"You know the writer of 'Who Killed Midnight'?" Ryder asked."Yeah..." I would have to be diagnosed with amnesia if I didn't know him. "What about him?""He's writing a new book and I'm seeing when it will get published."My Ry, I've got writer's block every new paragraph. Halfway through the book, I realize I like the second lead more than the main one and now I have to think of a way to make their relationship possible. I think it will take a while for the book to get published. (ಥ﹏ಥ)"Why?""So I can buy the book, duh.""Why?""Because I love his books.""Why?"After the third "why" Ryder's patience ran out. "Can you stop asking why? Haven't you also read his books?"I have written them... don't know if it counts as reading, though...Jake smiled slightly and shrugged. "I have... but I don't like them. They're not that good."They take too long to get finished, I forget almost all my characters and sometimes I struggle to remember even the main characters' names. And the amount of
From the first time Jake saw Ryder back when he was still in school, he knew that little cute head of hers didn't quite function according to normal standards. He had come to understand this thoroughly the more time he spend with her. But whenever he thought he had figured out how that brain of hers worked, she would come up with shit like this, completely catching him off-guard.What the hell goes on in that head of hers? How do the clogs in her head spin? Clockwise? The other way around?How do you even come up with such conclusions woman!!!!Jake looked at Ryder and just didn't know how to deal with this girl anymore.I barely muttered two words. How can she even do that? Is that even doable? What is this? A Sherlock Holmes episode? I didn't sign up for this, okay?I don't have enough brain cells for this."I... I didn't say that." Jake fought the urge to rub the spot between his eyebrows.I can already feel more brain cells dying. *sigh*Ryder wasn't willing to let go of this. Aft
Ryder wanted to kill herself right then, unable to handle the fact that those words were said by her. Feeling as if she would be suffocated by embarrassment, she borrowed Jasmine's habits of being violent when in a difficult situation and shoved Jake hard. So hard he almost fell off the bed."You... you get out. Shoo. Leave right now." With every word, she shoved him once, pulled him twice, pushed him to the window. If someone watched this scene without knowing of the existence of the terrace behind the window, they would think Ryder for sure was trying to murder the poor innocent, and faultless Jake who had started very innocently to chuckle yet still blushing. His whole body felt warm as that sweet feeling only Ryder made him feel, filled his entire being. He felt like a stuffed animal. Stuffed with cotton and butterflies.His head had only one sentence roaming around, making him look as if he had a few loose screws when smiling.She said she was willing to kiss me. Hehe (^艸^)With
From the kitchen, Jake could hear Aiden and his father arguing. One wanted to watch his precious son's basketball game, the other was so opposed to it, that he had lost control of the volume of his voice. Jake didn't blame Aiden though. The last time Mathew went to one of his matches, he wouldn't stop wailing. There's nothing worse than sitting next to a grown-ass man crying his eyes out while trying to cheer at the same time. "No!" Aiden yelled trying to stop this whole nonsense and have the final saying in it. Mathew couldn't care less. "But I haven't seen you play for years." Mathew wouldn't change his mind no matter what. "Even Jeremy is coming." He added as if that would definitely convince Aiden to stop making a big deal out of it. Hearing this, Aiden had the sudden urge to end his existence and play ghost. Why are you saying that as if it would make things any better?!! "ABSOLUTELY, NO!" Having Mathew crying like a dying whale was bad enough, now his father was telling him
The game was being held in the gym. A lot of people had come, chatting and laughing, their voices filling the spacious place like buzzing bees. It had been quite a while since Jake had been in such a crowded place. The loud noise and the big crowd were a bit overwhelming. What's worse, he would get some strange looks from people. Most of them were teachers. Some of them even walked forward to talk to him. This only made him feel even more uncomfortable.Jake felt like he was once again back at the time when Aiden called him all sorts of names in front of the whole school and then fought with Jeremy.A sudden urge to leave almost made him turn around.Mathew noticed it first and the expression on his face turned gloomier the more teachers tried to approach them. He even started glaring at every single person who looked in Jake's direction.To distract Jake, Jeremy stuffed Leah in his arms. The little girl was so excited that she wouldn't stop talking, asking questions about everything.
