Love Me Tender, chapter 14
"Mmmm..."
Ryan mumbled and turned slightly in his sleep. He pulled the blankets with him, and when he felt it tug, he opened his eyes a crack. I looked into his brown eyes, like sea grass, so weathered and worn, from all they've seen of adolescents torn.
Ryan smiled slightly, closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed me sweetly.
That's how Ryan says good morning.
He slowly unwrapped himself from the tangle of sheets (the boy moves in his sleep) and lowered his feet to the ground. He scratched his head and pulled his bangs in front of his face. His white wifebeater clung to his thin frame as he stood up.
He walked to the bathroom to start getting ready.
And I sat in bed.
Alone.
Everything that had happened stayed in my mind.
Jon getting shot.
Nikki holding Brendon.
Ryan telling me he loves me.
He loves me.
WOOOOOOO!
I can't believe it. Somebody loves me. And it's not just anybody.
It's Ryan.
"Ashley?"
Ryan walked out of the bathroom wearing a tight black "The Hush Sound" t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans. His hair was slightly spiky and black eyeliner had been smugded onto his eyes. He walked over to the bed and sat down. I sat up and crossed my legs. Ryan hung his head onto my shoulder and breathed. A long sigh escaped his lips, and he looked at me with a mixture of love and curiousity.
"Ashley. I know I haven't...I haven't known you very long but...I love you. And I...I want to know everything about you. The good, the bad. Everything. To have and to...to hold through sickness and through health. So tell me... Tell me...everything. Please."
Ryan ran his hands through his hair and wiped a tear from his eye. He sniffed slightly, and squinted at the mint green comforter on the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.
"Tell me."
I shuddered.
My throat closed.
My eyes teared up and shut tight.
My fists tightened.
And Ryan kissed me.
And everything relaxed.
I opened my eyes.
I want to wake up to that face every morning.
Ryan rubbed my shoulders to relax me.
Should I tell him? Tell him my past?
The weight of Ryan's head on my shoulder kept my thoughts from getting the best of me. I kept thinking. Should I tell him? What if I tell him and he doesn't love me anymore? What if it hurts him?
Once upon a time I was falling in love
Now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can say
Total eclipse of the heart
Should I tell him?
Sigh.
"Ryan?"
"Mmm?"
Ryan's eyes widened and he looked into my eyes.
Sigh.
Turn around
Bright eyes
"When I was 13, I went on vacation to the Carribean with my parents. They got into a...an accident. I became an orphan. So I...I was sent back to New York City. I grew up in the Bronx. None of my cousins could afford to have me stay with them. So, I was sent to the Bronx City Orphanage. I stayed there about a year. Then a man came. He was interested in me. He read my profile, saw my pictures, and interviewed Mrs. Darmly. She was the one that took care of us, or at least, she was the caretaker. I was there for exactly one year. Two weeks after my birthday, the man returned. That night, he took me away. And that night, my entire life changed."
I started to sob, and so did Ryan. He grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes, urging me to continue. After a few deep breaths, I continued.
"The man owned a whorehouse. When I first arrived, the man introduced himself as 'Master.' Then he showed me my room, which consisted of a metal frame bed, a large mirror, a closet full of lingerie, and a box full of makeup. He called another girl in, Marie, and told her to show me 'how we run things here.' In two weeks, I was in the shows. But before I could, he told me to get undressed so I was only wearing a string bikini. Then he took a black marker, and circled everything I needed to work on. And then he made me work out for two weeks. Finally, he said my body was 'okay.' I did shows on every night of the week. Once I had made enough money from tips, I would sneak out of the house and get something to eat. On one of those nights out, I met Nikki. She was at the McDonalds where I was and we started talking. We're still friends to this day. Anyway, I had been at the whorehouse for about one year, when Master brought his nephew to the house. It turns out that his nephew was the guy dating Nikki. Because of this, Nikki was allowed to stay with me sometimes. Three days before your concert, I ran away. That night was supposed to be a full night, so I knew in all the commotion, it would be harder to find me. So I ran. I went to Nikki's house, but Master never found me. Until the night he called me...And the day he...the day he shot Jon."
My last word escaped me with a pained breath. I was still sobbing, and Ryan pulled me onto his lap. I curled into a ball and clung to him. His tears pitterpattered onto my hair.
And we cried together.
We cried so hard that we fell asleep, hugging each other. But right before I fell asleep, I heard a whisper in my ear from Ryan.
