unexpected - ruel van dijk

the call

my phone rings several times before ruel finally picks up. it feels as if my soul is going to tear into a billion pieces. my hands are shaking and i can barely hold the phone to my ear.

"brynne!" ruel exclaims on the end of the line. i don't speak. i try and open my mouth but i can't form any words. "brynne?" his voice asks. "brynne are you okay?" a sense of panic begins to underly his tone.

"i'm-" i choke out. my breathing is still incredibly fast although i have tried so hard to calm myself down. more students are beginning to fill the playground as it nears the bell time. i take a few deep breaths, the line is silent. "it's daniel" i say.

"what the fuck has he done now?" ruel says. his voice carries as much frustration and anger as my voice had not even ten minutes ago.

"there was a photo of you-" i say. "on my locker"

"the fuck?!" ruel exclaims.

"but it wasn't daniel." i say. "i think it was his girlfriend- i heard her talking about you a couple of weeks ago... i think she's a fan." i hear ruel sigh on the other end of the phone.

"daniel came up to me," i continue "and he told me that he wants me back" i say.

"that son of a bitch" ruel says. "what did you say?"

"i had a massive go at him" i tell him. "all of my emotions that i had bottled up over the past two years came pouring out" i hear an obnoxiously loud laugh on the other side of the line.

"fuck yes!" ruel yells. "he deserves it!" ruel's voice grows quieter and it sounds like he's moving away from his phone. "coco!" he yells, "she finally roasted her asshole ex!" i hear coco distantly cheering in the background. i wipe away some of my tears and laugh. "i'm so happy for you brynne," ruel says. "why aren't you happy?" he asks me.

"he's going to make my life even more of a living hell-" i say, my voice growing quieter. "it could be even worse than before"

"stop looking at the bad sides of the situation." he instructs me. "you have so much going for you, i'm not surprised he wanted you back" a small smile begins to form on my face. "what time is it in sydney?" he asks me.

"school hasn't started yet, it's about 8:30" i tell him.

"well..." ruel says. "you are going to wipe away your tears and walk back in there with your head held high." he tells me. "you are so much better than all of them," he continues, his voice holds a certain sense of authority. "call me when you get home," he tells me. "i believe in you brynne" tears start forming in my eyes again, but this time they aren't sad tears.

"thank you" i say quietly as i wipe away my tears on my sleeve. "i miss you" i say. 

"i miss you too," he replies. "it's not long until i'm home," he says. which is kind of a lie, he's still away for another few weeks. "call me when you get home," he tells me. "i want to know what happens."

"will do," i say. 

"talk to you then," he says as the call ends. 

it honestly feels so surreal to me that someone whom i haven't even known for more than two weeks has become such a big part of my life. he is truly the only one who knows how to put things into perspective. he was more supportive than my own mother! i sigh as i stand up and walk back into the main school building to put my things away in my locker. i finish just as the bell rings, walk into my roll call class and sit down in my usual seat next to one of my only friends jess.

jess walks into the classroom not long after me and her face is plastered with an expression of excitement.

"you'll never guess what i found out" she whispers to me as she sits down. by the fact that she's whispering, i can tell that it's serious.

"what is it?" i whisper back, trying to make my voice sound as excited as hers.

"daniel and his girlfriend broke up," she tells me. i shake my head in disbelief.

"when?" i ask her.

"last night," she tells me. "it's all that people are talking about!" she exclaims. i look down at my desk. a sick feeling washes through my stomach for the five hundredth time this morning. i'm not going to lie, i'm scared that i'm the reason he broke up with her. i don't want anything to do with them anymore. i wish they would both leave me alone.

"that's so crazy" i say to jess.

"i told you they weren't going to last!" she leans back in her chair, a smug smile plastered across her face. i fake a genuine laugh and shake my head- even though laughing and smiling are two things that i don't particularly feel like doing. my thoughts are interrupted by the bell, i check my timetable to see what class i have next. of course it's the one fucking class i share with daniel. 

i get up with jess and we walk out of the classroom. we then both go our different directions. i get to the classroom and walk inside. daniel is nowhere to be seen. thank god. 

i sit down at my desk and unpack my books. before long i look up towards the door to see daniel entering the classroom. his eyes look kind of red- almost like he's been crying? his eyes dart around the room, he looks everywhere but at me. i choose to ignore him and look back at my own desk. just like ruel said; i am so much better than him.

the events of today have been so surreal to me. it's almost been like a change in the tide. maybe things will finally start to fall into place? 

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thank u so much for reading!

because i've been so slack with updating i decided to hit u with another chapter :)

it's been a bit hard to continue to write from brynne's perspective whilst ruel is on his asia tour. but i really want to keep the perspective consistent throughout this whole story, plus i really hate writing from the perspective of an actual person such as ruel, because i struggle to assume how they think!

anyway, please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter, and/or want more!! it means heaps to me that you guys are enjoying it (and thank you for 2k reads oh my)! also follow my wattpad so you get notified every time i post a new chapter!

thank u all so much :)

xx