A True Connection

"Muma, pepe," Sophia says. Rose gets up. "Ryan, what time do you need to get going?"

"Around five," Ryan says as Rose walks towards where Ryan is pointing.

"Are you sure she's yours?" Bella suddenly says.

"Yes, Rose insisted on getting a DNA test even when Ryan told her it wasn't necessary," Wendy says rather sternly to her daughter. She looks at Ryan as if to say. "That does make it easier."

"I've got to get out of this and get a shower," Bella says. She gets up and disappears upstairs.

The rest of the afternoon is spent with Ryan's mother trying to embarrass him with the family photo album.

Bella comes back down. "So, what happened then, Bella?" Rose asks.

"In what way?" Bella asks.

"When you were younger, you truly looked up to your brother and enjoyed being around him. Why the change?"

"I grew up and saw how uncool he was," she returned.

"What's your definition of cool? Because if anything, Ryan is naturally a cool person." Ryan is going a little red from the compliment.

"He was never with the popular kids. He didn't even care who was popular. I bet he had no idea who you were when you first met."

"No, he didn't; that's what drew me to him. He looked at me like nobody else. That doesn't make him uncool." Rose looks at Ryan. "Tell me, babe, didn't you like the popular kids?"

"Not really. Some were okay, but the majority were and still are pricks. I just didn't have time to bow to whatever the latest fad was."

"Your brother is an individualist. He doesn't follow; he's got better things to do. In my eyes, that's cool." Rose looks at Bella triumphantly.

Bella doesn't have an answer. All she knows is that she was embarrassed to be made to wait at the coffee shop instead of going over to her mates. She knows it wasn't Ryan's fault that Mum made the rule.

Rose smiles. "Don't worry, it wasn't strictly all bad. We saw you once cross the road with your brother. You instantly hold his hand, and when you are unsure of something, you move toward him for either safety or advice. The reason Ryan rated so highly on all the girls I hung out with is that they could see he ignored what came out of your mouth and smiled at your actions."

"Oh," Bella says, who for once is lost for words. "I don't remember you coming into the Coffee shop."

"Yeah, we always got Emily, who had a crush on Ryan, to get our drinks. We were often in there before you and sat in the back, so we didn't get bothered. Ryan didn't even know I was a regular."

"I guess it's making more sense now...So, are you two going to live together or something?"

"Yes, we've rented a flat, and you are all welcome to visit. Just make sure we have room before you come because half my friends want to come down."

"That sounds wonderful, Rose," Ryan's mum says.

Time has passed, and it is time for Rose and Ryan to leave. Rose promises to come around before she returns to London, and Rose has invited Ryan's mum over for coffee on Tuesday.

Ryan is exhausted by the time he gets back to the flat in London. He quickly checks his email before collapsing into bed. He FaceTimes Rose before closing his eyes to sleep.

Ryan wakes up to his phone buzzing. "Good morning, Alicia. Yes, I'm back, and no, Rose isn't here."

"Good morning to you. My weekend was hell, thanks for asking. Have you got time for little old me today?"

"Always, what do you want to do?"

"Coffee normal place, normal time. I need my best friend to moan at," she says.

"Uhh yeah, no problem. I'll see you later then." Ryan looks at his phone to see the time. "Seven thirty, fuck," he groans. Ryan lets his head drop back into Rose's pillow. He can smell her still there. Rose was so happy when they got back to her place; she wouldn't let him leave until they had made sure to show each other how much they were going to miss the other. Ryan smiles at the thought and then feels something he hasn't felt for over a week. That empty feeling inside feels a little bit like being hungry, but no amount of food can get rid of it. You don't notice it unless it's gone and comes back again.

Ryan gets up and fires up the computer before going into the kitchen to get himself some cereal and coffee. It's not long until he's sat on his comfy chair in the computer room with one leg tucked under his other thigh. He eats his bowl of Crunchy Nut and casually glances over the speculation before the markets open. He gets his notepad out and looks at what he has planned. He checks and double-checks before opening his account and putting his thoughts into practice.

With his investments in place to start, when the stock exchange opens, he shuts his computer down and goes to take a shower. His relaxing shower is interrupted by his phone playing his favourite tune. He gets out and runs, dripping to his phone. "Good morning, my darling," he says.

