Today was the wedding. Ryan and I were going to leave at 10:30, since it was a three-hour drive, and the wedding ceremony would start at two in the afternoon. We wanted to get there early. So that's why I started freaking out when I woke up at 9:45 this morning. I overslept, even though I had set an alarm on my phone for eight this morning.
"No," I spoke to myself, as I got out of bed in a rush.
I quickly got in the shower and did what I needed to do. That was probably the quickest shower I had ever taken, since it was only ten minutes.
I walked out of my bathroom, dressed in basketball shorts and a T-shirt. I began to blow dry my hair, since that was going to take another ten. After blow drying my hair, I began to curl it. Luckily, curling my hair didn't take as long as it usually did. I put on some light-makeup. Just eyeliner, mascara, and some blush. I looked in the mirror, I was glad I looked decent and not like I had just woken up a few minutes ago like I had.
I heard the door bell ring, and then I heard my phone.
"Hello," I answered it, as I walked over to the closet to get my dress.
"Roxy, I'm here outside your house," Ryan spoke.
I checked the time. It was 10:20.
"Alright, I'll be downstairs right now," I told him, then we both hung up.
I hurried towards my door and walked down the stairs in a rush. I opened the front door and saw Ryan standing there. He looked so good.
He was wearing a black tux with a white button up shirt underneath, and a black skinny tie. Also, not to mention, his black dress shoes and pants. His hair blonde hair was styled in a quiff. He truly did look good.
"Come in." I moved aside for him to enter which he did. "Ryan, go ahead, take a seat in the living room or go into the kitchen and help yourself to anything. I still need to finish getting ready, so if you'll excuse me..."
"Go ahead," he told me, and I rushed up the stairs again.
I walked in my room and closed the door behind me. I put on some short spandex shorts then I put on the dress. The shorts were short enough that you didn't see them under the dress. I put on lotion on my arms and on my legs then put on some deodorant. I looked for my shoes which I couldn't find. I had placed them on top of my dresser, but they weren't there. I rushed over to the closet and looked up on the top shelf. Then I remembered they were on the side of my bed. As I walked over to the bed, I tripped on the clothes that were on the ground.
"Ow," I groaned then stood up and walked over to get my black flats which I quickly put on.
"Roxy?" I heard Ryan from behind my door.
"Yeah?" I called back, walking over to my closet to get my black clutch purse.
"I heard something fall," he spoke, behind the door.
I walked over to the door and opened it. He was standing just outside the door.
"I kind of fell," I told him, as I let him in and walked over to my dresser to look for some earrings.
"Are you alright?" he asked, standing by the wall.
"Yup, kinda hurt, but I'm alive," I responded, putting on the earrings.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think I have everything," I told him, looking around my room. "Oh, excuse the mess," I mentioned.
"It's fine, you should see my room," he chucked.
I grabbed my phone, my keys, and whatever else I needed and put them in my clutch. I didn't take anything else because we were coming back tonight.
Ryan and I walked out of my room, down the stairs and out the front door. I locked the door behind me, and we walked to Ryan's truck. He opened the door for me, and I got in. He walked around the front of the truck and got in the drivers seat. He turned on the engine and then drove.
"You look beautiful, by the way," he mentioned.
"Thanks." I smiled. "You look really good yourself," I complimented.
"Thanks. Excited for the wedding?"
"Yeah. You?" I turned to look at him. His attention was on the road before us.
"Yeah. We both know Garrett is probably only going for the cake." We both laughed.
"He probably is." I smiled. "Garrett is awesome. I don't know why girls don't pay much attention to him. I mean he's attractive and a really awesome guy," I mentioned.
"Yeah, he is," Ryan said and cleared his throat. "Do you like him?"
"I love the kid, but not in that way. I don't like him like that," I responded.
"Finn?" he questioned.
"Oh, no. I could never see him like that, and neither can he. We're just best friends, practically brother and sister," I explained.
"Good to know," I think I heard him mumble.
"What about you, Ryan? Any love interests?" I joked.
"Not really. None that would be interested, anyway," he muttered the last part.
"So there is someone?" I asked, looking at him.
"Well, I guess, but it's not like she would be interested in me, anyway." He didn't look at me and kept his eyes on the road.
"Why not?" I asked. "You're a great guy, and good looking, too," I complimented.
"Think I'm good looking?" He grinned.
"Sure, why not? So, why won't she be interested?" I questioned, wondering who he liked.
"She doesn't feel the same way. I've had a crush on her since junior year," he admitted, and my heart sank, but I knew I had to get over him.
"So, you've told her?" I asked, turning my attention elsewhere.
"Nope, and I won't. I can't risk her not feeling the same way. I know, even if I did tell her, she wouldn't feel the same way. I've been put in the friend zone," he chuckled a bit at the last part.
