Cool By Name, Not So Much By Association..., chapter 14
There was nowhere to start but at the beginning. I told him everything. Alan, Zach, and Joey. He laughed when I told him about the 'kicking' incident. When I finished, he sat for a minute, sipping a latté.
"Joey...sounds like he's kind of using you...it's like, he likes playing with you. Seeing how to push your buttons...he's seems pretty fucked up too," he stopped. I smiled.
"That's one way to describe him, I suppose..."
"I'm Ryan, Ryan Marner, by the way," he said holding out his hand.
"Ramona Cool," I said taking it. I trusted him. He looked at me strange for a minute.
"You mean..."
"Yip," I nodded.
"Cool!"
"Exactly!" I laughed and so did he.
"So, the Joey you're talking about, is Joey Armstrong?" he asked. He tapped the table casually. I could see the drumming fever in him. There was a permanent beat hapening behind his eyes. Just like my Dad. I nodded.
"That's fucked up..." he sighed.
"I know!" I chuckled, and just started laughing. My back was shaking, I was laughing so much. Instead of giving me a funny look Ryan joined in. We stopped laughing and just looked at each other.
"I've seen pictures of that dude, you deserve [u]way[/u] better than that!" he said and I blushed slightly.
"Thanks..." I quickly thought of somthing to change the subject. "So, what's your story Ryan? You are way better than that band you were playing with tonight," I said. He made a shocked face.
"You don't even know our name?"
"No, sorry," I said bluntly and he laughed
"They're The Fuck Offs. I was just doing them a favor. My real band is Buichall Dána."
Avi had tried to drag me to one of their gigs before. They were supposted to be one of the best underground Punk bands around.
"I've heard of you, but I haven't heard your band," I explained.
"Then you'll just have to come to a gig sometime," he said, innocently scratching the back of his brown head of hair. He let it go and it fell floppily in front of his brown eyes.
"I guess so!" I laughed. He smiled, revealing pearly whites.
"You're not from around here, are you?" I asked, pumping him for information.
"Nope, Cork born and bred. Moved here once I could get out of that shithole of a city. I have family out here too...then I met up with Chris, he's in Buichall Dána too, and we formed the band with Fred on bass and Harry on guitar. We were just mucking around first but now things are getting pretty serious. We're waiting until we get a good offer though...with a recognizable lable..." he continued. He was really passionate when he spoke. It was really cool too, though.
He stopped talking and we looked into each other eyes. I felt so comfortable around him. Like, I never need to worry about how I looked or anything again. An old Muse song played over the speaker system in the Starbucks.
Far away, this ship is taking me far away
We both stared nodding along at the same time.
"I'll never let you go, if you promise not to fade away never fade away," Ryan sang along looking into my eyes. He had a half desent voice. "Our hopes and expectations. Black Holes and Revelations," he continued.
Suddenly I was leaning across the table and kissing him ever so lightly on the lips, I started to pull away but he grabbed me back and started kissing gently. Our lips locked and his tongue slipped into my mouth. It was perfect. Not overdramatic or understated...but, just right.
"Wanna come back to mine, I can make way better coffee." He whispered on my lips.
I pulled away and looked into his eyes.
"As long as you don't think I'm a groupie. We do this and you're in. Unless you're crap, that is," I smiled.
"Well, I haven't recieved a complaint yet," He laughed.
We held hands all the way to his apartment. It was above a Salvation Army shop a few blocks down. He kissed me as he opened the door, went up the stairs, all the way to his sofa. My hands were frantic through his hair. His massaged my back as we made out on his sofa.
"You sure?" he whispered in between breaths.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
==========
Everybody says that their first time is crap, I have to disagree. The feeling is one better than all the hash in the world.
Ryan brushed his fingers through my hair as we lay on his bed afterwards. I smiled and snuggled into his shoulder. I knew I had to go home soon, they'd be looking for me, but I never wanted to leave this moment.
"I've never done this with a girl I just met..." he mused. "It was right though," he continued.
The clock on his bed side table read 3:06am.
"I never want to leave, but I have to go," I said getting up. I slipped on the dress again and put my feet into my blue little slippers. I looked in his full length mirror, just before I left.
I looked the same, I kind of felt the same, but I knew something was different.
"I'll walk you home, and explain to your Dad where you were," Ryan said getting up and throwing on his jeans and a white baggy t-shirt. He stood behind me and rested his hands on my waist. He was a few inches taller than me.
