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I take a seat next to Ryder, and he takes the drink and popcorn from my hands. “Hey, Ry,” I whisper. The theater is dark, and when he leans in and presses his lips to mine, I don’t shy away.
“Hi, sweets. What’s all this?” He nods at the large drink and popcorn I’m holding.
“Oh, there’s more.” I reach into my purse and pull out the bottle of water and the Junior Mints.
“Missed you,” he says, kissing me again.
Gianna leans over. “Hey, Ryder. Nice to see you.”
“You too, Gianna. Thanks for helping me see my girl.”
“Thanks for keeping my guy company.” Calvin leans forward and holds his fist out for Ryder, who also leans in so they can bump knuckles.
“Anytime, my man,” Ryder says, settling back in his seat. He lifts the armrest and pulls me close.
“Don’t you dare get us kicked out of here, Ryder.” I playfully swat at his chest.
“Never, baby. I just need you closer, that’s all.” He sets our drinks in the cupholders in front of us. I hold the popcorn with one hand, while eating with the other. Ryder takes a handful as well. We’re just a regular couple on a movie date with friends. It’s how we used to be before my mother ruined it all.
I push her out of my mind and focus on the here and now.
Stay present.
That’s what Ryder keeps telling me to do, and tonight, the present is all I’m worried about. He’s here, I’m in his arms, and there isn’t much more I can ask for at the moment.
When the final credits roll, I swallow back my tears. The night is over, and I’d give anything to be going home with him. I’m slow to stand, and so is he.
“Hey, how about we all head back to my place?” Calvin suggests. He nods at Ryder. “Leave your truck here, and I’ll bring you back.”
“Really?” I ask hopefully, unable to hide the crack in my voice.
Ryder pulls me into him and holds me close. “That would be great, man, thanks,” he says, holding his fist out for Calvin. They bump knuckles, and my eyes find Gianna’s. She’s smiling with tears in her eyes. She knows what this means to me, and her man just made it happen.
Ryder places a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll see you soon, sweets. Be safe.” The words are barely out of his mouth before he and Calvin leave the theater.
“Did that just happen?” I ask Gianna.
She nods. “You get to spend more time with Ryder.” Her smile is huge.
“Calvin.” I shake my head. “He’s a keeper.” My best friend tosses her head back in laughter.
“I really like him, Jordyn.”
“I really like him, too. Not just because he read the room and made it happen, but because of the way he is with you and the way you light up when you talk about him. Hell, as soon as you laid eyes on him, there was a twinkle there”—I point to her face—“that I’ve never seen before.”
She plops back down in her chair, and I do the same. We need to give the guys a head start, anyway. “He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.”
I nod. “I know exactly how you feel.”
“I get it, you know. The reason you left like you did. I was mad at you for the longest time. Ryder was… devastated. He kept stopping by and calling and I couldn’t understand how you could leave someone like that behind. Four months later and a call in the middle of the night to you crying and I still didn’t fully understand. When you told me your story, I could see how what your mom was doing was terrible, but I also saw how much he loved you.”
She pauses to collect her thoughts, and I don’t interrupt her. Whatever it is that’s on her mind, she needs to say it. Ryder isn’t the only one I left.
“I would do it too. For Calvin, I mean. If the roles were reversed, with the way I feel about him, I would have made the same choice.”
I can’t stop my tears. “I’m sorry, G. I’m so damn sorry.”
Reaching over, she tugs me into a hug. Luckily for us, the theater has cleared out, so no one is here to witness our emotional breakdown. “It’s all in the past,” she says, as she hugs me tightly. When she pulls back, we’re both wiping at our eyes.
“I’m glad you found it. Found him. A man who showers you with love so pure you feel like you’re a part of him.”
“Oh, we haven’t said I love you.”
“You love him, right?”
She nods slowly. “I do. It’s so soon. We’ve only been dating for a little while, a handful of months, but he’s—unlike anyone before him.”
“My best advice is to be open and honest. I ran from Ryder. I was scared out of my mind about what my mother might do to him and his family, and I took the coward's way out. I’ll live forever with the regrets of my choices. I let her manipulate me, and I could have lost him, G. I could have lost the man who loves me above all else. Two years.” I shake my head, emotion clogging my throat. “I was gone for two years, with very limited communication, and he was still willing to listen. He accepted my apology and welcomed me back into his life, and into his heart with open arms. I honestly don’t know how I’ll ever live without Ryder being a part of my life.”