I wondered what girl had Ryan like this. She must really mean a lot to him. It ached me knowing he wouldn't feel the same way about me, but I guess it was better this way. This way I could easily get over him, but easily wasn't happening anytime soon.
"I think you should just tell her. If she likes you, then great. If she doesn't, then you'll know if you should keep liking her or not. If you don't, you'll never know," I explained to him. Call me a hypocrite. I can't even take my own advice.
"I don't know, maybe someday, I will. For now, I don't think so," he spoke.
I stayed silent and just left it at that. It was his decision on what he wanted to do. Same as me. My decision, and no one else's.
"What about you? Who's your love interest?" he asked me.
"No one, really," I lied.
He turned to look at me for a brief moment.
"Really? No one at school has sparked your interest?"
"Not really. A lot of the guys at school are just a bunch of guys who either want to get into a girls pants or just want to play with them. I'm not looking for a guy like that," I explained.
"What kind of guy are you looking for?"
What kind of guy was I looking for? I asked myself. Ryan was the type of guy I was looking for. He had everything I wanted. He was what I wanted.
"For sure tall because have you seen me?" I chuckled. "Jokes aside, though I just want someone who will like me for me. Someone who I can be with as friends and more than friends. If that makes sense. Also someone I can joke around with and have a great sense of humor. They also have to be able to make me laugh," I told him.
"Wow, Roxy, you don't mess around, when it comes to things like that. You know what you want," he told me.
"You asked, and I responded," I simply stated.
"It's great that you know what you want," he said.
We didn't talk much after that. I was still a bit sleepy, and my eyes involuntary closed on their own.
####
When I woke up, I noticed we were still on the freeway.
"Sleep well?" He smiled.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"It's alright," he said. "We're almost there. Shouldn't be much longer," he told me then pulled out of the freeway and onto a road.
"Where's the wedding going to be?" I looked around. There was a lot of dirt land. We were out more towards the country side.
"At a ranch."
I nodded my head.
"Is my hair messed up, by the way?" I grabbed my clutch and got a mirror out I had in there.
"It's fine."
I tried fixing a few strands that got messed up while I was asleep. I quickly rearranged the curls so they wouldn't look out of place and put my mirror away.
"We're here." Ryan pulled into the property of a ranch, parking his truck off to the side on the dirt.
The property was big. From what I could see in the front, the property was about 30 acres. There was a huge white, two-story house in the middle of the property. There was a fountain in front of the house, surrounded by a concrete two-way driveway. On the sides of the house were a few palm trees surrounding it. The house looked nice. The grass in front of the driveway was very green.
Ryan got out of the truck. He walked around to open the door for me, like many times before. I grabbed my clutch and got down from the truck. I adjusted my dress and closed the door behind me.
The ceremony and reception were both being held here. Surely, the ceremony would start soon, since it was already one forty-five.
"Ready?" Ryan extended out his elbow for my to intertwine mine with his.
I nodded my head and intertwined my arm with his.
We walked towards the backyard. We were following other people because we had no idea which way to go.
There were many women in heels. Everyone was dressed elegant. They all looked so nice.
We reached the backyard. I saw round tables, draped with gray and lilac table cloths. The center pieces were amazing. They were round vases. They had orchids in them along with silver beads that were hanging down from the vase. The vase had metal hooks that held candles that weren't lit yet.
We continued to walk further past the reception area. We walked further back of the property where the ceremony was going to be held.
There were white wooden chairs set up. The aisle in middle had a silver colored runway. At the end of the aisle, where the altar was, were different purple colored flowers on different strings. They draped down like a curtain.
"Ryan, Rox," I heard.
The guys and their dates were sitting on some chairs over to our left. They were saving a few seats for us. We made our way over to them. They immediately stood.
"Hey, Rox." Finn hugged me, when I removed my arm away from Ryan. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks, Finn. You look great yourself."
"Hey, Roxy." Garrett hugged me. "You look amazing. This is Angie," he introduced me to his date.
"Hi, I'm Roxanne," I introduced myself. I extended my hand for her to shake.
"Angie." She smiled and shook my hand.
Angie was a petite girl. With the heels she was wearing, she was a bit closer to my height. She had long black hair and soft-brown colored eyes. They were almost a honey color. She was very pretty.
"Hey, Grace." I smiled at her.
"Hey, Roxy." She smiled back.
"I love your dress and your hair," I complimented on her blush-pink colored dress and her strawberry blonde hair which was styled down in loose waves.
"Thanks. I like yours, too."
"Hey, Roxy. If Ryan wasn't your date, you'd easily find someone else to dance with later. You look great," Carter complimented.
"Thanks, Carter. You also look great." I gave him a hug.
"Hey, Daniella." I smiled at her, when Carter and I pulled away from our hug.
