Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter Forty-Three; Let's Hurt Tonight

Later, Brent was sitting in his living room, staring into space as he was deep in thought. He felt that the longer he let it sink in, the more he believed that he needed to help Ryan somehow; if that post about Janelle was true, she could really be hurting his friend. He didn't want that for anybody, but especially not Ryan; he was the man that had always been there for all of them, and in a moment like this, he knew that he had to make a decision whether to be there for Ryan, or let him love someone who could be bad news for him.

Brent sighed, rubbing his temples. What he hated about this the most was that Ryan had tried so hard to find somebody to love, and now that he did, she was only in it for his money and the fame. He had seemed so in love the first time he told them about her, did he really want to take that from him?

But then again, did he really want to watch his friend get hurt in a toxic relationship?

Brent sat back on the couch, staring at the ceiling and biting his lower lip. He wanted so much to help his friend, but he just didn't know how.

Tell him, part of him said. Warn him about her.

He could, in fact, do that, but he would risk Ryan getting upset with him, and possibly pushing him away. But then, wasn't it more important that he got him out of this entire situation?

Brent brought himself to his feet, stretching a little, deciding that he would tell him.

But not without a little help from the others.

Meanwhile, Janelle was just stepping through the door of Ryan's house, her breathing still unsteady and her body trembling. She felt sick, but at the same time, she enjoyed the kiss; She wanted to take him in her arms and make it last longer.

What on earth was happening to her? What were all of these mixed emotions she was feeling? It scared her, to put it lightly. It made her feel as though she was no longer in control of her feelings and emotions.

The thing was, he made her feel something, and whatever that was, she couldn't quite tell if it was good or bad.

She made her way upstairs, practically running into her room and throwing herself onto her bed, mindlessly gazing at the ceiling as she reached over, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest. She felt tears fill her eyes, but she blinked them away.

Why did she leave him? He hadn't done anything wrong.

She took a deep breath, reaching up and running a hand through her hair. She knew she needed to change into something else; she wanted to change out of this uncomfortable dress and shoes.

She kicked off her high heels as she sat up, Bringing herself to her feet again and stepping over to her dresser, still staring into space as she thought of the kiss Ryan had given her.

It was unlike anything she had ever felt before; it was as if he was gravity, pulling her in and refusing to let go. The way he had such a pull on her, and she couldn't quite understand why. It baffled her, everything; her feelings, his feelings, the lines seemed to be blurred and she wasn't sure if she loved him or not. All she knew was that she needed him in her life, whether as a friend or a lover, he was something she couldn't live without, now.

She picked out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, quickly undressing out of the light pink bridesmaids dress. She slipped on the shorts and shirt, before heading into the bathroom and leaning over the sink, turning on the cold water. She cupped her hands, filling them with water, which she splashed onto her face, before repeating the action multiple times. When she had finished, she looked up into the mirror, gazing at her reflection; her wide, fearful blue eyes, her troubled expression, the mascara that bow ran down her pale cheeks. She was a wreck; Ryan's kiss had caused her to question everything, sending her into a panic mode.