room 207 | shyland ✓

nine

ryland's pov

i'd been fidgeting for hours, tapping the edge of my pen against my rickety desk that held mountains of schoolwork upon its spindly legs, when i finally heard from shane. his message had been playing on my mind ever since the notification pinged through on my phone, finding myself anxiously anticipating his arrival. when it passed eight in the evening and i ate dinner with the rest of my family, i concluded that shane would not be coming round for his typical after school visit to spend time with austin like i'd initially expected. no, it appeared as though this was going to be a late night rendezvous and for reasons unbeknownst to me, this made my heart beat even faster.

finally, at 11:51pm, my phone vibrated from my bedside table and my lungs stopped functioning for half a second until i finally recollected how to breathe again.

from: shane dawson
  i'm outside, come down

jumping out from under the dark, navy-blue bed sheets, i glanced over my appearance in the mirror and felt my stomach lurch at the thought of seeing him. the thought of falling into his eyes. it sent this shock wave of nerves down the centre of my shoulder blades. a light adidas sweater clung to my chest, paired with black nike sweatpants that i'd received for christmas from my uncle and aunt last year. the simple, casual outfit that i would normally wear to sleep would just have to do because the last thing i wanted to do was make shane wait.

my footsteps were almost incoherent as i tiptoed down the stairs and slipped out the front door, adrenaline rushing through me because i don't do shit like this. i could understand why people did, though: it was thrilling. if anything, i was probably one of the most well behaved kids in the school since i've never gotten black-out drunk (sure, i've had a few drinks, but who at sixteen hasn't); i've never had a detention or been suspended; i always pass all my classes and i never disobey my parents. yet, here i was at midnight sneaking out to meet my brother's best friend and let him tell me that he wants to kiss me. oh how times have changed.

he was leant against his range rover looking impeccably gorgeous when i finally got outside, his red-brown hair held back by a black beanie, clad in his usual black jeans and maroon sweater. his shoulders were covered in the jean jacket he wears to football games sometimes, the one which had the fluffy sheep wool material inside that was seemingly his signature look.

a bright smile appeared on his face as i shut the door behind me. "hey. i didn't think you'd be up." he quietly spoke and i ignored the way my stomach churned as he did so. "i'm glad you are, though; i didn't really fancy the whole romeo and juliet style scene. i'm not one for scaling up bricked walls and climbing through balconies. it would end with me in a scattered heap across your driveway."

i laughed loudly, catching myself and covering my mouth to prevent awakening the whole street. he grinned widely in return – that smile a boy does where his whole face lights up and god you just want to kiss them – and he opened the passenger door for me as i hopped into the soft leather.

"are you saying we're romeo and juliet, now?" i asked as i felt my cheeks heat up and watched him lean against my door confidently.

"yes. that's exactly what i'm saying."

shutting the door behind me, i watched as shane jogged over to his side of the car and climbed in. his cheeks were slightly pink from the cold air, and when we caught eye contact as he slid his keys into the ignition, i began to laugh.

"what're you doing?" i asked as the boy beside me leant back in the seat and watched me carefully with narrowed eyes.

he smirked and shortly replied, "i'm waiting." whilst checking his hair in the rear view mirror, tucking a few strands back under his beanie.