-"I just want to thank you for being my reason and to look forward to the next day."

"So are you going tell me where we are going?" I question as I turn around to look at Ryder.

"Yeah, we're going to your house." Ryder answers with a smirk.

"My house?" I ask confused.

"So you can get changed." Ryder replies and I realize what he did.

"That's not what I meant." I whine.

"You clearly asked 'so are you going to tell me where we are going'—so I answered your question." Ryder states with snugged look and I roll my eyes but smile.

"I meant where are we going for our date." I correct myself.

"Now that I can't tell you." Ryder responds. "It's a surprise."

"But you know I hate surprises." I whine and all he does is chuckle.

"Well you'll have to get used to them because I'll be giving you a bunch of surprises now that your my girlfriend." Ryder replies as he kisses my hand.

I raise and eyebrow and ask, "Are you going to spoil me?"

"Maybe." Ryder answers and I can't help but smile. What did I do to deserve this boy?

I lean forward to turn on the radio and the melody of What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction starts playing. Ryder turns to look at me with a grin before he starts singing along with the lyrics causing my heart to melt.

You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads when you walk through the door

I laugh as he starts doing a little dance to go along.

Don't need make-up, to cover up
Being the way that you are is enough
Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you
Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed

He turns to look at me as he sings the lyrics and I can't help but smile widely at him.

But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know, oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know, oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh
That's what makes you beautiful
So come on, you got it wrong
To prove I'm right, I put it in a song
I don't know why, you're being shy

God I love this boy!

***

I walk down the stairs dressed in a pair of navy blue jeans, beige lace fabric shirt, and beige flats. Ryder said to put on something casual and so I chose to stick with something cute but simple.

"You look beautiful." He states with a genuine smile which caused butterflies to form in my stomach.

"Thank you," I reply as I pretend to fix his collar. "You don't look so bad yourself."

He pecks my lips before intertwining our hands and leading us out the door and into his car.

"Sooo," I start trying to see if he'll tell me where we were going.

"Sooo," he replies with a smirk.

"Can you tell me now please?" I ask.

"Tell you what?" He questions as he joins me in the car and starts the engine.

"Where we are going." I answer.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk not going tell you." Ryder replies with a smirk.

"Fine." I sigh in defeat as I lean back in my seat and childishly cross my arms over my chest. "I'll just ask Catherine."

I take out my phone and Ryder shakes his head while smiling as I type away on my screen. I knew Catherine wouldn't tell but hey it was worth a try

Me: Catherine, do you happen to know where Ryder is taking me?

Catherine: Yeah, but I can't tell you...sorry 😐🤐

See, told you.

Me: Fine but I'll get you back for this. Whenever you want to know something that I know I won't tell you.

Catherine: Yeah, yeah. Just have fun and tell me all the details when you guys get back :)

I smile down at my phone before I hit the keyboard and start typing.

Me: Thanks 🙂❤ Bye

"Did she tell you?" Ryder asks as I put my phone away.

"Nope." I answer whole shaking my head miserably.

"Don't worry we're almost there." Ryder replies causing me to grin like a little kid who just given ice cream.

"Really?" I question excitedly.

"Yeah," Ryder answers. "In fact we've arrived."

I instantly look out the window once he finishes his sentence and amazed at what's in front of us.

"The town fair!" I tell excitedly as we step out of the car.

Ryder nods as he intertwines our hands and smiles down at me before replying, "It's the very first fair of the season so I decided to take my girlfriend."

I stand on my tippy toes and peck his lips still grinning.

"You're the best boyfriend ever." I reply with genuine smile splattered on my face.

"Anything for my wonderful girlfriend." He responds as he places his hand on my lower back and leads us towards the loud and lighten fair grounds.

"Did you l-like your surprise? I hope it wasn't anything too cheap or bor-"

I peck his lips and answer, "It's perfect."

Ryder smiles down at me and I smile back before leading him to the Basket Toss game booth.

"You suck at this." I tease as Ryder misses the basket for the millionth time. "Didn't you used to play basketball?"

"Correction I played football, basketball was only a hobby. Plus you're beautiful face is distracting me." He defends causing me to laugh.

"Uha sure, you just don't want to admit that you suck." I reply with a playful smile.

Ryder smirks before handing me the ball, "Fine if you're so good at this why don't you try?"

"I never said I was good." I protect but Ryder had already placed me in front of him and the person in charge was waiting for me to through. "You know what fine, I'll try it—but if I win you owe me a-"

I tap my chin thinking of what I should get in return. I see a dancing floor and smile, "A dance."

"Fine with me." Ryder responds with a smile as he crosses his arms over just chest and waits for me to throw the mini basketballs.