"Hey baby, I'm missing you so much. What took you so long to answer the phone?"

"You caught me in the shower," Ryan answers. The phone goes dead, and he realises Rose has hung up.

Five seconds later, a video call comes in. "Come on, let's see what made me so happy yesterday."

"Oh, it wasn't my good looks and charm then?"

"Show," Rose says in a demanding way while holding a playful smile.

Ryan scans the phone down his body and gets a cute giggle when his cock comes into Rose's view. "You like?" Ryan says.

"Oh god yeah," Rose groans back. "You don't know what that does to me. I'm going to have to change my panties." Ryan laughs at his girlfriend's antics. "So what you got planned for today?" She asks.

"Uni at ten, then Alicia called, and we are meeting at six to catch up about our weekends. It doesn't sound like hers went well."

"Oh, hug her from me. I've got a business meeting at ten thirty, and Sicily is coming over this afternoon. She's agreed to move in here while I'm away. Got your mother tomorrow morning for coffee, and I will pack everything up in the afternoon that we will need. Oh, I've got some chap coming over to look at the garden. He's promised to keep it under control, and before you ask, he's sixty-eight and looking for a little extra money."

"Wow, you're busy. I'm not sure what I've got on tomorrow, but I'm in the city on Wednesday at you know where. Other than that, and Uni, all I will be doing is trying to make money."

"Ryan, do you feel something inside is missing?"

"Yeah, a little like being hungry?"

"That's it; I was trying to describe it to Sis but couldn't find the right words...Anyway, I've let you freeze enough and will ring you later, baby."

"Okay, my love. I will speak to you later...Love you," Ryan says.

"Love you tooooo," Rose sings, and the call ends.

Ryan gets back in the shower to warm back up and then jumps out and dries off before getting ready to leave.

The day flies by, and it's not long until he's back on the tube heading for the coffee shop to meet Alicia.

Alicia is already there waiting. She's ordered his Americano and a bacon and egg butty for him. "Hey, ummmm, what's ya name," she says.

Ryan smiles at his friend. "Hello, my name is Ryan," he says, offering his hand.

Alicia smiles back and stands to shake Ryan's hand back. "Hello Ryan, nice to meet you; my name is Single Alicia."

Ryan's smile fades. He sits and says, "Oh, Alicia, was it that bad?"

"Worse," Alicia says and stops when their drinks arrive. When the server has gone, she continues. "You know I didn't want to do this in the first place, well. To start, he didn't tell his parents he was bringing someone home. When we got to what I can only call a mansion and walked through the door, his mother's first words to me were, 'And who's this?' When Bryson explains, she goes, and I quote, 'Oh.'"

"So, did you turn around and run?"

"No, I couldn't. Bryson had driven me up, and his parent's house was in the middle of nowhere.....So, anyway, I was put in a room that couldn't have been further away from Bryson if they tried. I'm sure I was in a different county. At dinner, when his father finally got home, his mother explained who I was like I'm not there. Bryson, of course, says nothing, and all through dinner, I was ignored. I tried to join in the conversation, but they pretended not to hear me. I'd finally gotten bored, so I got up and started to walk out." Again, Alicia pauses when our food turns up. She indicates for Ryan to dig in and continues. "Then Bryson's mother says, 'how rude.' Shit, you know me, Ryan, I burst a vein. I shouted about how I was the rude one and that I hadn't ignored a house guest all night. I said that I get better manners from the homeless I pass in the mornings on the way to the tube."

Ryan smiles, "you didn't."

"I did; I then told Bryson that he would be driving me to the nearest station and that we were through."

"What did Brat say to that?"

"Oh, he gave me the 'what are you talking about', and 'I've drunk too much wine.' So I told him to order me an Uber or something because I wasn't staying there a moment longer. Then, the old cow had the audacity to call me a gold digger, so I told her that until we had driven up to this god-awful house, I didn't know where Bryson was taking me. Then I stormed out and got the last train back. I haven't spoken to Bryson since."

"Shit, Alicia. I wish you had got that on your phone.....Mmmmmm, I've needed this all day," Ryan says as he goes to take another bite.

"So, how did your parents take being grandparents?"

"Surprisingly well, Mum was disappointed you weren't there to start with."

"Me, why?"

"She likes you for some reason, and they can't see how we are not dating. Well, they couldn't see how we weren't dating."

