One of the Boys.

I was sat in the airport lounge, waiting for Ryan to come out. It was 3am, and I was supremely tired. I had loud drum and bass music blasting through my ears to keep me awake. The plane had landed over half an hour ago, but he had to go through customs and collect his bags etc.
Exhausted people started coming out, some reuniting with families, some foreigners who were searching for cab drivers… but no Ryan.
I paused my iPod, took out the headphones and stood up so I could see through the crowd. I saw one person at the back with light brown hair, but that was all I could see. I squinted and saw it was Ryan, so ran up to him and gave him a hug.
He laughed. “I already love this country, I get greeted by Italian beauties before I even get home!”
I let go of him and smiled. “Ross, you fool, it’s me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Whoa, it is! You look… you look phenomenal Emma!”
I blushed. “So you don’t hate it?”
“No, why would I?”
“Because I’m conforming and being like everyone else…”
“It’s just a look.” he shrugged. “If you start fretting about your hair and make-up every five seconds then I’ll hate it.”
I smiled and put an arm around his shoulders. “Good. Well, thanks Ryan. We better get going in the cab.”
He nodded and we walked outside to the cab. It was pitch black outside, but still very warm. We put his suitcase in the trunk then got into the cab, which took us back home.
“Ryan… can you stop staring please?”
He blinked a few times. “I’m sorry… I just can’t keep my eyes off of you. You’re easily the prettiest girl in school now.”
I blushed. “Shut up.”
“Damn it you make me feel so ugly!” he chuckled and sunk down in his seat.
“You’re not ugly Ry.”
“I am in comparison.”
“No you’re not, now quit it. We’re home!” I chimed.
His mouth dropped. “This… this is it?”
I nodded.
“You weren’t lying when your grandparents were rich… holy shit. Em, this is a freaking mansion… is that a pool? And stables? And is that forest yours too?”
“Yes, yes and yes.” I laughed. “Trust me, the novelty wares off after a while.”
We got out and he grabbed his bags whilst I paid the driver and thanked him. He smiled in return and drove off.
“So… where am I staying?” he asked, biting his lip.
“In the east wing.”
He shook his head laughing, not quite believing what was happening.
I unlocked the front door and we walked in.
“We gotta be quiet.” I nodded and he nodded back.
I held his hand whilst guiding him through, past the indoor pool, past the second kitchen and through the billiards room. We arrived at my room and I unlocked the room next to mine, which had a door between both our rooms, so we could pass in and out as we pleased.
“You do realize I’m never leaving this place, right?”
I laughed quietly.
“Thanks for letting me stay, Em.”
“No problem, thank my mom and grandparents really, they’re the ones who organized this.”
We walked into his room and he collapsed on the bed, sighing happily.
“The bathroom is the door on the left and the lighter is by the mirror.”
“Lighter?” he asked, giving a quizzical look.
“My g-parents are old fashioned, and all the lights are candles.”
I got out the lighter and lit the candles on the wall and the lantern by his bedside table.
“You’ll need the lantern for when you go the the toilet. So, uh, good night.”
He stood up and gave me a hug. “Good night, Emma.”
He kissed my cheek then loosened the hug, putting his hands on my hips. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thanks, Ryan.” I smiled and walked into my room, lighting the candles. I locked the door that joined our rooms and also my door. I quickly undressed so I was just in my underwear, then pulled on a light night dress. I brushed my teeth and hair, washed my face clean of make-up, put in my retainer then got into bed, pulling the thin sheets over me and blowing out the lantern, so it was pitch black and silent, except for the nocturnal wildlife outside.
The sun pierced through the old fashioned shutters, reflecting in diagonal patterns across my face. I sat up, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I climbed out of bed and hit the on button for my radio, some Britney Spears song playing out of the speakers.
I looked in the mirror, took out my retainer and brushed my teeth. I did all the other necessities, like make-up, styling my hair, deodorant. I opened my wardrobe and settled on an over-sized t-shirt which had a Monet style painting of a bunch of grapes on. It’s hard to describe, but it was awesome. I matched it with a belt and put on the Greek sandals. I slipped on some denim mini shorts and a gold headband. I unlocked my door and knocked on Ryan’s door.
“Hang on!”
I smirked and the door opened, him standing in just his boxers.
“Get up, lazy ass.”
“But it’s early…” he whined.
“It’s ten, that’s not early.”
“I’ll get dressed, hang on.”
He shut the door and I sat on the bench in the hall way, waiting for him. It took him about five minutes to get dressed, then he swung open the door. I smirked.
“What?”
“You’re going to sweat like a pig wearing that.”
He was wearing some thick, denim jeans and a thin sweater.
“I don’t have much else…”
“We’ll go shopping later, don’t worry.” I nodded.
“I don’t have any money, either.”
I held up a debit card. “I can’t do that, Em. I’ll feel awful.”
