Burning desires ~ Here At Last

Chapter sixteen

(Ryan's POV)

I chewed the inside of my cheek in anxiety, every red light lasting a little longer than normal. I had this instinct to protect that girl, whether it was the innocent state she had been in when I'd first met her, the slightly less innocent moments we'd shared that night, the nights we'd stayed up sharing pointless conversations until one of us would fall asleep on the other end of the phone, or just her entire being drawing me in more and more every day. I couldn't stand the thought of her anxious, or threatened, or even worse, anything truly happening to her.

After what felt like hours of travelling, despite it only being around ten minutes, I pulled up on her driveway. I'd only been here the once, the day myself and James came back with the girls, but I'd never forget it, and so here I was.

I quickly jumped out of my car, slamming the door behind me and running towards the porch of her house to shelter from the storm outside. After ringing the doorbell, I suddenly panicked. Would she worry it was him? Have I made her more anxious by turning up unannounced? I reached for my phone, before composing a text.

To : Starr♥️

Sweetheart, it's me
I'm at the door
Can I come in? X

Im upstairs, come straight up x

With her confirmation, I gently pushed the golden handle of the front door, entering the cosy hallway. I kicked my Air Force off, before stepping across the hall onto the stairs.
"Starr? Are you ok?" I quietly asked, jogging across the landing and knocking gently on her bedroom door.

There was no answer.

Moments later, the door gently pulled open. My heart dropped as I looked down to her, her face bare and tear stained, her petite body swamped by my oversized black tracksuit. She sniffed, immediately latching her body into mine.
"Oh darling," I whispered into her head, holding her tight to me as I rubbed her back, reaching down to the strands of her hair and twisting them around my fingers, before holding her head close to my chest. She was safe there. She was always going to be safe with me. And I wanted her to feel that.

"Why is he such a dickhead?" She eventually spoke, pulling slightly away to look up to me, my soul melting as her chocolate eyes gauged into mine. It made me so upset to see her hurting, but it was in my power to change that.
"Some people just aren't worthy of being in our lives, babe. I know he's a twat, but I can promise you I won't let him do anything. None of the boys will, ok? You mean so much to us, you mean so much to me. I can't let anything happen," I sighed, accidentally pouring my heart out and straight into her. I noticed a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she looked into mine, a small smile on her face. She opened her mouth, as though she was going to say something, then closed it again with a tiny smile. I didn't want to push her; she'd talk when she was ready. So we remained in silence, in her bedroom, Starr in my arms as we simply gazed in each other's directions.
"You know the other day, I went to say something, then I couldn't?" She eventually spoke, somewhat quietly. I nodded quickly, anxious to the direction this was going in.
"I, I was going to tell you, that" she stopped for a moment, looking to the floor.
"Tell me what?" I quietly questioned, holding her tighter into me than before.

"I like you, Ryan. I like you a lot."

Her words echoed through my ears in a melody of pure warmth. She felt the same. The girl I had fallen inlove with, somehow felt the same about me.

I couldn't help but smile, but before I had the will power to say anything back, I found myself automatically attaching my lips to hers. She granted me access to her mouth as the kiss engaged ever more passionately by the second. I found myself gently letting out a grunt as she dragged her nails down my back, feeling her smile against my lips before eventually pulling away.

"I like you too, more than you'll ever know."