The List

#12: Kiss under the rain, some cliche stuff, but sure to be interesting

 Summer had started the day before yesterday, though you wouldn't be able to tell from the gloomy weather we had been having lately. With a sigh, I seated myself by Ryder's bay window and cracked open the book I was reading. It was a cheap romance I had picked up from Barnes and Noble earlier today, and it wasn't particularly good but it would have to do as I patiently awaited Ryder and Angelica to return with our lunch.

Faintly, I heard the front door slam and mild chatter, and I strained my ear to listen and see if Eros' voice was amongst them.

He had gone down to Santa Cruz for the day and said he'd be back by afternoon, but Ryder and I concluded he'd more than likely be back in the late evening. Eros enjoyed his alone time and he equally enjoyed writing poetry in the sanctuary of his favorite coffee shop in Santa Cruz, surrounded by the scent of coffee and chocolate.

It had been a while since we had a romantic moment and yet my love for him never wavered, I still got excited every single time I saw him, and somehow through this, our friendship strengthened significantly. A relationship wasn't as imperative as it once was for us. I felt secure that we would eventually come together, though I couldn't give an exact time when I thought that might be our reality.

He would be worth the wait anyways.

Ryder came through his doorway, grinning when he saw me, holding two massive bags of food in his arms. "I come bearing too much food!"

I chuckled at this image, shutting my book to go grab one of the bags in his arms and helped him lay the food out on his desk. As I placed each styrofoam box on the desk, my gaze briefly lifted to the original copy of my list still taped on his wall. A smile grew on my face as I looked upon the things I had finally completed, eyes lingering on #12, the only one I had yet to complete.

"So much food for the three of us?" I asked, flitting my gaze back to the food. I popped open the first container and grinned when I saw it was filled with only chow mein.

"We just finished finals Alice, I think we deserve to gorge ourselves on takeout for once."

"Like we don't do this every week," Angelica teased Ryder as she entered the room with a grin, hoping onto Ryder's bed immediately.

"Okay, so maybe we do this once a week," Ryder admitted as he handed me a chopstick packet as I returned to my seat on his bay window. "But at least this time we aren't swamped by schoolwork!"

"Whatever you say Ryder. Can you please bring me the orange chicken?" Angelica asked in a sing-song voice.

Ryder rolled his eyes and grabbed two boxes and two packets of chopsticks before throwing himself onto the bed next to Angelica, handing her the food. "Okay!" Ryder exclaimed, "I'm going to be leaving on Thursday for New York and I'm just so concerned about what my poor girls are going to do in my absence!" He ended his sentence with a dramatic pout.

Angelica and I exchanged a look. "We'll probably hang out at home Ryder..." Angelica said. "And! You act like I don't have friends of my own! Ian is taking me to San Francisco next week."

Ryder's eyebrows disappeared into his curls. "Excuse me? Who is taking you to San Francisco?" He demanded to Angelica. "Are you going with anyone else? Where are you staying? How long are you staying?"

He looked at me suddenly. "Alice why are you not more concerned about this!"

"Ryder!" I laughed with a raised brow. "It's Angelica's boyfriend that's taking her to the city, she'll be fine. Besides, it's not like it's only going to be the two of them, she'll be with some of her friends too. They're staying in a hotel just outside of the city and Angelica promised me she wouldn't drive so I'm not too worried about them crashing and dying."