Dark and Dangerous

Chapter 23

I woke up feeling refreshed and happy. Memories of last night came back to me. I'd never been skinny dipping before. And definitely never thought of making love in the ocean. Guess I could cross that off my bucket list.

Niall had walked me to the door and kissed me goodnight like a true gentleman. I was smiling at the memory when Ryan pushed open my door. I hadn't talked to him in a few weeks, and I felt really bad. I figured I could let the fact that he didn't knock go for now.

He came over and sat on the edge of my bed. He hung his head. 

"I don't know what to do, Jess." He started. Poor kid probably actually liked a girl. He was the type that just had girls as friends. I think he'd only ever liked one girl in his fifteen years, and that was in third grade. He was an attractive kid, with dirty blonde hair and my mom's gorgeous brown eyes. 

"What's up, Ry?" I asked, scooting over so he could come up next to me. I put my arm around him and he laid his head on my shoulder. We never had a typical brother-sister relationship. He was always one to come talk to me when he had a problem at school. We never fought, barely ever argued. I was grateful for this kid. He was one of my best friends.

"There's this girl..." He started. I knew it. "Her name is Nichole. She's gorgeous, Jesse. And so sweet. She reminds me of you." He looked up at me with his brown eyes. I smiled at him. He was always so sweet. I was glad he wasn't one of those assholes the cute guys usually were. Mom raised him right. He was good to girls. He never played them, or led them on. He was a true gentleman.

"Of me, huh? So, a snarky bitch?" I replied, causing him to smile.

"You aren't a snarky bitch." He laughed. "She's got a gorgeous smile, a lot like yours. And green eyes that sparkle. Long brown hair. That's also a lot like yours, long and wavy. She doesn't wear makeup, and she's got your personality. Remember when you told me to cherish the little things in life? She does that. All the time. And she's so nice to everyone." He paused. I remembered the day I told him that. He was ten, and I took him out to the beach to watch the sunrise with me. He had asked why we were out so early, and I told him to watch the sky. Soon after it had filled with light, and I watched his eyes light up at the sight. I told him to always cherish the little things in life because you never know when you're going to see them again.

"This Nichole sounds amazing, Ryan." I smiled down at him. 

"I want to ask her to Homecoming, since that's next week. But I don't know if she already has a date, or..." He trailed off. Oh, Homecoming. I sometimes forgot he was a freshman in high school already.

"You've got to take the chance. If she already has a date, she'll tell you. But at least you're getting it out there that you like her. And what if she doesn't and you don't ask? You'll lose your chance. Risk the rejection, Ryan. It's the only way you'll get her." I advised. I remembered my freshman year. It was back when I liked a guy name Damian. He was a sophomore and he was super sweet. We were close friends, and I wanted him to ask me to Homecoming so bad. He ended up asking some girl, Kat. He told me after that he wanted to ask me but he didn't know if I had a date or not. I didn't want Ryan making that same mistake.

"Thanks, Jesse! You're the best. I'll ask her on Monday." He kissed me on the cheek and jumped off the bed before running out the door. That kid was so weird sometimes. I chuckled and got out of bed. I grabbed my phone and made my way to the bathroom as I unlocked it and checked my messages.

From: Niall Horan

Hey, baby. I'll pick you up around six tonight. The boys came in early this morning and they're passed out. Thought we could go down to dinner on the pier or something. In honor of last night. ;)