⚠️ TW: Mention of abuse ⚠️
"Alright Ryan, Focus!" I stare at the blank canvas in front of me.
Ughhhhhhh!
Usually, this shit comes easy to me because my drawings/paintings are mainly about other people or random things I see around me.
But now I gotta create one about myself.
Oh, and I only have 4 fucking days to complete it.
"Alright, I'm heading out! Goodnight sweetheart!" I look up from the canvas and send my coworker Carol a smile and a wave.
"Goodnight Carol!"
Luckily the diner isn't busy tonight, there are only two tables full and they're about to leave so that gives me enough time to work on my project.
Since I work 7 days a week and go to school in the morning, the only time I can work on the piece is here at the diner when it's not busy.
I wave at the last couple of people as they head out of the diner and quickly grab all my art supplies and head over to one of the booths.
Technically we're still open for another hour but it's currently 11:00 at night and usually, no one comes in this late.
I scatter all my supplies on the table and yet again blankly stare at the empty canvas.
Fuck. Me.
Why the fuck couldn't the Mitchells just pick a fucking topic.
My life isn't even all that, all I do is go to school, then to work, and then I go home.
That's literally it.
I look up from the canvas when I hear the bell ring and I watch as someone enters the diner.
I don't think he notices me because he starts to look around and lingers by the door.
"Hello?" He asks.
I quickly get up from the booth and approach him.
"Hi, sorry I didn't hear you walk in. How can I help you?" I ask.
I nod my head so he can take a seat at one of the stools.
"Can I get a coffee?" He asks
"You want a coffee...at 11:00 at night?" I raise a brow.
He laughs while I grab a mug and pour him a cup of coffee.
"It's cold out." He shrugs.
Jeez, he's really cute.
He's tall, maybe 6'4, with really pretty green eyes and dark brown hair.
Oh, and that smile...panty-dropper.
Stop Ryan, you have a boyfriend!
"Would you like anything else?" I ask.
"No thanks." He mumbles before taking a sip of coffee.
I nod and make my way back to the booth.
Here we go again. Focus Ry!
Just fucking draw something you dumbass.
I jump when I suddenly hear a voice interrupt my thoughts.
"So, whatcha working on?" My eyes immediately snap up towards the stranger.
"Oh- uh...my best friend's boyfriend's family is awarding a scholarship for art and it's due in 4 days," I say quickly.
I have no idea why I'm telling him this but oh well.
"4 days?! Wow, you're last minute." He laughs and takes a seat across from me in the booth.
"Trust me, I'm usually really good with time management but they told me about it 3 days ago and I have no idea where to start." I sigh.
I continue staring at the blank canvas and I can feel his eyes on me.
"Can I see the instructions?" He asks.
I pause for a moment before I reach into my bag and take out the folded piece of paper.
I hand it to him and watch as he sets down his coffee and reads over the guidelines.
"Oh, is this the Mitchell family scholarship?" He asks.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Oh um, my brother also applied to it." He says.
"Oh haha, what a coincidence." I laugh.
"So does that mean your best friend is dating Xander Mitchell?" He asks.
How did he-
Ok, now this is getting weird.
"Yep"
"Well from what it looks like, all you have to do is create a piece that represents you."
"It's a lot easier said than done," I mutter.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why is it easier said than done?" He asks.
"I don't know...I just don't find myself interesting." I say slowly.
Jeez, that was fucking depressing.
Damn Ryan, might as well tell the man your whole life story.
"Well I've known you for about 15 minutes and I find you interesting." He smiles.
That causes a small laugh to erupt out of me.
"Haha very funny."
"I'm serious." He chuckles.
"Yeah, whatever." I roll my eyes.
"You know art isn't always meant to be positive, if you can't think of anything positive to sketch then why don't you talk about the negatives." He says.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you can't seem to illustrate the good things going on in your life, then sketch the bad things. It's actually proven that the more depressing pieces usually catch the audience's eye rather than the happy ones."