I turn around with a smirk and place my hand in throwing position. I flick my wrist and miss the first basket.

"Two more balls to go." Ryder states and I roll my eyes at his smirk.

I throw the second ball and score. I turn to face Ryder with a smudge look.

"You were saying?" I question with a triumphant smile.

"Guess I owe your majesty a dance." He replied as he grabs the remaining ball and throws it into the basket without looking and makes it in. My mouth falls and he smirks. I finally realize what his plan was this whole time.

"A-whole." I state with a smile.

"I might be an asswhole but you still love me." He answers and I roll my eyes, my smile never leaving my face.

"That I do." I reply before he intertwines our hands and hands me the teddy WE won.

We reach the dance floor and coincidentally, Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur.

"My lady, may I have this dance?" Ryder asks courteously.

I smile and answer, "Yes, you may."

Ryder placed his hand on my waist and intertwines his right one with my left one. I place my free hand on his shoulder and smile up at my boyfriend.

I met you in the dark, you lit me up
You made me feel as though I was enough
We danced the night away, we drank too much
I held your hair back when
You were throwing up
Then you smiled over your shoulder
For a minute, I was stone-cold sober
I pulled you closer to my chest
And you asked me to stay over
I said, I already told ya
I think that you should get some rest
I knew I loved you then
But you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go
I know I needed you
But I never showed
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go

I smile at Ryder and stare into his dark brown eyes before asking, "You I get used to you serenading me as well?"

"Maybe." Ryder answers with a grin which caused my heart to do flips.

"I love you." I state before pecking his lips.

"I love you, too." He answers and we continue swaying to the music.

***

This is a shout out to my ex
Heard he in love with some other chick
Yeah yeah, that hurt me, I'll admit
Forget that boy, I'm over it
I hope she gettin' better sex
Hope she ain't fakin' it like I did, babe
Took four long years to call it quits
Forget that boy, I'm over it
Guess I should say thank you
For the hate yous and the tattoos
Oh baby, I'm cool by the way
Ain't sure I loved you anyway
Go 'head, babe, I'mma live my life, my life, yeah
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man
You made my heart break and that made me who I am
Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now
Well, I, I'm all the way up
I swear you'll never bring me down
Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man
You made my heart break and that made me who I am

"Did you know they were going to play tonight?" I ask Ryder as I stared back at the four girls on stage, Little Mix.

"Yeah." Ryder answers giving me a cheeky smile.

"Did I tell you you're the best boyfriend ever?" I ask as I wrap my arms around his waist and he holds me close.

He kisses the top of my head be answering, "Only like a million times but it's refreshing."

"Well you're the best boyfriend ever." I state as I peck his lips causing him to smile.

"Also, they've agreed to have a meet &a greet back stage." Ryder states nonchalantly causing my jaw to drop.

I hug Ryder and kiss him as a sign of gratitude which causes him to smile. Can you say BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

When the show is over Ryder and I as well as a few other people head backstage. We show them our cards and the security guards let us in.

"Ryder!" Someone called out and I find Leigh walking towards us. I feel my palms start to sweat and my nerves raise.

"Hey Leigh, how have you been?" Ryder asks as they hug.

"Good." She answers before turning her attention to me. "And you must be Ashley, Ryder's girlfriend. You were right Ryder she is gorgeous."

Leigh hugs me and I felt like this was all just a dream which I would have to wake up from. It was just too good to be true.

"Ashley, as you know this Leigh. Her mom and my mom were friends in college." Ryder states and all I do is smile.

"I-It's nice to meet you L-Leigh." I choke out and Leigh smiles at me friendly.

"Nice to meet you too Ash." She replies with a genuine smile.

My nerves slowly started to ease and my shyness faded away.

"Come, I want you to meet the girls." She states as she leads us to the rest of the Little Mix members.

"You knew Leigh and you didn't tell me?!" I whisper shout in disbelief.

Ryder smiles down at me and stares, "Sorry, didn't think it was important."

I lightly punch his shoulder and he let out a chuckle.

"Guys meet Perrie, Jade, and Jesy." Leigh introduced and I shyly said 'hi'.

"Petrie, Jade, and Jesy meet Ashley Ryder's girlfriend." She states.

"Hey Ashley, is nice to finally meet you." Perrie states and I give her a smile.

"Come sit with us, we need to catch up on a lot, like the act that you have a girlfriend and you didn't tell me." Jesy adds causing us to laugh.

"Sorry." Ryder states as he leads us to a seat.

"Don't worry now tell us how did you meet?" Asked Jade as she handed us some Cokes.

If I was dreaming then this was the best dream ever!

