A/N.: Hello again my lovelies who probably hate my guts for disappearing for so long. I just wanted to apologize for making you guys wait so long. It's inhumane of me, I know, but typing with a half broken laptop screen (this is why I brought a new laptop (but that isn't why I destroyed it)) is extremely difficult. But that's not the real reason I was away for so long. I took a long break from writing bc I started having problems with my eyes and it gave me intense head/eye pains. I couldn't stand the light (sunlight, computer light, tv light, lightbulb lights) bc it felt like my eyes were being gorged out so I went demonic vampire for awhile and hid away in dark rooms with minimal light whenever possible. (Basically I slept a lot.) Anyways, Im fine now. I've been fine for quite awhile actually with just minor on and off pains but that's why I stopped writing and coming on here, bc I didn't want to strain my eyes while I was getting better.
Anyways, I'm sorry once again and here's the next chapter. There's 3 more chapters after this and they should all be up and done with within the week. Love always, Aubrey. <3
CHAPTER EIGHT ~*~*~ In A Red Dress
Back in San Diego, we met up with Ryan’s parents at the hotel. Ryan’s dad was one of those people that didn’t talk much, but was exceptionally nice. Ryan’s mom on the other hand, was extremely talkative and when she was talking, nobody else in the world was, so I guess that made them the perfect couple.
Initially, we were supposed to stay overnight at the hotel and then leave the next morning, but typical Ryan had wanted to do some exploring while we had the chance so Mr. Proud agreed to let us stay for an extra day. Of course, I expected Ryan to be off the wall the next day since he was just that kind of guy, but I didn’t expect him to knock on my door at 7 in the morning – especially when we went to bed at 3 the night before.
“Oh my god, Ryan! Just let me sleep okay? You know I’m not a morning person.”
“Psh! Dannie! It’s me! Sweetie, let me in!”
My eyes widened at the white ceiling above my head when I realized it was a woman’s voice that hissed through the door. One, either Ryan had... No that’s not possible. It was definitely Mrs. Proud.
Making my way over to the entrance, I opened the door up a crack to take a peek and sure enough, Ryan’s mother stood outside my room with the biggest smile on her face. Apparently, while Ryan and I were away, she had took it upon herself to buy me a pretty, little, red sundress that was oh-so-not-meant-for-me.
“I’ve always wanted a daughter,” she chuckled.
“So did my mom,” I told her, but either she didn’t get my humour or she just didn’t care because she managed to get me dressed in 2 minutes flat anyways. Then came the ever torturous event of hair curling and makeup until I couldn’t feel my face and my head felt ten pounds heavier. When I finally thought the whole dreadful ordeal was over, Mrs. Proud brought in the high heels.
“Oh no!” I said. “I don’t do those... those things. They are completely out of the question.”
“But they match your dress,” she insisted. “You would look so nice with them on.”
“But you know what wouldn’t look nice? A leg cast – which I will definitely have to wear for the next 6 weeks if I so much as attempt to walk in... those.”
Mrs. Proud raised her eyebrows. “But you do want to look pretty for Ryan, don’t you?” She asked before she broke into school girl giggles and started elbowing me. “Right? Right? You do want him to tell you you’re pretty right? Because you liiiiiiiiiiiiiiike him.”
My jaw just dropped. I couldn’t believe it! This whole time – was I really this obvious? First Christa and now Ryan’s mom? Did everybody in the world knew that I liked him besides me?!
“Please darling,” Mrs. Proud continued, looking at me with the same puppy sort of eyes Ryan always did. “It’s just this once alright? I’ll teach you how to walk in them before I let you off into the wild. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
In the end, I was coaxed into wearing the heels and Mrs. Proud did keep her word and helped me practice walking in them for at least a good thirty minutes. The results were expected of course. It was an epic fail and no matter how much I improved since putting them on, I still fell over every once in a while. Beauty really didn’t come without any pain.
When Mrs. Proud finally presented me in front of Ryan at the lobby of the hotel, he just stared at me in disbelief. It was such an awkward experience that I wanted to crawl into a ditch and get buried alive.
“Alrighty then,” she cheered, ignoring the silence between us. “I’m going off on a date with your father so you guys go out and have fun. Don’t come back too early, okay?”
After Mrs. Proud made a quick escape dragging her husband behind like a toy doll, Ryan and I left the hotel and started down the busy street. Although he didn’t say a word to me, he kept turning his head to stare at me while smiling at me like he knew a secret that I didn’t.
“What?” I eventually huffed out.
His head turned back onto the road ahead of us. “Nothing,” he said with a cheeky smile. “It’s just that you look cute. Like really cute.”