Woah, I didn't even think about that.
"I think an angel sent you to me because you just saved me," I say quickly and he laughs.
"How do you know so much about art?" I ask before I grab my sketchbook and begin sketching something.
"I come from a big art family and I study film production at Yale." He says.
Ah, college man.
"That sounds fun," I say while shading in something.
"It's cool, but in all honesty, I rather do something in photography and travel the world." He admits.
"Then why don't you?" I ask.
He pauses for a moment before he lets out a sigh.
"It's a lot easier said than done." He smirks.
"Ah, I see what you did there. But seriously, you should do what you love, what's the point of studying something you don't even like. You'll just be miserable at the end of the day."
"I- well um...my parents studied film production and they wanted me to-" I cut him off.
"Wait. Don't tell me you're only studying film production because your parents forced you to." I pause and look up at him just as he looks down at his fingers.
"I guess I just wanted to make them proud." He mumbles.
"Yes, you'll make them proud but you're also throwing away your happiness to please others."
"Truth is, I've been trying to tell them for years."
"So what's stopping you?"
"My dad is a pretty intimidating guy." He says.
Ha, I felt that one!
"Well, hopefully, you tell them before you graduate," I say.
"Yep, so I got 5 months."
"What?! 5 months?" I gasp.
Jesus-
"Yeah..." He laughs.
"And you?" He asks.
"What about me?"
"What are you studying?"
"Oh, um, in all honesty I have no clue what I wanna do right now. I actually might take a gap year before starting college in order to figure out what I want."
"I wish I did that...wait, you said 'before starting college'. How old are you? Cuz I'm really hoping that I'm not flirting with a minor." He quickly looks up and I see uneasiness in his eyes.
"Chill pedo, I'm 18. I graduate this June." I laugh.
I watch as he lets out a breath of relief.
"And how old are you?" I ask.
"21." He laughs.
And suddenly, I'm attracted to older guys.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"I'm...Alex." He hesitates before reaching out his hand for me to shake.
Okay, that was odd.
"Ryan" I shake his hand.
"Well Ryan, just by looking at your sketch I can tell you're gonna win the scholarship."
He's such a sweet talker.
"If only you were the judge."
"Maybe I am."
I look up at him and we stare at each other for a few seconds before we both burst out laughing.
"Good one. Ugh! I can't figure out whether or not I want to add more to this." I drop my pencil and sigh.
I reach down under the table and accidentally hit my head against it.
"Ow, fuck!" I mutter while rubbing the back of my head.
"You okay?" I hear him laugh.
Fuck! I forgot he was here.
Talk about embarrassing.
I watch as he gets up and makes his way into the booth next to me.
He grabs my sketchbook and looks over it.
I don't know why but I start getting flustered now that he's sitting so close.
I watch as his eyes roam over the page and a piece of his hair falls in front of his face.
Out of instinct, I reach up and push it back.
He looks back up at me and places my sketchbook down.
I feel him lean in a bit closer.
"It's beautiful, trust me. You don't need to add anything else." His voice comes out hoarse and my breath hitches when I feel his breath hit the side of my face.
"Oh um- uh thanks." I spit out.
I quickly break the eye contact before grabbing the sketchbook again and randomly shading something so I wouldn't have to look up at him.
I felt his hands on mine as he gently pushes the sketchbook away.
Oh fuck.
I feel my cheeks begin to heat up.
I watch as he gently grabs my chin so I could look up at him and slowly leans in.
And for some reason, so do I.
Any thoughts I had about the scholarship and my boyfriend completely flew out the window.
I felt his breath on my lips and once I feel the smallest touch of his lips, electricity travels throughout my whole body.
"Your shifts over Ryan!" I hear Bertha yell from her office.
Both Alex and I quickly pull away from each other and I turn towards the table to check the time.
"Shit! it's midnight already?" I quickly shoot up from my seat and clean up my supplies.
"Woah, chill out. I don't think your boss is gonna kick you out." He laughs.
