A/N So before I forget, someone asked me if I've read Twilight. At the time you asked I hadn't, but now I have and I see how some things are similar. I've only read the first book in the series. No one is a vampire in my story, lol. Okay, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them. The songs used is Love Me Do by the Beatles. So if I don't post anything else, which I probably won't, Merry Chrismukkah! I'll try to have something up by New Years. Thanks.
Love Me Do
When Ryan drives me home about an hour after our kiss, my lips are still tingling, my stomach still has butterflies, and my heart is still thudding hard against my chest. When we had finished kissing, we'd both stepped back, breathless and grinning. I blushed a little, and Ryan's eyes sparkled, telling me that he had enjoyed it as much as I had. The Cohens had watched us curiously and I was sure that they knew that something important had just happened right before their eyes. We had sat down on the couch and talked to the Cohens for a while casually, and no one brought up the kiss. Then, I said that I should be getting home and Ryan had nodded eagerly, probably wanting a chance to talk to me alone. I know he was itching to know what the kiss meant for us, but I wasn't sure just yet to be honest.
So now we're at my house, parked out front, neither of us talking. Ryan is looking ahead, lost in thought, and I'm just sort of playing with my necklace around my neck. I smile slightly, feeling Ryan's name carved into it. Finally, Ryan looks at me and gives me a small smile. "So…" He says, probably wanting me to say something about the kiss.
"So…" I say, deciding to let him squirm a little bit.
"Anything you want to talk about?" He asks, and I know he's hinting towards the kiss.
"Nope, not really," I say with a slight smirk.
He sighs and says, "Okay, so, about the kiss…"
"Yes…" I say amusedly.
"What was that?" He asks, looking at me.
"A kiss…you know, I'm sure you've had a ton before," I say, still not getting serious just yet.
"Marissa, you know what I mean," He says, and I know that the conversation is going to be serious from this point on. "What did that kiss mean?" He looks into my eyes and I know that there's no lying to him now.
"I liked it," I say softly and his mouth lifts at the corners. "But, I can't promise it means anything between us," I continue and I sense the disappointment.
"But you're the one that kissed me remember? That has to mean something…" He says, his tone a little sad. "I mean…doesn't it?"
"It was a mistletoe Ryan," I start with a sigh. "It doesn't mean anything when it's under a mistletoe. I could've kissed Seth if we were under there." I look down because I can't stand to see how sad he looks right now, almost like someone just told him that his dog died.
"It's more than that and you know it," He says softly. When I look up at him after a while, I see that he's clutching to the steering wheel tightly to the point that his knuckles turn white. He's looking straight ahead at my house and I feel so bad. I'm not ready just yet, not when Steve still rapes me…but I know that I can't stay away from being with Ryan for long.
"Hey.." I say, putting my hand on his arm. He relaxes his grip on the steering wheel and looks over at me. I look into his eyes and say, "Look, I'm sorry that I can't say that we're now a couple, but I'm just not ready." He sighs and looks away from me, but I won't let him off that easily. I put my hand on the side of his face and turn it to look at me. "Look…you're my best friend believe it or not." He smiles slightly and I smile too and continue, "And I can't have my best friend mad at me now can I?"
Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.
Whoa, love me do.
He shakes his head after a while and says, "No, you can't. I'm not mad though…"
I smile and say, "I'm glad." Then I look down for a minute before saying, "And look, that kiss…it meant a lot to me." He smiles again and I say, "But there's one thing that I need to take care of before we can be together, and I don't know how long it might take." He looks at me curiously, but remains quiet. "But when I do take care of it…" I grin at him widely and say, "Our next kiss we share will be real."
He smiles and I feel happiness bubble inside of me. He must sense that I want to change the subject because he says, "So the Cohens really liked you."
"They did?" I ask with a smile, glad that we're no longer having a serious discussion.
He nods and says, "Yeah, they like you a lot, I can tell. Even Seth seemed to enjoy your company."
"That's good," I say, taking his hand.
He nods and says, "Yeah, except there's one problem."
I frown and look at him and ask, "What would that be?"
He sighs and shakes his head. "I still haven't met your family yet."
I raise my eyebrows and say, "So when you hung out with my mom waiting for me to get home didn't count?"
He shakes his head and I giggle slightly. "Nope, it has to be formal. The last time didn't count because she didn't know I was coming…"
"I didn't either," I reminded him, still giggling at the memory.
"Yeah, well, that's why it didn't count," He said with a smile. "Besides…I haven't met her boyfriend or whatever.."
"Believe me, you don't want to," I mumble to myself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," I reply quickly. The last thing I need is for him to suspect something. I look at him and see that he wants me to say something. "So you really want to meet them?"
He nods and says, "Yeah, more than anything."
"More than anything?" I ask with raised eyebrows.
"Well, not anything…there is one thing that I'd like more…" I see where this is heading by the mischievous look in his eyes and I stop him.
"Fine, I'll talk to my mom about it," I say. He smiles and I say, "But now I really should be going inside. I think I saw some movement behind the curtain and that means we're being watched. I don't want my mom to be gossiping about me in her Yogalates class." He smiles and looks at me for a long time without saying anything. "What?" I finally ask.
