4.15.2022 - Happy Friday:) Song for this chapter is one I've used many times before, but as I've said, it's their song:) Find Our Way by Midnight Kids. (obviously a favorite of mine, as well lol) One new song I found yesterday and have been obsessed with ever since is Tainted by Henry Land, I highly recommend checking it out! It has a lot going on during the beat drops, lots of funky sounds, but that's the part I like most haha. I will not be offended if y'all don't like it though, just wanted to share:) Anyway, enjoy! <3
"Barry?" My surprise is evident, I hadn't expected him to actually show up to the reception, especially since it was a few hours away from Charlotte. I'm even more surprised when Dan appears beside Barry. "And Dan! I'm so happy you both made it!"
I'd seen both Dan and Barry frequently at the Diner, Barry more so since we worked together. Barry was still my only friend at work, and giving him an invitation had been my way of saying he wasn't simply a coworker. He truly was a friend to me. Dan came in once or twice a week on his own after finally dropping his rude friends. I always requested to work his table, and he generally came in while it was slow enough that I could sit and talk with him for a while. It had been easy to extend an invitation to him, too. In the back of my mind, I remember Barry saying Dan went to his church and they talked there every once in a while, so it made sense that they would come together.
"You look really pretty, Aspen." Barry says, a slight red blush creeps along his cheeks, matching his neat, red hair. I give him and Dan both a quick hug, and Barry slips his hands back into his black dress pants. He wears a nice blue button up shirt, bringing out the light blue of his eyes.
"Thank you." I smile warmly. His gaze turns to Rylie, and he sticks out a hand.
"You must be Rylie. I've heard a lot about you." Rylie smiles and shakes his hand.
"I can say the same. Aspen's told me a lot about you. Apparently you're the only good co-worker she has."
"She said that?" Barry's surprised eyes meet mine once more and I laugh.
"I did, and I meant it. She also knows all about you, Dan." I grin, and Dan laughs.
"I'm sure it can't be all good things, considering who I used to come to the diner with."
"Actually, all good things. Now, if you were Joe, this would be a whole different conversation." Rylie laughs, but I know she's not joking.
I think back to one of the days during her recovery when we were doing some little physical therapy exercises the doctor had recommended.
"You haven't said much about work lately, have those guys still been bugging you?" Rylie asked as I stretched out her legs. She was laying on her back in our living room with one leg stretched out on the ground, the other was straight up in the air, and I was on my knees with her leg in my hands, slowly pushing it back towards her.
"Oh," I laugh. "Well that's a whole story."
"Spill. I have nothing else going on." Rylie grinned.
"The first day I went back to work while you were in the hospital, Joe and his two buddies came in. Dan wasn't with them, but I think if he had been, none of what ended up happening would've happened." I had started to explain.
"Well now I'm worried, what happened?" Rylie switches legs, and I focus on not pushing too hard or fast. Her muscles were still weak after no use for two weeks.
"It wasn't even a big..."
Rylie had cut me off. "Don't say it wasn't a big deal. Usually, when you say that, the thing turns out to be a big deal."
Damn. Nothing gets past her.
"Fine. You're right, it was a kind of big deal. Joe was being an asshole,"
"Per usual." Rylie commented.
"Per usual." I confirmed with a laugh. "I never shared anything from my life with them, except your name, and they just assumed you were a he."
"Which I am most definitely not." Rylie said as she stared up at the ceiling.
"Thank goodness for that." I laughed. "Anyway, I still had my cast on at that point, and Joe would not stop commenting on it. For some reason, he felt he had a right to know what happened. Being the stupid, misogynistic dick he is,"
"Misogynistic dick indeed."
"He asked if my boyfriend had broken my wrist, basically inferring that I deserved it because I was being an, and I quote 'ungrateful bitch'."
Rylie's leg suddenly dropped from my grasp as she shot up into a sitting position, coming eye to eye with me. "He said that?"
I'd seen Rylie mad before, but I'd only seen her this mad once. It reminded me of when I'd told her about the things Gabe had done to me, and even though she didn't even know where to find Joe, I was scared for his life.
The deep, angry, hateful look in her eyes brought back the memory of Wrightsville, when she'd broken Gabe's nose. She'd wanted to do much more than simply break his nose, and I was sure the same was the case now, with Joe.
"He said other things too, but I didn't let them go this time. It's like I suddenly lost control of my body, and I threw a steaming mug of coffee at him."
"That's my girl!" Rylie grinned, and I laughed. "I mean, I would've done much, much worse, but that's just because I'm nowhere near as sweet and gentle as you are." Rylie said.
"Are you kidding me? You're the actual sweetest person I know."
"To you, maybe. Because I love you. But you're sweet to everyone, even the most undeserving assholes that belong in prison. For example, Gabe and Joe."
She was right. How many times had I been nice to Joe's group when they didn't deserve it? And to Gabe? Too many times, I knew that for sure.
"But Aspen," Rylie grasped my chin gently with her hand. "That isn't a bad thing. The world needs more people like you. You are so kind and good and pure, but too many people take advantage of that. I just wish that people would be as good to you as you are to them."
"Well, Rylie, luckily I am engaged to the most perfect girl in the world, and this girl gives me everything I could ever want. This girl never takes advantage of me, and she always makes sure that I am happy and taken care of before even thinking about her own wants and needs. I'm more than okay with dealing with the horrible people in this world, as long as I get to keep that girl by my side, forever."