“I don’t care, the g-parents gave me twenty thousand euros as a make-over/birthday present. And I’ve got loads of that left, so we can go to H & M and kit you out. Make a day of it, wander round and such. Just relax.”
“Okay.” he smiled and we walked into the first kitchen, where people were eating. Everyone greeted Ryan warmly, except Kat, because she’s a douche.
“Thank you so much for letting me stay here Mrs and Mr Graziella.”
“Please, call us Gran and Papi.” smiled my gran.
Ryan nodded and smiled.
“We’re gonna go into the city, maybe get some breakfast there too. When will dinner be?”
“Half six.”
“Okay, we’ll be back before then. See you later!”
“Arrividerchi, Ezme, Ryan!”
I took his hand and we walked for a few minutes to the tram, getting on and sitting down.
“Everyone is so relaxed and calm.” he stated. “It’s wonderful.”
I smiled and nodded. “We’ve got 6 weeks left to fill, there’s no need to rush and be stressed. Everything is casual, and if you wanted to lay on the beach for a while, then that’s what you do. If you want to stay in and read, that’s what you do. You can do whatever you want, and no one minds.”
He cupped my face and kissed me once, then broke away, smiling.
“What was that for?” I asked, whispering.
“You said ‘do whatever you want’.”
“I know, but I didn’t think that…”
“You didn’t want me to?” he asked, looking genuinely hurt.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant that I wasn’t expecting it.”
“And…”
“And yeah, I kinda liked it.” I smiled.
He sighed with relief and held my hand. “Good.”
I kissed his cheek and rested my head on his shoulder.
“So how long does it take by tram? I’ve never been on one before, so I don’t know.”
“About five minutes to get to the center, but a little longer to get to the market if you want to get some fresh fruit and bread for breakfast.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.”
The tram stopped at the market and we got off, still holding his hand. He turned to look at me and smiled, looking down and blushing. I lifted up his chin with two fingers and kissed his lips for a good few seconds, then broke away, blushing myself. I’d never initiated a kiss before, so this was something very strange for me.
We looked straight ahead and his smile grew wider when he saw the market, filled with every color. The smells were so enticing that you couldn’t physically leave without buying something.
“It smells so damn good!” he exclaimed, taking in a deep breath.
“You can choose, what do you want?”
“Can we go to the smoothie stall please?” he asked.
I nodded and we walked over. I bought a passion fruit and vanilla smoothie, he bought a banana and honey one. It came to seven euros, so I paid and we left. I also bought a poppy seed muffin which we shared.
“I’m seriously never leaving.” he said, sipping at his drink. “I know where I’m gonna live when I retire.”
I smiled and we continued walking. Once we’d finished our smoothies and muffin, we walked to the high street, which was laced with beautiful, tanned people everywhere you looked. Ryan didn’t seem to notice the stunning girls, but they sure seemed to notice him. Maybe because he was a lot paler than everyone else, but he was also pretty cute himself, so that could be a reason.
We went into H & M and to the guy’s section. He went straight to the sale bit, but I pulled him back.
“I feel really bad about this.”
“You’re keeping me company for six weeks, so think of it as a return favor? Or I just won’t get you a birthday present instead.”
“Yeah, that’s cool. Thanks Em.” he smiled and side-hugged me.
He chose several colors of v-neck t-shirt, a surf necklace and bracelet, a few pairs of long guy shorts, one pair of boardies, a trilby hat, sunglasses and two pairs of flip-flops.
It came to just over 400 euros as they had buy one, get one free offers on a lot of items. He bit his lip nervously.
“Ryan, stop worrying, I don’t care.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay.” he smiled. “Thanks. I’ll get changed quickly then we can go.”
He ran into the changing rooms and after a few minutes, he came out wearing a white v-neck with some jean long shorts, tan flip flops, necklace and his wayfarer sunglasses on his head.
“Sorted!” he chimed and held my hand again. “Thanks again.”
We got back on the tram and sat down.
“Where do you wanna go now?” I asked.
“I don’t mind.” he shrugged. “Maybe swimming or something?”
“Indoor or outdoor?”
“Outdoor, I need a tan.” he chuckled. “I look like a ghost next to everyone else.”
I laughed. “You look fine. Just don’t get burnt, the sun is really strong here and it kills like a bitch.”
We got off at our stop and walked back to the house. All the cars were gone, so I assumed they’d gone to the beach.
“We have the house to ourselves.” I smiled.
“Really? Cool.”
We walked into our individual rooms and I changed into my bikini. It was a deep purple with white polka dots on it. It was as revealing as a bikini is, but wasn’t stupidly tiny. It did its job, anyway.
I changed my make-up for some waterproof stuff, slicked on a little more suncream then grabbed two towels.
I knocked on his door. “Ready, Ry?”
