“You’ll explain this to me later?” she asks, pointing a finger at me with a determined look in her eyes.
“Yeah, sure.”
And I do. I haven’t told Stefanie anything about my home life but as soon as Matt leaves the diner, I fill her in on everything. She stays quiet as she listens, her eyes growing wide occasionally, pity overtaking her face.
“I’ll never complain to you again,” she finally says, wiping down the last table as we prepare for the nightshift to take over. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”
I shrug my shoulders. “It is what it is. Only a year left, and I can get the heck out of here.”
Once our shift is over, Stefanie and I part ways, and I rush toward my car when I see Ryland waiting for me. He’s leaning against the passenger side door, legs crossed, and arms open. I crash into him, wrapping him into a hug, inhaling his comforting scent.
“Wow, now that’s a hug. I missed you too.” His hands slide up my back, over my shoulders, until they land on the sides of my face.
A shiver runs through me, as it always does when I feel his touch. He pulls my face away from his chest until I can meet his gaze. I can’t hide how happy he makes me feel. Why would I ever want to?
My smile falters at the memory of Matt watching me at the diner. Ryland, always attuned, senses the change in me. His eyes search my face for a moment before he asks, “What is it?”
I take a step back and look around us for any sign of being watched. He does the same, even though he has no idea why. Once I feel secure, I step back into him.
“I saw one of Davis’friendsat the diner tonight. The same one that was with Davis that night.” I don’t have to explain which night I’m referring to, because I can see the memory written on Ryland’s snarl. “I had Stefanie cover the table for me, so I didn’t talk to him. I could have been overreacting, and he was just there to eat.”
“Or Davis sent him there to check up on you.”
Ryland looks around us again, his body tense with alertness. I don’t understand how Davis can be okay, knowing how he has emotionally damaged the people around him. It makes me sick. I’ll never understand what drew my mother to him in the first place.
“I don’t think he’s here anymore,” I say, trying my best to brush off the sudden chill I feel, even though it’s the beginning of summer and I can feel the sticky heat clinging to the night.
Ryland returns his eyes to me, flickering down to the rainbow necklace dangling from my neck that I never take off, and a hint of a grin shows on his lips. He places his fingers on the pendant and tugs lightly on it until I follow his lead. I lean up onto my tippy toes and touch the edge of our noses together.
I kiss the curve of his smile, and the simple touch makes me feel like I’m floating. Like I’m in the middle of thelake, drifting in the water and staring up at the sunbeams dancing through the trees. Ryland has always had that effect on me, even before we started dating.
I let my lips leave his to start trailing along the sharp line of his jaw until they land on his chin. Exhaling all the tension in my body, I nuzzle into his chest and wrap both my arms around him. “I love you.” The words slip from my lips, like it’s the easiest thing I’ve ever said.
“I love you too.” His words sink into my skin in a rough whisper. He leaves a small kiss on my collarbone before releasing a sigh that loosens his chest. He takes two steps back and begins leading us into a walk.
We follow the sidewalk that takes us toward the center of downtown where a large fountain sits, spraying water into the night sky. The sun has officially crested over the distant mountains, the purple and blue hues of sunset bleeding into vibrant orange. We stay silent, the only sound coming from our footsteps, echoing off the buildings around us. Ryland keeps an arm tightly around my shoulder and his head leaning against mine as we take in the scenery.
My mind is consumed by Ryland, even with him right next to me. All I can think about is how much I love being with him. How much I love our talks. How he looks like pure sunshine when he smiles. How hearing his laugh feels like a cozy blanket. I often daydream about us, pieces of our conversations replaying in my mind, giggling at something funny he said or did. I can close my eyes and see every feature of his face perfectly because I’ve memorized the details of him, especially the way he looks at me before he kisses me.
I catch myself smiling and wondering when the next time will be that I’ll see him again. Even though we never know what the future will hold, I do know one thing for sure: that Ryland is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I never want to let go of what we have together. It's as if God created the two of us perfectly for one another.
Downtown Covewood is small, and I wish there was more to do. A handful of lawyers' offices sit amongst the different buildings along with a few banks, one barbershop, the movie theater, and a tacky gift shop. The scene isn’t romantic at all. If anything, it feels stale, and I’m ready to turn around and suggest we do something else.
“I’m so ready to get out of this boring town,” I admit.
Ryland removes his arm to slip his hand into mine. He gives me a little squeeze and looks down at me. “One more year and we graduate high school.”
“Does it bother you to think that you could’ve graduated already?” I ask, remembering when he first moved to Covewood, and that his mom thought it would be best to hold him back a year because of how poorly he did the previous year at his old school.
“Nope. Because I get to graduate with you. Plus, I would be here waiting for you anyway,” he answers, bending down until he plants a kiss onto my temple.
“Are you sure about that?” I tease, elbowing him gently in the ribs, loving the sound of his laugh.
Ryland’s eyes twinkle with mischief. His playfulness has always been infectious. I bite the inside of my cheek to try to keep from laughing as he tugs my hand, leading me down a small alleyway, until we’re hidden between the shadows. He walks toward me until my back touches the scratchy brick wall, arches an eyebrow, and asks, “This okay?”
At my nod, his fingers curl around the swell of my hip, gently pulling me closer, and his other hand finds mine. I feel like I can't breathe, in the best possible way. I’m frozen and waiting for his next move.
“There’s no way I could ever leave you, and you’re the only reason I’ll ever need to stay. I’m not going anywhere unless it’s by your side.” His words calm the storm inside me.
