Burning desires ~ Here At Last

Chapter five

"All I'm saying, is there's so much tension between you and Starr that I'd need a steak knife to cut the air," Pedro quietly hummed, tapping on his best friends knee as they sat on the grey rug of the living room floor. Zach and Tommy sat on the sofa behind them, playing on the PlayStation, laughing and screaming at each other as they battled through the game of FIFA. Ryan couldn't help but blush at Pedro's words as he lowered his gaze to the floor with a smirk.
"Stop being stupid, she's literally just broken up with her boyfriend. She's just...confiding in me," Ryan shrugged, his heart strings tugging as he was reminded about her with another man. Pedro listened, his eyebrow raised as though he could read his brother from another mother.
"And why would she chose you out of Paris, her other friends that she's known however long, everyone else, unless she fancied you?! Bro she literally met you this morning, that's got to mean something," Pedro shrugged, sipping on his mug of coffee. Ryan listened to what he said. And although he wanted to believe him, he simply couldn't.

To the public eye, Ryan was your stereotypical twenty two year old boyband member. Perfect smile, perfect eyes, perfect hair, a perfect style, a perfect person inside and outside. But to himself, and the rest of the boys, he was by far the most self conscious of them all. He didn't like the way his freckles dappled his Rosie cheeks. His stubble was messy and scruffy, in his eyes. He didn't like himself, and he couldn't understand why anyone else would, especially Starr. The girl with the chocolate eyes, her tanned skin flawless, her long brunette hair perfect. She was perfect, to him.

"Oi, stop dwelling," Pedro interrupted his thoughts, noticing Ryan's absence. The concern on his face obvious.
"Hey guys, where's James? And the girls?" Tommy suddenly stepped back into reality, flopping against the back of the sofa with his controller on his lap, having just been beaten 5-1 by Zach.
"They walked to the shop to get snacks, remember?" Pedro told him, shaking his head at his cluelessness.
"Why did they walk? It's raining now?" Tommy shrugged, looking outside of the patio doors.
"I think James wanted an excuse to spend longer with Paris away from us," Ryan joked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, sounds about right," Zach laughed.

As if on queue, the front door swung open and three soggy people walked in.
"Who's awful idea was that?!" James chuckled, rubbing his bare arms as he kicked his sodden shoes off in the hallway, before leaning against the living room doorway.
"I'm pretty sure it was your idea, mate," Ryan laughed in response.
"Where's your coat?! You left with one?" Zach giggled.
"Oh, here," James smiled, playfully pulling Paris into the doorway by her shoulders as she stood in her blue jeans, a coloured crop top and James' jacket.
"What a gentleman," Pedro cooed, causing everyone to laugh.
"Wait, where's Starr?" Ryan tilted his head.
"I'm in the bathroom trying to dry myself! Conveniently James only took one coat," She laughed from the downstairs bathroom, causing everyone else to laugh, although James did have a hint of guilt.
Ryan jumped up, wiping his palms down his blue jeans before straightening out his white T-shirt. He knew he had given Starr his hoodie earlier, but she had got hot on the way home whilst being squished between the two boys, and had taken it off. He stepped over Pedro, guiding himself past where James stood in the doorway with his arms around Paris' shoulders and into the hallway.
"Bless you, you're soaking!" He sighed as he reached the downstairs bathroom, watching her squeeze her hair into a towel infront of the mirror.
"Oh I'll dry, Im okay honestly," Starr smiled, catching his eye through the mirror. She noticed him looking her up and down, before his mouth opened again.
"You'll get a cold if you don't dry off. Come on, let me get you some dry clothes. Follow me," He called out, reaching for her hand. She accepted this with a smirk, feeling her heart warm as she did, and let him pull her up the stairs behind him. After heading along the landing, they reached Ryan's room. Starr couldn't help but nose, her eyes gazing around the musicians bedroom. He had a guitar in the corner next to a record player, his computer with some LED lights against another wall and a double bed under the window, the rain bouncing off the glass currently.
"Wow, your room is so nice," she told him.
"Oh, thanks," he smiled, almost shyly, as he watched her admiring his room. She was completely unaware he was also admiring something.

Ryan gently released from Starr's hand, heading to his mirrored wardrobe and pulling out his favourite black hoodie, and some matching black joggers, before fumbling through his underwear draw for a pair of fluffy socks.
"Ry, you don't need to do this for me," Starr told him, noticing the efforts he was going to for her to be comfortable.
"Don't be silly, you deserve all the comfort you can get," He told her, placing the clothes out on the bed. "There you go, darling, that'll keep you nice and cosy," He smiled.
"Thank you, Ryan, I'm really grateful," She smiled. He couldn't help but smile back to her, his gaze holding on hers for slightly too long, before moving down to her lips, and back to her eyes.
"It's honestly my pleasure," He whispered, pulling her hand up to his mouth and placing a kiss on it, his eyes still set on hers.
"I'll go downstairs so you can get changed, but I'll see you down there in a minute, alright?" He caringly told her. She nodded, unable to stop herself blushing as he smiled back to her, before he calmly left the room and headed back down to his friends, the worlds biggest smile on his face.