Rhythm and the Blue Line Ch 05

© 2011 All Rights Reserved A week later, Ryan was pleased to be in a soft cast. Her ankle hurt far less and she was off her crutches, but she couldn't wait to be done with the whole damn thing. At least, she thought as she came in from work, she wasn't thinking about how it had happened every time she walked more than a block. Just a few more days, she reminded herself as she stared at the contents of the fridge. She frowned; pickings were slim. She wondered if there was any mac'n'cheese. A knock on the door distracted her and she went over to answer it. "Hey, Brody." She smiled. "Come on in." "How are you? I almost didn't recognize you without the crutches." "Oh, very funny." Ryan shook her head as he stepped in. "What brings you by?" "Just thought I'd say hi. Got the night off." "Nice. Good game last night." Brody grinned. "You watched. You must like me." "Don't get your hopes up, buddy. I caught the score and some highlights." And I will never live down checking the score on my computer at rehearsal, she thought, then relented. "Nice goal." "Hey, Obie could set up a tree stump, but I'll take it." "And so modest." Ryan laughed. "Part of my charm." Brody looked around. "So, what's on tap for you tonight?" "Not sure. I was just trying to decide on dinner." Brody gave her a skeptical look. "Do you have any food in here? I mean, something not processed into a box or can?" bursa escort "I have . . . ." She opened the refrigerator again and cocked her head. "Apples . . . and leftover Thai. I think. I was considering mac'n'cheese. I haven't checked the freezer, though. There might be more there." Brody rolled his eyes. "Jesus. Come on, Ryan. Let's go." "Go where?" She closed the fridge. "Back to my place. I'll make something." "Brody, I can fend for myself. I'm a big girl, you know." He looked on the verge of saying something, but shook his head. Ryan wondered what he'd been about to say, but didn't ask. "I couldn't sleep tonight knowing you were going to eat 'Thai, I think.' Come with me, I'll make you some real food." Ryan gave in and grabbed her phone and keys. Brody waited while she locked the door, then led the way down the hall to the elevator. "So, how goes it with the band?" "Good, thanks." Ryan was pleased he asked. "We've got shows at a couple of colleges coming up, and then we're headlining at the 9:30 Club." "Really? That's awesome. I was there for a show last year. Which colleges?" He held the elevator door for her. "Maybe I can come." "We have one in D.C., at George Washington, and another at Maryland. But don't you have a road trip coming up?" He studied her as the elevator went to his floor. "Is that a hint I should stay home?" "No, no." She bursa escort bayan looked up as she stepped off the elevator. "I just thought you'd be busy. Come and bring friends, we need the exposure." "I could do that." They walked to his place and he unlocked the door and gestured for her to go in. Ryan walked in and took stock. There was dark leather furniture?a couch, a couple of chairs?and a large flat-screen TV. Not much in the way of knick-knacks, but there were a couple of pictures on the wall, and she saw some books and smaller pictures on a shelf. The layout was similar to her place, but his was much neater. "Nice place," she said. Brody grinned. "You say that like you expected it not to be." She laughed and shook her head. "I don't have much to compare to. My brothers are in college and in my experience, guys aren't the neatest housekeepers. I refuse to go to our bassist's place anymore, because you need a hazmat suit to use the bathroom." Brody laughed. "I grew up in a messy house and I guess it shouldn?t bother me, but it does. So I keep it neat." He went into the kitchen and Ryan followed. She gave a low whistle as she looked around at the gadgets and appliances on the counter. "Wow. You really are serious about the cooking." "You bet. But mostly it was good timing; they'd just re-done the kitchen in here when I was looking for escort bursa a place. Couldn?t pass up a new kitchen. Have a seat." He gestured towards the kitchen table. "How's your ankle?" "A lot better, thanks." She sat with a sigh of relief. "Can't wait until this cast is off, though. I don't like hobbling around, and it's just plain old annoying." "I know the feeling. I sprained my ankle last year and was out for four weeks." He opened the fridge, muttered to himself, then made a decision. "You good with pasta?" "Love it." "Cool." Brody took some vegetables and chicken out of the fridge. "Pasta's handy stuff. You should keep some around. I don't know how you survive without actual food in your place." "Oh, funny. Do I look like I'm wasting away?" He turned, took his time looking her over, and grinned. "No, you look just fine to me." "Thanks." "So, how big do you think the crowd will be at your shows?" Brody put some water on to boil, then started sorting through the vegetables. "Not sure. We're trying to get the word out, and we've got some fans, and it'll be a Saturday, so that should help. We have web pages, and Lara updates them. And we're working on flyers." "Here, eat this." He handed her a carrot. She took it and laughed. "Brody, I actually do eat vegetables of my own free will." "Humor me." He watched until she took a bite, then turned back to his preparations. "Let me know the dates and I'll see if anybody else on the team can come." "That'd be great." "Does your family come to your gigs?" When she didn't answer, he looked over and saw her frowning. He felt a little guilty. "Sorry. Sore spot?" "A little." She shrugged.