"Well..." Ryder started as drank my Coke.

***

"This was honestly the best date ever." I state as Ryder and I head back towards his car.

"Oh, it isn't over yet princess." Ryder replies as he opens the door for me.

"What do you mean? There's more?!" I question in disbelief. Ryder had already done enough and I honestly couldn't ask for more.

"Yup." Ryder answers popping the 'P'.

"You really are gonna spoil me aren't you?" I state as he enters the car.

"Yes." He replies with a smile which causes me to smile. "I love you so much Ashley, and I would give you the moon and stars if I could."

My heart melts as his words and I peck his lips before answering, "And I love you Ryder James Benson."

"You know my full name?" He asks am I nod with a mischievous smile.

"Catherine may or may not have told me." I reply and he lets out a chuckle.

"Well I love you Ashley Jessel Carter." He replies and I can't but smile because he knows my middle name. "I am so lucky to be able to call you mine."

I feel my cheeks heat up and my heart melt at his words.

"So, I am guess you're not going to tell me where it is that we are going now?" I question as Ryder drives away from the fair.

"Actually, we're going to my mom's old apartment which she gave to me so it's technically mine now." Ryder answers catching me by surprise.

I can't believe he told me where we were going and that he has his own apartment!

"And what are we going to do at your apartment." I ask, the question sounding dirty which I did not intend.

"Well we haven't properly ate so I prepared us some dinner that I cooked with my own hands and maybe watch a movie afterwords if your up for it?" Ryder answers.

"Certainly." I reply as I intertwine our hands and smile.

"Oh and I forgot to ask, did you enjoy the fair?" Ryder asks.

"Yeah it was fun especially when I got to meet Little Mix and spend time with them. They're really nice and funny." I state. "How long did you know Leigh for?"

"Since we were two I think. We used to be very close friends but she then became famous and we didn't have a lot of time to hang out as often as we used to when we were kids but we still talk." Ryder answers.

"So your one of those people that can say oh I knew who she was before she became her or I knew her when I was little, we were friends." I state and Ryder nods with a smile. "Well thanks for bringing me and introducing me to them, it really means a lot."

"I do want everyone to know that I have the most amazing girlfriend in the world." He replies and I smile up at him.

***

Ryder took out a set of keys from his jean pocket and unlocked the dork before letting us in. My mouth fell as I stared at the apartment in awe. It was definitely decorated by a female and it look like someone actually lives here 24/7.

"Do you like?" Ryder asks as he shuts the door behind us.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." I state as I stare at everything. "You sure no one has been here for the past five years?"

"Yeah, I am sure. My mom would come once a month just to pay the rent but this place has stayed like this for about five years." Ryder answers. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Water please." I state and Ryder takes out a water bottle from the mini fridge.

"Come let's start eating before dinner gets cold." Ryder states and I nod before heading towards what looked like the dinning room.

"Where are you going?" Ryder questioned from a his spot next to a glass sliding door.

"Going to eat dinner." I answer in a duh tone as I point towards the dinning room.

Ryder let's out a chuckle and I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. What was he laughing about?

"What?" I ask raising an eyebrow.

"We're having dinner outside." Ryder explains as he gestured towards the balcony I hadn't noticed before.

I walked over to him as he slid the glass door which led to the balcony. There was two glasses of wine of the couch cushions on the floor and a tray of food on a table next to it. Two candles and light bulbs light the dark atmosphere and I looked at Ryder who was behind me.

"You surely are something mister Benson." I state with a smile as I walk over to the cushions and sit down followed by Ryder.

"What can I say, I'll do anything to see that smile on your gorgeous face." Ryder answers and I smile lovingly at him as my cheeks heat up.

"So what did the chef prepare for us today?" I ask playfully before Ryder opens of the trays. "Lasagna!"

Ryder chuckles at my reactions and smiled at him.

"Thank you." I state as I kiss his cheek and he caresses mine staring at me lovingly.

"No thank you for letting me love you and for saying yes to being my girlfriend." Ryder answered.

Oh god, how I loved this boy!

"I am guessing you're hungry so let's start eating." Ryder states as serves me some lasagna and I thank him.

I look up and find that the sky is clear and small stars fill up the sky. The dark night is lit by the street lamps and passing cars making this moment even more magical. Everything was perfect and honestly today was the best day ever.

***

"Look at the one." Ryder stated as he pointed to a star in the sky.

We had finished our dinner and we're currently pointing out stars and enjoying each other's company.

"Look a shooting star!" I state as a shooting star runs over us. "Make a wish."

"I wish that you and I can be together for ever and never part." Ryder answers as he stared down at me lovingly.

