_____Avery's POV_____
I sit on the swing of the lonely playground, waiting for Ryder to show up. I didn't plan for things to turn out this way. I was supposed to simply just drive away, and have no one miss me... I forgot my money, my car ran out of gas... And here I am, stuck. I can't call anyone, but people can call me... That's the great part of having no reception.
I look up at the sky, and rain clouds start to gather over me, just great. I put my phone in my bag, so if it does start raining, it won't get wet. I sigh and start to swing. I made a huge mistake... I left so I could think, and I definitely have. I figured out that I was wrong, about everything. Suddenly, it starts raining, and in less than five seconds, I'm already drenched. I just shiver and sit still on the swing. Bright headlights park in front of me, and a man comes over, running to me and scoops me up into his arms, trying to shield me from the rain. I smell the cologne and sigh in relief when I figure out that it's Ryder.
"Thank God you're okay." He whispers, his voice cracking at the end.
"I'm so sorry..." I squeak and cry into his chest.
"Sh, it's all over now... Go wait in the car, I'll grab your bag, okay?"
I just nod my head numbly and walk over to the car, jumping inside. The trunk opens and Ryder places my bag in it. He shuts the trunk, and walks over to my side of the car, opening my door. He reaches inside and gently moves a piece of my hair away from my face, and hands me a blanket.
"That should warm you up in no time." He says with a small smile, trying to cheer me up.
"Thanks." Is all I say.
He just nods and shuts the door, walking over to his side. Jumping in the car, he shakes his head, and small water droplets fling everywhere.
"You remind me of a dog..." I say, chuckling.
"Do I, now?" He asks teasingly.
"I guess that means I'm your bitch..." He adds.
"I guess so, you did drive all this way to get me... And you brought a fluffy blanket too." I tell him with a smile.
"It was worth it, I got you to smile, and to come home." He replies honestly.
"Can I see your phone?" I ask him.
"Of course. Are you checking for those messages?" He questions, handing me his phone.
"Yea..." I answer quietly.
"I don't blame you... I guess I'd do the same... Especially if someone sent me a picture of the text messages." He agrees while starting the car and driving away.
I look through the phone and see that the text messages, were fake.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you..." I apologize.
"Avery, you have nothing to be sorry for... I probably would have reacted the same way... But do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought I lost you..."
I just look down and fiddle with my fingers. Ryder just sighs and continues driving. Suddenly, I gasp and look up.
"What about Dory?! We completely left her there!" I shout. Ryder slightly jumps up in his seat.
"Don't do that again Ave, I almost crashed the car. And don't worry about Dory, she's being towed and taken care of. She will be back in your driveway by the morning, okay?" Ryder scolds, yet calms me down at the same time. I nod and look out the window.
"So... You got Nemo back?" I ask.
"Of course... I promised you that I would fix the issue if my plan didn't work. I came up with a Plan B, and I got him back after school today. I went to go give him to you as soon as I got him... But when I got to your house, cops were everywhere... Your mom said you were gone..." He explains, wincing at the memory.
"I saw the texts between you and Natalia... I kinda feel bad you had to go to her house and pretend to be interested..." I trail off at the end.
Ryder places his hand on my leg and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
"It's okay... I don't mind. Although, I'll admit, it was terrifying. I was just glad to make you happy in the end. Tomorrow we can take the texts to the principal so she'll be out of our hair for good." He tells me with a smile.
I just grin back and place my hand on top of his.
The rest of the ride home, Ryder caught me up on things that I've missed. Mostly things he learned in school today. It was sweet because he made sure to take extra notes for me.
We were almost home when Ryder asked me, "Hey, when was the last time you ate? Are you hungry?"
"Honestly, yea... I'm starving. I forgot to bring food with me..." I sheepishly admit.
"All you need to do is ask, and I'll give you whatever you want, okay?" Ryder says.
I just nod.
"Wait... In that case, can I have a kiss?" I ask, and pout my lips.
His head turns towards mine is record timing, and he quickly pulls the car over.
"Hell, you don't even have to ask for that." Is all he says before he pulls me over to the drivers seat and places me on his lap. I just chuckle and pull his head down to mine. We kiss for a while, neither one of us caring if we get caught or not. His lips travel from my mouth, and down to my neck. My hands tug on his hair lightly, trying not to hurt him. His hands grip my waist tighter when he trails kisses back up my neck. As soon as he kisses under my earlobe, I find myself biting my lip, trying not to moan. Ryder growls when he see's my lips, and leans back in to kiss me again. Just as his lips were about to meet mine again, my back leans against the steering wheel, and the horn honks loudly. We spring apart, and my cheeks turn bright red once I realized what we were doing. I slowly crawl back to my seat and buckle up.
"You still hungry?" He asks, breathless.
"Nope..." I says, popping the "p."
"Okie dokie, to your house we go!!" He exclaims awkwardly, speeding down the road and pulling into my driveway.
As soon as he parks the car, I hop out. Happy to be home, I run up to the front door and open it, walking inside.
"Mom!! I'm home!" I shout.
The front door opens again, and Ryder walks inside carrying my bag.
"Thanks... I forgot about that..." I admit sheepishly.
"No problem... And I think your mom is still at work, I didn't see her car in the driveway." Ryder says.
"Oh... I guess that would make sense." I chuckle.
I grab Ryder's hand, and pull him upstairs to my room.
"Can we cuddle?" I ask.
"Of course, my love."
Ryder picks me up and places me on my bed before laying down next to me and pulling me close to his chest. I use his chest as a pillow and struggle closer to him.
"I love you."
"I love you more, princess."
I smile in content, and fall asleep safe in Ryder's arms.
A/N:
Hello my fellow fishies! She was found, yay!! Okay, I was debating on posting this or just rewriting the whole thing. Ehhhh I hope you enjoyed it.
Xoxo - Batman