Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter Twenty-Four; Savior

Janelle stepped into Ryan's house, standing by the door and watching as he made his way into the other room. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be following him, so she decided to just stay put and wait for him to return. She began to look around the house, biting her lower lip a little. The living room was large, with a clean white paint on the walls, hardwood floors, and all grey furniture, giving it a modern look.

From where she was standing, she could also see into the kitchen, which also had hardwood floors, but instead of white walls, it had a soft grey. She could also see that the fridge was rather large, and all in all, he had a nice kitchen that almost looked like it could belong to a professional chef, which caused Janelle to have to remind herself that he was musician.

She heard footsteps coming back into the room, and she looked over to see Ryan approaching her, something in his hands. Without a word, he got up in her face, and she looked at him, a confused expression on her features.

He ripped the object in his hands open, sliding something out of it that Janelle realised was a small bandage.

She turned her face away. "I don't need-"

He cut her off by moving her face back, so her cheek was once again facing him. He reached up, putting the small bandage just beneath her eye, where she guessed she must've had a small cut from how hard Joshua had hit her.

Ryan stepped back, before motioning towards his living room. "Make yourself at home," He Said, before adding a quiet "Please."

He turned, beginning to walk away again, this time towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Janelle Asked quietly.

He turned back around. "To make some dinner." He Said. "Do you like chicken?"

"It's okay, I'm not hungry." Janelle Said.

"I didn't ask. Do you like chicken?" He Asked again.

Janelle bit her lip, shrugging a little.

He nodded. "You don't have to stand there by the door," he said. "Make yourself at home." He repeated, before heading into the kitchen.

Janelle let out a soft scoff, before walking over into the living room. She stood by the couch for a moment, before hesitantly lowering herself into it. Ryan was at least being hospitable to her, but that didn't mean she was any less upset. With anyone in her life, for the matter.

She was still in shock over the fight she'd had with Joshua, and how he'd just hit her for the first time, and she was especially upset with Abby for telling Ryan; Not to mention how Ryan came and started a fight with Joshua at the restaurant earlier.

After a day like that, Janelle was exhausted, scared, and felt like she could break down and cry at the drop of a hat; so, using her typical defence mechanism, she began to just feel numb. She didn't want to think about any of this anymore.

She wished she could just go home and have things go back to normal, only, she knew that that would be impossible. After all that had happened, being with Joshua would never be the same again, although she wanted to forgive him and run back into his arms. And at the same time, she wanted to run from him. The only problem with that was, he was the only one who had ever loved her; if she ran now, she might have to risk never finding anyone who would care for her like he did. Risk being alone all over again.

She buried her face in her hands with a long sigh, rubbing her eyes, which had small tears forming in them. She refused to cry; Not here, not in front of Ryan. If she were alone in her own house, that's one thing, but no, she was in the mansion of the Ryan Tedder, and he was cooking her dinner against her will.