R Y A N

TWO YEARS LATER

WAKING UP TO the sound of the kettle button being pushed I groan in annoyance. When I look up at the large digital clock on the wall, the time reads 08.22 - we're not even in double digits and someone is rudely waking me up already.

"You slept on the couch again?" I hear a annoyed voice across the room.

"Sofa."

"What?" My roommate Amy chuckles.

"It's not a couch it's a sofa... get it right," I huff, wiping the sleep crust from my eyes with a yawn.

"Really?" I sit up and she plops down next to me on the sofa I've called my bed for a third night this week. Honestly not by choice, I would rather sleep in my own bed, in my own room but, unfortunately I haven't been able to. Well... there hasn't been any room to. "You've lived here how long and you still call it a sofa?" She says with a smile, her thick Boston accent filling the room.

"A couch is a sofa, the sidewalk is the pavement, a cookie is a biscuit unless it's soft with chocolate chips, fries are chips and chips are crisps. End of story."

"Honey, this is America, it's a fucking couch," she giggles.

Amy and I met the first week of freshman year at NYU. We had rooms across the hall from each other and I bumped into her while rushing to my first class that I was late for. When we both took a job at the local campus coffee shop we became fast friends. I bitched to her about my annoying roommate who was sex mad and had a different boy in her bed almost every night while she had a girl who was a goth, painting half the room black - never speaking a word to her... ever.
   At the end of the year we decided, with a little help from our parents that we didn't want to live on campus anymore so they helped buy us a flat that was close enough to commute every day. With the thought of getting two new roommates next year and the horrible girl down the hall from Texas who only played music by Dolly Parton at high volume, we knew we needed our own space, so moving in together was a no brainer. However, we still went to the frat and sorority parties or any other campus parties going on, including all the school events because we still only lived a fifteen minute drive away.
   Amy was one of the saving grace miracles at NYU and I love her. Her bright red hair that she dyed every four weeks was hard to miss and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. She was one of them overly happy humans that never let anything dampen her spirit. She had moved from Boston to become a Journalist, even though her secret passion was fashion designing, but she had a goal and she never backed away from a goal. She still kept designing and making clothes in her spare time, which she loved and I certainly didn't mind being her model. Not to mention she was the best person to go shopping with because she had such an eye for fashion. Something I never had.

"You slept on the sofa again?"

"See... even Matthew calls it a sofa!" I say towards Amy.

"Only because I've known you long enough to call it that and I'm sick of you correcting me!" Matthew says rolling his eyes. "It's still a fucking couch!"

"Ah!... Couch!" Amy yells laughing.

One of the best things about picking NYU was that Matthew was coming here to. I applied for seven different schools, even two back in England, but when I found out Matthew was going to be here too I jumped with joy knowing I was taking a little bit of home with me. When Matthew found out we was renting a flat off campus he jumped at the chance to move with us. Splitting the rent three ways was better than two anyway. Matthew was training to be a dancer and he knew coming to New York would give him the opportunity to live out his dream than back home in California.

"You packed yet?" I ask Matthew as he sits on the busted old armchair he had moved from his house back home.

"Yeah... no... well, kind of," he says rolling his eyes.

"Really? We leave at three, no later than that or we'll miss our flight!" I huff.

"Can't believe this is our last morning together, just us three," Amy grabs my shoulder and pulls me towards her. "I'm really gonna miss you!"

Matthew and I are travelling back home later today for the summer - only I'm not coming back. When I applied for school I had the idea of majoring in English Lit and creative writing but, lately I was wondering if I had made the right choice. I wanted a gap year, a year off school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and after the year, if I still wanted to continue with my studies I would go back. If not I would return with another life plan and enrol in a new course.
   Mum wasn't happy about it, but at least my dad knew that I had to grow up making my own choices and if that's what I wanted he was happy to accept my choice. I just had to promise I would return to school within the year and not end up in a job I wasn't happy in.