"Hey." She gave me a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
I hadn't really formally met Daniella. I had seen her around school before, but I had never really talked to her. I just knew she was new to our school and Carter and her were starting to talk.
The eight of us took our seats. I sat in between Ryan and Finn.
The groom was standing at the end of the aisle at the altar. The music began playing. It was a nice melody. Everyone stood up, and we all turned to face the bride.
She was stunning. It was her big day, and she looked beautiful. Her dark-brown hair was styled up. She had her veil at the top of her head. It was long on the back. It reached the floor. Her dress was gorgeous. It was a white ball-gown wedding dress. It was a simple dress towards the bottom half but had beautiful lace sleeves on top. She had a bouquet of white and purple flowers in her hand. Her father was walking her down the aisle. She had a big smile on her face, and so did her father.
I turned back to look at the groom. He had a smile on his face, and he was wiping a few tears sway from his face. It was sweet.
I smiled.
I turned my attention back to the bride and her father. They both made it down the aisle. Her father gave her a kiss on the cheek and stepped down to one of the seats to the left.
Everyone took there seats once again.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming," the priest started. "We have gathered here today to join Arthur and Carrie in holy matrimony," he continued.
The priest continued with the ceremony. It was wonderful. Arthur and Carrie both wrote their own wedding vows.
"I, now pronounce you husband and wife. Arthur, you may kiss your bride," the priest announced.
Arthur leaned over to Carrie. They shared their first kiss as a married couple. It was cute. Everyone clapped. We watched them walk down, away from the altar and down the aisle. People continued to clap and cheer.
I turned to Carter. "Carter." He looked at me. "Your cousin looked so beautiful."
"Thanks." He smiled.
People were leaving their seats. We were all being guided to a different area of the property. A few hosts led us to an area where there were multiple tall cocktail tables. The eight of us didn't fit around one small table. Ryan, Carter, Daniella and I stood around one table, while Finn, Garrett, Grace, and Angie stood at the table near my right.
"You girls want something to drink?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, please," I spoke.
"Yeah, sure," Daniella answered.
"We'll be back," Carter spoke. Ryan and Carter walked away from the table.
I turned to Daniella. "It was a beautiful ceremony, right?"
She was examining her her nails. "I guess." Her tone sounded bored. Or maybe it was just me. I wasn't sure.
"I thought the curtain of flowers behind them was pretty."
"Totally," she mumbled. She didn't even look up from her nails.
"Hey," Carter spoke. Ryan and he returned to the table with drinks in their hands.
"Here you go." Ryan handed me a clear cup with lemonade in it.
"Thanks," I thanked him.
He nodded his head.
"Appetizers?" A waiter walked up to us. He had a tray with food on it.
"I'm fine," I told him.
Carter and Ryan did get something, though. They both got some type of shrimp dish. Daniella didn't get anything.
"Hey," Finn spoke. The rest of them were now standing with us.
"What time is the reception starting?" Garrett asked.
"Should be starting pretty soon," Carter answered him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a hostess spoke. "You may now begin to take your seats in the reception area."
People started making their ways toward the reception area where the tables were adorned.
"Shall we?" Ryan extended his elbow, like earlier, so we could intertwine ours together.
"We shall." I smiled.
Ryan and I walked together with the guys and their dates. We walked back to the reception area. Back to where Ryan and I had passed when we first arrived.
"Over here," Carter spoke. He led us to a table for eight. In the middle of the table was a sign that had Carter's name on it. It also had a plus sign under it.
"My cousin saved a table just for us."
Ryan pulled out my chair for me. I sat down, then he sat down in the chair beside me on my left. Finn sat on my right, and Grace sat on his right. Garrett and Angie sat across from me, with Carter and Daniella beside them.
"Roxy," Grace called.
I turned my attention to her.
"What'd you think of the wedding?" she asked.
"It was so pretty," I tried speaking to her, leaning in my seat and talking behind Finn.
Finn stood. He motioned for me to take his seat so I could talk to Grace better. I took his seat, and he sat in mine beside Ryan.
I was now sitting beside Grace.
"Yeah, it was so pretty." I smiled.
"Yeah. Did you see the flower curtain behind them?" She beamed.
"Yes! So beautiful."
"Did you see the groom when she started walking down the aisle?"
"Yeah! It was so cute."
She smiled and nodded.
"I tried asking Daniella about it," I spoke in a hushed tone. "She didn't really talk."
"When Finn and I got here, I tried making small talk. I don't know, seemed like she didn't want to talk or something. Maybe it was just me." She shrugged her shoulders.
"She did that to me, too."
"Maybe she's not a people person," Grace commented.
"Maybe," I spoke.
She leaned in closer to me and spoke in a hushed tone as well, "I was glad Finn invited me."
I smiled.
"He seemed a bit nervous on the drive here. It was cute." She smiled. A smile that reached her blue eyes.
