"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I recognized my ex-fiance. What the hell was he doing here? And why now? Why did he have to show up here, the night of the most perfect date that I've ever had?

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Considering how shocked I was, I was surprised my voice was so steady.

"You know why I'm here, Ally. Where is the ring? I know you didn't sell it."

I was never going to hear the end of that damn ring. But there was one other thing I really needed to know before I gave it over to him. "How the hell did you get in here? I had the locks changed after you left."

He gave me a cold smile. "That's the thing about money. It tends to get you what you want. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He looked to Ryder who has been standing silently by my side. "You know she's just a waitress, right? She can barely even take care of herself. She's just going to weigh you down."

I couldn't have been more shocked if Adam had slapped me across the face. When did he become this person? He never spoke like this. To me or anyone.

Ryder opened his mouth to say something, but I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He looked at me and I shook my head. Something told me that Ryder was going to defend me; and I loved that about him. But I needed to do this on my own.

"You want your fucking ring?" I stormed past Adam into my bedroom to get the ring from it's hiding place in my closet.

My fury continued to rise the more I thought about what he said. A small part of me wanted to break down and cry. Not because I loved Adam; but because it was hard to believe that he would treat me this way after we spent years of our lives together.

He was treating me as if I meant nothing to him. If that was the case, why did he even propose? Why did he even ask me out to begin with? Or move in with him? It wasn't like he didn't know who I was. I met him in my restaurant for fuck's sake. I was the one who served him.

That's when something dawned on me. There were multiple times he offered me a job at his work. He would do it subtly, like we were talking about the weather. He tried to control what I would eat and make suggestions all the time. He tried to change me. That's what it was. He tried to change me into the woman he wanted me to be. To him, I wasn't good enough. Not for him or his money. When he realized I wasn't going to change who I was, he broke it off.

I grabbed the ring and stormed back into the living room where Adam was waiting. I glanced to Ryder. He was standing in front of Adam with his arms crossed over his chest. Ryder's eyes met mine and I saw his silent question of concern. He wanted to make sure I was okay.

I walked straight up to Ryder, kissed him om the cheek, then put my lips to his ear and whispered, "I got this." As I turned back around to face Adam, I felt Ryder's arms circle around my waist. 

"Here's your ring, Adam," I chided as I held it out to him. "If that's all you came for, then you and your attitude can leave. This is my apartment that you're trespassing in." 

He snatched the ring from me and sucked his teeth. "Please. I'm the reason you have this apartment. My name is still on the lease. Besides," he lifted my name tag for work from the table, "I don't think it'll be long before you have to call me to pay for this." 

Ryder's arms tightened around me defensively and I tapped my hand on his. He seemed to catch my meaning and I felt him relax a little against me. Very, very, little. "You know what, Adam? I think it's time that I do get a place of my own. I'll have my things out of here by tomorrow night. As of now, you need to leave."

He scoffed and started walking to the door. "Oh really? And where are you going to go?" 

I smiled at him in a way that told him he didn't affect me. Not one bit. "That's not really your concern. Goodbye, Adam." 

He sneered at me before finally leaving my apartment. I stepped out of Ryder's arms to lock and chain the door. I didn't want any more interruptions tonight. 

"Ally, are you sure you're okay?" I faced Ryder. His brows formed a deep V and he pointed to the door. "That guy was an asshole. You were engaged to him?" 

I glanced away briefly as I took a few steps towards him. "I was. We were together for two years." I always felt uncomfortable talking about what happened with Adam. But if I wanted to have any kind of future with Ryder, I needed to answer any questions he had. "You can ask me whatever you want about him."

He ran his hands over his face. "I just-- I know you, Ally. At least, I feel like I do. What made you go for that guy?" 

I walked over to sit on the couch and he sat beside me. Where to start? "I actually met him at work. He came into my restaurant with some co-workers. We flirted back and forth and he asked me out." I sat back against the couch and let out a long breath. "He was sweet at first. He wasn't like this until...I guess until right when we broke up."

"Ally," Ryder said softly, "a guy like that doesn't just become an asshole. Not the way he was. That's his personality." 

This is what I was trying to avoid. I worried by bottom lip as I tried to keep the tears at bay. 

"Ally..."

I got up off of the couch and walked over to the window. "I know what you think, Ryder. I was weak and stupid. I was so afraid of being alone, that I didn't notice the signs." When I turned towards him, he noticed my tears and go to his feet. "Do you want the truth, Ryder? The truth is-- yes, I was an idiot. This is going to sound crazy and weird but all I could think about since I met you is...how could I let myself be treated that way? I've known you what-- two days? It's been the most amazing two days of my life." I let out a long breath and started to walk towards my bedroom. "I'm sorry for ruining your night. I get it if you want to leave and not see me again." 

When I crossed in front of Ryder, he grabbed my hand to stop me. I was too ashamed to face him and kept my eyes straight ahead. He wasn't having it. He came to stand in front of me and wiped away my tears with his thumbs. 

He tilted my chin up  and my eyes met his clear blue ones. "Ally, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing is your fault. Do you know how terrified I was last night?" 

Um...what? "Terrified? Terrified of what?"

"I've always had issues with commitment and stuff. Not because I'm a cheater or anything, because I'm not." He shook his head and glanced away. "My parents-- it was rough." When his eyes met mine again, there was fear and pain mixed with another emotion I couldn't name. "Last night, after we had sex on the couch, that's when I would always leave. Whenever I hooked up with a girl, I would leave right after. I have never slept over. Do you remember what I said to you last night?" 

