SHUT UP. ( K. COSENTINO )

071.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* LIFE *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

WHEN DELANEY HAD FINNALY MADE IT HOME from the girls day, nobody cared enough to tell her where Ryland had gone. She wasn't stupid enough to miss the beat of tension after she asked and scoffed when Nick shrugged without a word, the door slamming in her face.

"Fucking asshole," she shouted, kicking the wood as she clutched the bag of food in her hand. She didn't understand why everyone was looking at her like she had done some unspeakable thing when she had literally been gone for an hour at tops. She hadn't even left with another guy — Kouvr and Mia the only ones who had gone.

Delaney had already checked Ryland's room to find it empty but she found herself stumbling into the space again, a groan of annoyance leaving her mouth when she was shown the same results as before. She pulled out her phone and called him, freezing when she heard the brief chime of his ringtone before it was sent to voicemail.

She made her way over to his window and peered our to see Ryland laid out on the roof with his hands over his face, confusion washing over her as she climbed out carefully to join him. She dropped down besides him and he jumped at the loss of isolation.

"I brought you food—"

"I think you should be with Kairi," Ryland cut her off as he sat up and Delaney felt her heart drop into her stomach. She had thought that this was going so well; for once in her life she was happy with somebody who was happy with her.

"E-Excuse me?" She stammered and moved away from him like he'd just told her he hated her, her stomach twisting and turning as Ryland looked towards the setting sun with a sigh. He hadn't expected this to hurt so damn much and when he saw the way that she was already taking his words, it wasn't making it any easier.

He didn't say anything for a moment and Delaney felt like she wanted to scream at him until he broke. This didn't make any sense to her in the slightest. Why the hell would she be with Kairi when she was living the happiness she ever had with him?

"You should be with Kairi," he repeated. He didn't know why she was acting like this was some impossible thing he was telling her to do. He knew that she was aware she still loved him and the faster she agreed, the less this would cause him the pain that had already started.

"No, I heard you. Why, though?" Her voice cracked at the end of the question and Ryland closed his eyes in frustration. She wasn't supposed to be upset about this. She was supposed to realize that this was for the best and just be happy that she was no longer tied to him when she clearly didn't want to be.

"You love him—"

Delaney was on her feet now, no longer phased by the distance she was from the ground. She was fuming at how easily he was dismissing her like he was doing her some great big favor by essentially pushing her away without reasoning.

"I love you," she whispered, wiping her eyes quickly so that he couldn't see that this conversation had brought her to tears so quickly. Her efforts were useless though and he could already tell that she was begining to cry without even meeting her eyes.

"No, you want to love me but you love him. Kairi knows it. I know it. You know it," his words were emotionless and he was trying his hardest to keep a calm and collected attitude. He wanted this so end so that he could begin his own heartbreak and, once again, Delaney didn't have the patience to let him do so without arguing.

He found his own way to his feet but still kept his attention away from her to prevent the internal battle from coming to life. His eyes never left the orange glow of the sky even though he knew that she was waiting for him to meet hers.

"Kairi called. And he texted. Nick deleted it all off of your phone and told him to leave us alone. He lied and that's why you think that you're in love with me, Delaney. You thought that you had nobody left and I was there," he blurted and casted his attention towards the ground as Delaneu stared at him.

"I knew."

He felt his heart drop at her words but he still couldn't bring himself to look at her. There was no possible way that she had figured this out before him. She was supposed to be pissed off that their friend had ruined her chances of being with Kairi and yet there she was, careless to his reveal.

"Mattia told me a couple of days ago that Kairi had told them he texted me. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together. I wanted to be with you. If I wanted to be with him than I would have done it—"

"Let me see your phone."

Delaney froze at the question and he finally turned to look at her, flinching slightly when she dropped it into his lap without a second thought. He picked it up and pressed the button to light up the screen as his heart fell at the sight before him.

It was no longer the picture of her and Kairi, instead, it was a picture that Alex had taken months ago of the two of them together in backseat of his car. Delaney was passed out with her head on his shoulder and Ryland's arms were wrapped around her with a grin on his face.

He remembered the day with crystal clear details and finally felt his own tears fall. That was the day that Ryland's careless crush had started on her, not that she had any idea, but that was the day that he decided she was the best person in his life.

Delaney stood in front of him without speaking for a few moments and then scoffed, snatching her phone out of his hands as she made her way back to the open window. She paused for a moment and turned to look at him with an emotion that he had never seen come her her before; disgust.

"If you wanted to get rid of me you shoud've just said so. Kairi didn't have to be brought up."

Then she was gone and he heard his door slam from inside. He say back down and buried his head in his hands as he realized that he really had fucked up his one job in life trying to do the very thing he took pride in doing.

Truth was, Delaney had gotten over Kairi a long time ago but he was too blind to see it.

lol, anyways read my outer banks
book because i like it more than this