Rylie's eyes were shining as she leaned in closer to me. "Lucky for both of us, that girl wants nothing more than to stay by your side." The words left her mouth moments before her lips met mine, and the taste of her love was enough to make me realize once again, that Rylie would always be the best part of my life.
I'm pulled back from the memory as Rylie, Dan and Barry talk, and I reach over to slip my fingers between Rylie's. The smile she sends me is filled with nothing but love, and my heart trembles in my chest.
God, I love her so much.
Loving someone this much shouldn't be possible, but I am so, so glad it is, and that it's Rylie I get to love.
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Barry and Dan stay to talk for a little while longer before taking off. "Thank you both so much for coming." I hug them both once more. "Drive safe, and please take some food for the road!"
"Oh, we definitely will." Dan laughs before they head out.
"They were both just as nice as you talked them up to be!" Rylie says, pulling me in for a surprise hug. I slide my hands around her, and sigh happily.
"They're both really great." I agree.
"Barry definitely has a crush on you." Rylie laughs. "He couldn't keep his eyes off of you!"
"Oh boy, I told you!" I laugh.
"You do look stunning, so I can't blame him."
"His eyes were on you a lot, though." I comment.
"He was probably just wondering how I landed someone as hot as you." Rylie waves a hand dismissively.
"Oh, not even. You look so good all the time, not just today. You just don't see all the people that stare at you in awe."
"It's because I'm too busy staring at you in awe." Rylie grins, and I kiss her, enjoying the feel of her smile against my lips.
"Well, it's good to see you two still like each other." A voice says from behind us, and we turn to find Noah and Seth walking towards us.
"Oh my God!" Rylie and I gasp in unison. "I thought you guys were still in Utah?" I say before Noah pulls me into a nearly crushing embrace. I squeeze him back just as tightly.
I hadn't seen the guys since camp last summer, though we'd kept in contact with texts and phone calls. They'd both grown up so much since camp. Apparently a lot could change in 15 months. Noah's hair is the same wild, curly mess as always, and the shadow of a beard lines his sharp jawline. His shoulders seem broader, and his arms are strong, the muscles showing under the fabric of his long sleeved grey shirt.
Seth's blond hair is cut short and neat, and his sharp features seem to stand out more than I remember in the slightly dimmed lighting. They both looked so much more grown up and attractive.
"We were in town for Thanksgiving last week, and decided to stay a little longer for some random wedding."
"That couple is pretty lucky that y'all stayed just for that!" Rylie teases.
"Well, we met them at a Christian surf camp a year ago, and became pretty good friends with them, also learning about their secret relationship, so we couldn't miss the wedding reception." Seth grins.
"We're so glad y'all came." I say with a warm smile. "How are Savannah and Rachel?"
"They're really good!" Noah replies, and they begin updating us on their girlfriends. They'd met them at camp when Rylie and I had invited Rachel, Savannah and some of their cousins to sneak into camp for an evening. At the time, Noah had a thing for me and Seth had a thing for Rylie, but both guys were smitten the moment they met the girls.
Rachel and Savannah were from Utah, so it worked out perfectly when the boys told them they were going to college out there. That's fate, in my opinion. I think with a grin. After getting to know Noah that whole summer, I'd wanted him to find the same happiness with someone that I'd been lucky enough to find with Rylie, so I'd been more than happy to introduce him to Savannah.
"You both look so beautiful." Seth says warmly.
"Thank you." Rylie and I respond, then Rylie adds, "Y'all don't look too bad yourselves. Utah has treated you and your muscles well." The boys laugh and deny it humbly, but I can tell they secretly enjoy it. My bisexual side really couldn't deny that they were both very attractive guys. But Rylie was the one I couldn't take my eyes from, and I was more than okay with that.
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A while later, Rylie and I are sitting at a table with my cousins when a familiar tune begins playing over the speakers. Find Our Way by Midnight Kids, the song that had so many moments and memories attached to it, the song that felt most like our song, the song I would always love because of its connection to my love for Rylie.
Rylie's eyes meet mine, and she gently takes my hand before pulling me out onto the patio. The rain had stopped a while ago though the smell remained, and the sun is just beginning to set, setting the sky over the ocean to a soft orange color.
Rylie slide's one of my hands to her shoulder, and one of her hands to my waist before joining our other hands, holding them against her chest and pulling me closer. I move my hand to the back of her neck and toy with a strand of her hair as we sway to the music.
"Sometimes I still can't believe that you're mine." I say softly.
"I wouldn't want to be anyone else's." Rylie responds, locking her blue eyes on mine. She uses her thumb to rub gentle circles into the back of my hand, sending small shivers across my skin. "I know Thanksgiving was last week, but I'm really thankful for you, Aspen. I don't like to think about what my life would have been like if I hadn't met you, but I know I wouldn't be in a good place. I think it's safe to say you saved my life in a way, and you gave me the love and happiness I'd always yearned for but never thought to be possible.
"Rylie," I say softly, biting my lip as my throat tightens with emotion. "Nothing I can say will be able to prove how much I love you. But I will spend my whole life trying to show you."
"I love you." Rylie says simply before pressing her lips softly to mine as the music continues in the background. We dance slowly to the next few songs, not saying much, just being.
As I sway slowly, my hand in Rylie's and her warm breath by my ear, I realize once again that I'll be happy doing anything, as long as it's with Rylie by my side.