Until July *COMPLETED*

Chapter XXV

A few evenings passed.

It was a Friday, the time just passed 6 o'clock in the afternoon.

Ryan was out, running around the neighbourhood.

He went out for an exercise in hope that it will clear his thoughts over what happened all those weeks ago. But he can't forget.

'I can't forget her... she can't leave my head...' he thought to himself.

"I can see that she is still affected by him... by that boy..." he muttered under his breath. "And that's what angers me... that she didn't forget him. I don't like the way she is still thinking about what that boy did to her. It makes my blood boil!". His anger helped him fuel his run. He sped up, running faster and faster.

'She didn't get over him, she didn't forget him... and now she is denying me as well...'.

Suddenly, he slowed his run down to a walk before stopping by a wall.

Ryan took in a deep breath, before fully leaning against the wall.

"And that's what's making me even more frustrated" he muttered under his breath. Then, a small smirk appeared on his lips. "She is making me feel so many things, yet she is barely doing anything to provoke these emotions of mine. I don't think she even knows the effect she has on me.".

'Did I give her enough space? Enough time?...' he thought to himself.

"Ugh..." he growled. "I need to see her again.".

---------

Briella was all alone, in her room, with her bed covers wrapped around her as she watched a series on her laptop.

It was a romance. She chuckled melancholically ever so slightly at the irony. 'A girl who doesn't want to be in love watches romance...'.

Then, she stopped.

'Do I really tho?' she asked herself. 'Do I really not want love?'.

Then, a sigh was heard. 'Of course I want to love... I want to love more than anything... but... is it the right time for love? That's the real question...'.

Suddenly, a shout from the series she put on caught her attention. "Emma!!".

Briella watched closely at what was about to occur.

"T-Tom?...".

"Emma!!". Briella watched as the two characters ran into each other's hands. Then, they both sealed the episode off with a kiss.

Even though the scene shown was a beautiful one, it caused Briella pain. It pained her to see a couple as happy as them...

Then, Ryan's words boomed through her head. 'How can you know what real love feels like when you've never experienced it!'. 'That, what you shared with that bastard. Fucking kill me if you think that's what is real love looks like!'.

"Then what does real love feel like?" She muttered under her breath.

Before another thought could have entered her mind, a knock kicked her out of her trance.

She looked at her open bedroom door that led her gaze into the dining room, kitchen and living room.

Briefly, she checked the time. 6:06 PM.

'6:06 PM on a Friday afternoon, who could it be? I don't remember inviting anyone over,' Briella thought to herself.

With her pulling the blanket off herself, walking out of her room and by the door, she unlocked it. Opening the door, her eyes widened when she saw Ryan.

He was red in the face and sweaty.

"R-Ryan?" she began, noticeably surprised. "What are you doing here?".

"I came by to see you.". It was these words of his that left an unexpected effect on Briella. His words caused her heart to flutter ever so slightly.

But she disregarded this with the clearance of her throat.

"Well...". She noticed how unsteady her voice was. Her heart began aching ever so slightly. She took in a deep breath. "Here you go, you have seen me. Now bye...". Her words left a horrid aftertaste in her mouth. She felt her heart ache that bit more, but still, she preceded on closing the door.

Suddenly. Stop.

Ryan's foot blocked the door from closing. Then, with his hand, he gently opened the door back up. Both his and Briella's gazes met once again.

"You said you wanted to see me, what more do you want, Ryan?".

"I also wanted to talk to you," he responded.

"What is there to talk about, Ryan? We got into our fight and our communication dropped drastically...".

"But don't you want to fix that? Because I am willing to," he began. Then, a brief moment of silence followed. "Or do you want me out of your life?...".

Instantly, Briella reacted by furrowing her brows to his words. "You out of my life!? Are you actually kidd- you know what? I can't do this today. I'm sorry, Ryan, but I am not in the mood right now. I am willing very much to make this all work out, but not today...".

Ryan scrunched his brows at her words and clenched his jaw. Briella expected him to speak something but was surprised when he remained quiet.

He kept his eyes on her for a few more seconds before taking a step towards her. Briella took a step back.

Then, with a stern voice, almost like a warning, he said "This isn't over. I hope you know that...". Once again, silence descended upon them both. "Because..." he broke the silence. And with the gritting of his teeth, he continued "I will not give up, Briella! I will never give up on you, and I want you to know that". Anger was present in his voice, but he didn't give a damn about it.

He swiftly turned around and left, closing her apartment door behind him.

Briella stayed in her place as if her feet were dug underground. Ryan's words resonated in her head.

This was the first time a boy told her such a thing. She didn't have any memory of Dylan saying something that would have come close to what Ryan had just voiced to her.

And what more, with such sheer anger and power...

It caused a small smile to appear on her lips.