Of Diamond Rings and Three Letter Words - Part 1
Ryan/Kelsi - Where Words Fail Music Speaks
Hi everybody! Just quickly, the song included in this song, the song that I listened to constantly when I wrote this is called I'd Rather Be With You by Joshua Radin. I highly recommend listening to it either here on YouTube (can't post the link, it won't let me) or downloading it at my profile. Thanks!
He was going to break up with her. It was purely as simple as that. Her boyfriend of almost four years was going to break up with her in less than two hours. They hadn't seen each other in two weeks because he'd jetted off for his final spring break to Maine with his family while she'd moped miserably about her apartment. Now, he'd met a tall, leggy heiress girl and Kelsi was going out with the trash.
Her fears were only confirmed when he called the night prior and asked to see her in one of the practice rooms within their school. She had an entire 24 hours to freak out, pacing back and forth, wearing the kitchen tiles bare, chewing her bottom lip nervously. She called Gabriella and Gabriella promised it would be fine. Troy in the background agreed wholeheartedly. She called Taylor and Taylor offered to find her someone to help her move her things out, closing the conversation with,'Everything will be fine sweetie,'
At that moment Kelsi gave up. She collapsed on her bed, paralysed with fear, suddenly forgetting how to breathe. She was no Sharpay, she was never one for dramatic Hollywood stories but this time Kelsi knew it was true: losing Ryan was the worst thing that could ever happen to her.
Nevertheless, and albeit nervously she made her way through the Julliard buildings the next night. The entire school was silent and the only noise Kelsi could hear was the rapid thudding of her own pulse in her ears.
Left. Right. In. Out. Left. Right. In. Out.
She cursed her overactive imagination that usually posed beautiful words for her as she pictured scenes in which Ryan had his new girlfriend there in the room with him, or where his father had hired the FBI to take her out so she wouldn't tell anyone anything.
God, she was going crazy!
Kelsi groaned, shaking her head in a fruitless attempt to clear the feverish thoughts. She had to think straight.
Suddenly she came to a halt outside the last room in the hall. The room Ryan had asked to meet her in…the last room she would ever be Ryan Evan's girlfriend in.
Soft strains of guitar came through the door and Kelsi instantly recognized her boyfriend's playing. Some girls knew the sound of their boyfriend's voice, or their boyfriend's laugh but she knew, like the back of her own hand, the sound of her boyfriend's playing.
She took a deep breath, raising a hand to the wood. Now or never.
Gently she rapped her knuckles against the door, desperately trying to still her thumping heart. This was it. This was it. This was it.
'Come in,'
Ryan's voice floated under the door, and releasing the breath she didn't know she'd been holding she pushed it open.
And then she stopped. For a second she believed her heart ceased to beat, and her lungs refused to draw in any fresh air.
'What…' she stuttered uselessly.
The practice room was dark, devoid of any light except for the small candles scattered around the feet of the stool he was sitting on, casting a soft golden aura on everything around it.
'Hey Kels,' her boyfriend said softly.
Kelsi looked up to meet the bright eyes of her boyfriend, perched on a stool, his feet resting on the bar, his guitar poised in his lap.
'Ry?' she gaped, her mind still racing to catch up and comprehend with her body.
Ryan took a deep breath and gave her a smile. Was it nervous? She couldn't tell anymore…
'I…I have something I'd like to give you Kels,' he said, oddly shy and timid.
'Ok…' she breathed, nodding her head, eyes wide.
He inhaled deeply, his chest rising as he did, and then he began to play. His fingers nimbly danced across the strings as he played the familiar notes she heard moments before.
Ryan let his eyes drop closed, and he began to sing, 'Sittin' here on this lonely dock, watch the rain play on the ocean top. All the things I feel I need to say, I can't explain it in any other way,'
Kelsi sighed heavily, her nerves and anxiety washing away with each word he sang. She sunk against the doorframe and with her head cocked, watched him.
'I need to be bold, need to jump in the cold water, need to grow older with a girl like you,'
His clear, honeyed voice flowed over the heartfelt words, and each line danced before her eyes. Her heart swelled and an unbidden, small smile crept to her lips.
