Addicted

“Marry me,” my boyfriend of two weeks kneeled down on one knee and held out a large diamond ring with the biggest smile on his face from sheer happiness, but all I could think was how to get away and which way was the fastest.

“Degan,” I spoke quietly, glancing quickly at our friends that surrounded us. He picked my twenty first birthday to ask me to marry him, in front of everyone. “Get up please, we have to talk alone.”

“Oh,” his frown was depressing but good God, I’ve known him all of three weeks, two of which we dated. I honest to God did not want to marry Degan Daniel Tingley. “You don’t want to marry me, do you?” he questioned when we reached my bedroom.

“Degan, we’ve been dating for two weeks and to be honest, I don’t think its working for us. That’s what I was trying to tell you last night but you wouldn’t shut up about work—“ I huffed in annoyance before I realized I was being an insensitive bitch towards Degan about everything. “I’m really sorry, your such a great guy but—”

“Just not the right guy,” he finished with a sad little smile, he leaned in and kissed my cheek gently. “Happy Birthday Rylan.”

“Thank you,” I whispered and watched as he walked away from me. I stood there in my bedroom alone for a good long time before the door opened and my cousin Brian peaked his head in to look around. “Com on in, Bri.”

“That was—“ he paused thoughtfully as he entered the room and trailed over to me. “Brutal?”

“I had no idea he would propose,” I sat down on the edge of my bed and stared at the wall, my mind racing with thoughts that even I couldn’t catch. “We hadn’t even slept together, I didn’t want too…”

“Not something I want to hear,” Brian shrugged his shoulders and forced a light chuckle out that still sounded really forced and quite awkward. “Honestly, I never liked him, he called Baylee kid and munchkin all the time.”

“He wasn’t the one,” I laughed and looked over at him, he smiled, genuinely that time and not forced. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave them a soft squeeze.

“It’ll happen someday,” he said knowingly with a kind smile. He stood and made me get off the bed along with him. “Now, my favorite female cousin, let’s get you drunk this once.”

“Happy Birthday to me,” I smiled half-heartedly as I wrapped my arm around his waist and walked out of my bedroom. We were instantly swallowed into the melody of Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole. I sung to the lyrics quietly and danced side to side, knocking my hips into Brian’s. He pulled me after him, laughing as I weakly followed him, not really wanting to but rather wanting to dance my way to the kitchen. “Nick Carter, you better give me my birthday hug before I smack you one.”

“Happy Birthday, Rylan—what are you, thirty now?” Nick teased pulling me into a very warm and comforting embrace. I loved his hugs growing up; they only got better with age.

“I’m twenty one, you old coot,” I smirked smugly when I pulled away; I grabbed his hand and smiled swaying to the beat of the new song playing since Muse went off. Now playing in its place was S.E.X. by Nickelback . “Dance with me?”

“Oh the promises,” he joked at the lyrics following me out to the living room which was deemed the dance floor, reason why my furniture is missing. We danced for the longest time, the music changing from fast pace songs to slow ones, Nick and I were in the middle of dancing like complete goofballs to More Than A Feeling by Boston when arms went around my waist and I felt a body pressed against my back, dancing along with my every move. “AJ, man back off! She’s my dance partner, no cutting in!”

“Shut up and go dance with Sarah,” AJ smiled and waved Nick on as I turned in his arms and stared up at him wonderingly. “Happy 21st Ry.”

“I thought you were in LA?” I smiled happily reaching up to hug him around the neck, I loved AJ because we shared similarities in life. We get along most also, I clash with Brian because we’re family, Kevin ignores me when he gets annoyed with me, Nick fusses when I beat him at his bets and Howie gets frustrated because I don’t understand him at all. AJ just laughs at me when either of us gets mad. He’s my favorite, as bad as it is to say.

“I was but my little Ry’s birthday is today, you only turn twenty one once, how could I miss this?” he gave me another hug, it was shorter because he pulled away to move us in the kitchen where no one was, now.

“I guess you can’t,” I commented as he fished a Jack Daniels bottle from the table of liquor bottles, a shot glass from the cabinets and a water bottle from the fridge for himself. “You’re going to make me do shots and watch?”