Was he kidding? It was seared into my brain. "You told me to take you to my bed and show you what its like to make love to someone." 

He smiled at me and something shifted between us. "Yes, I did. I was terrified because I had never done that with anyone before. Even kissing you on the subway," he paused and traced my lips with his fingers, "something about you called out to me. It's different with you." 

My heart was pounding in my chest and it was getting a little hard to breathe. I knew he was being honest. I could tell from the look in his eyes. "Ryder, I-- I don't know what to say." 

He cupped the side of my face. "Then don't say anything." 

He pulled my body against his and crushed his lips against mine. His hands wrapped around my waist before he scooped me up in his arms. We never broke contact as he carried me to my bedroom. He laid me down beneath him and started kissing a trail of kisses from my mouth to my neck. 

I buried my hands in his hair. "Ryder..." I moaned as he continued to kiss my sweet spot. 

He looked up at me with a smile as he leaned back to pull his shirt off over his head. He threw it to the floor and started working the waistband of his pants. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth and my eyes tracked his fingers. Heat flooded my body; the anticipation of knowing how he felt when he was inside me was almost too much to handle. 

Once he had his pants unbottoned and unzipped, he got up and stood at the foot of the bed. He looked down at me and a corner of his mouth lifted. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" 

I was surprised that I was able to form words to answer him. "Only when you look at me like that." 

He reached down to gingerly lift my right foot. His eyes never left mine as he took off my high heel and tossed it next to his shirt on the floor. He lightly kissed the inside of my ankle before he did the same thing to the left foot. He then came around the bed and held his hand out to me. I placed my hand in his and he helped me off the bed. 

He reached around me and started to slowly unzip my dress. I felt the cool air hit my back when it was open and it sent chills through my body. Ryder slid the narrow straps off my dress off my shoulders; causing it to fall to the floor. When I reached behind my back to unhook my bra, his hands stopped me. 

"Ah, ah. That's my job," he said with a deep chuckle. 

He kissed me again as he removed my bra and threw it to the growing pile of clothes. Next was my panties. He pulled away from me and held my stare as he slid the lacy material down my legs. I was completely naked before him and, even though he still had his pants on, I didn't feel vulnerable or exposed. I felt confident, sexy, and in a way-- loved. For just being me. 

"My turn," I teased as I pushed his jeans and boxers to the floor. 

Unable to stand the wait any longer, I cupped the back of his neck and pulled his lips to mine. We stumbled into the bed and he positioned himself between my open thighs. I felt the hard length of him slid against my sex and he groaned into my mouth. I smiled to myself at the satisfaction of knowing that I drove him as crazy as he drove me. I lifted my hips again, stroking my wetness along his erection and he tore his lips away from mine with a hiss.

He put his mouth to my ear and nibbled on the sensitive lobe. "If you keep doing that," he said with a raspy voice, "you are going to make me lose control." 

His words excited me in ways I never thought possible. I wanted him to lose control. God knew I lost control of everything in my life when I met Ryder that night on the subway. Feeling bold and brave, I ran my hands down his back and dug my nails into his ass. "Then you better get inside me. Now." 

I felt him draw back his hips and position himself at my entrance. Just as he slid inside me with one hard thrust, the grandfather clock I had in my apartment chimed. 

He started moving himself inside me and met my stare with a cocky smile. "It's midnight," he said with a strained voice. 

"You're favorite time," I replied breathlessly. He slowed his movements and I looked up to him with concern. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "I'm falling for you, Ally." My eyes widened and he withdrew his hips and plunged inside my silky depths again. "I'm totally falling for you. And you know what this means?" 

Another thrust of his hips had me throwing my head back and moaning his name. "What does it mean?" I was so lost to everything. Again. His words, his eyes, his body. Everything. And I loved it. I wasn't scared to admit that I was falling for him, too. 

He reached down and wrapped my leg around his waist. He was moving torturously slow inside me as he answered my question. "It means that, every night when the clock strikes midnight, I'll remember the moment I met the most amazing, beautiful, and witty woman I have ever known." 

By back arched as he thrust even deeper inside me. "You forgot smart and funny," I teased. 

He laughed a little before his expression turned serious. "Ally, you never have to fish for compliments from me." He kissed my lips softy. "Like I said-- I'm falling for you." 

"I'm falling for you, too," I whispered against his lips. 

It was true, after all. I was never a huge believer in fate, but Ryder was right. Kissing the right person at midnight on New Years, could bring you good luck. When the clock striked midnight that night, I had no idea just how lucky I would be. 

The End

A/N-- WOW, you guys. When I heard of the ONC, I had no idea it would turn into this. I found out about the contest last minute and I was amazed at how quickly I was able to come up with this cute, loveable, fun story about two people who found each other on New Years. 

The point of this author's note, is that I have fallen in love with Ryder, Ally, Cam, and Kyle (as many of us do). I'm leaving it up to you, the readers...should I continue this and make it a full length novel? I mean, how can we not know how Cam's date went with bartender guy? Or where Ally is going to move after she stood up to Kyle? Most importantly, is Ryder going to make the move to the Big City? Yay or nay? :) 

A special thank you to all the judges and hosts who put on the ONC. Also, good luck to all the fellow contestants! 

-- This Smitten Writer --