Chapter 19

I stepped into the dress smoothly and looked in the mirror. It was a pitch black dress with lace sleeves and a black, tight fitting body.

And I would be lying if I said I didn't look good.

God, I sound like Ryder.

I kept my hair down and straight and ran a brush through it.

I stepped out of the large walk in closet and my breath caught in my throat. Ryder stood in front of me near the mirror and was adjusting the tie of his neatly pressed suit. I saw his eyes shift to me in the mirror reflection and he turned around.

I closed the closet door and walked over to where Ryder was. He looked me up and down and smiled. "You look beautiful."

I blushed, smiling, and pointed to his tie. "You do, too. I mean...handsome...do you need help with that?" I quickly recovered.

He nodded and I reached out to fix his tie. I felt his eyes on me and whenever I would look up to him, and I would catch his eyes staring down at me.

"There." I finished and patted his chest. "Ready?"

•••

We walked out of the hotel and Ryder hauled a... limo?

I gaped in awe as the long slick black limo came to a stop in front of us.

"No way." I said.

"Yes way." Ryder answered.

The driver came over and opened the doors for us, Ryder letting me in first like the gentleman he was.

Oh the sarcasm.

He climbed in after me and I looked up at the roof of the car. It was a sunroof and I could see the tower lights and dark night sky above.

"Care to tell me where we're eating?" I asked.

"Vast. It's on top of the Devon Tower. Everybody competing in the championships is treated to dinner there, including their plus one."

"Well I'm one lucky plus one." I stated.

Ryder grinned and I chuckled. "How do you open this?" I asked while pointing to the sunroof. Ryder pointed to a panel of buttons near my head. I pressed the one labeled 'sunroof' and it slowly opened.

I set my clutch purse on the seat and stood slowly.

"What are you doing now?" I heard Ryder ask.

"Just checking out the view." I said and popped my head out the top.

The wind wasn't blowing, but my hair still flipped back from the speed of the limo. I laughed to myself and watched the towers and city lights stream by. People walking on the sidewalks looked at me like I was a demented demon, which they were half right.

"Don't swallow any bugs!" Ryder's voice called to me from below inside the limo. I glanced down to see him smiling with all his teeth up at me. I almost fell right then and there from lust.

"Whoa," Ryder's hands gripped my waist to steady me and my legs instantly felt like noodles.

I shrunk back down in the limo and closed the roof. Ryder was chuckling.

"What?"

"You look like you have sex hair." He said.

I laughed along with him while attempting to fix my horribly wind-blown hair.

"Here we are..." He said and we both looked out the window to see the tallest building in Oklahoma.

The beloved Devon Tower.

Stepping out of the limo was tough with my tight dress, but I finally got out without tearing anything, including myself.

Ryder stuck out his elbow and grinned down at me while I looped my arms through. It felt so nice and safe.

When we stepped in, the coziness of the lobby warmed me. A soft fire was flickering to the side and people were walking around. It felt very classy and elegant. My heels clicked on the marble floor, but I still wasn't as tall as Ryder was.

Well, I tried.

Some people in suits and ties escorted us to the top in the elevator and we walked into a large restaurant.

And the view...

It was overlooking the entire Bricktown/Downtown area. I could see cars zooming around and tower lights gleaming. I supposed a Thunder game was playing because of the blue and orange lights from one of the many arenas.

"This is breathtaking." I said while we sat down at a table.

"It really is." Ryder said. I turned to see him looking at me but he quickly turned his attention to the view outside.

Huh.

Soon after, more people started to fill the restaurant. "Are they other fighters?" I asked, gesturing to a group of guys filing out of the elevators. They were well built from what I could tell, and had the same 'I'm handsome as hell but I'll still beat you up if you touch me' look like Ryder did.

"Yup. That guy over there with the white suit on," Ryder pointed to another guy with blonde, shaggy hair, "He's Taren Wilkins. I'm going against him first on Monday."

My eyes instantly bugged. "Him?! He's like, five feet taller than you and two hundred pounds bigger!"

Ryder only laughed it off. "He's not that big. Don't worry. I'll beat him."

I was about to ask him how he's so sure when a waiter came to our table and asked us what we wanted to drink.

So here I was, eating dinner in the best restaurant I had ever eaten in my life, with a drop dead gorgeous fighter sitting across from me in a same drop dead gorgeous suit.