"Did you find Ryder?" Jeremy suddenly asked.The topic changed too abruptly and it took Jake by surprise. For some reason, he started feeling shy.He slowly nodded before turning his head to look at his Ry once more. Who would have thought that the moment he turned his head, his and Ryder's eyes would meet?!It lasted for two or three short seconds before Ryder turned her head to look at Jasmine, but it was more than enough to make Jake feel like his heart was trying to leap out of his chest.Is this what a heart attack feels like?Fuck...Why does it taste so sweet though?Jeremy noticed Jake turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye and tsked.Tsk tsk tsk. Puppy love."Why are you even blushing?"Jake blushed even more. "We... we locked eyes..." His voice was low, almost whispering but Jeremy could still hear it.He facepalmed himself, leaving a red mark on his forehead. This dude is hopeless."Why are you acting like a fourteen-year-old?"Jake refused to answer that. Instead,
Jake had Leah in his arms, and even if he wanted to do something he was too far away to rush and stop Aiden from doing anything. Besides... if he went there and said anything, Ryder would immediately recognize him."You... can you go? Please?" He told Jeremy, but his eyes didn't leave Aiden.The latter on the other hand was decisively walking to his girlfriend, determined to at least get his smooch! To kiss her right there in front of everyone, in front of her friend to let her know that no matter how much she bullied him, he still had won in the end because Ryder was his girlfriend!"Congra-..." Ryder was smiling at Aiden, but when she saw that the look in his eyes wasn't quite right, the word stuck in her throat and something in her heart was telling her to flee. Her eyes widened as she saw Aiden approach her and grab her face between his hands, his lips closing the distance between them. At that moment only three words crossed her mind as she panicked to the point of almost faintin
A.N.: ⚠ trigger warning ⚠ This chapter contains some self-harm scenes that may make you feel uncomfortable. They're not that serious, but just to be on the safe side and avoid any casualties. "Jay." Leah sobbed in Jake's arms. Her tiny hand clutched tight on his jacket, pulling at it to get Jake's attention, but it was useless. The young man was frozen in place, not moving... not blinking... it even looked as if he wasn't breathing. Yet tears rolled down his face. This scared Leah. Somehow she could sense that something was wrong with Jake. What's worse is that she saw Aiden yelling, showing that scary angry face again and her father punching him... Tears welled up in her eyes. "Jay, I'm scared." Leah cried. Her sob finally managed to bring Jake back to reality. He wiped his wet cheeks and barely managed to give Leah a sad smile. "Don't be scared. Everything is fine." He planted a kiss on Leah's forehead and walked towards the exit of the gym. Behind him, Mathew was more confused t
Jake, who was with one foot in dreamland, snapped his eyes open, fully awake now.Didn't we drop this topic?Why did it come back to haunt me?"It's really nothing. Now sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow."But Ryder wouldn't let it go this time. "But he looked like he wanted to tell me something.""You know my dad. He always talks nonsense.""But you threatened him and then you blushed when I asked you about it, so it's not nothing or nonsense as you claim it to be. Even now, you're rubbing your fingertips. You do that every time you're nervous or thinking about something. So what is it?"Jake groaned. "Why do you always pull this Sherlock Holmes thing on me every time I don't want to tell you something?"Ryder smiled and turned around to face him. The dim moonlight entered the room, and she could vaguely see Jake's face in the darkness. This made her feel like she was back to four years ago when she was close to him but couldn't see his face. No matter how much she tried to reach
4 years laterJake had no idea where his father took it, but Mathew was going through a baby fever lately and wouldn't stop nagging Jake about it. He would suddenly drop by Jake's apartment and follow him around asking for babies. He would suddenly pop out of nowhere when Jake was book shopping, and shove books about how to conceive a baby in his hand. One moment Jake was looking at a cover with dragons on it, and the next one the titles "It starts with the Egg", "The Fertility Diet", "The Trying Game", "Making Babies" and more, almost blinded him.Mathew wouldn't be stopped at anything.He was dead set on it. He needed grandchildren at any cost."I want grandkids, Jake!""Dad, I'm not even married.""Make me a grandfather, Jake!""Go ask Aiden.""But he's still in college. He has to study.""Ryder has to study too!""But she graduated this year."Jake took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking at his father again. Mathew looked like a child begging to go to Disneyland, bu
2 years agoEver since Ryder changed schools, she came to find out that being alone isn't actually that bad. She could read all she wanted with nobody interrupting her, and she could concentrate more in class. She also came to find out that she didn't actually mind it. Being alone... Ryder slowly started to like it, even though sometimes it was too lonesome.Yet a certain someone who suddenly got an interest in her wouldn't let her be alone no matter what. Apparently, this crazy punk named Jasmine had set her mind on adopting her.Ryder just couldn't understand how the mind of this girl worked. Still, the more time she spent with her, the more Ryder got used to her... The more she got to like her. Even though it took quite a while for Ryder to trust Jasmine, the two of them became friends and would spend a lot of time together.Ryder still liked being alone, but she also found out that occasionally spending time with so
