The restaurant was pretty good, and the conversation went well. We talked mostly about things other than what was going to happen. At the end of the m...al we went outside and they talked privately for a minute, then invited me to follow them to their place. Their home was a large brick house in a nice subdivision. We went inside, and drinks were poured. After a few minutes of conversation she suggested we retire to the hot tub. She showed me where I could leave my clothes. They undressed in. I guess that’s why it had taken me so long to bring Ryan home with me. I’d known him since I first moved to Reno, and from moment one I wanted to know him in the biblical sense. He went to the bar that I usually stopped at on my way into town, sipping whisky and winding down with his sleeves rolled up. It was rough not jumping his bones right there - he was built, with arms that could crush me easily, and a supple grace that was almost animal. The only problem was my damned power. I had pretty. Two best friends of six years, two people that had joked about baby names and growing old together, two people who had known each other and knew each other best would begin to undo it all.I don’t know if he ever held me tighter than that night. I don’t know that I ever dreaded a new day more. At the end, he reached for me and I said no and he was gone.For months after I felt haunted by all the things I hadn’t said, as if a few magic words could have been the code that would have kept us. But I had made one fatal mistake.When the marijuana incident occurred, I sent an email to a friendbragging about getting off Scott-free and blaming my bratty little sisterin the process. Well my friend had a bratty little sister too...and shesnooped in his email...and it eventually made it back to Callie! Damn! Iwas trapped. I could tell from her eyes, that she planned to use thisevidence against me, if I did not go along on her stupid girl-trip. Ourparents reluctantly agreed, as long as I.