Falling for Eternity

I scrunched my eyes, pulling the bed sheets up over my face as sunshine peered through the curtains of my window. Turning onto my side, my eyes travelled to the clock that rested on the bedside table. I groaned, noticing it read 6:45 in bright, red digits. It would have been the perfect time to wake up on a school day, but unfortunately for me, it was only Sunday. I shuffled restlessly, unable to force myself into whatever comfortable position I had been laying in, before finally deciding to get up.

I yawned, running a hand through my hair as I walked lazily into the bathroom. Awaking early - when I didn't need to be - I had noticed, was becoming a regular habitat. I examined my curvy physique in the mirror, turning slowly to each side of my body. Since I quit cheerleading, I had made no attempt to excercise, which I realised needed to change. And even though I hadn't put on any weight, I was determined to keep fit.

After getting changed into appropriate gym wear, I decided to go for a run. Besides, what else was there to do at this time of the morning? I quietly made my way down to the kitchen, where I ate a breakfast bar and took out a bottle of water from the fridge. Then, after making sure and locking the front door behind me, I plugged in my i-pod and took off running.

The weather had seemed to dull down, with the sunshine hiding behind the clouds. There was a cool breeze that I was grateful for and the town was just starting to come alive. I stopped to take a drink of water after passing The Grill, wondering what time it opened for business and if they had a breakfast menu I could sink my teeth into after my workout. Continuing on, I smiled when passing the Salvatore boarding house, knowing with no doubt that Damon would still be wrapped up in bed. I pondered over the idea of sneaking in and joining him, but decided against it when I knew I needed to get through a whole load of studying when I got home.

When reaching the cemetery, I could feel tiny spits of rain hit against my forehead. I had hoped it was just on again, off again showers, but unfortunately for me, today just wasn't my lucky day. I began to run faster, pulling the hood of my zipper over my head when I could feel the rain begin to get heavier. I shivered against the freezing wind, placing my hands in the pockets of my zipper, in any attempt to keep warm. I could hear the slick roll of car wheels a short while in the distance behind me, as they splashed against the wet road.

"Blake!"

I furrowed my brows together, when I heard a familiar husky voice call out to me. Stopping to pause, I turned around to observe my surroundings, only to find nobody around. I shook my head, mumbling incoherently to myself, until I saw a black range rover pull over beside me.

"Blake, jump in!"

It was only then, as the windows were rolled down and I met with the same, emerald green eyes that I once been captivated by, that I realised who had been calling on me. Ryan? Without hesitating, I sent him a quick smile and got in the passenger side, instantly feeling the warmth hitting my skin. "God, you're soaked."He said, turning up the heat.

"And you, are a life saver"I said, pulling the hood of my zipper down. "Thank you."

He smiled warmly, revealing his perfect pearly whites. "It's no problem. How come you're up this early anyway?"He asked, referring to the time that was now 8:15.

"I didn't manage to get back to sleep when I woke up this morning. I've got the sunshine to thank for that actually. How ironic, huh?"

He chuckled lightly, stopping at the first set of red lights we came to.

"What about you?"I asked, "Early riser?"

He cleared his throat, pushing down on the pedal as the red light turned from amber to green, before replying. "Not usually"He said, "I just needed to run some errands."

I inhaled in a breath, basking in the glory of how good it felt to be in the heat, before Ryan continued to speak. "So, I heard about you and Ty. He's pretty devastated."

I bit down onto my lip, before looking out the window to the grey skies and wet pavements that surrounded us. "I don't have any sympathy for cheaters, Ryan. He ruined it all by himself."

I was surprised by how quick he was to agree with me. "I do kind of get where he's coming from though. I mean, if you had been my girlfriend, i'd probably be devastated too."

I smiled awkwardly, but somehow felt a strange array of butterflies flutter in my stomach. "Then again, I wouldn't have cheated on you."He finished, turning the corner to my street.

"Well, thank you again for saving me from the rain. I owe you."I said, once he had safely pulled up outside of the house.

"No, not at all. You're welcome."He replied.

I smiled gratefully, before opening the car door and saying goodbye.

"Blake, hold up."Ryan called, just as I was about to close the door. "Do you mind if I use your house phone for two seconds? I need to make a quick call and my cell battery's just died."

"Oh,"I replied, "No, ofcourse not."

When we approached the front door, I opened it up quickly and wiped my feet on the mat while Ryan still stood outside. "Our phone is just through here"I said, "Come on in."

With that said, he smiled and walked through the door, closing it over behind him. "Thanks."

I walked into the kitchen, noticing there was still a dead silence throughout the house, the way it had been when I had left early this morning. Apparently, I was the only person who had trouble sleeping in this house. I then began to boil the kettle, pulling off my soaking wet zipper in anticipation for a warm cup of coffee. I was about to call Ryan, to ask if he wanted anything until I noticed him already standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Listen, I gotta run, but it was good seeing you."He said, sliding his hand into his jean pocket.

"Alright. Yeah, you too."I replied, as he bit down onto his lower lip.

"If you want to catch up sometime or grab a coffee, then just give me a call."He said, placing a small sheet of white paper onto the kitchen counter.

"Sure, I uh ... we can definitely do that."I said, almost nervously. He smiled, nodding his head towards me, before making his way back down the hall.

Placing my zipper in the laundry basket, I walked towards the sheet of white paper that was sitting on the counter and opened it up to find Ryan's cell number on it, with a note reading 'call me, anytime.' Shrugging my shoulders, I folded it back up and placed it in my pocket, thinking nothing of it. However, it was only as I heard his car engine gear up, and the sound of his wheels splash through the puddles on the road, that it occured to me - I had never once told him where I lived.