"I think he was nervous," I spoke. "If he doesn't talk, just start the conversation. He'll keep talking, if you do. It's just that sometimes, he doesn't know what to say." I leaned into her. "Trust me. He's a bit nervous because he likes you a lot."
I would hear it from Finn later, if he found out that I told Grace that, but I didn't care. I was helping him out. I knew he wouldn't be so straightforward and tell her. Besides, I was helping Grace out, too. She did want to talk with Finn more, but sometimes, around girls, Finn didn't know what to say. Or he didn't know how to start off the conversation.
She smiled. It was obvious she liked him a lot, too.
"Finn," I spoke. He turned away from his conversation with Ryan and looked at me. "Quit stealing my date and talk to yours." I stood from the chair.
He nodded and sat back in his chair.
I turned to look at Grace. She smiled and mouthed the words 'thank you.' She really did want to talk to Finn.
I sat in my original seat beside Ryan. I scooted my chair closer to Ryan and faced him. I didn't want to hear Finn and Grace's conversation. I knew he would tell me later.
"Working some magic with Finn and Grace?" Ryan asked. He leaned back in his chair and placed his arm on the top rail of my chair.
I smiled. "Of course. Finn will thank me later."
"What?" I heard Finn.
I turned to face him.
"I said that you'll thank me for being such a fabulous human being."
"Okay?" He furrowed his eyebrows, and then turned his attention back to Grace.
I turned my attention back to Ryan and scooted my chair even closer to his. I didn't want Finn to hear anything else.
Ryan, once again, put his arm on the top rail of my chair.
"So what'd you think of the ceremony?" I asked.
"It was nice. You?"
"So cute." I smiled.
I turned a bit more to my left. They set up a pastry bar. People started getting up to get some pastries.
"Sweets," I spoke.
Ryan turned his direction to his left and noticed. He turned his attention back to me. "Wanna get some?"
"Yeah." I turned my attention to Garrett.
He was already looking at me. He smiled and gave a small nod in the direction of the pastry bar.
I smiled and nodded my head.
Garrett and Angie stood from the table. Ryan and I followed. We made our way over to the table.
We each grabbed a small white, plastic plate.
"Gare Bear," I spoke. He stood beside me on my right.
"I know, Roxy. So many sweets." I could hear the smile in his voice.
I grabbed two cake pops and put them on my plate. I also grabbed a few Hershey's kisses and two brownies that had a cheesecake layer on top. I looked over at Garrett. His plate seemed to be piled high. I chuckled at the sight.
We all walked back to the table and took our seats from before.
I looked over at Ryan's plate. He had macarons and a few brownies.
I took a bite of my cake pop. It was good. It had a vanilla center and the outside chocolate was a lilac color.
I looked over at Garrett. He was seated beside Carter.
"Garrett."
He turned his attention to me.
I raised the cake pop in my hand to show him. He nodded his head and gave me a thumbs up. He liked them as much as I did.
Ryan started eating a macaron. The macaron was a lilac color as well. I guess they were really trying to incorporate their wedding colors.
"Are the macarons any good?" I asked Ryan.
He nodded his head and handed me one from his plate. I took a bite of the macaron. They were good.
"Hey, do you want something to drink?" Ryan turned to me.
"Please."
He nodded his head and stood. "Lemonade?"
I shook my head. "Water, please."
He nodded and walked away.
I continued to eat. I grabbed a brownie and munched on that. Delicious. Delicious: that's all I could say for these pastries.
I looked over at Garrett. He was devouring his pastries. Carter had gotten up because he had a small plate in front of him. He had a few pastries, from what I could see. Daniella didn't have any. She only had water. She looked at me and frowned.
I put the unfinished brownie on my plate and wiped my mouth with a napkin. She smirked and turned her attention back to Carter.
"Here's you water." Ryan sat down beside me, placing the cup in front of me.
"Thanks." I took a drink from it.
"You're not going to finish your brownies?"
"Not right now. I don't feel like eating them." I shrugged my shoulders.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "You okay? You and Garrett are usually the ones who take advantage when brownies are around." He smiled.
"I guess I got full."
He nodded his head.
I looked over at Carter and Daniella. Daniella looked at me. She looked down at my plate and smirked again. Then she took her entire focus off me and turned back to Carter. I pushed my plate off to the side.
I turned to face Ryan. He placed his arm on the top tail of my chair and turned to face me, his blue eyes meeting mine.
"So."
"So," he repeated
"Are we gonna dance later?"
He smiled. "But of course."
"Guys they're about to set up for the food," Carter spoke.
We turned our attention to our lefts and rights. Ryan and I turned our attention to our lefts.
Beside the pastry table, a few workers started setting up metal trays on a table. The trays had food on top of them and inside of them. They were setting it up like a buffet.
