Summer Doesn't Last Forever | ✓

Chapter 15: Call Me Crazy, But Yes

Author's Note: Meh, I tried to make this all cute-sy, so hopefully that worked. (:

I walk into Ryder’s room and trip over something on the floor. Luckily though, I don’t fall and I silently thank my lucky stars for that. Ryder looks over at me and raises his eyebrows, “Are you alright?”

I nod, “Yeah, totally. I’m fine.”

       “Alright then.” He says, lying back down. He’s propped up on some pillows though, and he’s watching some sitcom. God this is nerve-racking. I clear my throat, and walk over to his bed. I sit down on the other side of him, and pull my feet up on the bed underneath me. I don’t know how I should start this. Maybe I should just kiss him. I mean he hasn’t thrown up in a few times, and I’m sure he’s brushed his teeth so he doesn’t have bad breath.

          “Thinking?” He asks.

          “What?”

          “You look like you’re thinking about something.” Ryder explains.

          “Oh,” I say, “Well something like that.”

Ryder nods, and goes back to watching the sitcom. He chuckles at something on the screen, and I take a deep breath. I’m going to do it. I am going to kiss him, and then I’ll just see what happens from there. I mean he can push me away, or he can kiss me back, or he can run away. There’s like a million and one ways this thing could go. Oh God, now I feel like I’m about to throw up. Alright, here goes nothing. I think to myself.

          “McKenna you sh-“ Ryder says as he turns and looks at me. I cut him off though by sitting up on my knees, and pushing my lips against his. Screw flirting, I’m just jumping right in. Plus, flirting I would probably make a fool of myself. I think this is much more straightforward.

He doesn’t pull back or push me away like I expect him to though.

Instead, Ryder pulls me closer to him. His warm lips brush against mine, and I feel what I think most people would call butterflies in my stomach. I lock my arms around Ryder’s neck and he puts his around my waist. I make a quick and possibly stupid decision and run the tip of my tongue over Ryder’s lower lip. Ryder opens his mouth and our tongues touch, moving together as one. I’ve kissed my fair share of boys in my seventeen years of life -  don’t get me wrong, I can count the number of boys I’ve kissed in my life on one hand - but never have I ever had a kiss quite like this. I let my arms slide from around Ryder’s neck, and down his chest and stomach. As Ryder kisses me softly, I kiss him back and move my fingers down to the hem of his t-shirt. Even I can tell I’m getting carried away. I’m about to lift his shirt up and take it off of him, but he grabs my hands; making me stop. He pulls back breathing heavily, and rests his forehead against mine.

          “I failed.” He says quietly, closing his eyes. Not exactly the first thing you wanna hear from the mouth of the boy who ‘loves you’.

          “What do you mean?” I ask him, catching my breath.

          “I failed.” Ryder repeats.

          “Failed at what?”

Ryder opens his eyes and says, “I didn’t want you to like me.”

I wrinkle my eyebrows in confusion, “What?”

          “That’s the whole reason I made the comments I did when you first got here. I wanted you to think that I was a jerk or a pervert or something.”