Breaking Tradition

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Rylee

Disclaimer: All characters and settings are purely fictional. If there are any similarities to real people or places, it is merely coincidental. The plot is written by me and not copied from any other writer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sum of Two ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My boyfriend sits on my bed, staring at me as if I'm a phenomenon before his very eyes. His eyes were twinkling with some newfound appreciation. He has held my hand for the past twenty minutes, imprinting small circles into my skin with his thumb. Tucked away at the corner of his mouth is a smile he's holding back. After looking at him in confusion for a few seconds, I relish the moment. It's sweet. 

"How was your session at UW?" I ask, trying to break the trance he has going. His smile slips from the grasp. His lips curl into a wide grin. It is one of those drool-worthy grins that leave me senseless. He still has that effect on me. 

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" He asks giddily. I smile coyly. How can he say that without giving me a warning? Of course, I knew he did, but we only ever said it during or after sex. Hearing it without sex involved drove me insane. 

Eventually, we find ourselves cuddling, a few kisses in between. He doesn't say anything, but I know the silence is only awaiting ground for the conversation lurking in his mind. I snuggle closer to him, reeling in his scent. It embraces me, the warmth from his body covering me. His hand soothes the tingles in my back, following an up and down soothing motion. My eyes grow heavy, the comfort he emits, pulling me closer and closer to sleep. His breathing is a slow tune singing me softly to sleep. This is my peace. 

"I spoke to Preston when I was at UW for my one on one session," Theo says, my head tilts up to look him in the face. He's calm. He licks his lips before continuing, "He told me about you and Vee. I'm sorry I didn't trust you, babe." A wave of relief flowed through my body. I didn't realize I was awaiting those words until he said them.

"Did he tell you about them?" I asked, swallowing hard from the memory that popped up. Vee stabbing me behind my back with Preston was a betrayal I wasn't prepared to handle at such a young age. I was naïve and believed she would always be honest and loyal to me. I should have known better. 

Theo nods, "Yeah, he told me. I can't believe I didn't know. We were in the same school. How did I not know?" He removes his hand from my back and runs it through his hair, frustratedly. I rub his arm to reassure him that everything is fine. Eventually, he returns his hands to my waist. 

"We weren't friends at the time, and Preston was pretty popular. People didn't want to upset him, so they didn't talk about it," I replied. It was true. When Preston and I broke up, people just stared or whispered to themselves. No one dared to say anything because they were too scared to be on his bad side or possibly tarnish the little reputations they held in the school. Then, others just didn't care enough to actually talk about it. Whichever the reason, it didn't make headlines at Adelson. 

Theo brushed his lips against my forehead, initiating the fluttering in my stomach. He whispered apologies in my ear. He soothed my inner conflict I kept buried deep in me with each apology. It felt as if the hazy portion of our lives were clearing up. Those years were dark clouds in our relationship. Every issue we faced somehow traced back to that time. We both deserved this clean slate. 

"I have a question, actually several," he says, looking down at me. 

"Ok?"

"Why didn't you tell me that it was Vee that said I wasn't good enough for her and not you?" He asked disapprovingly. His grimace was mixed with hurt. I understood his frustrations, but I didn't want him lingering on the opinion of someone who did not matter. I only cared that they knew it was not me, and I would never hurt him the way she did. 

I exhaled, "I didn't want you to linger on something she said. It was enough that she hurt me. I didn't want her opinion affecting you-"

Theo interrupts, "No one opinions matter to me except yours, Rylee. The moment you introduced yourself to the class that day, everything you thought mattered to me. It still does." My heart swelled in happiness.

Theo's eyes took me, much like they always did. I thought back on my first day at Adelston. My mom did my hair into two ponytails and added yellow ribbons. She told me she always loved yellow on me. So, she dressed me in a cute yellow jumper and a white shirt. I looked like a ripe squash, but my mom was too happy. She took pictures of me for a large portion of the day, gushing about beautiful and grown I looked. I felt like the opposite of what she felt. But knowing I stole Theo's young heart that day makes me appreciate my mom and her fashion decisions. 

"What's your next question?" I ask, breaking both of her train of thought. 

His frown deepens, "Why did you forgive Preston? How could you forgive him so easily despite how much he hurt you?"

I shrug, "He made me realize I was at fault too."

Theo glowered, "You did nothing wrong, babe. It was his decision to cheat with Vee. How could you think you were at fault?"

"But I was," I defended, shaking my head at his words. Theo tried to explain further, but I stopped him. I sighed, "Preston made me realize that what I wanted wasn't him. I was so caught up in having a boyfriend and wanting to experience what the other girls were doing, I missed out on what I really wanted, to have those experiences with you."

Theo's features soften, "Damn, I wished we realized our feeling earlier. It would have made things so much easier." I nodded. The days of our childhood waltzed in her heads. The memories coating us in an appreciation for where we were and how far we came. I love him. Looking back at last season, I think my heart always belonged to him. He was always mine, and I was his, but there were so many uncertainties in our future. 

Since his return from UW, his future was solidified in Hardersfield. If I didn't get this cheer scholarship, we were bound to head in different directions. Being away from him terrified me. All of the past six years, I spent near him. Even when things were sours between us, I was close enough to see him. I was in proximity to cheer for him. Would we be able to survive being in two different towns? Would I want to put pressure on him to sustain a relationship during the most vital time of his football career? Theo's dreams were to be a professional football player. No matter how I felt, I couldn't allow him to lose focus on his dreams. 

Both of us locked on the other. The secrets we held from each other wrapped in an understanding that we both wanted the same thing but in different ways. I knew Theo's love for me exceeded his dreams. Despite promising me he wouldn't let me interfere with his aspirations, part of me knew he would give them up faster than I would allow. I hated it. So, I promised myself, if Theo and I were destined for different paths, I would do what's best for him. 

Theo's lips crashed against mines. We plunged into the abyss of pleasure, each of us trying to gain control of the other. As I fought to be on top, I knew I would have to do whatever it meant to make him happy, even if it meant hurting him for a moment. As we stared at each other, lust, love, and sweat draining down our skin, we spoke unspoken vows. I uttered mines repeatedly, promising God I would endure whatever heartache he brought if Theo would become everything he desired. 

Then, I gave myself to him. Over and over until I drained him of his love.