Okay?

Leaving his work be for now, Leo leans on the car as he continues to study Ryan. She really did seem upset about this whole thing - not to the point of it being obvious to everybody, but it showed in her eyes... in her tone. Leo hadn't dated her for all that long, but it had been enough for him to get to know her pretty well. And right now, he could see the inner battle she was facing. 

"Well... from past experience... if somebody's gonna get hurt... better to do it sooner than later when you're in even deeper." He purses his lips grimly. He knew she didn't want to hurt Tal. Whether anybody else saw it or not, Leo knew she had a soft spot in her heart underneath her toughness - it pained her to hurt anybody else, especially when she cared for them. 

"I gotta admit, I'm a little surprised you're stuck where you are. What I've heard about Alec isn't all that great." He shrugs. It was her life, but he had his own opinions. "But if you really are having a hard time saying no to him... maybe that's where your heart has been all along. Seems to me, you and he have something that goes deeper than a casual relationship if you can actually overlook the things he's done, and if he's still pursuing you. On the other hand, I thought you seemed pretty happy with Tal." 

Letting his gaze fall back to the car engine, he reaches for a wrench. It wasn't his call - it was hers, and he didn't have a right to go choosing sides. He did hope she made the right decision though. Tal was an honest, kind, godly man. Alec was... not. At least from what Leo knew. But Ryan wasn't stupid - she wouldn't go kissing a guy who was a dirtbag, and again... it was her own business.

"Just make sure when you decide, that later down the road you won't look back and regret which route you took. 'Cause then you got nothing." 

"Is Ryan okay?" 

Eli turns his attention from removing tape from the car that had been painted. Tal's question had caught him off guard, and he wasn't sure what was meant by it. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno." Tal shrugs lamely as he helps remove the tape. His eyes remain on his work and don't travel to Eli. "Just wondered if everything was okay lately, I guess."

"Why?"

It takes a moment for Tal to figure out his response. "She's just seemed a little... well, 'distant' doesn't feel like the right word, but something like that. I don't know. Just something feels... off."

Eli quirks an eyebrow. He knew that Ryan had not spoken about Alec to Tal, but was it that turmoil Tal had been sensing? "Eh... ya can't always read women. They like to keep us guessing."

Tal throws him a wry grin, but his eyes remain clouded. It wasn't that he was really worried, or all that concerned. There was just something different about Ryan lately that he couldn't put his finger on. She didn't seem upset... and she was still smiling and still seemed satisfied with their relationship - he was trying his hardest to please her. And yet... it was almost like storm clouds in the distance, despite a forecast of sunny skies. "Okay, well, just thought I'd ask. Guess it's nothing."

As Tal continues to work, Eli pauses, watching him for a moment. It wasn't nothing, and that was the problem. But maybe after his little conversation with Alec yesterday, Ryan wouldn't be stuck in the middle anymore.

Stopped from stepping away, then being pulled back in for another, deeper kiss, Rosalyn doesn't hesitate to return it. She loved how it felt to be in Chad's arms... she loved his warmth... she loved the way his kisses felt. She didn't know if it would feel the same with another man or not, but she didn't care to find out. 

As Chad draws back, she smiles up at him, enjoying the touch of his hand. "Mmm... you better let me go or else I might just drag you to the couch with me and use you as a pillow." Running her palms down his arms to meet with his own hands, she gives them a squeeze. "Come early and you'll have me to yourself for a little while before it fills up in here." 

Finally letting go, she turns and heads for the little living room off the dining room, before she really did drag Chad along with her... 

The couch was a comfortable one, but it still wasn't Rosalyn's bed, so sleep didn't come all that easily, even if she was exhausted. Eventually getting to sleep at a late hour though, her body did not want to rise when she'd planned. Sleeping through her cell phone's alarm, she missed rising and getting started with her day early like she'd wanted. Instead, she still lay sound asleep on the couch under a blanket, still in her clothes from the day before.