People started getting up from their seats and heading to the tables.
"You guys wanna eat now or wait?" Carter asked.
"I'm hungry now," Garrett spoke.
"Yeah, let's eat," Finn spoke.
"Alright. Let's go." Carter stood, along with Daniella.
Ryan and I also stood.
####
"Let's go dance, yeah?" Finn asked Grace.
She smiled and nodded her head.
The both of them stood from the table and walked over to the dance floor where the other couples were dancing. I smiled, just watching them.
The couples on the dance floor were slow dancing to the song 'Never Stop' by Safetysuit. It was the wedding version. I loved that song so much.
Ryan and I were the only ones left at the table. He stood up from beside me. He extended his right hand out for me to take it. I put my left hand in his and stood up as well. We both walked over to the dance floor, amongst the other couples dancing.
Ryan held me close to him. I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist. The two of us began moving to rhythm of the music, swaying to it. I looked up at his eyes. They were that very familiar deep-ocean-blue. They were remarkable. There was a gleam in his eyes. They seemed so happy. I smiled, and Ryan did too.
"Roxy," he started. "I." He cleared his throat. "I...uh have..."
"What?" I didn't quite understand what he was trying to say.
"It's nothing, really," he sighed then closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I was just going to say that I'm having a great time."
"So am I." I smiled.
The song ended and Ryan and I walked back to the table. We both took our seats from before.
I rubbed the goosebumps away from my arms. I had forgotten to get a jacket, before I left my house. I was in such a rush that it completely slipped my mind.
"Here you go." Ryan took off his jacket and handed it to me.
"Thank you." I gladly took the jacket and put it on. The heat from it radiated through my arms.
"Hey, guys," Finn spoke. He came up to us with Grace beside him. "We're going to leave. It's getting pretty late."
"Alright." I stood up. "Bye." I hugged each of them.
"Bye, Rox."
"Bye, Roxy." Grace smiled.
They both walked away, and I sat back down in my seat.
"I like Grace," I told Ryan. "She seems really nice."
"She seems good for Finn," Ryan said.
"She does." I was glad Finn and Grace were getting to know each other. He really liked her. And I could tell Grace really liked him.
"It's eleven. Are you ready to go, or do you want to stay a bit longer?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready." We both stood from our chairs.
"Let's go find the guys to tell them."
I nodded my head in agreement.
We walked around. We eventually found Carter and Daniella. They were dancing. Ryan quickly told him, and we looked for Garrett.
He was sitting at a table with his date. We approached them at the wrong moment because they were making out.
Ryan cleared his throat, and they pulled away. "Garrett, we're leaving."
"What? Oh, alright. Catch you guys later." He stood from the chair he was sitting in. "Bye, Roxy." He hugged me. "Bye, Ryan. Call me later."
Ryan nodded his head.
We made our way to where Ryan had parked his truck. He opened the door for me. I got in. Ryan walked around and got in the drivers seat. Ryan turned on the truck and turned on the heater. He pulled out of where he was parked and drove onto the road.
I admit, I was pretty tired. I wanted to sleep, but I knew Ryan was also tired. I had to stay awake so he wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel.
"Mind if I play some music?" I asked.
"Go ahead."
I plugged the aux cord into my phone. I selected some music at random. Ed sheerans song, "Give Me Love," started playing. This was one of my favorite songs by him.
"You're still into Ed Sheeran?"
"Yup. His music is amazing."
"So did you enjoy the wedding?" he questioned.
"Yeah. It was so pretty. Carter's cousin looked gorgeous and so happy. What about you?"
"Yeah, I liked it. I had fun. Thanks for being my date."
"You're welcome," I responded. "Thanks for asking."
"You're welcome. There wasn't anyone else I wanted to go with other than you," he mumbled.
What?
"What?" I turned to look at him.
"What? Huh? Nothing. I said you're welcome," he spoke quickly.
The song changed to Parachute's song, "She." I adored this song.
"So what are your plans for Christmas," he asked.
"Christmas eve with Finn and his family, and Christmas Day with my parents. That's when they'll be home." He nodded his head. "What about you?"
"Both days with my parents and brothers. Oh, some relatives are coming into town to spend Christmas with me and my family. My cousins are annoying though." He shook his head. This made me laugh.
"I doubt they're that bad. Besides, on Christmas Day, the five of us are going to hang out for a while. Remember?"
"Yeah, to exchange our secret Santa presents."
Every year that the guys and I have been friends, we've done secret Santa for Christmas. It started when Finn and I met Garrett. It was always fun.
"So whom did you get?" he asked.
"No, I'm not telling you. Nice try, though."
"Alright, fine. I'll tell you whom I got. I got Garrett, coincidently."
"So what'd you get Garrett?" I asked.
"A Pokemon hat. Like the one Ash wears. Also a Pokemon shirt. And a gift certificate to Moe's. He loves Pokemon and pizza."
