Chapter XXXII

Just like Ryan said, he took Briella out to the new restaurant. Upon their entrance, they were greeted by a waiter.

He was a tall, slender fella. He didn't look any older than 25. He had clear skin and a cleanly shaven face. It was very obvious that he took daily care of his face.

Showing them to their table, he gave both Ryan and Briella a menu each.

"If you need anything more, please don't hesitate to call us. And before I go, do you have anything in mind yet for what you two would like to drink?".

Both Briella and Ryan looked at each other before they both looked at the tall waiter.

"Would it be okay if we were given a bit more time?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, of course. That is no problem at all!". A pause. "Don't hesitate to give me, or any other staff member a shout when you are ready to order!". With that, he walked away.

Not too long passed before they both chose what food they would like to eat and what drinks they'd like to consume.

With the holler of a waiter, they ordered their meals and drinks and not too long passed before they received their desired orders.

Over a light chat and laughter, they both ate their food and drank their drinks.

And just like that, within a click of a finger, their date flew by.

Only when Ryan checked the time did he realise how late it was. He took her out at 4 PM and now it just ticked past 8:15 PM.

"Oh wow!" he exclaimed.

Briella didn't need to ask him why he had such a reaction. She saw him looking down at his watch.

So, instead, she asked him, "I-is everything okay? What's the time?".

"Fifteen minutes past eight.".

"Already!?" Briella replied, widening her eyes.

And within the minutes that followed, Ryan requested the bill.

With a minor argument, in the end, Ryan agreed to split the bill. He paid for Briella's meal as she paid for his.

"How was it?" he asked as they headed out the door.

"Just like every other time I was out with you, it was truly amazing.". A pause. They both stopped a few meters away from the main door. Briella looked into Ryan's eyes as he looked into hers. "Thank you. Thank you so much for taking me out, Ryan.".

He couldn't help but let a small smile grow on his lips as a result of her words. "You are most welcome. For a girl like you, I'd happily fly to the moon and back.".

Instantly, Briella's cheeks reddened. But then she chuckled ever so slightly.

"You'd do that? For a girl like me?".

Ryan froze in his place, looking into Briella's eyes, acknowledging the wicked expression across her face. "What's that look for?".

It was his words that caused Briella to let out another string of laughter. "It's nothing. I was just surprised that you would do something so dangerously useless for a girl like me.".

"Use- what do you mean useless??? Going to the moon will be awesome!" Ryan replied.

"I agree..." Briella began. "But what would you do there? You'd be all alone...".

"W-well..." Ryan began. "It's not like I'd go to the moon...".

"Oh, I know... like, I know what you meant.". A pause. "And it means a lot to me. Your words meant a lot to me. You know, you always know the right things to say, but I am not surprised, you are a writer after all.".

Ryan nodded along to her words. "Stole the words right out of my mouth.".

With that, Ryan wrapped his arm around Briella's shoulder before he walked back to his car. With that, Ryan drove off, dropping off Briella home.

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In the weeks that came, Briella and Ryan sadly got less time to see each other. This was mainly because of the big, final exams that Ryan was preparing for.

But whenever they could, they met up.

"Look at that sunset..." Ryan commented as he sat beside Briella by a tree trunk.

In acknowledgement, Briella nodded. "It looks beautiful...".

The descending sun painted the sky a light yellow to where the fiery blaze was. But moving away, the colour faded to orange before transforming into a light, beautiful shade of blue.

From there, slowly, Briella laid her head onto Ryan's shoulder. Straight after, Ryan rested his head on Briella's light brown hair.

"When are your exams beginning?" Briella asked softly.

"In a week from now. Next Wednesday.".

Then silence descended upon them both for a mere second or two.

"I'm sorry..." Briella voiced.

"Why so?".

"Well..." Briella began. "Because I am interrupting your study time. I feel like I am not letting you get your daily dose of studying.".

Ryan chuckled at her words. "Are you kidding me? Do you know how much time I spend staring at a book? If anything, you are my saviour from going insane. When I am with you, I feel better. Looking into a book for too long gives me headaches. But when I am with you, they go away.".

Ryan's words always left Briella flustered and this time was no exception. She felt her cheeks redden.

"D-do I do that to you?..." She asked, diffidence all so noticeable in her voice.

Once more, Ryan let out a gentle giggle. Then, turning his head, he looked at Briella. As if she could have read his mind, she too looked up at him.

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Ryan responded with a smile still present on his lips.

Lowering her gaze to the ground, she muttered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to...".

"No need to apologise at all. And yes, yes you do. Very much.".

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Slowly, months turned into weeks and weeks turned into days.

Time was slowly running out.

One night, a knock surprised Briella. Opening the door, she was greeted by Ryan.

"Ryan??".

"Good evening. Please do excuse my intrusion at this time of day. Night even. But this is very important.".

Briella widened her eyes ever so slightly at his words. "O-oh? Is everything okay??".

Ryan didn't reply. Instead, he pulled out two tickets before handing one over to Briella.

Confused, Briella couldn't help but ask, "W-what is this??".

"There were the two, final tickets for a musical in the art centre.". Then she heard Ryan chuckled nervously. "I-I was hoping you can come and join me. I know you told me that you like music, so I wanted to surprise you.".

Briella looked back down at the ticket, her gaze landing on the title of the musical. Comprehending the name, her eyes widened.

From there, her eyes returned to Ryan. "M-Music Lovers!? These are tickets for Music Lovers!?!".

Her reaction caused the smile on Ryan's face to turn into a slight frown of worry. "Y-yes. Is that okay?".

"I've been wanting to find and buy a ticket for this for the longest time now!". Briella paused. "H-how did you find them!?".

"I think a more accurate question word would be 'where'?... well, I did have my... own ways...". A small smile grew on his lips. "So? Would you like to go out with me to watch the musical?".

"Ummm YES! B-but I am not ready!!".

"No worries at all. Take your time," Ryan reassured her. "We still have some time before the show begins.".

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And slowly, days turned into hours...

With only days left before Ryan had to leave for University, both Briella and Ryan tried to spend as much time together as possible.

On the final night together, Ryan invited Briella over to spend a night at his place.

"A-a night at your place, a-are you sure, Ryan?".

"I don't plan on us having sex if that's what you were thinking. It's my final night in this city. And I want to spend my final night with you. With you in my arms.". A pause. "Of course, if you want to.".

Though they were talking over a phone call, Briella smiled, as if Ryan could see her through her phone. "Of course I want that. I was just surprised at your sudden invitation to spend a night with you.".

Hours passed, and just as Ryan said, he spent the entirety of Briella's stay at his place with her. They cuddled before falling asleep in each other's arms.

And within hours... Ryan was due to leave for the airport.