After the band played their set list, everyone started packing up their equipment for the next band to enter the stage. I help load the equipment into the van and Connor, Toby, and Thomas walked back into the building to pick up more of the equipment and instruments. Riley and I were left alone outside.
Riley walked right in front of me and stood there staring into my eyes. He grabbed both my hands to hold, took a deep breath, and finally said, “Ryland, it truly means the world to me that you said yes. For a second there I thought you were gonna say no.” I giggle and say, “How can I say no to a guy like you?” He continues, “Ryland, I just really like you. There’s so much I want to get to know and I’m willing to do whatever just to know your story.”
“My story?” I ask. He leans his forehead onto mine and grabs my scarred wrist and pulls down my long sleeve slightly to unveil the red lines. I twitch and break our hold and push down my sleeve. He looks at me and looks down and says, “Ryland, I’m sorry.” I almost feel bad when I see his eyes begin to swell slightly like right before someone begins to shed a tear.
All I could say was, “Well, now you know, but you knew all along...” He grabs me by both my arms and pulls be closer. I smell his minty breath again. Somehow the coldness of his breath calmed me down. He says to me, “Ryland, please give me a chance to get to know you.” Surprised by my assertiveness, I hear my voice say, “Riley, I’m not a project. I’m not broken...” I lied. He never looks away from me and says, “Ryland, of course I don’t see you that way. You seem like a very special person and I just want to get to know you and see how everything will play out. I just feel like if I don’t take this opportunity to be with you, someone else will, and I would lose my chance forever.”
I can’t help, but smile. Before I know it, my lips are locked onto his. I could feel him smiling through the kiss. I break away when I heard footsteps and hear Connor say, “My baby brother!” But he walks back inside when Riley gives him “the look.”
“Riley, thank you” is all I could say. We just stand there smiling and he’s still holding onto my hands, then I ask, “Dangerous? I’m no criminal, Riley.”
“Wrong,” he says. “You’re a thief… you stole my heart,” he says as he places his hand over his chest.
It was that moment I knew I had fallen for him too. I didn’t believe it was possible to fall for a boy after just a couple days, but the way he makes me feel… The way my heart races and I could feel the pulse in my throat…
I just knew… He was the one.
YOU ARE READING
When She Was Mine
FanfictionRyland is about to start her freshman year of college. The summer leading up to her first semester was the worst thing she ever experienced. She had her first major panic attack since she was 12. Diagnosed as clinically depressed at the age of 13, R...