"Oh," Alicia gasps. "That didn't affect Rose, did it?"

"No, once the shock had worn off, they accepted her, and she even got told to call Mum, Mum. The only one to give us a hard time was Bella."

"You know, I get the feeling your sister is a pain in the butt," Alicia says with a mouth full of chicken salad sandwich.

"I ignore what she says and watch what she does," Ryan says as he finishes his last bite.

"What does that even mean?"

"Bella's words might be harsh, but she then kisses me goodnight or sits next to me when we watch TV when there are other chairs. When she finally grows up, she will calm down."

"So, am I going to meet your parents next time you go home?"

"Not sure; Rose has invited them here, so you might meet them before we go back."

"They'd most probably ignore me anyway," Alicia says, sounding grumpy.

"You're probably right," Ryan says, and then they both burst out laughing. "Anyway, got to go; Rose wants to Skype before Sophia goes to bed."

"Yeah, thanks, Ryan. I can always trust you to make me smile," Alicia says as they get up and hug before going their separate ways.

Ryan goes back to the flat and checks his online account. He can do most of the small adjustments on his phone or tablet he takes everywhere. He gets home and once again fires the computer up. He makes himself comfortable and scans through the performance of his investments. Most of his observations were coming through. There would always be the odd one, but it's a percentage game and not a chase-the-loss game.

It's not long before his computer lights up, and he has a grinning young lady looking at him. He talks with her for a bit, finding out what she did with her day before Rose whisks her off to bed. Skype is shut down while Sophia gets her story.

He writes his observations in his pad and then sits and works out his next move. He scans the markets for any snippets of info that he could use and looks for the next investment to investigate.

Before Ryan knows it, his computer lights up, with Rose calling him back on Skype. A beautiful smile greets him when the image appears on his centre screen. "Hey baby," Rose says. "Ryan, if I hadn't had so much to sort, I would be there with you now. I miss you so much."

"Yeah, this place is empty without you, and the inner peace I had isn't there."

"Oh baby, I will see you Thursday. So, how did Alicia's weekend go?"

Ryan laughs and explains what happened. They talk for a couple of hours before saying their goodnights and bed.

Tuesday is pretty much a repeat of Monday, but Ryan wasn't looking forward to Wednesday.

Wednesday morning flies by, and Ryan finds himself on the underground heading for the financial district. As he walks into the ground floor of a most impressive building, he hears, "Ryan."

He rolls his eyes and turns. "Hello, Emily," Ryan says.

"Hi, did you have a good weekend?"

"Yes, brilliant. Why?" They get to the lift and wait.

Emily's smile slips for a moment before recovering. "I've been here all day; it's been an interesting day so far," she says, ignoring his question. The lift arrives, and they get in with half a dozen others.

"Oh really? What did you learn?"

Again, she ignores his question as the lift goes up, stopping at a couple of floors before stopping at the fourteenth for them to get off. They walk past around ten sets of three desks, all set in a triangular formation. They get to the last set in this room and take their seats.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" Emily asks.

"That should be my question," Mr. Mahoney said from behind Ryan.

"Still playing with those accounts you gave me."

"Ah, yes, and what about you, Emily?"

"I've been looking into the theoretical performance in the long-term large investments and away from the smaller ones." Ryan smiles, knowing what a mess she made of her attempt at turning accounts around.

"Excellent," Mr. Mahoney says as he walks off. That will be the only interaction he has with either of the students unless either has an issue or question.

Ryan relaxes into his chair and opens his workplace account. Again, he notices that some of the accounts he's turned into profit have gone. He downloads the list and then sets to work on what he has left. Again, he records every move he makes and every change. He thinks about why the company would let a student play with people's money and wonders if what he is doing is playing a game or some training simulation linked to the livestock market. Either way, he's pleased with the way his account is looking, whether it's simulated or not.

He's back at the flat by six thirty and looking at his accounts. Ryan's wondering if he should offload his tech shares now. He bought them as part of his speculative shares. The company that he had invested in has developed a new type of battery that, if they manage to produce it for the mass market, will change every portable electronic device.