His door opened and he was in his swim shorts. “Yep.” His gaze drifted downwards and he blushed. I blushed too and shoved a towel his way, quickly walking to the pool. He caught up with me and put an arm around my shoulders.
“I’m sorry Em, I didn’t mean to make you feel embarrassed.”
“It’s okay…”
“You look, um, you look good.”
I smiled. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
We walked the rest of the distance in silence. We put our towels on the grass and I sat down by the side, dipping my feet in the warm water. Ryan sat down too and put an arm around my waist, making me tense up.
“Are you really that uncomfortable with me?” he asked.
“I’m not uncomfortable with you.”
“Well I get the impression that you are, because every time I touch you you tense up or look like you want to back away, but are too polite to say anything.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not used to it is all.”
He kissed my cheek. “There’s no need to apologize.”
We stayed like that for a while, then he coughed, as if he was about to make a speech.
“Emma, I’m… I’m not quite sure how to say this.” he laughed. “I kind of, maybe, quite like you.”
I looked up at him. “Really? And you’re not lying?”
He frowned. “Why would I be lying?”
“Because when people say they like me, they do it as a dare or a joke.”
“You think I’m like that?”
“No, I suppose not.” I paused. “I kind of, maybe, quite like you too.”
His eyes lit up. “You do?”
I nodded and smiled, kissing his lips. He put his hands on the small of my back and pulled me closer. I wasn’t all that sure what to do, so went along with my instincts, copying him. He placed one hand on the side of my face and broke away slowly, resting his forehead on mine, his eyes still closed. I opened mine and bit my lip. I kissed his cheek then backed away.
He breathed out and opened his eyes, smiling. “So what do you say about being my girlfriend?”
“I say, sure.”
He chuckled and gave me a side hug. “Wow, so um, hey girlfriend. That feels weird to say.”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend?”
“You know that, when we were talking about kissing and I was like ‘I’ve been kissed twice but I was tiny so it doesn’t count’. Remember?”
“Oh, oh yeah.” I nodded, then laughed quietly. “I’d forgotten about that, I was following what you were doing.”
“Maybe I’m naturally an amazing kisser.” he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Don’t ever do that again.” I laughed and stood up, walking over to the diving board. I got ready to jump, then was suddenly pushed into the water by Ryan, who jumped in too. Once I’d surfaced I gave him an evil look and he laughed.
“You scared the shit out of me!”
He continued laughing, so I swam underwater and pulled him under by his feet. I swam back to the surface and swept my bangs out of the way, laughing when he came back up, spluttering.
“Pay back, my friend!”
“I’m so glad you’re not a true girly girl.” he said through gritted teeth, but broke into a smile. I swam over to him and wrapped my legs around his waist. He draped his arms around my shoulders and leaned into kiss me, but I put a finger to his lips.
“Awh, why not?”
“You pushed me off the board.”
“And you yanked me underwater, we’re fair.”
“Yes… but I’m a bitch like that.” I smirked.
He pouted and I laughed. “Don’t do a Brendon on me. It doesn’t work when he does it, so it won’t work when you do it.”
He smiled and leaned into kiss me again, this time I accepted, I just wanted to toy around with him a bit before. I moved my lips in sync with his, a little more confident with it this time round. It helped that he seemed to know what he was doing, even if he didn’t really know.
It also helped that I trusted Ryan. Brendon was probably my best friend out of all my friends, but Ryan was the one I trusted the most. Also the one, if I had to choose, that I would date, so lucky me. (:
His tongue graced my bottom lip, so I went with instinct again and parted my lips, letting him explore my mouth with his tongue, it running across my own. Our tongues massaged each others and I explored his mouth too, my thumb stroking the back of his neck, making the hair stand up.
“What the fuck?” screamed Kat.
I backed away quickly and looked up at her. Ryan blushed madly and swam under water.
“What the hell are you doing?” she hissed, coming closer.
“You know, there’s this thing, it’s called kissing. You should try it some day.”
“Don’t get smart with me.” she spat. “You’re not meant to get kissed, you’re meant to grow old lonely, like Susan Boyle, minus the voice.”
“Thanks?”
She smiled evilly. “Wait till I tell mom, she’ll kill you.”
“For doing what?”
“Sticking your tongue down that freak’s throat.”
“He’s called Ryan, and no I didn’t.”
“Yes you did, I just saw you!”
“Ryan, did you just kiss me?”
“No, I don’t believe I did.” he said, smirking. “I’m gay, anyway.”
“Ugh! I hate you!” she screamed and ran into the house.
He laughed and hugged me from behind. “Your sister is a cow. No offense.”
“No she is, so offend her all you like.”
He smiled and kissed my cheek. “I quite like this kissing thing.”
“Yeah, people should do it more often.” I smirked and kissed his lips once, before swimming away.
I think I could get used to this.