Happier

2

Andy-

I woke up with a pounding headache. Everything was blurry and I didn't know where I was...and who was with me? I began to panic.

"Shh.. Andy, calm down. It's me, Rye." Rye said softly as he sat up with me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I sighed in releif as I rested my head against his bare chest.

"I'm never, ever drinking again." I groaned as the pounding in my head continued. Rye chuckled before pulling out of the embrace and climbing off my bed.

"I'll go get you some pain killers. Want a cup of tea?" He asked once he was down.

"Yeah." I said simply. He nodded and walked off to the kitchen.

I sat against the wall. The past events of the night came rushing back to me. I remembered leaving the flat and walking into town. I remembered glancing up in front of me and seeing Hannah walking for the first time in a month. She didn't even notice me, and if she did, she probably didn't care. She never did. Yeah, I hurt her, but she hurt me too.

I was so deep in thought I hadn't even realized that Rye was back on my bunk and wiping a tear from my cheek. I looked up at him and smiled weakly. He smiled back.

"It's gonna get better, Andy. It will, I promise." He said as he handed me a pain killer and a water bottle. I took the meds and screwed the cap back onto the bottle. Rye handed me a mug of tea and sat back down beside me with his own mug. "Just tell me if you want me to leave you alone, but I just wanna make sure that your ok." He said as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"It's kinda nice to have the company. Thank you, Rye." I replied to him as I rested my head on his shoulder. We finished our teas in silence. He took the cups to the kitchen just as Mikey was waking up. Harvey was at home and Brook and Jack were still asleep.

Mikey looked up to my bunk and saw the mess that I was. He gave me a concerned look.

"You alright mate?" He asked me. I nodded my head and sunk down into my bed. I felt as if they all judged me for the person I was becoming and the path that I'm going down, but I don't want to go down this path. Rye and Blair entered the room together.

"You guys have a gym session as soon as you all can get ready." Blair announced. "Andy, mate, take it easy but still work hard." He said as he walked out the door. He's always been a very understanding manager, but still wants the work done. I was thankful for that.

I climbed down from my bunk and got some clothes from my bag. I went to the bathroom to change. I never changed in front of the boys or anyone, too self conscious of my own body. Ever since Hannah broke up with me, I blamed it on the fact that I couldn't give her what she wanted. Seeing her with that guy almost proved my theory. He was so fit, he was tall, his hair was a natural blonde color and he was much more handsome than me. His jawline was even more defined than Harvey's and I could see the light blue of his eyes even from a few feet away.

But here I am, the exact opposite of everything I just described. I sighed and quickly put a random shirt I had grabbed over my head and pulled it down as far as it would go. I put a pair of trackies on. I fixed my hair a bit and put some deodorant on before exiting the bathroom. When I entered the bedroom, the only one there was Rye. He smiled at me.

"You ready?" He asked me. I nodded my head while looking down at the ground. "Andy, what's wrong?" He asked as he put his finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him. I shrugged my shoulders and turned away, feeling my cheeks burning up. I grabbed my phone and exited the flat, Rye racing after me.

-At the Gym-

The boys were all working really hard, and I was trying my best. I couldn't get my mind off of Hannah and what happened with Rye. Rye had noticed that I had stopped the treadmill and was walking to a nearby bench as I had become overwhelmed and dizzy. I fell onto the bench and put my head in my hands. Rye sat down next to me and placed his hand on my back.

"Andy what's wrong?" He asked with a very obvious hint of worry in his voice. I lifted my head from my hands and looked at him with a few tears falling down my cheeks.

"Rye, I want to forget about her, I want to move on, but everwhere I look, I find something that reminds me of her. Every scent that I smell leads me back to her. Why am I feeling this way Ryan?" I asked as more tears started falling. A look of sadness came across his face as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"It's gonna take time, and I know it feels like it's been forever already, but she was your first love. I know it's hard, but you've just got to keep going and push forward even when you don't feel like it. She doesn't deserve you after everything she did to you. And I know you hurt her a bit too, but nothing can compare to what she did to you. But I'm gonna be here every step of the way. If never leaving your side for a long time is what it'll take to get my Andy back, then I'll do it. I just wanna see your smile and hear your laugh again." He said. I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. He smiled a sad smile.

"Thank you, Rye." I whispered. Before I knew it a pair of lips were on my own, and just as fast as they had gotten there, they were gone and a blushing Rye was walking away. I just sat there, shocked, but also wondering why I longed for more.

~