"It's okay. You don't want the full inquisation from my Dad...I'll be fine!" I assured him and he pouted.
"When am I going to see you again?" he asked.
"When are you free?" I smiled.
"Well...next week we're doing a smallish tour and then we're back at the end of the month. I don't leave until next Friday though...so you have me for the whole week!" he laughed and I smiled.
"Here's my number...call me later today...okay?" I said walking towards the door.
"Definitely," he grinned. He leaned down and kissed me. That gentle kiss, that made me forget everything.
"Bye," I said going out the door. He leant on the frame and watched me walk down the corridor.
I floated on air back to the house. Everything outside seemed brighter, even in the pitch dark. It was only a short walk home. I knocked gently on the door, presuming that my Dad and the rest were passed out in the back. The door opened suddenly to a frantic looking Mike.
"Oh my God! Where have you been?" he said embracing me into a hug. I could barely breath.
Then before I could answer he dragged me into the kitchen.
"She's here!" he announced to the room. Adie was sat comforting Billie. My Dad looked whiter than he had ever been in his life. He stood up and grabbed me. He didn't say a thing.
"Don't ever fucking do that again!" he sighed.
Then he pushed me away.
"Where were you?" he asked suspiciously. Fuck! I hadn't thought up of an excuse yet.
"Ehhhh....I needed a walk to clear my head, then I ran into someone I knew from New York and we went to see this band at the Gilman. Then we went for coffee and lost track of time...I'm so sorry to have you worried!" I rushed. They all stared at me. I noticed that Joey wasn't there.
The excuse seemed to work because Dad hugged me again.
"I'm so glad you're okay!"
Billie stood up. He looked seriously hung-over.
"I told you she'd find her way home!" he laughed, patting Dad on the back. He and Adie left. So did Mike and Anastasia. Claudia hugged me and went upstairs. Then it was just me and Dad.
He looked at me across the table.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "You look...different."
I blushed.
"Yes Dad, I'm fine. I'm going to go to bed now. I'm wrecked and I have Adeline in a few hours!" I said getting up quickly. I went upstairs and flopped on my bed. The last time I was on that bed I was a virgin...
My phone beeped on my bedside locker. It was an unknown number.
I miss you already. -Ry it read. I smiled. Before I could answer it my eyelids were too heavy for me. I feel into a deep sleep, dreaming of an apple, a snake and a garden.
"Joey...sounds like he's kind of using you...it's like, he likes playing with you. Seeing how to push your buttons...he's seems pretty fucked up too," he stopped. I smiled.
"That's one way to describe him, I suppose..."
"I'm Ryan, Ryan Marner, by the way," he said holding out his hand.
"Ramona Cool," I said taking it. I trusted him. He looked at me strange for a minute.
"You mean..."
"Yip," I nodded.
"Cool!"
"Exactly!" I laughed and so did he.
"So, the Joey you're talking about, is Joey Armstrong?" he asked. He tapped the table casually. I could see the drumming fever in him. There was a permanent beat hapening behind his eyes. Just like my Dad. I nodded.
"That's fucked up..." he sighed.
"I know!" I chuckled, and just started laughing. My back was shaking, I was laughing so much. Instead of giving me a funny look Ryan joined in. We stopped laughing and just looked at each other.
"I've seen pictures of that dude, you deserve [u]way[/u] better than that!" he said and I blushed slightly.
"Thanks..." I quickly thought of somthing to change the subject. "So, what's your story Ryan? You are way better than that band you were playing with tonight," I said. He made a shocked face.
"You don't even know our name?"
"No, sorry," I said bluntly and he laughed
"They're The Fuck Offs. I was just doing them a favor. My real band is Buichall Dána."
Avi had tried to drag me to one of their gigs before. They were supposted to be one of the best underground Punk bands around.
"I've heard of you, but I haven't heard your band," I explained.
"Then you'll just have to come to a gig sometime," he said, innocently scratching the back of his brown head of hair. He let it go and it fell floppily in front of his brown eyes.
"I guess so!" I laughed. He smiled, revealing pearly whites.
"You're not from around here, are you?" I asked, pumping him for information.
"Nope, Cork born and bred. Moved here once I could get out of that shithole of a city. I have family out here too...then I met up with Chris, he's in Buichall Dána too, and we formed the band with Fred on bass and Harry on guitar. We were just mucking around first but now things are getting pretty serious. We're waiting until we get a good offer though...with a recognizable lable..." he continued. He was really passionate when he spoke. It was really cool too, though.