I smiled to myself. Ryan was an awesome friend to Garrett. He knew what his best friend liked.
"He'll definitely love all of that. Speaking of Garrett," I spoke. "It looks like he was getting to know Angie very well," I chuckled.
"Yeah, real well. I don't know what that was about. He'll probably tell me later."
I was starting to feel sleepy, but I knew I had to stay awake. I looked at Ryan. His eyes were starting to slowly close but open when he noticed. It wasn't that late, but we were both exhausted from the wedding.
Damn. I wish I knew how to drive. I could easily take a turn driving, but I couldn't.
He had both hands on the steering wheel. I placed my hand on his shoulder. He quickly looked over at me for a brief moment.
"Ryan, I can tell you want to fall asleep."
"I'm fine, Roxy, just keep talking to me. It helps me stay awake."
I could keep doing that, but it wasn't so safe. I turned the volume down front the music. Shawn Mendes' song, "Imagination," was playing.
"Ryan, just pull over to the shoulder. We can both rest for a while."
He didn't look at me. He continued to look at the road.
"Are you sure?" he questioned.
"Yeah."
"Alright." He signaled and pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway. He parked the car and turned off the engine.
He unbuckled his seat belt and reclined his seat. I did the same. I took off his jacket, which I was still wearing, and put it over myself. I turned left and tried bringing my legs onto the seat, but it's hard when you're five-feet and ten inches tall. Luckily, I was able to do it. What was great about Ryan being six-feet and four inches tall was that his clothes were bigger, and so was his jacket. My legs were still a little cold though. I rubbed my legs with my hands in an attempt to get rid of the goosebumps.
"Are you cold?" Ryan asked.
"A bit."
"I have some sweats in the back, if you want to put them on," he offered.
"Please."
He reached over with his right hand and grabbed a gray pair of sweats. He handed them to me. I quickly put them on over the bottom of my dress.
"Thanks," I told him.
I adjusted myself again and covered myself with his jacket. I turned toward Ryan. He was already falling asleep. His eyes were closed.
I was tired, but my eyes wouldn't close just yet. I looked at Ryan. I admired his face. He was truly attractive. His eyes were closed. His lips were parted just a bit. His hair was ruffled. His arms were crossed in front of his chest.
I yawned. Slowly, my eyelids closed.
####
I woke up and took in my surroundings. It was dark.
All I saw was a highway and several cars passing by. I was a bit taken back until I turned to my left and saw Ryan. That's when I calmed down and suddenly remembered. Ryan pulled over so we could both sleep.
Ryan was still asleep. As if on cue, his eyes opened. He blinked a couple of times and rubbed his eyes.
"Morning," he yawned. "Wait, what time is it?" He extended his arms and stretched.
I grabbed my phone and looked at the time.
"Two in the morning. How much time do we have left?"
"About two hours."
I nodded my head.
"Ready to head back?"
"I just need to stretch my legs first."
I removed his jacket and got down from his truck. Ryan did the same.
I walked around a bit. I looked down at my outfit. I had the gray sweats over my dress. It was a funny sight. Talk about fashion.
"Ready?"
I nodded my head and got back in the truck. I grabbed Ryan's jacket and put it back on. I then put the seatbelt on, like Ryan.
Ryan rolled up the sleeves from his shirt and turned on the engine. He looked over at me and grinned.
"What?"
"Your hair is a bit ruffled."
I pulled down the visor and looked at my reflection. Tired eyes and smeared eyeliner. Not to mention my hair looked horrible. It was sticking up from the top. Most of the curls had already fallen.
Great. Just great. I looked like a complete mess in front of Ryan.
I put the visor back up.
"I didn't know I looked so...horrendous."
He frowned. "You don't look horrendous."
"Yeah, sure." I opened the glove compartment and searched for a hair tie.
This wasn't Finn's car. I didn't have any hair ties in Ryan's car.
"What are you looking for?"
"A hair tie."
"There's this one." He looked through the center console. He then handed it to me when he found it.
"I thought I lost this." I held the lime-green scrunchy in my hands.
"You left it in here once. I always forgot to give it to you." He shrugged his shoulders and signaled to turn onto the freeway.
I grabbed my hair into a pony tail and put the scrunchy on. Ryan was already driving on the freeway.
"You can play your music, if you want."
"Don't have to tell me twice." I grabbed the aux cord and plugged it into my phone.
I put a random playlist on and put it to shuffle.
"Kiss me"by Ed started playing.
"I can't wait to get home and sleep in my own bed."
"I can't wait to take my makeup off. This stuff seriously is a pain."
"Why do you wear it, then?"
"Because I usually wear it to special events or I wear it on special occasions. It's just to make myself a little pretty."
The song changed to "Fallen" by Jason Derulo.
