Two In One

The I Love You

Leonie's back in town. Which only means one thing. She's going to force me on a vacation. Not that I'm upset about going on vacation. I just thought it was going to be a little later in the summer.

Theo, Leonie's fiance, has a family house down there and Leonie invited some our friends to come stay for a week. Honestly right now, a vacation with my friends is just what I need. What with having to see Arsen pretty much every time Ryder and I go out in pubic and having to deal with his harrassment. Dad has had to go out of town a couple of times too. So he still hasn't been to see the band. Honestly, I'm kind of relieved. The longer it takes me to get Dad there, the longer I keep him away from Arsen.

Leonie and I were at home alone with the babies cause Mom took everyone else out to do some shopping.

"So Arsen was being a jerk to you," she asked me while giving Mercury her bottle.

"Yeah, I mean don't get me wrong, I was being a jerk to him too but he scared me."

She got up and started to walk into the kitchen while holding the baby.

"See, that's why you're such a good person, you can admit that you were being mean. But that guy has no business being around you. He should've quit the band the second he saw you with Ryder. Speaking of Ryder, why don't you just tell him?"

I shook my head, while sitting up to put Mayson's bottle on the coffee table.

"I can't. Not yet. I'm just not ready to tell him."

Our conversation was interrupted when Theo walked in the door with a bunch of groceries.

"Did you seriously go buy groceries the day before we go to the beach?"

He dropped the bags on the floor.

"What? No, these are my snacks for the road."

I looked over at Leonie, who was laughing and shaking her head, and offered to trade babies.

"Is everybody you invited in, honey. I need a number for the dinner reservation."

Leonie nodded and moved over a little so he could join us on the couch.

"What dinner reservation?"

Leonie didn't say anything about a dinner reservation. It sounds a little too fancy for me.

"We're having our engagement party our second night in Myrtle. Our families are going and everything."

Oh no.

"Do I have to make a speech?"

They both looked at me with their jaws slightly dropped.

"Sody you performed on a stage for 500 people with your Dad's band. The video of that performance now has 500,000 views on Youtube and you are still worried about talking in front of people?"

When Leonie asked me that, I got up and walked over to the computer. The video now had 600,00 views.

"How did that happen?"

They both laughed at my scared and confused facial expression.

"Your Dad is how it happened."

Has Dad seen this?

"Theo I have an idea," Leonie said as he stood up from the couch.

"What if Sody invites Ryder down to the beach with us?"

I widened my eyes at Leonie, nearly dropping Mercury.

"Yeah you should Sody. That'd be fun."

Leonie gave me a big fake smile while holding my phone out to me. Giving in to her like I always do, I clicked on Ryder's contact and prayed he wouldn't answer. My prayers went unanswered. And he agreed to come with us.

When Mom came back home with everyone else, Bogie ran over to me with a bag to show me her new dress.

"Oh, it's pretty what's it for?"

She explained that it was for Leonie's enragement party.

"Oh. So my family knew about your enragement party before I did," I asked her while handing Mercury to Mom and lifting Bogie into my lap.

"Hey, I figured I'd get them out of the house to tell you. Didn't want a nuclear explosion."

Deacon laughed at her remark and I joined in with a fake laugh.

"She's so funny right," I asked while throwing a pillow at her and going into the kitchen.

"So Mom is Dad gonna be home in time for her party?"

She nodded.

"He's gonna be home in about ten minutes."

Something else they didn't tell me. I quickly texted Ryder and asked him to come over, so I could have someone to side with. He said he would be over in ten minutes.

14 minutes later, Ryder walked though the front door, holding one of my Dad's suitcases. it brought a smile to my face to see him genuinely getting along with my Dad.

"Sody why didn't you ask me to come see Ryder's band yet?"

My smile instantly faded to a frown.

"I asked you twice Dad. And you've been busy."

He shut the front door and grabbed his other bag from Ryder.

"Well, after your week off I'm free. I'll be there."

Dad walked past me nudging me with his elbow, to which I rolled my eyes and started running up the stairs.

"Wait, Sody."

I heard Ryder's footsteps behind me, which is what I wanted to hear.

Once we got to my room, I picked some clothes up off of the floor and threw them into a corner, then ran my fingers through my hair. Ryder had one of his charming smiles on his face but looked slightly confused.

"What's wrong?" I shook my head.

"Nothing. Just no one tells me anything about my own life first. People walk through the door in this house and I don't even get a "Hi Sody, how are you?"

I pushed past him to shut my door and turned back to face him.

"Hi Sody, how are you?"

I laughed through my nose and went to give him a hug.

"Nobody talks to me. Nobody listens to me. I feel alone in a house with eight people."

That made him laugh through his nose. 

"Hey you want someone to listen to you? I'm here."

I turned around and jumped up, landing on my bed.

"I'm all ears."

I sat down next to him on my bed and he sat up.

"I-I need to tell you something and I don't know how you're gonna respond but I need to just say this."

He turned his body was facing mine and his smile slightly faded.

"What is it?"

He grabbed both of my hands. I forced myself to laugh before saying it to help me feel better.

"Ryder I-I think I'm in love with you."

I was finally able to actually look him in the eyes and he smiled.

"Sody I love you too."

He leaned in and quickly kissed my forehead before coming to kiss my lips and pushing my hair back behind my shoulder. This. This is the guy that I am in love with.