Hidden

Ryan is waiting for me when I all but sprint from the medical track team that had their hands all over me. My hip barely had a mark on it by the time the scans were finished, so they sent me on my way without having to actually treat me for anything. The whole thing felt like a waste with the exception of Hannah and the few pieces of information that those doctors actually deemed me worthy of knowing.

I imagine Oliver going through the same scenario and feel like smirking. There's no way he was as tractable as I was in that situation. He probably decked one of them. Focusing on Ryan, I note the shadow of dark circles under his eyes. We still haven't been able to see much of each other outside of training so part of me can't believe he's actually standing in front of me.

"You okay?" His eyebrows pull together in worry when he asks.

I nod, "All good." Out in the open isn't exactly the time to drop the regeneration bomb.

His shoulders relax, and a ghost of a tired smile passes across his lips as he holds out his hand. I take it without hesitation and quietly follow him when he tugs on my hand. As we walk, I realize that he's leading me to his room. I haven't been back since that night Finn caught me stumbling out of it.

When he pulls me in, he drops my hand to shut the door behind me. Within moments, his arms wrap around me tightly. I sink into his embrace and drape my arms around his waist. His lips start to brush kisses into my hair, along my temple, anywhere he can reach without releasing me from his embrace.

Slowly, he begins to walk us until the back of my legs come up against his narrow bed frame. He spins us around before pulling me down onto his bed after him. The mattress creaks beneath our combined weight. His arm curves lightly over my waist and tugs me flush against his body.

Ryan's breath fans over my ear, "Is this okay?"

I turn in his arms and place a hand on his chest before nodding. Lying here with him soothes the jagged parts of me that have been missing him. It doesn't feel foreign anymore to admit that I like him. These past weeks make our history of animosity fade into near nonexistence. "How long were you waiting for me?"

"Not long. The debriefing meeting took forever. Someone is gunning for my spot in your ear, and I had to fight like hell to keep it." Ryan's jaw tenses with every word.

My eyebrow raises, "They can take you from Michael and me?" I guess that kind of thing happens, but I hadn't thought of that possibility until now. Ryan is my favorite guide. It's not his fault I reacted the way I did today.

"Relax, SS. I won." The fierceness that flashes through his mismatched eyes and the unwavering assurance in his tone has me feeling sorry for the poor soul who went toe to toe with him. Well, I would be sorry it wasn't for the fact that they were trying to take Ryan from me.

I burrow closer into his arms. Addicted to the heat radiating off of him, "Good."

Ryan huffs a small laugh, "Never thought I'd see the day that you wanted to keep me around. Really never thought I'd see you in my bed."

Looking back up at him, I see a different kind of heat building in his gaze, "It's my boyfriend's bed. Of course I'm here. Though you did kind of drag-" My teasing is cut off when his lips crash down on mine. He moans and the sound vibrates through the hand I still have pressed to his chest.

Ryan runs his tongue against my lips, and I open them for him. Our tongues clash as our kiss deepens. I hitch my leg over his hip to wiggle even closer to him. When I do, I can feel how he wants me. I move my hand from his chest to the back of his neck. Right now, there's nothing I want more than to be consumed by him.

My hips roll against his, causing a low groan to come out of both of us. When I start to climb on top of him, Ryan stops me gently and breaks our kiss. Our ragged breathing fills the small space of his room. Mortified, I try to put some space between us, but he doesn't let me. His arms lock me to him.

"Boyfriend, huh?" His voice rasps. It sounds deeper than usual and makes me shutter even though he just rejected me.

I try again and fail again to get some space between us, "If you're not interested, I get-" Ryan laughs so heartily that I can't stop a smile from forming on my lips too. I smother it as best as I can.

"SS, surely you know by now exactly how interested I am in being yours." His hips tilt forward suggestively, proving his sentiment, before retreating seconds later. Mine. He wants to be mine. "I don't want to rush things. Not with you. Not with us."

"It's hardly rushing. I've known you practically my whole life."

"And we hated each other for most of it." I roll my eyes at him, and he captures my chin to make me look at him, "Don't give me that. It's true. For the record, I came to my senses on the matter sooner than you did."

I shove roughly at his shoulder. He doesn't have the decency to pretend to be affected by it. "Like that matters."

"It matters, Samantha." Ryan draws my name out like he's savoring it. "I waited a long time for this, and I'm not screwing it up."

Instead of fighting with him over it, I relax back into his arms. It's hard to argue when his eyes are soft, his hair is mussed, and his lips are swollen from our kiss. His body relaxes too, but his hand lightly traces my side, "Speaking of which, I had you turned the other way because of your hip."

"I told you I'm all good." Sharing my new skill set revelation will almost certainly ruin this moment, and I want to hold on to it with both hands.

He shakes his head, "Don't be a martyr. I saw the footage when it happened." His body tenses for a moment, "I have never wanted to be in the field, but I wanted to be there today. For you." He leans in and kisses my nose, "After I left the meeting, I heard Oliver took you to get checked out."

I scoff, remembering how he ditched me. Fine. I guess I probably deserved it, but still, "Only because I'm like him."

Ryan's eyes go wild, and I inwardly curse myself for letting my aggravation with Oliver override my good sense. Moment over. He hisses the word like a curse, "Regeneration."

I don't confirm it. I don't have to because he's already turned me to look at where my wound should be. He tugs my shirt back into place, climbs over me, and starts to pace. I've seen him like this before. It's like moving will help him think better. If I hadn't already figured out that this wasn't the best news for me, his reaction would have left me with no doubt.

Sitting up on his bed, I swing my legs a few times and wait for him to calm down. Muttered half sentences start to fall from his mouth, but they don't make any sense to me. His hands find their way into his hair and viciously tug handfuls of it before dropping again to his sides. "You'll go bald if you keep doing that. I don't know how I feel about dating a bald twenty year old."

My cajoling must do something for him because he stops in his tracks and stares me down, "I'd willingly go bald if it meant finding a way to make you less compelling to the Elders."

Ryan kneels in front of me. My heart flips at the sight regardless of his worried gaze. "SS, I know you want to do this, and I will never stand in your way, but there's so much more I need to teach you. Manifesting a powerful skill set, let alone two...it's the point of that asinine serum. To make denizens who are damn near invincible. And now, you just became an asset that can heal itself. Any remaining patience they had before throwing you and your team into the field just disappeared."

My breathing is shaky when I tell him, "I figured as much when they were examining me. It's like I wasn't a person to them. Not really. I can't lose you as my guide. I'm not sure I could trust someone else now." My confession shocks me. It shocks me even more that I truly mean it. Something isn't adding up in this place anymore.

He leans in and presses his forehead against mine, "Sweetheart, they'd have to detach me to keep me out of your ear. Even then, I'd find a way. I will get you back here alive at the end of every mission. When this is over, I swear that you will see the ocean, and I will be standing there next to you."