Mending Ryan Falls ✓

21 | in which she kisses him in the rain

If you ever get lost,
Come find me here.
Know that we will breathe the same air.

.\.|./.

Crystal Monroe

|in which she kisses him in the rain|

I stare into his grey eyes as drops of water trickle down his hair and face. I'm soaking wet and would be shivering if not for Ryan's close proximity. His face is inches from mine, and he doesn't even blink, awaiting my reaction.

"What do you mean?" I breathe, knowing what he said but unable to make sense of it.

Ryan smiles, shaking his head before tilting it to one side. "That's not how we play the game, Crystal. It's your turn. Truth or dare?"

"What the hell?" I exclaim, annoyed by how Ryan always finds a way around my questions. Even when he does answer them, I don't know what to trust. "Fuck it. I pick dare."

"Oh, no, you don't get away that easy." Ryan laughs huskily. "A truth for a truth, remember?"

"Fine. What are you going to ask me this time?" I demand.

Knowing Ryan, he will once again ask me something related to Jeremy and I's relationship. I will probably never understand how Ryan can be so informed about it even when he has never even seen Jeremy.

"I stand by my initial question: do you want to kiss me?" Ryan smiles, rubbing his forearm across his face to brush back his wet hair. The sky roars around us, lighting flashing at irregular intervals. The dark clouds hang low, beautiful in their intimidating glory.

So much like Ryan.

I glance down at his lips and swallow. "No," I blurt out.

Ryan smiles wider. "You're not supposed to cheat at this game if you want me to play fair, Crystal."

I open my mouth to answer him, but no words leave my lips. My eyes flicker to his lips again, wet in the rain and inches from me. They look so soft and delicious, and I can't help but wonder what they taste like. Something catches in my throat and I blink, hoping to break his spell.

Jeremy, too, would cast a spell on me when he wanted me to do something. But Ryan's spell is different. It is entrancing rather than hypnotizing. It uses attraction rather than fear. It pulls me in rather than puts me down.

"It's okay," he whispers, reaching out and grazing his fingers across my cheek. "I want to kiss you too."

My breathing is shallow, and my entire body paralyzed. Ryan's touch has locked me in place, his mesmerizing eyes coming closer when he leans in, stopping just half an inch from me. His lips are just within my reach, and I think I know what he wants.

He wants me to kiss him.

A flash of lightning illuminates Ryan's flawless face, his chiseled jawline, the perfect curve of his nose, the droplets of water sparkling on his straight cheekbones, the eyes as grey as the clouds overhead, and the scar ... damn, the scar.

'Do it, Crystal,' my mind yells at me.

And without thinking, without considering the consequences of my actions, or the absurdness of the entire situation, I lean in to close the half-inch distance between our lips.

He doesn't taste like mint, not like strawberries or coffee or like anything I have ever tasted. He tastes unique, a special flavor that is both intoxicating and addictive. He tastes like comfort, beauty, and perfection. Like home. Like heaven on earth.

His hand cupping my cheek, I close my eyes and memorize the moment. The rain, the thunder, the lightning, the beauty, the magic of the entire moment. Standing face-to-face in the street in front of our houses, our two different worlds, we become one, our lips molding together.