Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter Two; Waking Up

Ryan opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the new sunlight in his bedroom. He sat up, yawning a little as he stretched. He reached up, running a hand through his messy hair as he reached over to the nightstand for his phone.

He typed in the passcode, realising that he had gotten a text. He opened his messages, smiling a little when he saw who it was from.

It was a woman he had met a few days ago named Emily. She had texted him to make sure their date was still tonight. He quickly texted her back to confirm, before putting his phone back down where it was before.

He sighed happily, getting out of bed and approaching the window, where he threw the curtains open, looking outside. The sun was up, and his neighbourhood was busy with people walking, mowing their yards, and children playing.

He made his way over to his closet, opening the door and stepping inside. He went through his clothing, deciding to wear a plain white T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and one of his signature jackets.

He stepped out of the closet, shutting the door and heading over to his bathroom, where he closed the door and looked in the mirror, biting his lip when he saw how disheveled his hair was.

He quickly undressed out of his pajamas, then changed into his clothes, before looking back at his hair. He gathered his hair products from the counter, taking his hairbrush and running it through his hair. Once he had it back the way he liked it, he used a bit of gel, along with some hairspray.

Maybe this is the one, he thought to himself.

Every woman he'd ever been with had either cheated on him or dumped him, and over the past few years, he had been with so many woman, he couldn't remember all of their names anymore. With every one that came and went, he always had hope that the one was out there. The one he could finally spend the rest of his life with.

Already at the age of thirty-seven, he had never been married, although he had been engaged. He knew that when the right one came along, he'd know it. It was just a matter of waiting.

He left the bathroom, going and grabbing his phone before heading downstairs to his kitchen. He wasn't very hungry, so he just decided on having a cup of coffee, which he did every morning anyway.

As he waited for his coffee to brew, his phone began to ring, and he pulled it out of his pocket. When he saw who it was, he answered, it, bringing the phone up to his ear.

"Hey, Brent." He said.

Brent was a good friend of Ryan's, as well as a bandmate. He still hadn't told him about Emily, so he saw his calling as the perfect opportunity to do so.

"Hey, Ryan." Brent Replied. "Did you just wake up?"

"A bit ago. Why?" Ryan Asked, running a hand through his hair.

"I can hear your Keurig brewing." Brent stated, causing Ryan to chuckle. "Anyway, What're you up to today?"

Ryan smiled a little, biting his lip. "Well.." he said. "There's this girl."

"Another one?" Brent Asked, sighing.

"She could be the one." Ryan shrugged, reaching over and picking up his coffee mug which had just finished being brewed. "We have our first date tonight."

"Well, I'm happy for you." Brent Said. "Just...be careful."

"Careful?" Ryan Asked, before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Ryan, in the past three months you've had far too many girlfriends." He said. "Girls have been taking advantage of you far too much."

Ryan bit his lip. "It isn't like that."

"You're lonely. Admit it." He said. "You only need company. You need to be patient and the right person will come along."

Ryan sighed. "You're right.." he mumbled. "But Emily could be the one."

"I guess you'll find out tonight, huh?"

Janelle woke up at noon, still just as sore as yesterday, maybe even worse. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to work until supper tonight, but she knew she should get up anyway.

She painfully got out of bed, making her way to her dresser. She opened one of the drawers, going through it a bit and eventually just taking out a plain black T-shirt and light denim jeans. She undressed, before changing into them.

Afterwards, she went out to her kitchen, deciding to have a bowl of cereal since she hadn't eaten last night. She looked through her pantry, realising that the only cereal she had left was a slightly stale Raisin Bran.

She sighed, pulling out the box anyway. She closed the pantry, before grabbing a bowl from the overhead cupboards. She quickly poured herself a bowl of the stale cereal, then went into her living room, sitting down on the couch she had collapsed on, crying last night.

She reached for the remote, turning on the television. She thankfully could afford one of the many streaming services, so she was able to put it on an episode of 'The Office.'

She watched the show intently as she ate her cereal, letting out an occasional chuckle if something struck her as funny.

Once she had finished her cereal, she set her empty bowl on the coffee table in front of her. She continued to watch her show for a few more minutes, before her phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket, immediately pressing answer when she saw who it was.

"Hey, Abby." She Said.

"Hi, Janelle." Her friend replied. "How are you?"

Abby had always been Janelle's best friend. Since high school, In fact. The two of them did everything together, including moving to LA. Janelle always told Abby Everything, so she of course knew about her work and relationship problems. Which was exactly why she called every morning to check on her friend.

Janelle bit her lip at Abby's question, just sighing.

"Shitty night?" Abby Asked.

"Shitty as hell." Janelle Replied, shaking her head. "I'm so exhausted."

"I get it," Abby Said. "But Why don't you just quit? I hate seeing you like this."

"I've already told you, this is the only job I'm qualified for that pays enough." Janelle sighed. "If I didn't have this job, I wouldn't be able to pay my rent. I wouldn't be able to live here."

"Waitressing isn't the only job in LA."

"I know that, I'm not stupid." Janelle Said.

"I didn't say that." Abby scoffed.

"I know."

There was a bit of silence, before Abby hesitated, then spoke again.

"Are you okay?"

Janelle swallowed, looking down at her hands glumly. "No, not really."