"Excuse me miss, but would you like to dance?" a guy my age asked.

He had dirty blonde hair with the brightest green eyes I had ever seen in my life.

"Sure." I said and looked at Ryder. He scrunched up his eyebrows but I leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Don't miss me too much." Then left a silent Ryder at our table, still frowning at the guy I was to dance with.

He placed his hands on my waist and stood a little too close for comfort, so I gently pushed back a little bit. "I'm Nathan."

"Ruby."

"I just have to say, when I saw you, I knew I had to ask for a dance with the prettiest girl here." He said.

"Why thank you." He was charming and very good looking, but not as hot as Ryder.

Stop comparing guys to him.

He kept talking to me while we danced, but for some reason I couldn't focus. All I thought about was Ryder. Ryder this, Ryder that. I needed to stop.

Eventually, more guys asked to dance, and I didn't have the heart to refuse. After a while, my feet started to ache in my heels and I was getting a little crammed.

When the music stopped, I thanked the guy I just danced with, Davis? David? I don't know, but I headed over to the table where Ryder was sitting and talking on the phone.

"Yeah...okay...alright, see ya man. Bye." He hung up and smiled at me. "Done already?"

I laughed short. "Yeah, I think I've danced with every guy in this place."

"Not every guy." Then Ryder held out his hand for me and we both smiled when I placed mine in his.

It felt like a thousand bolts of electricity going through me.

We stopped near the middle of everyone and Ryder placed his hands on my waist while I snaked my arms around his neck. I could feel the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of my dress. His hair tickled my fingers while they rested against his neck.

We moved slowly to the music and our gaze never broke.

"Ow! You stepped on my foot!" Ryder said and I looked down to see my heel lodged onto his shoe.

I looked up to say sorry but only broke out into a fit of laughter. He looked at me like I was a crazy person and I quickly regained my calm.

"I'm sorry, I really am. But I did warn you." I said.

"Unbelievable. You step on my foot and then blame it on me!"

I giggled at him. "Fine. I'm sorry, Ryder."

He shook his head but finally broke out into a smile.

We fell into another silence and swayed with each other. Ryder pulled me closer so that our noses were nearly touching.

I felt his breath on my cheek and his eyes boring into mine. I wanted to sink in forever and stay like this.

I tilted my head up and parted my mouth barely as he dipped his head to kiss me.

But that kiss never happened.

Ryder's phone rang from his front pocket and we immediately flew apart. He scrambled for his phone while I tried to calm down my breathing, heart rate, and flushed face.

"Yeah," he started and walked away near the bar. I wanted to punch him for not kissing me. But I also wanted to punch myself for thinking that. Ryder was a player, a bad boy, a smirking, arrogant, narcissistic jerk.

But he has his moments...

Gosh, I needed a break.

I caught the next elevator down and practically ran out of the building. The cold, night air brushed against my skin and I felt the goose bumps break out.

There was no one out this late, it was about eleven and all I saw were many cars parked by the curb and the lights of the city. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. As long as I got away from Ryder.

I found myself at a hospital, so I decided to go in. Why the heck not.

I looked around to see a group of children walk past me to another hallway. They all had cancer.

"Finally! You're here!" a nurse grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the children who had just entered a room.

"W-what?" I asked, stunned.

"You're the ten thirty singer, right? Good." She didn't even give me time to answer.

"Uh..." She handed me a guitar and pushed me into the room. All of the children's eyes landed on me and they looked, hopeful?

I looked at the nurse and she waved me over to the stool in front of the children.

I had learned how to play guitar when I was ten, but I hadn't played much since. I checked the guitar for tuning and strummed a few chords before thinking of a song.

I thought of a simple one on the top of my head and began to sing softly into the mic.

I see trees of green, red roses, too,

I see them bloom, for me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

I saw the kids swaying to the music and I sang a little louder this time.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white,

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

And then I saw Ryder walk in.

I almost dropped the guitar and forgot the lyrics, but I held on firmly and kept singing; my heart beating rapidly.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky,

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?"

They're really sayin', "I love you."

Ryder's eyes never left mine as I sang, and the children were smiling and quietly singing along.

I hear babies cryin'. I watch them grow.

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself

What a wonderful world