'Finally see you were naturally the one to make it so easy when you show me the truth. I'd rather be with you, say you want the same thing to,'
'Ry…' she breathed helplessly. Those words, those beautiful words escaping his mouth, they meant…so much.
He cracked open his brilliant blue eyes and with a warm smile met her gaze lovingly.
'Now here comes the sun to dry the rain. Warm my shoulders and relieve my pain. You're the one thing that I'm missing here, with you beside me I no longer fear,'
She couldn't it help it as her heart positively melted at the hesitant smile that graced his features. The guitar swelled and he brought himself in for the final chorus.
'I need to be bold, need to jump in the cold water, need to grow older with a girl like you. Finally see you were naturally the one to make it so easy when you show me the truth. I'd rather be with you, say you want the same thing too…say you feel the way I do,'
His song finished, and he stilled his hands over the strings. Kelsi wanted to clap or cheer for him but Ryan left her no time. Nimbly getting down off his stool, he approached her, wiping his palms on his pants nervously. He seemed jittery as he reached her and took both her hands in his.
'What did you think?' he asked softly, 'I wrote it for you when I was in Maine. It's certainly not one your compositions but…'
'No! It…it's beautiful Ryan,' she breathed in reply, lost for words, 'It's…beautiful,'
He squeezed her hands and began to sing softly, 'I need to be bold, need to jump in the cold water, need to grow older with a girl like you. Finally see you were naturally the one to make it so easy when you show me the truth. I'd rather be with you. Say you want the same thing too…say you feel the way I do,'
With shaking hands he released her and dropped to one knee.
'Ry…' she said quietly, 'What…'
'Say you feel the way I do,'
He produced a small velvet box from the depth of his pocket and held it open for her. She bit back a gasp, and her eyes widened, 'Ry…' she repeated warningly.
'When I was in Maine Kels,' he began, his voice quavering slightly, 'I spent two whole weeks miserable without you. Without you…nothing seemed to be right, and…and then I realized it. There was nowhere in the world, no one in the world I'd rather be with, every day, for the rest of my life,'
Kelsi looked away from him, her eyes searching out the window beyond his face. She could not cry. She would not cry. She was not a cliché.
'Kels,' he said softly, grasping her chin with lean fingers and making her eyes meet his, 'Kels,'
'No!' she cried, a pathetic sob escaping her mouth, 'Don't make me cry! I'm not supposed to cry!'
'Kels,' he repeated, smiling, 'Would you…please do me the honour of becoming my wife?'
It was then she burst into tears. She dropped to her knees in front of him and clung to him tightly, 'Yes, yes, yes,' she murmured, 'Oh god…Ryan, yes,'
He chuckled into her hair, kissing the top of her head softly. He grasped her left hand again, sliding the ring onto her fourth finger. Kelsi wrapped her arms around him tighter and buried her face in his neck.
He pulled her face away from him and gently brushed a kiss against her lips.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath Kelsi looked back at him, 'Ryan…how…this was…amazing,'
He smiled, 'This was supposed to be amazing moment for you. I wanted to make it special,'
She shook her head, rubbing her eyes, 'I just can't…'
She glanced down at the small shiny diamond nestled on her finger and she sighed, 'Ry…you're…amazing,'
He smiled, kissing her tenderly again, 'All for you,'
Kelsi lifted her eyes up to him hopefully, 'Will you play the song again for me?'
Ryan's face split into a grin, 'Of course,'
He pulled away from her and made his way over to the stool. She followed him, settling behind the piano comfortably. Her boyfriend glanced at her curiously but began to strum anyway.
Carefully, Kelsi listened to delicate music. She began to play along with it, providing a sweet harmony that fell below the tune gently. He sang to her and occasionally she would help him, their voices blending and rising together beautifully.
This was who they were, she realized. The music truly was every fibre of their being. Two simple melodies, pretty alone, strong enough to stand solitary. But when they were combined…they made something special.
Together in synch they played, and Kelsi couldn't bite back the shivers that crawled up her spine. She was never one for clichés, but it was magical.
In hindsight she was right, she mused, after the candles had died out and she was curled in Ryan's arms in front of the piano, when she said before that when she walked into the room it would be the last time she would be Ryan Evan's girlfriend. Now she was Ryan Evan's fiancée. And it felt good.
Et voila!