He shrugs and gives me an innocent smile and asks, "I was just wondering if there was any chance I could get a small, goodnight kiss."
I roll my eyes and say, "No." On the inside though, I swear I feel so giddy. On the outside though, I try not to be. I don't want him to get any wise ideas. "But…I will give you a kiss on the cheek." I lean in and kiss his cheek.
He smiles when I pull back and says, "Well, they say beggars can't be choosy, so I suppose I'll take what I can get."
Again, I rolled my eyes. "Bye Ryan," I say, opening my door and getting out.
"Bye…call me about the whole family thing," He said, his tone serious once again. "I really want to meet them you know. Well, formally meet them anyways." He gave me half smile as I walked to the front door. I don't think I've ever felt this happy.
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Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.
Whoa, love me do.
When I casually brought the idea up at breakfast the next morning, my mom was more than thrilled. She was really ecstatic about the whole thing. She told me to call and invite Ryan over for dinner that night. Steve, well, he didn't really like the idea much. In fact, he kind of scowled the whole time. Because of that, I grinned all through breakfast. There's nothing better than pissing off Steve you know.
Well, except for kissing Ryan, but that's different.
Anyways, so when I called Ryan, he was ecstatic too about the whole thing. He promised me that he'd be here on time and that he couldn't wait. I smiled the whole time as he talked about how important this was and that he wanted to make a good impression. It reminded me of how I was with the Cohens. When our conversation was finally over, I hung up the phone and thought about what would happen that night. Ryan would meet Steve…
Uh oh.
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Ryan arrived on time that night dressed in a nice button up shirt and jeans. It took everything in me not to kiss him, he looked that good. "Come in," I say with a smile and he follows me inside. He's fidgeting with his hands as we walk in and I take hold of one of them, lacing our fingers together as we walk to the kitchen where my mom and Steve are. His hands immediately still and he seems to relax beneath my touch. I smile, the butterflies working their magic. When we get to the kitchen, my mom smiles and comes towards us eagerly. "Mom, you know Ryan…Ryan, I'm sure you remember my mom."
"It's a pleasure to see you again Ms. Cooper," He says and she winks at me which does not go unnoticed by Ryan. I roll my eyes and Ryan smirks.
"The pleasure is all mine Ryan," She says, and they shake hands.
Steve comes up next and looks at me, his eyes challenging. "Why, aren't you going to introduce me?" He asks and I swear I wish I was a million miles away from him.
"Ryan…this is Steve, Steve, Ryan," I say, avoiding Steve's eyes.
Ryan looks at me and I avoid his gaze as well. He must sense something going on between Steve and me because I feel him tense up beside me. "Nice to meet you Ryan, I've heard so much about you," Steve says in that annoying way of his.
Ryan takes in a deep breath and releases it before saying, "Yeah."
I look up and see that Ryan's looking at me now and he gives me a questioning look. I shrug and he looks at Steve once again. My mom must sense the tension because she says, "So…I can't cook and didn't want to ruin the meal. I ordered some pizza, I hope that's okay."
Ryan gives her a small, forced smile and says, "Yeah, that's fine, thanks."
She nods and says, "Okay…well, I'll let you two be and I'll tell you when the pizza's here."
Ryan nods and I lead him outside, away from Steve and my mom and the tension. When we're there he asks, "What was that in there?"
"What was what?" I ask innocently.
He looks at me and sighs. "You know what I'm talking about Marissa, don't play dumb."
"No, I don't," I say, still feigning innocence to the whole matter.
"You and Steve okay?" He says softly. "What's going on there?"
"I just don't like him…you know, the whole step parent thing. It's like a rule that we're not supposed to get along," I say, looking away from him, avoiding his gaze.
"It seemed like more than that," He says, putting his hand on the side of my face so that I'm forced to look into his eyes. "Is everything okay?"
I nod and sigh. "Yeah…things are just a little tense between us. I don't get what my mom sees in him." I look into his eyes and give him a small smile. "You have nothing to worry about."
He looks at me for a couple of minutes without saying anything, as if he was evaluating me and deciding whether or not to believe me. "Okay," He says softly after a while with a nod. "I believe you. But know this…" He looks at me intently. "If anything ever happens…if you ever feel uncomfortable…you can always talk to me. I'll always be here, I'll always listen." He leans in closer to me and says, "I'll always protect you, I promise you."
I gulp at his nearness. As the wind blows gently, I can smell his cologne and it's intoxicating. I take a step back before anything can happen though and give him a smile. I'm touched by his words, I really am. No one's ever promised to protect me before. "Thanks," I say softly.
"No problem…It's what I'm here for," he says with a half smile.
"Oh really? I thought you were here for dinner," I say, trying to lighten the mood.
He senses that our conversation is over and says, "Yeah, well, that too."
I grin and say, "Let's go watch some TV or something…"
"Fine by me," He says, and we go inside, all thoughts of Steve forgotten for the moment.
Just for a moment though.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Someone to love,
Somebody new.
Someone to love,
Someone like you.
