Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter Thirty-Three; All Fall Down

The next morning, after Ryan and Janelle had eaten breakfast and gotten ready, they began to head to the apartment. The drive was mostly silent, like the entire morning had been; Janelle was honestly scared of what the outcome of this may be, although, she felt much better with Ryan coming with her.

Even through her fear and worry, though, she wanted to do this. She wanted to leave Joshua for once and for all, and finally start over with her life. What she needed was a clean slate; she could find someone who truly cared about her, and her life would finally begin.

She glanced over at Ryan, who, due to the bright morning light, was wearing a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes from the sun. His eyes happened to meet her gaze, and he gave her a small smile, before she looked back out the window.

Being that it was Saturday, Janelle guessed that Joshua would be home, lounging around; or at least, she hoped he would be, otherwise, they'd have to do this another time.

All morning, she had been preparing what she'd say to him. She had a pretty good idea of what point she'd try and get across to him, but she wasn't so sure he'd want to hear it. For all she knew, she could end up just saying, 'It's over,' and marching out.

"So," Ryan mumbled, breaking her out of her thoughts. "What's the plan?"

He looked over at her, and she bit her lower lip. She had been thinking about that all morning as well, and she had finally decided how she wanted it to play out. However, life had its way of playing tricks on her, so everything could end up going completely different than she hoped.

"I think I'll go in, first." She muttered, causing him to furrow his eyebrows at her.

"Will You be okay?" He Asked quietly.

She nodded. "All I need is enough time to break up with him," She Said, looking over into his green eyes. "Then you can come in, and we'll start grabbing whatever we can."

He nodded, looking back out at the road. "Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?"

She nodded again. "I think it's for the best," she mumbled. "I don't want him to think that I'm cheating, because I wouldn't do that. And I would rather there not be a big fight like at the restaurant."

Ryan bit his lip, nodding. "Okay.." he said. "How long should I wait before I come in?"

She shrugged. "Like I Said, just give me enough time to basically say 'fuck you, I'm leaving," She Said. "Oh, and throw everything he's done wrong in his face."

Ryan let out an ironic chuckle. "Then I won't be coming in for about a week." He mumbled, causing her to chuckle softly.

The lightheartedness in the vehicle suddenly went away, though, as Ryan pulled up into the parking lot of the apartment complex. Memories of the night Joshua had first hit her flashing through Janelle's mind, especially when she spotted the two vehicles she had hidden between, parked in the same exact place they had been that night.

She quickly averted her eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to keep herself composed. If her mind was full of anxiety, she'd never get through this without breaking down.

Ryan parked the vehicle rather close to the doors, before taking off his sunglasses and looking over at Janelle. Their eyes met, and he hesitated, before reaching out his hand to place it on her cheek.

"Be careful, okay?" He Said. "I'll see you in a bit."

She nodded.

"You're sure you don't want me to come with?" He Asked again, and she nodded.