He stopped talking and we looked into each other eyes. I felt so comfortable around him. Like, I never need to worry about how I looked or anything again. An old Muse song played over the speaker system in the Starbucks.
Far away, this ship is taking me far away
We both stared nodding along at the same time.
"I'll never let you go, if you promise not to fade away never fade away," Ryan sang along looking into my eyes. He had a half desent voice. "Our hopes and expectations. Black Holes and Revelations," he continued.
Suddenly I was leaning across the table and kissing him ever so lightly on the lips, I started to pull away but he grabbed me back and started kissing gently. Our lips locked and his tongue slipped into my mouth. It was perfect. Not overdramatic or understated...but, just right.
"Wanna come back to mine, I can make way better coffee." He whispered on my lips.
I pulled away and looked into his eyes.
"As long as you don't think I'm a groupie. We do this and you're in. Unless you're crap, that is," I smiled.
"Well, I haven't recieved a complaint yet," He laughed.
We held hands all the way to his apartment. It was above a Salvation Army shop a few blocks down. He kissed me as he opened the door, went up the stairs, all the way to his sofa. My hands were frantic through his hair. His massaged my back as we made out on his sofa.
"You sure?" he whispered in between breaths.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
==========
Everybody says that their first time is crap, I have to disagree. The feeling is one better than all the hash in the world.
Ryan brushed his fingers through my hair as we lay on his bed afterwards. I smiled and snuggled into his shoulder. I knew I had to go home soon, they'd be looking for me, but I never wanted to leave this moment.
"I've never done this with a girl I just met..." he mused. "It was right though," he continued.
The clock on his bed side table read 3:06am.
"I never want to leave, but I have to go," I said getting up. I slipped on the dress again and put my feet into my blue little slippers. I looked in his full length mirror, just before I left.
I looked the same, I kind of felt the same, but I knew something was different.
"I'll walk you home, and explain to your Dad where you were," Ryan said getting up and throwing on his jeans and a white baggy t-shirt. He stood behind me and rested his hands on my waist. He was a few inches taller than me.
"It's okay. You don't want the full inquisation from my Dad...I'll be fine!" I assured him and he pouted.
"When am I going to see you again?" he asked.
"When are you free?" I smiled.
"Well...next week we're doing a smallish tour and then we're back at the end of the month. I don't leave until next Friday though...so you have me for the whole week!" he laughed and I smiled.
"Here's my number...call me later today...okay?" I said walking towards the door.
"Definitely," he grinned. He leaned down and kissed me. That gentle kiss, that made me forget everything.
"Bye," I said going out the door. He leant on the frame and watched me walk down the corridor.
I floated on air back to the house. Everything outside seemed brighter, even in the pitch dark. It was only a short walk home. I knocked gently on the door, presuming that my Dad and the rest were passed out in the back. The door opened suddenly to a frantic looking Mike.
"Oh my God! Where have you been?" he said embracing me into a hug. I could barely breath.
Then before I could answer he dragged me into the kitchen.
"She's here!" he announced to the room. Adie was sat comforting Billie. My Dad looked whiter than he had ever been in his life. He stood up and grabbed me. He didn't say a thing.
"Don't ever fucking do that again!" he sighed.
Then he pushed me away.
"Where were you?" he asked suspiciously. Fuck! I hadn't thought up of an excuse yet.
"Ehhhh....I needed a walk to clear my head, then I ran into someone I knew from New York and we went to see this band at the Gilman. Then we went for coffee and lost track of time...I'm so sorry to have you worried!" I rushed. They all stared at me. I noticed that Joey wasn't there.
The excuse seemed to work because Dad hugged me again.
"I'm so glad you're okay!"
Billie stood up. He looked seriously hung-over.
"I told you she'd find her way home!" he laughed, patting Dad on the back. He and Adie left. So did Mike and Anastasia. Claudia hugged me and went upstairs. Then it was just me and Dad.
He looked at me across the table.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "You look...different."
I blushed.
"Yes Dad, I'm fine. I'm going to go to bed now. I'm wrecked and I have Adeline in a few hours!" I said getting up quickly. I went upstairs and flopped on my bed. The last time I was on that bed I was a virgin...
My phone beeped on my bedside locker. It was an unknown number.
I miss you already. -Ry it read. I smiled. Before I could answer it my eyelids were too heavy for me. I feel into a deep sleep, dreaming of an apple, a snake and a garden.
