Shattering Me

22~ the Perfect Relationship

Arden Lou had been planning her big trip to Hawaii for months. Ever since the day Ryan told her that his family was moving and he would be going with them.  

She could have told herself that she was making the trip to branch out and explore a different part of the world for the first time in her life. She could have said that it was all about the potential career opportunities she might find in the U.S. If she felt the need, she could even say that she was traveling just for the sake of vacationing, but that just wasn't true.

Arden knew from the moment that Ryan got on that plane so many months ago that she couldn't live her life the same way without him. Her heart didn't beat the same when she knew that he was thousands of miles overseas. Her mind wouldn't focus once she thought about the idea of not seeing her man for years. Oh, and her blood boiled down to ash when she thought about the Hawaiian tramps that might fawn over him without her around to defend her territory.

So, inside herself she knew that she made the trip because she was in love. That made it a lot less complicated, especially to her parents.

Her mom and dad viewed Ryan as the black samurai warrior that was destined to protect their daughter, so they didn't have much qualms with her plan to go find him. They helped her pack.

Now that she in Hawaii and standing in front of her beloved, it was hard to find words to describe the feelings swirling through her heart.

She settled for, "I missed you. So much." Her English was flawless of course because it was the language that most of her fans used and it was what Ryan felt more comfortable with. So, it was more of a surprise when Ryan responded in Japanese.

Kyle couldn't understand a word that passed between them, but his presence wasn't really that significant anymore. "I can't believe you came all this way. Did you really fly here just for me?"

"Of course, Rye. I couldn't leave my man alone on an island forever, could I?" she giggled.

"Arden, you are something else." His smile was genuine and he held her hands as gently as he could. Ryan stared into her eyes and she blushed immediately as she endeavored to hold his gaze. "I really missed you too," he said, shaking his head and breaking the eye contact.

"It's nice to meet you, I guess," Kyle said. He cautiously raised a hand for her to shake and Arden looked at it for a full two seconds before smiling and shaking it.

"It's really nice to meet you too! I'm guessing you're the guy that's been keeping my man safe for me. Thank you," her voice was soft enough to drown his soul like a massive velvety pillow pressed firmly against his face.

"Yeah, that's me. The roommate," he returned with a smile that would have looked more appropriate on a doll who'd undergone plastic surgery. "Where exactly are you staying? Will you be taking the chair?"

Ryan growled from the side, but Arden took it as an honest joke and giggled. "No, I've booked a hotel a few miles down. Oh! I really should be getting over there to check in soon. Thanks for reminding me," she beamed.

As she turned back to her boyfriend, he smiled again and said, "Let me drive you. There's no hope of getting a taxi around here in under ten minutes." He ever so gently slipped her off her feet and just like that, they were on their way. She even waved goodbye the little Hawaiian boy as Ryan opened the passenger door for her.

Strangely enough, she could have sworn he was glaring daggers at her for some reason.

"As they drove, they talked and caught up on their time spent apart. Though they had spoken plenty of times over the months, Ryan wasn't really much of a conversationalist and rarely said much over the phone. Her singing career also kept her fairly occupied.

"Oh Rye, you should have seen it! The view from the stage, it was just too amazing. I couldn't believe that so many had shown up to hear me sing, and the band! I can't even call them a band. They played like an orchestra!" she laughed as she recounted her latest performance back home.

"I can imagine. I knew it was only a matter of time before all of Japan adored you. You're just that perfect," he leaned over and kissed her cheek. The car didn't even swerve as he did.

"Oh stop! It wasn't all of Japan. It was just a few million and I wasn't even the only performer they came for." She was trying to be humble, but the blush growing on her cheeks showed that the complement was not wasted.

Ryan was driving more slowly than he had in all of the time he'd spent living on the island. He was taking his turns more cautiously and moving at a more careful pace. This was the only side of him that Arden ever saw. The gentle, loving, and careful giant known as Ryan Krag.

"But, okay. Enough about me. Tell me what you've been up to. I know you have been facing off with those criminals like always, but what about everything else."

His face stayed even as he told her about the school he'd transferred to and even the classes he was now taking for art. Then he even mentioned the stint with the twins and the pervert. His eyes narrowed to harsh slits and the leather around the steering wheel cried out under his palms. "Oh, and I still haven't gone to the beach, which is apparently a big deal around here."

She laughed a pure melody that was literally music to Ryan's ears. "I am not even surprised, Rye. I bet you'd get swarmed if you actually went."

He smirked, "That's what I keep hearing."

"So, what about that Hawaiian boy? He never offered to take you?"

"Oh, you mean Kai? No, he says it's not worth going this close to the rainy season."

She laughed again as they pulled up to their destination. "He seems like a nice roommate. He even offered to give up the chair if I needed it."

Ryan parked and sprung out to open the door for her. "Well he wasn't really giving anything up. I gave him my room since he was in a pretty tough situation when he moved in."

Arden's eyes jumped in surprise. "What, so you've been sleeping on the chair for all this time? That doesn't sound right, Rye." She reached out and held his hand in both of hers as they walked toward the hotel entrance.

"No, I mean it was only for a few weeks. I kind of just share the bed with him now. He's a pretty small dude, so it doesn't make much difference," he said. It suddenly dawned on him how awkward it was for him to be sleeping in the same bed with someone else, but he hoped that playing it off as no big deal would make it less weird.

"Oh...well that's nice. I used to share my bed with my brothers, so I guess it must be like that, right?"

"Yeah," he said all too eagerly opening the door. "I guess this is where I leave you for the night. I'm going to miss you like crazy."

He pulled her into another close gentle hug before carefully releasing her. "I know I'll see you tomorrow, but I'm still going to miss you more. How will I sleep without my gentle warrior to keep me safe?" she chose to ignore the fact that she'd technically been doing so for months. It sounded like the right thing to say and it felt right in the moment.

Arden gazed at her dark protector longingly as he returned to his car. He waved from the window before taking off into the night.