"Roxy, you're already pretty." He cleared his throat.
"Thanks. You know, it's a pain but wearing makeup can make anyone feel real special. I don't know. Kinda hard to explain it. Yeah, it's a pain, taking it off but when you're wearing it, feels like... It feels fabulous," I chuckled.
"Probably does."
Rey y Kaye's song, "Fairytale," started playing.
Ryan turned to look at me. "You listen to Spanish music?"
"A little. Mostly bilingual. That way I can understand most of the lyrics."
"I didn't know you could understand Spanish. Let alone listen to Spanish music."
"Well, I did take Spanish class for two years, but I didn't learn much from those classes. I actually learned more from Finn. When he took the classes, he fell in love with the language and the cultures. He decided to take a few classes out of school. He picked up a lot. He can't carry on a full conversation, but he does know how to say a few things. He can understand the language though. If someone were to tell him something in Spanish, he'd be able to understand. I'd hear Spanish words here and there and he always explained what they meant. That's why I can understand some bilingual songs."
"That's really cool."
"I don't know as much as Finn, though."
"That's still cool. I wish I could at least understand another language."
"You can always try."
"You do have a point there."
We didn't talk after that. I listened to the music. I hummed along to "Speak Up" by Thomas Fiss. I loved his music.
After that song ended. "The Only One," by Hot Chelle Rae started to play.
After that song, "Love on Top" by the Queen B. started playing.
What can I say? I love me some great music by Beyonce.
Man, a lot of love songs were playing. I had just played a random playlist, but most of my music did consist of love songs.
####
Ryan pulled up in the driveway of my house and turned off the engine.
"It's been a long day," I spoke. "I had fun. Thanks for being an awesome date."
"You, too." He gave a small smile.
I took off the jacket and handed it to him. I looked down at the sweats then at him.
He waved it away.
"I'll make sure to return them to you later," I spoke, opening the car door.
He nodded his head.
"Thanks for dropping me off."
"You're welcome. I'll walk you to the door." He took off his seatbelt and got down.
I got down as well. I grabbed my purse and closed the door behind me.
Ryan stood beside me. We walked up the driveway over to the steps that led to the front porch. It was still a bit dark out. All the lights were turned off, including the one from the porch. When we left yesterday, I forgot to turn it on.
I grabbed my keys and unlocked the door. I stepped inside and turned on the lights from the living room. The room was chilly.
"So you're good?" Ryan stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
"Yeah. Why?"
"All the lights were off, and no one was home. Someone could take that as a chance and break in."
"Na." I waved it away. I walked over to the door that led to the garage. It was locked, like always.
"I could check, if you want."
"Mind checking the sliding doors in the kitchen?"
"Sure." He walked in that direction. I followed closely behind him.
He walked over to the doors. They were both locked.
"If the doors down here are locked, I'm sure everything upstairs is fine. And if not, I can always call you or the guys. That is, if I don't get murdered first."
"Roxy." He frowned.
"I'm joking, Ryan," I chuckled.
"Seriously, are you going to be fine?"
I rolled my eyes. Not in a harsh way. More like a frustrated eye roll. But I couldn't complain, he was just being a good friend.
"If it makes you feel better, you can crash on the couch." I motioned to the couch in the living room. "Or upstairs in one of the guests bedrooms."
"I'll crash on the couch."
Oh, dang. For real? I thought he wanted to sleep in his own bed.
"Sure?"
"It'll help me sleep better, knowing you're alright."
"Alright." I walked over to the closet in the hall and took out a few blankets and a pillow.
I walked back and handed them to him.
"I'll be back." I walked up the stairs.
All of the lights were off, and it was dark. I turned on the hallway light and walked into my bedroom. I quickly turned on the light.
I screamed.
"Roxy!"
I heard steps on the stairs.
"What?" Ryan stood beside me.
"Nothing. I'm just joking." I walked over to my bureau.
"Damn, Roxy. You almost gave me a heart attack." He shook his head.
"Sorry." I smiled weakly.
I grabbed a T-shirt and pair of sweats, since I was wearing his pair. I handed them to him.
"Thanks." He walked out of the room.
I closed the door and undressed. I took off the dress and sweats. I then took off the spandex shorts I wore under. I put the sweats back on and put on a black T-shirt. I walked inside my bathroom and removed the makeup from my face.
I heard a knock on my bedroom door.
"Go ahead!"
"Hey, Roxy. I'm about to sleep already," I heard him.
I walked out of the bathroom. "Alright, help yourself to anything in the kitchen."
"Thanks." He walked out, closing the door behind him.
I turned off my light and jumped onto my bed. I pulled the comfortable up to my chin. Thank my parents for getting me a queen-sized bed. I was able to fit quite nicely.
I got comfortable and quickly fell asleep.
####
I picked up my phone from my desk and let it ring.
