Providence

Chapter 12: Evelyn

At the end of our date, Ryan started to walk alongside me, until we reached my house. Standing outside, he wished me a goodnight. He then leaned in and locked his lips with mine. I held our position for a moment, and kissed him back. I could feel a warm sensation spreading through my body, which complimented the chilling breeze that was blowing that night.

A moment later, Ryan leaned away and I smiled at him. I remember thinking how beautiful that first kiss was, and knowing that I would never forget that moment. I remember it fondly.

I waved to Ryan as I closed the door over, and leaning against its frame, an unpreventable smile spread across my face. Back then, everything seemed so perfect and so simple. Little did I know how it would all change so drastically in successive years. Now, I'm not saying it was all bad. Ryan's relationship and mine had a lot of downs, but it also gave me countless happy memories, and I wouldn't change our time together for their entire world. I would actually almost go as far as to say that I would give the world to return to that moment, and relive its succeeding events, despite the heartbreak and devastation that followed.

Two months had passed since that night, and Ryan asked me if I would like to go with him to his hometown for a weekend. His parents lived in a small, rural town with plenty of beautiful scenery and sandy beaches. As a girl raised in a city, the idea of spending a weekend with Ryan in the peaceful atmosphere of the countryside appealed to me. I told Ryan I would love to go with him, and he smiled appreciatively at me. His beautiful green eyes glimmered with the angelic kindness of his character. Sometimes, I wished I could swap his qualities with my overbearing seriousness, and be as gentle in nature as he was.

That weekend, we left the campus in Ryan's car. He drove for about two hours, most of which was spent on the motorway. He then traveled down a number of winding country lanes and back roads, passing by countless fields of green. The enriched blue sky above us held the odd cloud, which were threatening to spill rain. We passed over a little bridge, under which, a gentle stream of freshly flowing water was moving at ease. Ryan then drove us along a road shadowed on either side by thick rows of tall, bulky trees. Their trunks were strewn with ivy.

On the outskirts of the town that Ryan lived in, he pulled into a long winding driveway on a secluded road, which was situated opposite the narrow opening to a stretch of woodland. He drove up the lane, which led to a large house, neighboured by a guesthouse.

"Wow," I said, enthralled by the size of the two buildings, coupled with the huge built in swimming pool next to the guest house.

Ryan's home looked like an idyllic paradise that you would only find in a make believe story. I had never seen such a beautiful house in my life. I recall becoming suddenly very worried at the thought of Ryan's parents disapproving of me, who, judging by their home, were minted, as I looked to my outfit. Ryan asked me if I was alright.

"What if they don't like me?" I asked.

Ryan smiled at me.

"They will."

"But what if they don't?" I reiterated.

"Then that'll be their problem. Because I like you, and that's all that matters," he affirmed.

I looked to my stingy outfit again, before sighing.

"I'm sorry, Ryan, but I can't meet your parents like this," I said ashamedly.

He glanced at me sympathetically.

"You can changed if you want," he told me.

I looked to the house, which had an interior light shining out into the evening. Ryan shook his head and smiled at me, gesturing towards the guest house.

"You can do it in there, it's mine."

"What?" I asked disbelievingly.

"My parents let me crash there when I get home late on weekends," he stated. "Something about wanting me to have privacy."

Ryan then shrugged his shoulders dismissively. We took our bags from the boot of his car, and hurried towards the guest house. He pointed me to the bedroom, allowing me to change privately, as he sat on the shiny red sofa in the living room. I rummaged through my packed bag, searching for an appropriate outfit. After uprooting my bag, I spotted my best outfit, which was the red dress I had worn to my first date with Ryan, and I chose that.

To my relief, Ryan's parents seemed to like me. They weren't snobby or stuck, as I thought they might've been. Instead, they were incredibly open minded and accepting, and much like their son, unbelievably kind and gentle. That night, I learned not to adhere to preconceived stereotypical ideas that I may have of people.

After we finished eating the delicious beef dinner that Ryan's mother, Sandra, had cooked for us, Ryan excused us from the kitchen and led me into the hallway.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked.

"Where?"

"To the beach."

"What, now?" I asked. "It's dark out."

He smiled at me.

"I know, it's the best time to go. There'll be nobody else there."

I smiled at him, and he took me gently by the hand.

"Come on," he said.

When we stepped outside, Ryan suggested that I change back into the outfit I had been wearing earlier. Shivering slightly in the cold of the night, I deemed it a good idea, and we headed towards the guest house. I changed out of the dress, as Ryan swapped his shoes for an old pair of trainers.