Forbidden Love

Chapter 7: Nightmares

"Mom, what's taking Dad so long?"

"Honey, Dad is busy doing his gang-related work....how about we play a game of chess before your Dad arrives?"

"But Mom, we already that game like 5 times today...and I haven't spent any time with Dad since like, forever!"

"I know Ryan, but that's what you get when you're the son of a mafia gang leader."

"I hate this..."

"Now c'mon, it's about to be 9:00pm and you're 30 minutes past your bedtime!"

"Mom, I'm 7 years old; I don't think I need bedtimes anymore."

"Ryan..."

"Good night Mom!"

In Ryan's bedroom,

"One day, I'll prove it to Mom that I no longer need to get to bed before 9:00pm!"

*BANG**BANG**BANG*

"Mom? Dad?" 

Back to present.....

"Ryan...Ryan!"

"Hmmm...."

"RYAN!"

"Argh!" I saw Ryan shot his eyes open with a sudden jerk and started looking around the classroom.

"Ugh, where am I?" he groaned sleepily. I punched him in the arm playfully.

"Hey, Lydia! Gosh, that hurts!" cried Ryan as he rubbed his arm. I laughed victoriously.

"Oh god Ryan, you should actually see yourself sleeping!" I cried in joy as I held my stomach.

"Okay enough with the laugh, Maleficent..." grumbled Ryan as he tried to get back to sleep.

"Don't sleep in the detention, silly! If Mrs. McClain caught you, you and I are gonna get it..." I warned him as I poked him on the head.

"Okay fine, I won't sleep anymore...what are you doing anyway?"

"Oh, I was doodling." I replied casually.

"Oh, so you can doodle in detention class but I can't sleep?" whined Ryan as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.

I gigged and nodded my head. "Yes Ryan..."

"What're you doodling?" I showed him my rough notebook as he grasped hold of it and stared at the page where my artistic doodling was presented.

"Lydia...what do you wanna do with your life?" he asked as his mesmerized eyes were fixated on my doodling.

"Uh, I wanna become a director. I want to direct movies and say all those amazing catchphrases like 'CUT!' and 'ACTION!'...."

Ryan giggled when I mentioned 'cut' and 'action' but then looked at me. "I think you should also include drawing into your career list. You draw amazing!" he cried.

"Wow, thanks I guess...." I murmured shyly as I slowly slipped the notebook off his fingers.

Suddenly the bell rang and we looked up to Mrs. McClain who was dozing off on her chair. Ryan and I tried our best to not laugh out loud as we tiptoed our way out of detention.

Soon we were walking on the pathways as we talked and laughed on the way. 

"Wait, so you're telling me that you have a book about some sick love in the 1900's?"

"It's not sick, Ryan."

"C'mon, all love stories are bullshit. Hero and Heroine meets, falls in love, people don't accept it or something stands in their way, either they survive through it together or they die out of it together, all that heart-aching shit...."

"If that's the case, come home with me. I will read the book to you, only then will you understand the power and value of love."

"Lydia, I am not going to your house just to hear you read a stupid love-" In no time, I dragged Ryan by his muscled arm towards my house. Soon, we were sitting inside my bedroom as I sat with the book on my lap and Ryan; well he was sitting on my study chair like a king, waiting for me to begin the 'most-ridiculous' story ever. I rolled my eyes and opened the book to start.

"It was a cold wintry night," I began, "The town was all still and peaceful. There were no townspeople walking around like they always do on a Saturday. There were no hungry dogs and cats roaming around the streets nakedly. It was just the deep black sky with twinkling stars hidden behind the misty 'ol mist."

"That's just too cliché....."

"Ryan, shut up and listen!"

"Suddenly, from within the quiet and still town, appeared two figures running through the town-square huffing and puffing in hurry and fear. The figures were man and woman. The man ran after the woman while the woman ran as fast as her legs could carry her away from the supposedly heartless beast. The man pulled out something shimmery through the dark night from his waistcoat's pocket. 

'Stop maiden or shall I pull the lever!' he cried. The woman paused her fleet and turned around with horror bearing inside her. 

'If only I hadn't left my pistol at the gang-house...' wondered the woman full of hopeless regret."

"Lydia, how do you survive reading books like this?" asked Ryan with disgust. I narrowed my eyes.

"Ryan, I swear if you don't shut your hole, I might have to strap that up with sticky tape!"

Ryan widened his eyes and whispered, "The hole's shut, you may continue mademoiselle...."

I giggled silently and resumed back to my reading,

"The man walked closer to the woman with the shiny pistol in his hands, still aiming at her forehead. 'Give me the necklace.' said the man. The woman gulped in hear as she gave in the necklace that costed about $100,000. The man greedily looked at the necklace, snatched it from the woman's hands and disappeared within the black shadows of the night."

I stopped reading to see Ryan's reaction but then I found him doozing off on my chair. I was about to abrupt in anger for not listening to me reading this incredible book; but then, I stared at his innocent and angelic face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. Let me tell you this, Ryan drools like a baby! I got off my bed slowly and approached him as he slept. I wonder how he managed to sleep so soundly on my chair. His peachy flawless skin shone in my emerald eyes, his fine cheekbones were finer than ever, his jet-black spiked hair dazzled my gaze like a shooting star. For the first time, I actually felt attracted to him.

As I continued to admire Ryan's sleeping look, suddenly his expressions changed from calm and peaceful to panic and fear. His eyebrows curved into frowns, his flawless face carried a scared and frightened impression. He started shouting and screaming in his sleep.

"No, don't k-keep me aw-away from h-her....I-I need to be there f-for her!...S-save her, pl-please! PLEASE!!! NOOO!!"

"Ryan?!" I cried. 

Ryan shot his eyes open as he breathed heavily to get hold of his posture. He ran his fingers through his silky hair as his chest went up and down fastily. He quickly grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it with fear. I looked at him terrified. He was so....scared. He started trembling as he continued to squeeze my hand. It wasn't the 'pain' type of squeeze, it was the 'give me comfort' type of squeeze. I cupped Ryan's cheek with my other hand as he took deep breaths and rubbed his face against my hand that cupped his cheek.

"L-Lydia," he began, still breathing heavily, "promise me that you will never leave me, you will let me protect you, you will let me be there for you, please promise me..."

I brought my face closer and kissed him softly on his forehead. Then I looked deep into his brown eyes and whispered, "I promise."