"Hey," I heard from the other line.
"Please, come pick me up. I'm so bored here," I spoke.
"But we still haven't done anything. It's barely noon. Everyone is still cooking. They'll probably make you cook, too."
"I don't care. I'll gladly help."
"Alright, I'll pick you up in a few."
"Alright, thanks. Bye."
"Bye, Rox."
I got up from my bed and grabbed my things. I made sure my room was at least a bit tidied up. I had already cleaned up the mess from yesterday.
I sat down in my bed and waited for Finn, going through my phone. I heard the door bell ring and grabbed my things then walked downstairs. Finn was standing at the door.
"Hey." He pulled me in for a hug.
"Hey." I closed the door behind me.
We walked to his car, got in, and he drove towards his house.
"So what time did you guys get back?" he asked.
"I think it was four in the morning."
"Why so late? What time did you guys leave?"
"We left a little after you guys. We left like at eleven."
"Eleven? It's only about a three-hour-drive. What were you guys doing?" he questioned. He looked at me for a brief moment.
"Nothing. We left, but Ryan was tired. I told him to pull over on the side of the road so we could both rest for a while. We slept for about two hours then we were on our way again," I explained. "And when he dropped my off, he crashed on the couch."
"Is that all that happened?"
"What do you mean? Are you insinuating we did something? Please. He doesn't even know I like him. Besides, Ryan isn't like that."
"Rox, Ryan is still a guy. I'm not saying you guys did anything but..."
"No, Ryan and I are friends first, before anything. And what about you? You're still a guy, and I spend most of my time at your house."
I wasn't trying to imply anything, but I wanted to prove a point. We were all friends. Friends before anything.
"Eww...Rox, that's gross." He grimaced. This made me laugh. "Yeah, you spend time at my house, but that's because we're best friends, and I see you like a sister. Sorry, you're beautiful and all, but you're basically my sister."
"Exactly! That's what I'm trying to say." He nodded his head. "And thanks, you're not too bad yourself. Hey, so what happened with you and Grace?" I was excited and really wanted to know.
He smiled. "It went great with us. She really enjoyed the wedding. We're going on a date when we go back to school."
"That's awesome. Why not go on a date during break?"
"We both have a lot going on. A lot of family visiting and stuff."
I nodded my head. "I get it. I really like Grace. She seems nice."
"She is. I'm glad you like her."
Finn pulled up in front of his house and parked the car on the side of the curb. We got out and walked up the grass to his front door. We walked inside. The house smelled so delicious. The strongest smell I could detect was the smell of turkey baking. There were also a few others like chocolate cookies and Mac and cheese.
"Aunt Jane," Finn spoke. She was walking down the stairs. "Rox, came over."
"Roxy, so nice to see you." She walked over to us and gave me a hug.
"Same here."
"Roxy!" I heard. I turned and saw Mena.
She walked up to me and gave me a big hug. I hugged her back.
"Finn, you didn't tell me she was coming." I turned to him.
"She told me not to."
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
I smiled. Indeed, it was a great surprise.
Mena was Finn's cousin. Her full name was Jimena, but I, along with Finn, called her Mena. She was our age. I had met her a few years back. I think it was my freshman year. Whenever she came to visit Finn and his family, we would usually hang out. I liked seeing her because, although, the guys were great, I needed to have an actual girl friend whom I could talk to about girl related things. She was perfect for that because we always got along so well.
"Come on, Roxy. Let's go say hi to everybody." She grabbed my hand and dragged me along.
We walked into the kitchen, and I said hi to Finn's family and relatives. We also went to the back. We went pretty much everywhere in the house saying hi to everyone. Finn always had so much family over for the holidays.
After greetings, Mena and I went upstairs to Finn's bedroom. We both sat on the opposite sides of the bed, so we were facing each other.
"Alright, so how have you been?" she asked.
"I've been fine. You?"
"I've been alright. Definitely better."
"What happened?"
"Sergio and I broke up. Well, he broke up with me. Two months ago."
"Mena, I'm so sorry. You should have called me."
"I really don't like talking about things like that over the phone."
"How long did you guys date for?"
"It was going to be a year, this month. At first, he told me it was just a break, but then he went off and got a girlfriend."
"Mena... I-I'm sorry."
She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's fine. Better off without him, right?"
I nodded my head.
"So tell me about you. How are you and Ryan? Have you told him how you feel about him?"
I sighed. "No. There are moments when I do want to tell him, but I get scared. Besides, just yesterday, he told me he liked some girl. He didn't tell me her name or anything, but I could tell he really liked her." I shrugged my shoulders. "It is what it is."
"Roxy, I'm also sorry. It sucks liking someone when they don't feel the same way. Trust me, I know."
"It's sucks. I just need to get over him."
"Something we both have in common." She and I both laughed.