As I looked at Ryder, I could see the sincerity in his eyes. From what I could gauge, he genuinely seemed to want to fix things, and despite my lingering anger towards him, I couldn't deny that I still cared deeply for him.I decided to change the subject, not wanting to talk about my parents anymore."So, what are you up to today?" I asked, trying to sound casual as I brushed the final remnants of my tears away with the back of my hand.Ryder seemed to relax a bit, grateful for the shift in conversation. "Nothing really. Figured I'd clear my calendar to spend the day begging for forgiveness," he replied, his tone lighter now.We chatted for a while, catching up on lighter topics, until Ryder's phone rang.He glanced at the screen. "It's Ash. Do you mind if I take it?""Sure," I replied.I could hear the muffled voice on the other end, sounding urgent. Ryder listened for a moment before replying, "I'm kinda busy right now."The voice continued, the tone rising slightly. "Can't it wait

Ryder’s friends exchanged confused glances at my introduction, but they greeted me in a friendly enough manner. One girl in particular, Juno, seemed especially interested in me. She greeted me with enthusiasm, her British accent adding a charming lilt to her words.“Oh, I absolutely love your hair!” Juno exclaimed, her eyes wide with admiration.She had a wild, edgy look with cropped black hair, beautiful blue eyes and pale skin. She reminded me of Jenna in spirit, if not in appearance.“Thank you!” I replied, smiling at her as I absentmindedly ran my fingers through my hair.Ryder returned to the table, handing Ash and me our drinks as he addressed the rest of the group. “Hey guys, I guess you’ve all met Kate then.”They all nodded and Juno chimed in, “Yeah, Ash took care of the introductions. Just curious to know why you never mentioned her before?” There was no malice in her words, only curiosity.Ryder grinned, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “Because

The drive home seemed to go much faster than the drive there as Ryder and I laughed and joked together, talking about the gig and his friends as the energy from the evening still buzzed in the air between us."So," I began, unable to contain my curiosity any longer, "are Juno and Ash like a thing?" I asked.Ryder chuckled. "No, Juno is more into girls. She likes boys too. Mostly girls though."I was a little surprised. That definitely wasn't the answer I was anticipating, but it didn't faze me. She was cool regardless.I hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had really been burning in my mind. "So, what's the deal with Bailey? She didn't seem to be too pleased to meet me."Ryder sighed. "Uh... Bailey and I were together briefly, but nothing really came of it. It was a while ago."I nodded, having suspected as much but I was glad to hear it directly from him. It didn't change anything really.As we neared his house, I messaged my aunt to let her know that I was staying

Morning came and for a moment, I hoped it had all been a bad dream. I was sorely disappointed when looked down and saw that I was still wearing the clothes I had worn the night before and felt that crusty, burning sensation of having slept with my makeup on. It was real. It had happened.I rolled over, pulling the covers over my head as I recalled the silent drive home with Tyler the night before. He'd been gentle and supportive, even though I had refused to tell him what was going on. He hadn't wanted to leave me, but I was pretty insistent, saying I just wanted to be alone.As I lay in my bed now, I listened to the birds chirping their happy little songs outside. I'd always found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that life went on for everyone else when you felt so depressed.I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep all day, but my bladder and grumbling stomach had other plans for me. I had to work myself up, giving myself a little pep talk to try and summon the energy neces

Ryder had left, but not before we made plans to hang out together the next day.Once he was gone, I grabbed my phone and messaged Tyler to let him know. He had been worried about me and I wanted to let him know that I was in a better frame of mind now.Me:Just wanted to let you know that Ryder came over and we talked and I think things are OK. I'm OK. Miss you ❤️Tyler:Glad to hear that. Let me know if you need anything, OK? Miss you too ❤️The rest of the week went by in a blur. Ryder and I spent every day hanging out together at his house again. It was like it had been before, but now that we both knew the boundaries, I think we both felt more comfortable. Neither of us pushed it, and in a way, it was a relief to have that understanding.Friday rolled around, and we were lounging in his recording studio. Ryder was sitting at his desk with his headphones on, working on a track, while I was curled up on the couch, reading a book. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable as we were