was thinking before saying a word. There was no anger, or hate, but concern and demanding curiosity. She was never one to get jealous, suspicious yes, but not jealous.
"Hi...Amber".
A small smirk disappeared as fast as it appeared, "and where the hell have you been?".
He spent his teenage years swarmed in lies for various reasons, and now when he was getting paid to do it, he had nothing. "Uh, I was visiting a friend from high school, it was a last minute thing and he was a little...".
"And that gives you grounds to not even return my call? I've been worried sick, you've missed work and classes, and no one was able to find you".
"Well, I'm back".
Amber snarled, "there's something you're not telling me".
Yep, after all, she was a lawyer in training. "I don't have a reason to hide anything from you". Well, he did, but only for a little while.
She stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I guess, but you're not off the hook yet" and he defiantly knew that.
"I'm sorry I didn't call. Things just got- out of hand over there".
Amber leaned back, "what happened?".
There. That was his absolute perfect chance to come clean and confess everything about New York, and Lillian, and Marissa. She was asking, but he backed out. "Just some issues with old friends from high school. Nothing important".
Issues? Did he just call his daughter an issue? Nothing important- what the hell was wrong with him?
Never the less, she bought it. "Oh, okay" damn him and his innocent face, "do you want to maybe come over tonight?".
That was it, he drew the line there. He knew what Amber meant by that, but Ryan wasn't going to jump that far into his old routine life, hiding Lillian. Both her and Lillian deserved better. "Actually, why don't you come over to my place instead?".
Her eyes flickered. Not once in their past ' relations' did he ever willingly invite her over. She had seen his apartment, and knew why, but the invitation still surprised her. "Okay, how about around- eight?".
"Sounds great".
That would give him enough time to pick up Lillian from Jimmy.
A man named Patrick Russell had the desk next to Ryan's in the firm office. On it were two picture frames- one of a woman that was assumed to be his wife, and the other of a young boy standing near a pool in swim trunks. Patrick's son.
There weren't any pictures on Ryan's desk, not even one of Amber- or Seth, and he had some of those. He was often asked about that, though had decent responses. But what would happen if he put one of Lillian, though he wasn't sure if he had one of her (or if she could even swim now that he thought about it). He'd have to explain the story over and over of the five year olds picture that will suddenly appear in his work area. But no alibi would work, not like he was planning to use one in the first place.
Pictures weren't something about Lillian that he had to concentrate on. He had a list mentally prepared- school didn't start for her until next year, he had some of her clothes and toys from New York. Next chance he had he'd turn the spare room into a bedroom for her. Teddy bear wallpaper? He wondered if she'd like that.
' Why am I sitting here?' he thought.
His daughter was a stranger to him, and he was at work. But he had to get information on keeping her away from Julie Cooper, she was moving faster than he was.
"Ryan, you've got a call on line four" the secretary's loud voice broke his trance, and as an automatic reflex, he grabbed the phone off the cradle.
"This is Ryan Atwood".
Fact of the matter was he didn't care who was on the other line...until he heard Hailey's voice.
"Ryan? I'm sorry to bug you at work, but is there any way you can come back here...like now?". As though on cue, he began to hear screaming in the background.
He shot upwards when Jimmy's voice clashed with the screaming, " what's going on?".
"It's Lillian, but I really don't know".
He hung up and rushed towards the staircase which led to the parking lot.
Chapter Eight- "And where the hell have you been?"
Ryan stared blankly into Amber's gray eyes, attempting to detect what she was thinking before saying a word. There was no anger, or hate, but concern and demanding curiosity. She was never one to get jealous, suspicious yes, but not jealous.
"Hi...Amber".
A small smirk disappeared as fast as it appeared, "and where the hell have you been?".
He spent his teenage years swarmed in lies for various reasons, and now when he was getting paid to do it, he had nothing. "Uh, I was visiting a friend from high school, it was a last minute thing and he was a little...".
"And that gives you grounds to not even return my call? I've been worried sick, you've missed work and classes, and no one was able to find you".
"Well, I'm back".
Amber snarled, "there's something you're not telling me".
Yep, after all, she was a lawyer in training. "I don't have a reason to hide anything from you". Well, he did, but only for a little while.
She stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I guess, but you're not off the hook yet" and he defiantly knew that.
"I'm sorry I didn't call. Things just got- out of hand over there".
Amber leaned back, "what happened?".
There. That was his absolute perfect chance to come clean and confess everything about New York, and Lillian, and Marissa. She was asking, but he backed out. "Just some issues with old friends from high school. Nothing important".
Issues? Did he just call his daughter an issue? Nothing important- what the hell was wrong with him?
Never the less, she bought it. "Oh, okay" damn him and his innocent face, "do you want to maybe come over tonight?".
That was it, he drew the line there. He knew what Amber meant by that, but Ryan wasn't going to jump that far into his old routine life, hiding Lillian. Both her and Lillian deserved better. "Actually, why don't you come over to my place instead?".
Her eyes flickered. Not once in their past ' relations' did he ever willingly invite her over. She had seen his apartment, and knew why, but the invitation still surprised her. "Okay, how about around- eight?".
"Sounds great".
That would give him enough time to pick up Lillian from Jimmy.
A man named Patrick Russell had the desk next to Ryan's in the firm office. On it were two picture frames- one of a woman that was assumed to be his wife, and the other of a young boy standing near a pool in swim trunks. Patrick's son.
There weren't any pictures on Ryan's desk, not even one of Amber- or Seth, and he had some of those. He was often asked about that, though had decent responses. But what would happen if he put one of Lillian, though he wasn't sure if he had one of her (or if she could even swim now that he thought about it). He'd have to explain the story over and over of the five year olds picture that will suddenly appear in his work area. But no alibi would work, not like he was planning to use one in the first place.
Pictures weren't something about Lillian that he had to concentrate on. He had a list mentally prepared- school didn't start for her until next year, he had some of her clothes and toys from New York. Next chance he had he'd turn the spare room into a bedroom for her. Teddy bear wallpaper? He wondered if she'd like that.
' Why am I sitting here?' he thought.
His daughter was a stranger to him, and he was at work. But he had to get information on keeping her away from Julie Cooper, she was moving faster than he was.
"Ryan, you've got a call on line four" the secretary's loud voice broke his trance, and as an automatic reflex, he grabbed the phone off the cradle.
"This is Ryan Atwood".
Fact of the matter was he didn't care who was on the other line...until he heard Hailey's voice.
"Ryan? I'm sorry to bug you at work, but is there any way you can come back here...like now?". As though on cue, he began to hear screaming in the background.
He shot upwards when Jimmy's voice clashed with the screaming, " what's going on?".
"It's Lillian, but I really don't know".
He hung up and rushed towards the staircase which led to the parking lot.