Sweater Weather

Chapter Four

Ryan turned the corner. I could still feel his warm lips pressed against my nose, even for the split second they were there. It was disgusting and I couldn't help but think that I wish it had landed on my lips so I could return the favor.
       I looked out the window to see that it had stopped storming and it was 3 in the morning. I kind of wanted to stay the rest of the night but knew I couldn't. The Ryan Shean I saw tonight is not who he really is. I have to remind myself of that. I pick my now clean clothes off the stairs and try to open the door without making a sound, I know if I see him again, I won't want to leave.
           "Are you leaving? Was it really that bad for me to just kiss you on the nose? Man, I guess it's a good thing I didn't go for the lips or I might have never seen you again. Huh?" I don't want to turn around but I do.
        "I know what you're like. I never thought in a million years that I would let loose around you but I did and I feel completely stupid. How could I fall for that? How could I fall for you? I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself for feeling happy here. For feeling naive and..." I looked at Ryan again, " forget it, I'm leaving."
          "Elizabeth." I could hear him getting closer and closer behind me as I struggled with the door. His arms wrapped around my waist and his head rested on my shoulder "it's 3 in the morning. I'm not letting you leave... So please just stay with me...willingly so that I don't have to lock you in a closet."
          "Why are you doing this to me?" I say as my hand limply falls off the knob. "This kind of stuff will come back to haunt me tomorrow at school. And you don't want your friends knowing that you started hanging out with me. Or maybe you do, I mean it's whatever I guess. You're a big boy right? You can recover."
         "Why are you like that?" He said slightly annoyed as he turned me around.
        "Like what?" I said
        "So guarded! It's like you can't let yourself be happy for even a second!"
         "You know nothing about me!"
         "You're right, I don't! But I want to....so why won't you let me?"
            "Please just let me go home..." I say. 

And he did.
I kind of wish he didn't.