"It's not that, I have to be home in 30 minutes," I say.
"You gotta curfew?"
"Something like that," I mumble.
I make my way to the back, grab all my bags and clock out.
I head back into the diner just to find a few dollars on the table and Alex gone.
"Damn," I mumble.
I grab my coat and head out towards the sidewalk.
"You're not walking are you?" I jump as I turn around to see Alex leaning against a beautiful sports car.
Of course, he's fucking rich.
"No, my boyfriend picks me up a few blocks up." I lie.
He walks up to me.
"Boyfriend?"
Shit, I guess I forgot to mention that.
"Uh yeah...okay bye!" I mumble before I quickly turn around and head down the road.
I should have told him about Jackson, but it's not gonna matter because I doubt I'll ever see him again.
I mean, it New York fucking City, there are millions of people here. The chance of us running into each other again after tonight is slim-to-none.
God, I hate fucking walking home. It's 30 degrees out and the diner happens to be in a pretty sketchy area.
"Look at this boys!" I hear someone whistle.
Oh yeah, and the cat-callers.
I just put in my headphones and continue down the sidewalk.
Suddenly, I feel someone grab me and push me against the wall.
"You free tonight?" The guy asks.
"No. Now fuck off." I shove him off and continue down the road.
He pulls me back again.
Why the fuck can't people take "no" as an answer.
"I said no dumbass!" I yell and try to shove him.
That's when I look up and see that the guy is no longer alone but with two other men.
Why do these type of things always happen to me?
I keep shoving and struggling against them but they won't budge.
"I think we'll have fun with you." One of them mumble and lean in to sniff my hair.
Ew.
"Fuck you," I mumble.
"Oh, you will. You'll fuck all of us." Another smirks.
Before they could do anything I hear a loud ass engine roar and headlights shining in our direction.
I look to my left and notice Alex step out of his car and head straight towards us.
"Get the fuck off her." He says calmly.
Remember when I said he's tall?
I wasn't lying, he was probably half a foot taller than the guys who are no longer pinning me against the wall.
"We were just messing around."
"Yeah man, take a jo-"
He was cut off when Alex punched him straight in the nose, followed by a loud 'crack'.
"Ah FUCK!" The guy yells.
Alex just rolls his eyes, grabs my wrist, and leads me to his car.
"I'm fine-"
"Get in the fucking car Ryan." He mutters.
I was about to argue again but when I looked up at him, he had the 'do not argue with me face'."
So, I shut up and quickly get in without asking any other questions.
We begin to drive off in silence.
"Thank you" I mumble.
He looks over at me and then back at the road.
"What the fuck happened to your boyfriend? What if I wasn't there?" His voice begins to rise.
"But you were."
"But what if I wasn't?"
"But you were now can we please not talk about this anymore?" I mumble.
He was about to say something but quickly shut his mouth again.
I just stare out of the window while the music plays in the background.
Nothing better than awkward silence, am I right?
Soon enough we pull over in front of my house, I was about to get out but I feel him gently grab my wrist.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks.
"I'm okay. Thank you, Alex." I give him a small smile.
"You're welcome." He smiles.
"Well- um goodnight." I hesitate.
Truth is, I was gonna ask for his number but I'm not sure if that's the best idea.
He's quiet for a moment before he finally replies.
"Goodnight Ryan." He lets go of my wrist.
Before I get out of the car, I lean over and place a kiss on his cheek.
I grab all my things and head to my front door.
Once I make it inside, I look through the window and watch as he drives away.
I tiptoe towards the stairs, praying that I don't wake my parents.
"Is that you Ryan?"
Fuck.
"Yeah, mom!" I yell.
"Get in here!" I flinch when I hear my dad yell.
"Why the fuck were you late?" He asks as he wobbles over to me.
Oh god, they're both drunk again.
Great.
"Oh, um, the subway broke down so I had to walk," I say quickly without looking at them.