My mom called us for dinner about forty five minutes later and I figured this was the time when we would all get to know each other for good. I was a little nervous, and I could tell Ryan was too by the way he was kind of quiet. "My mom will lover you…in fact, I'm sure she already does," I tell him before we enter the kitchen.
He shrugs and says, "I'm not worried about your mom."
"You're still caught up with Steve?" I ask. When he nods I say, "I'll have a talk with him to stop being so creepy…though I think that's about impossible for him."
He smiles and I go to find Steve. When I see that he's getting our plates, I walk up to him. "What do you want?" He asks.
"I need to talk to you…in private," I say quietly.
He looks at me, his eyes raised and says, "So you've finally come around and enjoy my company?"
"In your dreams, it's about Ryan," I say, glaring at him for making such a comment.
"Oh, yes, the boy," he says, almost like he's talking about some kind of bug that should be killed. "What about him?"
"He suspects," I state simply.
"Suspects what?" He asks, his eyes sparkling evily.
"That there's more than the normal hate between us," I say. I glare at him and say, "Look, Ryan believes me, more than my mom does. That means that if I tell him that something's going on, he'll probably do one of two things. He'll call the cops…" I pause to smile at him. "Or he'll kill you."
His eyes widen and he says, "Look, I told you not to tell…"
"Yeah, and for a while there, I was stupid enough to follow your instructions. Not anymore though. If you make a move on me again, even look at me with a small hint of lust in your eyes…" I glance to the other room, the direction where Ryan is, and say, "I'll tell him everything."
He's quiet for a long time as he debates my statement. He clenches his jaw and finally says, "Fine."
"Fine what?" I ask.
"Fine…it's over…everything," He says.
"Good," I say, a wide smile on my face. "I knew you'd follow the rules."
Just as I started leaving though, he says, "But mark my words…lover boy over there is going to leave and there will be nowhere to run. I'll stick around until that day comes."
I shiver as I walk to Ryan at Steve's words. Ryan wouldn't leave, I knew it.
Would he?
Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.
Whoa, love me do.
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All throughout dinner, my mom and Ryan chat away. Well, my mom chats away and Ryan just sort of sits there, waiting for his turn to talk, which never happens. Like the time that my mom brought up sports. That was an interesting conversation.
My mom starts by saying, "So Ryan…you play a lot of sports right?"
"Yeah-" Ryan starts, but is cut off.
"I knew it! Marissa over here isn't really big on sports. I keep telling her to go to the games so that she can meet some cute boys, but she just never listens…" My mom looks at me in disgust and Ryan looks at me and smirks. "But now that she's met you, of course I want her going to the games to watch you win us those games!"
"Well-" Ryan tries to start again, but of course, is cut off.
"Yeah, she really should go to your games. What sports do you play? Wait, don't tell me…everything except for Water Polo right? I never really got that game, just a bunch of kids in Speedos. But really…some of those guys…woo...they look hot! Don't they Marissa?" She looks at me and winks, I turn red, and Ryan nearly chokes on his pizza.
Let's just end the conversation there.
There were more conversations, a little less embarrassing…well, except for when my mom started talking about all those embarrassing childhood stories. I'll just not mention those conversations though. When we were done eating, we watched some TV, my mom giving a commentary. Finally, at about nine, Ryan decides he needs to go home.
I walk him outside and we kind of linger at his car. "I'm going on a trip with a couple of the guys tomorrow. We'll be gone a couple of days," He says, looking at me.
"Oh," Is all I can really say.
"Yeah…but I'll call and everything," He promises and I smile.
"I suppose I can let you go then. You really do hang out with me enough, I'm surprised your other friends don't hate me for stealing all your attention," I say.
He shakes his head and says, "No, they understand."
I just nod and we're silent for a second. Then I say, "So…I'm sorry about my mom…"
He laughs and says, "I'm guessing you take after your dad?"
I laugh too and say, "That's what I'm told."
He nods and suddenly he becomes very serious. "Look…there's something I've been waiting for all night…" I look at him curiously and he looks down at his shoes. "Um…well…"
"Ryan, just say it," I say, taking one of his hands.
He looks down at it, and almost as if it's giving him support, he says, "So…I was wondering if you would maybe go out with me when I get back…"
I look at him, shocked by his request. "Like a date?"
"No...well…maybe…" he says softly. "I would really like it. We could just go to eat and then to the Bait Shop or something, it doesn't have to be a date if you don't want…"
I smile slightly and say, "Well…I guess we could…"
His head shoots up and his eyes widen. "Really?" He asks, a smile starting to appear on his face.
I nod and say, "It sounds like it could be kind of fun…"
His smile widens and he says, "Okay…I'll call you then and we'll set up a day…"
"Yeah, that sounds good," I say, my smile just as wide as his. "And who knows…maybe you'll get lucky and I'll let you kiss me goodnight…." I back up and walk away, winking at him. I swear, it looked like he could faint.
That whole night, I went to bed and dreamt of Ryan, of our date. The best part; Steve didn't come into my room that night.
Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.
Whoa, love me do.
Yeah, love me do.
Whoa, oh, love me do.