"Thank you."
Ryan mumbled and turned slightly in his sleep. He pulled the blankets with him, and when he felt it tug, he opened his eyes a crack. I looked into his brown eyes, like sea grass, so weathered and worn, from all they've seen of adolescents torn.
Ryan smiled slightly, closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed me sweetly.
That's how Ryan says good morning.
He slowly unwrapped himself from the tangle of sheets (the boy moves in his sleep) and lowered his feet to the ground. He scratched his head and pulled his bangs in front of his face. His white wifebeater clung to his thin frame as he stood up.
He walked to the bathroom to start getting ready.
And I sat in bed.
Alone.
Everything that had happened stayed in my mind.
Jon getting shot.
Nikki holding Brendon.
Ryan telling me he loves me.
He loves me.
WOOOOOOO!
I can't believe it. Somebody loves me. And it's not just anybody.
It's Ryan.
"Ashley?"
Ryan walked out of the bathroom wearing a tight black "The Hush Sound" t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans. His hair was slightly spiky and black eyeliner had been smugded onto his eyes. He walked over to the bed and sat down. I sat up and crossed my legs. Ryan hung his head onto my shoulder and breathed. A long sigh escaped his lips, and he looked at me with a mixture of love and curiousity.
"Ashley. I know I haven't...I haven't known you very long but...I love you. And I...I want to know everything about you. The good, the bad. Everything. To have and to...to hold through sickness and through health. So tell me... Tell me...everything. Please."
Ryan ran his hands through his hair and wiped a tear from his eye. He sniffed slightly, and squinted at the mint green comforter on the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.
"Tell me."
I shuddered.
My throat closed.
My eyes teared up and shut tight.
My fists tightened.
And Ryan kissed me.
And everything relaxed.
I opened my eyes.
I want to wake up to that face every morning.
Ryan rubbed my shoulders to relax me.
Should I tell him? Tell him my past?
The weight of Ryan's head on my shoulder kept my thoughts from getting the best of me. I kept thinking. Should I tell him? What if I tell him and he doesn't love me anymore? What if it hurts him?
Once upon a time I was falling in love
Now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can say
Total eclipse of the heart
Should I tell him?
Sigh.
"Ryan?"
"Mmm?"
Ryan's eyes widened and he looked into my eyes.
Sigh.
Turn around
Bright eyes
"When I was 13, I went on vacation to the Carribean with my parents. They got into a...an accident. I became an orphan. So I...I was sent back to New York City. I grew up in the Bronx. None of my cousins could afford to have me stay with them. So, I was sent to the Bronx City Orphanage. I stayed there about a year. Then a man came. He was interested in me. He read my profile, saw my pictures, and interviewed Mrs. Darmly. She was the one that took care of us, or at least, she was the caretaker. I was there for exactly one year. Two weeks after my birthday, the man returned. That night, he took me away. And that night, my entire life changed."
I started to sob, and so did Ryan. He grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes, urging me to continue. After a few deep breaths, I continued.
"The man owned a whorehouse. When I first arrived, the man introduced himself as 'Master.' Then he showed me my room, which consisted of a metal frame bed, a large mirror, a closet full of lingerie, and a box full of makeup. He called another girl in, Marie, and told her to show me 'how we run things here.' In two weeks, I was in the shows. But before I could, he told me to get undressed so I was only wearing a string bikini. Then he took a black marker, and circled everything I needed to work on. And then he made me work out for two weeks. Finally, he said my body was 'okay.' I did shows on every night of the week. Once I had made enough money from tips, I would sneak out of the house and get something to eat. On one of those nights out, I met Nikki. She was at the McDonalds where I was and we started talking. We're still friends to this day. Anyway, I had been at the whorehouse for about one year, when Master brought his nephew to the house. It turns out that his nephew was the guy dating Nikki. Because of this, Nikki was allowed to stay with me sometimes. Three days before your concert, I ran away. That night was supposed to be a full night, so I knew in all the commotion, it would be harder to find me. So I ran. I went to Nikki's house, but Master never found me. Until the night he called me...And the day he...the day he shot Jon."
My last word escaped me with a pained breath. I was still sobbing, and Ryan pulled me onto his lap. I curled into a ball and clung to him. His tears pitterpattered onto my hair.
And we cried together.
We cried so hard that we fell asleep, hugging each other. But right before I fell asleep, I heard a whisper in my ear from Ryan.
"Thank you."