“I feel fat,” I told him, but even as I said that, I could feel my cheeks being enveloped in warmth, and my stomach being filled with jitters. I smiled. “But thanks.”
He chuckled a little, and then we both burst into laughter.
Ryan and I ended up having a blast. Instead of eating a proper breakfast and lunch like Mrs. Proud gave us money for, we ended up buying snacks and eating them all throughout the day. We explored the city, all kinds of shops, museums, until we stopped by a park bench in the late afternoon so I could rest my feet.
As luck turned out, the park happened to have a delicate waterfall that ran down from a mossy cliff side and right into the small lake that was in the middle of the open space. I wasn’t exactly sure if the waterfall was natural or not, but whatever the case, it didn’t stop Ryan from jumping at the chance. He immediately dragged me around the corner to a near by supermarket where he picked up a few necessities.
“Ryan, I have to ask. When you wrote ‘shower under the waterfall’ on your summer to do list, you didn’t actually mean shower-shower did you?”
“Of course, I did.” He replied, flashing me a boyish grin. “Why else would I buy bodywash and shampoo?”
I rolled my eyes and watched him skip cheerfully ahead of me like a little kid. I tried catching up to him, but the shoes were a killer and by now, my feet weren’t necessarily motivated to keep moving on. “Ryan! Wait up, will you?”
He turned around and smirked at me. “Well then, hurry up slowpoke.”
Gathering what little strength I had in my legs, I picked up the pace and ran after him only to trip over my own two feet. Before I knew it, I was falling and I quickly closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact, but instead of the hard concrete cement like I had expected; what I fell into a few seconds later, were a strong pair of arms.
When I opened my eyes, what I saw were an even stronger pair of eyes – so intense that they were paralyzing. A guy who looked just a few years older than I was must have walked by and caught me by coincidence, but coincidence couldn’t have been any friendlier because he couldn’t have been more of a looker.
He laughed when he realized I was staring, and still holding me in that awkward dance pose, he said to me, “Well, aren’t you a cute one. I wished it rained cute girls all the time.”
I was so embarrassed for him that I couldn’t even say anything since the only reason I was staring so hard was because the situation weirded me out. Still, the least I could do was give him my gratitude for catching me, but before I managed to even stand properly on my feet, Ryan pulled me away and held me tightly in his arms.
“Dannie, are you okay?” He was talking to me, yes, and he was using the most tender and caring tone, but his eyes were staring so angrily at the stranger who just saved my butt that I could have sworn somebody else was talking to me.
The other guy laughed at Ryan’s apparent hostility and then purposely blew me a kiss before he left. “See you around cutie.”
Ryan was so choked about the whole thing that even after the stranger left on his way, he continued glaring into the guy’s back like he was mentally throwing darts at him. Not that I mind since he was so preoccupied that he didn’t notice how tightly he was holding me against him and I sinfully let myself indulge in his scent by burying my nose into the collar of his shirt. Mmm....
“So, you’re okay right?” He asked after a moment, and quickly pulled me away so he could take a good look at me. “You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”
His eyes filled with concern and his voice was so gentle that I felt all squishy inside. The whole trying to protect me charade was just so... manly for some reasons. I giggled and then felt my cheeks reddening in the process.
When Ryan saw the expression on my face, his literally sank. “Why are you blushing?” He grunted and then glared in the direction the stranger disappeared off into. “God Dannie! Stop blushing! There’s nothing to blush at.”
There’s you to blush at, I wanted to say, but I just smiled and walked ahead of him feeling extremely airy and proud inside.
For the rest of the way to the waterfall, Ryan decided to walk my pace, but when we finally arrived, he instantly ripped off his shirt and jumped into the water. I sat by the edge of the lake and watched him, laughing as he poured multiple bottles of bodywash right under the waterfall so that the lake started turning into his private bathtub. Bubbles started forming everywhere and the kids in the park started screaming, joining him like a school of fish in the water.
When he finished having his share of quick amusement, he came over to the side and held out a hand, indicating me to join him.
I glanced around the park at the already pissed off crowd of adults and choked back a laugh. “Ryan, I’m in a dress.”
Ryan rolled his eyes at me. “Oh come on. The Dannie I know wouldn’t be stopped by a tornado. What can a little, red dress do?”
So, I took his hand and he swept me away into the rushing wave of the water.
Oh we ended up having a great time, until someone called the park security on us and we ended up at the police station. Luckily, Ryan’s mom wasn’t upset that we caused so much trouble, but when she saw us holding hands at the police station, both drenched head to toe in water, she almost squealed to death.