"Where are you now?""I'm behind the house. Are you coming down, or should I come up?""You come up. I'm not done packing yet."That word again... Packing...Jake frowned when he heard it.Several months after the two of them got together, after spring and summer came and went, and when September was finally here, his Ry would leave for college. She was majoring in mechatronic engineering and would leave tomorrow. The place was only a few hours away from here, but Ryder wanted to live on the campus because it was more convenient, but that meant that he couldn't see her as often as he used to.He breathed out a heavy sigh and jumped over the fence.A lot happened during these months. Ryder introduced him to her parents, and she also met his father. She eventually found out that Jake was a writer... that writer... The cold war with Aiden gradually died out... Even though things were still a bit awkward between Jake and him, it was better than they had been before. Aiden even apologized
Jake smiled and put the phone back in his pocket. He lifted his head right in time to see Ryder running to him with a wide smile on her face. The girl he has liked and loved for so long threw herself in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck tight. The happiness this simple thing brought was unexplainable."Did you miss me that much?" Jake chuckled when Ryder's cold nose was buried in his neck.Ryder nodded. "I have been a third wheel for half the day. I was miserable."She pulled back and saw Jake's smiling face. That smile made her unable to breathe. Her heart beat faster against her chest as if trying to leap out. That handsome face was his should never have a sad expression on. Should never be washed by tears. Her Jake was so handsome when smiling. Lethally handsome.Being stared at by those cognac eyes, Jake wanted to bow his head and kiss her, but just as he was about to do so, his plans were ruined by a roar coming from behind Ryder."RYDER QUIN! YOU EXPLAIN TO ME... now..
When Jake walked into the house, two grown-ass men jumped on him, hundreds of questions thrown at him in rapid fire. One grabbed his face looking for any wounds, looking at his eyes that had turned red from all the crying, and the other checked his wrists in fear that this time instead of scratching them to the point they bled, he had started cutting them."Do you know how scared I was?""Where did you go?""Why did you leave?""Are you okay?""Does it feel uncomfortable anywhere?""Does anything hurt?""Do you need to go to the hospital?"Jake barely had time to answer any of those questions and kept shaking his head to tell these two that he was fine, but the questions didn't come to an end.At least not until Mathew and Jeremy saw Jake smiling.The moment they noticed that he looked genuinely happy, they almost lost it, terror making their minds go blank.It's over. He has turned silly.Mathew started crying on the spot. "His brain died. Oh God, my poor precious son! It is all my f
In the morning, Jake was the first to wake up. His eyes opened halfway as he stared in confusion in front of him. He still felt tired both in body and soul, which was a pretty familiar state to him. However, this was the first time, despite the tiredness, he felt rather calm and warm. He was still trying to fully wake himself up to understand why things were different this time when something on his head moved.In a daze, he realized it was a hand stroking his hair. His heart fluttered, and Jake looked up to meet the owner of the hand only to see two cognac eyes looking at him sleepily."Morning," Ryder muttered. The hand that was resting on Jake's back lifted and reached out for her phone. It was four in the morning, and it was still dark outside, but the light in the room was left on.Jake was convinced he was dreaming. How else could he be in such a situation if it wasn't a dream? He was lying down in a bed with Ry, his Ry holding him tightly, stroking his hair. The first thing he
Truth be told Ryder was quite shocked when she heard Midnight's voice in Aiden's house. She was even more shocked when she saw that Midnight's voice came from Aiden's brother. EVEN MORE SHOCKING WAS THE FACT THAT SHE GOT TO SEE HER MIDNIGHT HALF NAKED!He looked so adorably hot, Ryder was lost for words.Her Midnight was so handsome >w
The voice was low and tender, but it broke the silence of the night and echoed in Jake's head, giving birth to a bone-shaking fear that overwhelmed his entire soul, almost making him fall apart. He finally noticed Ryder sitting on the swing seat, hugging her knees. He unconsciously tensed and took a step back, but his back hit the fence. Maybe it was because he didn't expect Ryder to be out here or maybe it was because of the thoughts and speculations that felt as if a hand was squeezing his heart, but his knees went soft, and Jake fell on the ground.His teeth bit deep in his lip, but tears welled up in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks involuntarily. For a moment it was as if they were back on the first night they met.One girl.One boy.One staring.One crying.Both frozen in time.Both looking at each other in disbelief.And just like back then, the crying young man broke the silence with the same two words."I'm sorry."Ryder felt her chest tighten. Her heart hurt with every he