There's one problem that he can see, and if his feeling is right, the company will get swallowed up by one of the large conglomerates. The question is, will it pay for him to sell now or wait to see what the offer for shares is? Speculation has already pushed the shares up to and way past the company's value. He takes a breath and then opens a separate window. He looks up some of the last ten years on company takeovers and buyouts, and with each one except for a couple of exceptions, he sees that none have been bought for more than fifteen percent more than the value of the company. At present, the shares are nearly fifty percent overpriced. That seals it. Ryan will sell, and even if the offer is higher, he is delighted with his profit. Hell, he didn't need to have wasted all that time researching; he already knew the answer.

He once again Skypes with Sophia and then Rose after Sophia had gone to bed. Ryan talks to Rose on his laptop, and they go to bed together. As they speak in bed, they both wind down, and fall asleep at the same time. Ryan wakes around two to see Rose asleep on his computer. He watches her sleep for a while and marvels at how lucky he is. After a while, he closes Skype and then his laptop down and quickly drops off to a comfortable sleep.

The next day, he knows Rose will be back, and when he gets in from the University, she is sitting on the sofa waiting for him. Sophia squirms off the sofa and comes running to her dad, pleased to see him.

They get a Domino's in, and when Sophia finally gives up trying to stay awake, Rose puts her to bed and then takes Ryan by his hand and takes him to bed.

They spend the first half of the night making up for the time they were apart. The second half is spent locked together, not wanting to let go. They wake in the same position they fell asleep in, and both don't want to move until a little voice says, "Muma."

Rose gets up and puts a robe on before opening the door and walking out. Ryan gets up and showers before going into the office and starting his computer up. Sophia comes in and sits on his lap while she waits for her mum to make her breakfast. He puts a cartoon on the screen to keep her amused while he looks through his notes.

Friday is an important day for Ryan; he sells everything he wants to offload and doesn't buy much. He likes to see how much he has to invest for Monday, so when Sophia has gone for her breakfast, Ryan does all the selling needed, using a program that puts everything he wants to buy and sell on the site's sales and purchases forum. When the markets open, all his dealings get done first thing. There are parameters he can set that will dictate the highest price he will pay or the lowest he will accept.

Ryan then goes into the kitchen, where Rose has made him a coffee, and Ryan gets his cereal out of the cupboard before sitting with his girlfriend and daughter.

"What do you want to do for the weekend?" Rose asks.

"Not sure, I want to go into the city. I've been here over three years and not been into central London."

"That sounds good. Is there anywhere So-So would like?"

"I'm sure we can find something," Ryan says.

This is Rose and Ryan's life. They settle in and enjoy every aspect of life with each other. They seem to complement each other, and the switch between a single life and one as a couple is seamless.

Ryan comes home to find Rose in front of her camera set up talking about her change of life in a live feed. As Ryan walks in she greets him and then explains to the camera.

"Baby, come and say hello," Rose says. She looks back at the camera as says, "Ryan is a little camera shy, but I will introduce you, so you know he exists."

Ryan comes over after hanging his coat up. "Hey, Rose," he says and kisses her on the lips.

Rose beams at him as he sits and she introduces him. Ryan watches the live feed chatter and is amazed at the reception. There are the occasional bad comments, but on the whole it looks positive.

Sophia wakes from her afternoon sleep and Ryan goes to get her up. Rose asks him to look after her before she introduces Sophia. Rose doesn't want Sophia's face on camera, and she has programmed her camera to block her face out. When Rose calls, Ryan lets his daughter go running to her mum.

With Christmas approaching, Ryan comes home on Friday to Rose, Sophia, and Sicily, who's up for the weekend decorating the living room.

"Dada," Sophia says as she runs to Ryan. "Look, cissmas, Dada." She is in her 'Dada look stage.' Everything she sees that she knows the name of. Car, bus, train, dog, cat, lady, man, you get the idea.

"Hey baby," Rose says, coming over for a kiss.

"Ryan," Sicily says. Sicily although she doesn't dislike Ryan, Sicily blames him for Rose moving to London and away from her. She stays friendly because she was with Rose all through the days after Rose and Ryan's first night together. She picked her up and then helped her through her pregnancy.

She was the only friend to stay with her through the pregnancy and the only one not to criticise Rose's decision to keep the baby. Rose has told Ryan the full story, and he respects Sicily above all of Rose's friends.

"Hello, my love," Ryan says. "Sicily. How are you, Sicily?