My parents let me sleep over at Ryan's for the next couple of nights. All I wanted to do was go back home, but there was a part of me that never wanted to go back to a place where Luke could get to me. Soon enough, though, it was Labor Day weekend: the last weekend of the summer. Ryan's family was heading up north, but Ryan asked if he could stay back to be with me. Every night in August, I went to bed with the fear that I might never wake up or that I might wake up somewhere with Luke. But after Ryan kissed me goodnight and wrapped his strong arms around me, I was comfortable and no longer afraid. Ryan often asked me if I wanted to know about what happened inside the house while I was hidden in the truck. I always had the same answer, and soon he stopped asking.
When school started, the memory tucked itself into the smallest corner of my mind and I almost completely forgot about it. School is school, always uneventful and boring. I didn't have any classes with Ryan, just lunch. I got the typical once-overs from random guys in the hallways and in my classes, but I no longer paid those guys any attention. I was still madly in love with Ryan, but I felt like I shouldn't show it as much at school. I had always hated PDA; the only things I didn't get annoyed at were hugs and hand-holding. Every once in a while, I'd give Ryan a quick kiss, but never would I dare to shove my tongue down his throat when other people were watching.
One night, when Ryan and I were sitting at his grandma's house watching TV, a sudden thunderstorm popped up out of the blue. I've always loved thunderstorms, and I looked out the window to watch. It started pouring outside, and I was watching the wind tilt the rain water so it seemed the rain was coming in horizontally. The thunder was louder up in his attic room, and every time there was lightning, I waited patiently for the thunder to shake the house. The sky was pitch black, and when the next lightning bolt appeared, the power went out. I was instantly afraid.
"Ryan?" I said into the dark, frightened.
"I'm right here, Care, hang on." I heard him walking towards me and I felt his hands hold mine. "You alright? He asked me. Then, more lightning. In the flash of light, I saw Ryan smiling his big, perfect, grin.
"Yeah, just don't let go." My voice quivered.
"I won't," Ryan said sweetly. "We have to find a flashlight. I think I have one up here." One of his hands let go of mine, and the other one held on tighter. Ryan walked along the wall in his old room, carefully pulling me with him. He dug around a bit when he found his nightstand, and said, "Let there be light," as he flicked it on.
I giggled for a second and then Ryan suggested we go downstairs in the living room. "Why can't we stay up here?" I asked.
"There are candles and a fireplace downstairs, which means light. Unless you would like to stay up here in the dark…" Ryan's voice faded. When I didn't answer him, he opened the door and started down the stairs.
I looked around the living room a bit, admiring the candlelight. Ryan was attempting to make a fire in the fireplace without much luck. "Let me do it, Ry," I told him as I walked towards him.
"I can do it," Ryan shot back without much confidence.
"Sure you can, but I'm faster."
Reluctantly, Ryan backed away and handed me the lighter. I crumpled up some newspapers and threw them under the grate, then added a small starter stick on top of the wood. I lit the stick and a few pieces of newspaper on fire and soon the fire moved on to the logs. Then I looked at Ryan and he stuck his tongue out at me.
I walked over to the couch and sat down. Ryan walked over to me and leaned over a bit. I tenderly rested my lips on his. He responded by pushing back. I reached up and put both hands on Ryan's face. I gently pulled him down onto my body and continued kissing him. I was so lost in his kisses that I didn't realize he had already taken my shirt and tank top off. I carefully removed Ryan's shirt, then his undershirt and he slid my jeans down to my ankles, where I was able to kick them off. I began kissing Ryan's neck as I loosened his belt and jeans. I was now on my back on the couch with Ryan still on top of me. I could once again feel him growing through the thin fabric of his boxers. We hadn't done this in such a long time that I was craving the way he felt inside of me. Ryan unclipped my bra and carefully placed a hand on one of my breasts. His other hand wandered down and hooked onto my underwear. He pulled them off as fast as he could, and I could tell he was getting impatient. Ryan leaned down to kiss me, reaching into his pocket for a condom. I ripped his boxers off of him and again was amazed by every perfectly shaped muscle, all the way down his body. He slipped the condom on and kissed me harder than before. I felt Ryan's finger on my clitoris, and moaned with pleasure. He took his finger away and entered me. I let him please me for a while, then we rolled over and I pleased him. After we had finished, I fell asleep in the safety of Ryan's arms.