"You're talking like I'm never going to see you again!" I say.

"Well, what if you never come back here? What if you decide to go to another school or we love our new roommate so much we actually don't want you back?"

"I'm actually offended!" I chuckle.

"Oh please! She's my number one, no one could ever replace her," Matthew states.

"Why thank you Matt."

"You know I love you," Amy says.

"And I love you. There's video calls, messages, I'm not out of your life forever you know!" I smile.

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AFTER AMY makes us pancakes for breakfast with loads of coffee, I pushed Matt into his room to pack up his stuff he needed to take for the summer. I, on the other hand had been packing all week and the movers took all my stuff yesterday, which should of arrived home at some point this morning. The only stuff I had left were the few pictures that I didn't want to get damaged in transit and some of my clothes.
   I pull out the family photos of my parents on holiday somewhere with me and Tori playing in the sand. Another was taken on our trip to the Bahamas with me laying down with Tori and Jackson, all of us looking up at dad through the camera lens. Another was Sophie, Matt and I at a theme park he dragged us to last spring break. He made us go on a really fast rollercoaster and poor Sophie looks terrorifed while Matt and I laugh with screams. Another shows Jackson and I at my graduation, wearing that ridiculous cap and gown with leggings and my white converse posing in front of our high school while I held up a peace sign. Only I was actually sticking up my two fingers to the building behind me, happy I was out of that hell hole. The next photo was my group prom picture with all my favourite people and next to that was the three photos I got asked the most questions about. A picture with myself and Nico, one with Nate, then with the middle picture of the three of us together at Prom.

"You took two guys to prom?"
"Who are the hotties with you?"
"You look so happy! I wish I had a hot date to take me to prom!"
"They look so happy with you! How old are they?"

I told them what they needed to know, which actually wasn't much. All they knew was I had two friends who wanted me to go with them and they took me. Not a lie at all but, people still thought I had two boyfriends and took both of them to my senior prom. I never said it was a private prom - a private prom for only us three, my two best friends and my nephew. That I kept private.
   I wasn't ashamed to tell people the truth but, I wanted to keep it to myself. That night meant so much to me and as far as I was concerned, that night was for the people who were there. Both Nico and Nate put all of that together with the help of my friends just to give me the prom I deserved and I loved them for it.
   Soon I was going to be seeing all of the faces in these pictures and I couldn't wait to see them all. I hadn't been back home since I left for New York two years ago. My family had visited me on the holidays so that they could get away for a bit and we even went back to England last Christmas instead of me going back to California. As for seeing Sophie? Matt and I met up with her in Florida a few times for Spring break with Amy and then once again last summer.
  The only people I hadn't seen in the years I had been away was Nico and Nate. I had kept in contact with them twice a week with a phone call, but the last few months they have been far and few between because I've been so busy work school. However, they both texted me in our group chat that I created a lot. Sometimes I spoke to them individually but mostly Nate and I would send memes back and forth to each other that Nico never really reacted to unless it was really funny or if I replied with a 'that's so fucking funny!' then I would get a message scolding me for my language.
   The last time I saw them was at the airport before my flight. Matthew's parents had driven us and I said my goodbyes to my Mum and Dad before driving off with them. I had already seen Tori and Jackson that morning but, I left a note on the Greysons door before I left, only they caught up to me in the lounge before security.

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"Ryan!" I hear my name being called behind me. Two bodies running at a speed towards me and Matthew turns his head to me, the biggest grin you've ever seen and says.

"I'll leave you guys alone a sec," walking away from me with a wink.

I turn back to the running bodies getting closer to me. With heavy panting and chests rising and falling the Greyson brothers look at me with hurt in their eyes. Almost like they are broken.

Guilt. I feel guilt. I know exactly why they are here and this is the one thing I was trying to avoid. The one thing I couldn't face to do. The one thing I'm now being forced to do because I was too chicken.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"You never... said... goodbye?" Nate says between breaths, holding his chest as he gasps for air. "Oh man... I'm so outta shape."