"Are you fucking lying to us?" I gasp when I feel my dad's hand wrap around my throat.
"No." I gasp.
"Who's the fucking rich boy who drove you home?!" My mom yells.
Shit! How the fuck did they see him?
"He's just a friend!" I yell while trying to rip his hand off of my throat.
"You fucking liar! You're probably sucking him off to make more money. You're a cheating, fucking whore!" My mom yells while my dad aggressively shakes me and shoves me harshly against the fridge.
I fall to the floor and feel tears forming in my eyes.
As if something snapped, his mood changes suddenly.
"Fuck, Ryan honey, are you okay? You know I love you, right? I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that sometimes you make me so angry and-" He walks over to me and tries to help me up.
"I'm fine," I mutter before grabbing my things and making my way up to my room.
Once I shut the door, I fall to the floor and finally allow myself to cry.
I cry because of my parents.
I cry because no one, not even Arya knows about their abuse.
I cry because of my shitty boyfriend.
I cry because I hate my job.
I cry because of the scholarship.
Only when I'm alone in my room do I allow myself to finally let go.
I walk over to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror.
"God, I look like a zombie," I mumble.
My mascara is completely smeared, my under-eye circles a dark purple color, my hair is knotted, and I have a new bruise forming on my neck.
I head over to my dresser, grab a pair of pajamas, and take a shower.
Tonight with Alex was the first time I genuinely felt relief in a long time.
For once, someone other than Arya made me feel genuinely happy.
He did a lot for me, and I'm not just talking about saving me from those pedos.
Just by sitting with me, talking to me and making me laugh.
My own boyfriend doesn't even do those things.
If he didn't give me advice about my art, I don't think I would have gone through with submitting an entry for the scholarship.
Plus...he was fucking hot.
I quickly get out of the shower before my mom barges in here and yells at me for raising the water bill...again.
I put on my pajamas and do my night routine before tucking myself in and grabbing my sketchbook.
While I was flipping through the pages, I pause.
A note.
Text me anytime you need someone to talk to
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
I laugh out loud.
Damn, he's smooth.
I open up my phone and text the number.
You are one smooth motherfucker.
He replies instantly.
Ah, I was hoping you would find my note.
When did you even get a chance to write your number down?
When you dropped your pencil.
How did I not notice?
Probably because you were too busy flirting with me and trying to kiss me...or maybe because you smacked your head against the table and died for a good 5 seconds.
Excuse me! YOU tried to kiss ME.
Guilty. But you do admit that you were flirting.
I feel my face turn red.
Maybe.
Let me take you out to dinner.
Hello? Do you not remember the fact that I have a boyfriend?
Who said anything about it being a romantic dinner?
Oh.
Fuck, I'm an idi-
Who am I kidding, it would definitely be a romantic dinner.
And considering the fact that you were flirting with me as well, I'm not even sure you remembered the fact that you have a boyfriend as well.
Well, he got me there.
Alex, you seem like a great guy, really, but I don't want to cheat.
Even though I almost did earlier.
For once, I'm grateful for Bertha.
I respect that. But just so you know, I'll just have to stop by for a coffee...
Everyday.
Oh god.
I don't think I'd be able to control myself.
It takes me a few moments before I finally respond.
I'll be waiting then.
Good.
Good.
Fine.
Fine.
As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I gotta go help my parents with something before they come in here and crucify me.
That's fine, I'm literally about to pass out.
Jeez, I didn't think I was THAT boring.
Oh yes, you're a real bore old man.
Ok, first of all, I'm only 3 years older than you and second of all, don't call me that because my brother calls me that.
Glad to know your brother and I have the same sense of humor.
Good for you. Bad for me.
Hahahaha
Goodnight Alex <3
Goodnight beautiful.
Instant.
Fucking.
Butterflies.
----------Author's Note----------
Hmmm "Alex" seems like quite the romantic...
Thank you guys so much for 1K reads!
We love you! <3
-Pradabagg
Word Count: 3020