Normal //Ryan Metzger

16: melt

In just a few months, Ryan and I had already moved into his and Jack's apartment, with Jack's approval.
   Jack didn't care but loved teasing us from saying no quickly every time Ryan asked to making us sign an "agreement contract" which still makes me laugh.
   Jess didn't mind either. A few of her study group friends moved into the apartment that I always visit whenever Ryan and them are in meetings
   Living with Ryan has been a trip in itself. I learned that he can't shower without singing at the top of his lungs, that he has to sleep on the right side of the bed, even if I stay at Jess' for the night, and I learned that him and Jack don't really cook much, which is where I stepped in.
   "Ryan Metzger!" I yelped out as he snuck up on me cooking in his kitchen. He attacked the sides of my abdomen, making me laugh.
"What?" He laughed, moving his hands to be around my waist. He placed a small kiss in the crook of my neck and sat his chin there to see what I was doing. "Whatcha cooking?"
"Just some dinner," I said, stirring the meat in the skillet. "Spaghetti, nothing special. Something quick since you guys are writing today."
"Well," He said flipping me around to face him. "If it is made by the Lauren Pearson then it is something special. Will blow Jack's 'spaghetti' out of the water."
"Aww, love," I said. I reached my hand up to his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. My whole body felt warm as we kissed. I felt at home. "Are you buttering me up so you can be the taste tester?"
"You know it," he laughed and I reached behind me to get a little bit of the sauce on my spoon. His still had his arms around my waist, keeping me close to him.
I lifted the spoon and let him try the red sauce.
"Babe," He said, taking in the sauce. "Amazing. 10/10. Wow"
"Get you a man that hypes you up," I said and pulled him into another kiss. Instead of the kiss being sweet, it lingered with the many Italian spices that were packed into the sauce.
"You know it," He said, continuing the kiss.
He pushed me up against the counter lightly, pressing into my lips harder. He grabbed at the back of both of my thighs and lifted me up into the counter for a better angle.
"Ryan," I breathed. "Jack and Adam will be back any moment."
"Let them," he said in a tone that made me melt. He cupped my face lightly to deepen the kiss. Not even a moment later, Jack and Adam walked through the door.
"Smells good-woah, what the hell?" Adam said, covering his eyes. I hopped off of the counter quickly and Ryan tried to act natural.
"You guys realize there is a room right down the fucking hallway, right?" Jack asked laughing, setting the bags they went shopping for down in the table. My red burned with redness as I returned to the pasta and the sauce.
"At least it wasn't like that one time where Jack snuck that girl in and-" Ryan started but Jack shut him up by holding up his index finger.
"We don't talk about that St. Patrick's Day, okay?" He said in a serious tone, making us all laugh.
"Well, while you guys are arguing over stories, dinner will be done in a few minutes." I said to them all, patting Ryan and Jack on the shoulders at the same time.
The boys all gathered around the table, putting together the cords they needed for the new sound board they had bought.
"Jack," Ryan said, holding up a package of cords. "You got the wrong prong number."
"What?" Jack asked. "I thought that side needed 12 and this 13." Jack pointed at the sides of the machines, learning in the process that he was wrong.
"Well," Adam said, throwing the cords into the plastic bags again. "Guess we are working on acoustic tracks today."
"While eating spaghetti," I said, handing Ryan a bowl. "Soups on."
The boys' tension dropped at the sight of food and Jack and Adam ran to the big pot of pasta.
My phone that was on the counter buzz with a phone call. I picked it up and saw my mom's contact photo on the screen.
"Who is it?" Ryan asked, wiping his mouth from sauce with a napkin.
"It's my mom," I said and slid open my phone to answer it. "Hey mom!"
"Hi sweetheart," she said, put her tone was off. "Are you alone right now?"
"No, I'm at Ryan's with his brothers right now," I said. Ryan questioned my confused look but I looked away. "Mom, what's wrong?"
"Honey," She said as if trying to find words to say. "The court sent a letter to the house calling for your appearance in Blake's extension trial."
My heart sank to the ground. I have not seen Blake since the night of the attack and was not planning on it either.
"They said he was released last year on bail but was found doing some more things and want your testimony for what he did to you to be on his trial records."
I struggled to find words for what she just dropped to me.
"When is the trial?" I asked. The word 'trial' got the attention of Ryan and he walked over to where I was standing, placing his hand on my arm and giving me a concerned look.
"Next Tuesday," she said, holding back. "What is the earliest flight you can get?"
*
"Are you kidding me?" Ryan said that night as we folded back the blankets to his bed. "They're going to make you sit up there, stand in front of him, and relive a night you never want to remember?"
There was anger in his voice, but not like the anger in his actions. Ryan violently pulled the blankets down and fluffed his pillow so hard I thought it was going to burst with feathers everywhere.
"My story could add onto his sentence," I said plugging in my phone. "We were together for five years, there is plenty to tell."
"But I don't want you to feel like you have to sit up there and tell the story of that night, love," He said, lightening up. "Making you live through the pain after working so hard to forget it."
"Trust me," I said climbing into bed. "I don't want to do it at all. But I feel like I have to."
"I just can't believe you have to look him in the eye again," Ryan said, pulling the covers up.
"How about this," I said, flipping over to see him, leaning up with my elbow. "We take our flight to Ohio and have a relaxing few days with my parents and siblings, then have the trial, then come home to our beautiful apartment and call it the past."
   "Are you sure you're comfortable with doing this?"
   "I'm not comfortable with stating what happened," I said, shifting in my place. "But I am comfortable knowing that I'm helping him to elongate his sentence so this doesn't happen to anyone else."
   "Well," Ryan said, slipping off his glasses. "If you're comfortable then I am. And I'm glad I get to be right by your side with you as you do."
   I gave him a quick kiss and slid off my glasses.
   "Goodnight love," I said. "I'm glad to always have you by my side."
*
   The next day, we were in the airport waiting for our flight to board. Ryan was pounding on the travel sound machine he had, all sound from it muted by his soundproof headphones that were blaring the music into him.
   I sat right beside him, bouncing my leg and trying to call my mom before they called us to board.
   "Hello?" My mom said on the other line.
   "Hey momma," I said with a smile. "Just letting you know we are about to board and will be there in a few hours."
"Okay hun," she said into her phone. I could feel my mom's warm smile through the phone, a smile I haven't seen in almost a year. "I can't wait to meet Ryan! They way you talk about him just melts my heart."
"He melts mine too mom," I said, looking over at Ryan doing a little dance to the beat he was creating beside me. "We will see y'all in a bit."
   Even though I grew up in the middle of Ohio, my parents' country accents they both had rubbed off on me and appeared when I was around them.
The phone call ended just in time for the flight attendant to call for our boarding passes. I elbowed Ryan to get his attention, spooking him a little.
He packed up his gear and we were off to the beautiful Columbus, Ohio.
_____________________________________
-chapter song is My Calling by AJR