"But I wrote you both a note," I say timidly.

"A note? Really? You think... you think we would let you leave... by saying goodbye on a piece of paper?" Nico says staring at me coldly, also trying to catch his breathe.

"I-I didn't..." I try to speak but I couldn't. I take a deep breathe and suck in sharply trying to control myself. "I didn't want a hard goodbye."

"What about what we want?" Nate says pulling me towards him and embracing me in a tight hug, his head burying itself in the crook of my neck. My arms wrap around him, gripping onto his shoulders, but only barely.

"I-I..." I can't speak again. My words getting muddled in my mouth like they're jumbled.

"Come on Ryan," Nico says wrapping his arms around me, holding me tightly from behind.

All three of us stand there with them hugging me, each brother claiming the crook of each side of my neck, both of their breaths tickling my skin. I couldn't hold it in anymore and I start to cry, a single tear falling down my cheek, then another and then another.
   I didn't want to ugly cry in front of them but, it was out of my hands how ugly I was about to cry to them. Out of all the people in my life the two younger Greyson brother's were going to be the people I missed the most. Sure I'd miss my parents, Tori and Jackson of course, but Nico and Nate had been there for me like no one else had. They were two of my bestest friends and practically family. I knew I would miss them the most, it was going to be the hardest goodbye I would ever have to do. Hence why I left them the note on their front door.

"Hey," Nate says pulling away from me, while Nico still holds me. Nate holds each cheek in his big hands and using the pad of his thumb to wipe away my fallen tears, "your coming back, we'll see you in a few months at Christmas. Don't forget you have our numbers so we can talk on the phone... we'll only be on the other end."

"I know... I'm just really gonna miss you," I choke.

"We're gonna miss you too," Nico says from behind me. I turn facing him, holding both his and Nates hands, looking up at at them.

"Who am I going to take to the movies?... or cook with?" I say with a little chuckle, while my nose runs. Nate smiles at me and shakes his head, his big award winning smile beaming at me. "Whose gonna play music with me? Or read books with me?" Nico's forehead creases and he looks at me almost lost.

"Ryan... it's not goodbye, it's see ya later," Nate says.

"You two are the best people in my life that I know..." I tell them and they both smirk, "I just didn't want a hard goodbye and I know that's a really fucked up thing to do-"

"Lanuage!" Nico laughs.

I can't help the laughter that escapes my lips as I smile up at Nico, "sorry... I love you guys so much. I'll see you in a few months," I tell them hugging them each in turn and leaving a kiss on their cheeks. When I step away from them, Nico grabs a hold on my mech, pulling me towards him and kissing my forehead, while Nate does the same, leaving a kiss on my tear stained cheek. "I'll call you when I land, I promise," I pull away from them and start to walk backwards, when I turn around I hear them both say in unison...

"Bye beautiful."
"Bye princess."

But I never look back. I never look back making sure I never saw the hurt in their faces when I left.

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That was the last time I saw them. The last time I saw their faces. I never video chatted with them at all, we only ever spoke on the phone or messaged each other and I couldn't wait to see them. I had missed them both dearly but, with not seeing them in so long I felt so nervous about our first encounter since I last saw them. How much had they changed? Did they look different? Or were they still the same Greyson brothers I knew and loved so much back then.

Soon I was going to find out.

*word count - 2384*

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Another time jump, almost like the last few chapters have just been one
big introduction. 😂

I hope you all had a lovely New Years, not the one you probably had in
mind or what you was expecting & I don't know about you but
I'm excited to see the back end of 2020!

The next few chapters is when the story actually starts to kicked in, I really hope you enjoy it!
I still get nervous 😰😬 but I've put a lot
of effort & editing into this story & I really enjoy writing this one.

Please don't forget to comment, letting me know your
feedback & if you did like it, please press that little star to vote.

Stay safe,
CeeCee
xoxo
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