"You know that if you say your wish out loud it won't come true but hey there's always a first time." I state as I lean into his chest.

"Ashley, you've made me happy and I can't express to you how much I love you but I do and a lot. I want us for someday get married and start a family together. Whenever I wonder what the future holds I picture you carrying our child." Ryder states causing my heart to melt at his words. "This isn't a engagement ring but more of a promise ring, a promise that one day we'll get engaged and married."

Ryder pulls out a big squat box and I can't explain the feelings and thoughts occurring in my mind. Ryder opened the box to reveal a blue ring pop which causes me to giggle.

"Blue raspberry my favorite." I state as I take the ring from the box and pop into my mouth.

Ryder let's out a chuckle, "I'm sorry Daniel must have put that in there as a joke. Here's the right box."

Ryder takes out a second box and opens it to reveal a gorgeous rose gold ring forming a heart with diamonds on each side.

"Ashley, will you marry me someday in the future?" Ryder asks.

I smile at him a couple of years escaping as I nod before replying, "Yes!"

Ryder grinned at me before sliding the finger into my ring finger. I smiled at him before smashing our lips together into a sweet kiss. The kiss became a little more intense and Ryder laid me down on the cushion bed. We both pulled away panted, both of us wanting more from each other.

"Ash, are you sure?" He asks and I nod.

"Yes." I reply with certainty. "Make love to me Ryder."

Ryder smiles down at me, his love radiating onto me and I smiled back before Ryder connected our lips once more.

⚠️ Warning!!!⚠️- Mature content ahead so if you're not comfortable with smut scenes do not read!!!!

(A/N: I am not good with smut scenes but I have it a try)

Ryder picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him as he led us into the apartment. He walked up some stairs his lips never leaving mine but the desire and lust increasing. He pushed open a door before laying me down on the bed. He eyes looked into mine asking for permission once more and I nod. He lifts my shirt and takes it off leaving me in my beige lace bra. I felt my cheeks redden as Ryder stared down at me.

"You're beautiful." He states helping me gain confidence.

I grab the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head letting it fall onto the floor. Ryder smashed our lips together before taking my jeans off leaving me only in my undergarments. I nervously unzipped his jeans and slipped them off before letting them join the rest of our clothes on the floor. I grabbed the back of his neck and brought his lips down on my lines once more. His lips moved from my lips to my neck to my jaw and down to my breasts. I sat up so he could easily take my bra off and his eyes turned a shade darker as he stared at my now naked breasts. Without warning he smashed his lips onto my breasts making me moan in pleasure.

"Ryder." I moaned as I ran my hand through his dark brown locks. The way I said his name seemed to turn him on and he moved down to my panties.

He swiftly took them with his teeth and then his kisses traveled back up to my lips. I slid of his boxers using my feet, leaving us both naked. Ryder grabbed something from his jeans and I then realized it was a condom.

"Did you know this was gonna happen?" I question.

He smiled down at me and answered, "No, I just carry one around in case it ever happened."

He kissed me once more and I felt his little member at my entrance.

"Ryder I am a v-"

"I promise to be gentle, this is my first time too." He confesses and I stare at him shock.

"But all those girls you dated-"

"I never alerted with any of them. We just held hands and kissed nothing more. I know it sounds weird but I was saving it for someone special and it's you." He stated and that just makes the moment more special.

"I love you." I state as I connect our lips.

"I love you, too." He replied with a smile. "It will hurt a bit and if you want me to stop tell me."

Ryder kissed me slowly as he entered me slowly and I winced as I felt a sharp pain down there.

"Is it alright?" He questions concern in his eyes and I nod.

After the pain went away it was replaced by intense pleasure. The rest of the night Ryder made love to me and made me feel special. Taking care of me and being as gentle as possible. It was the best night of my life and I was glad I shared it with Ryder. I truly loved this man and I could see a future with him.

•~•~•
Hello my lovelies!!! So sorry for being a really bad author and not updating like I promised I would. I've been so busy with life and school (even though it's spring break) and well family issues but I promise to get my act together and update a little more frequently.

I really, really, really hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing and tell me what you think of the chapter. I was literally listening to Little Mix while writing this and ten decided to add them into the chapter because why not? Did you guys like it?

We've made it to chapter thirty and 9k views!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 I want to thank all of you my lovely and loyal readers. Especially those of you who have been there since this book came out. Thank you everyone, I truly appreciate it 😭🎉😊♥️

Please vote/comment/share! It really makes my day.

Thank you so much for reading, see you later alligators xoxo 💋

(Ashley's Outfit)

(Balcony)

(Ryder's Apartment)

(Ashley's Promise Ring)