Only a little longer before Ryan would find his way back into his home town, a place he hadn't seen in a couple years since he left for college. He didn't think he'd be going back so soon and was hoping he could hold off for a little longer, but his mother suckered him into coming home to spend the holidays at home. She usually tried to guilt trip him but this time he kind of did feel a little home sick. He and his mother had been typically close when he was back home but with school work and a job it was particularly hard to keep in touch with her. He felt it was time to make an appearance before she dragged him home by his hair. He had gotten accepted into a school a few states away and was planning on taking a road trip home, but his mother insisted he take a plane to get home quicker and he didn't argue since she told him she was having a Christmas party and inviting pretty much the whole town. Great, everyone would be asking him endless questions about school and criticizing him about being gone for so long and not coming to visit from time to time. He pushed the thoughts of everyone else out of his head and focused on the trip ahead of him.

It wasn't long before Ryan reached the house. Slinging his bag over his shoulder and grabbing the small suitcase from the trunk of the taxi, Ryan walked up to the house only to be greeted by the shorter woman swinging the door open in a dramatic fashion. A squeal came from the older woman before she swung herself onto Ryan, wrapping her arms so tight around the boy's neck he was sure he'd die right then and there.
"Hello, mom." Ryan laughed, dropping his bags on the ground to reciprocate the affection. He really did miss her.
[+red "Ryan! Oh, I've missed you. It's about time you came home!"] the woman giggled, unwrapping her arms from her sons neck and grabbed his suitcase in a hurry. Ryan followed her in to greet his younger brother and then went up to his room to set his stuff down and unpack slightly.

---

The party was beginning. Ryan and his brother helped their mother out with decorations and the food for the party the entire day before. People started flooding in and greeting the family with warm welcomes and as he knew it, criticisms of why he hadn't been there years before for holidays. He laughed a lot of them off and gave some half ass excuse regarding school and a job and they jumped off the subject quickly. As more and more people flooded in, Ryan felt himself feeling a little squished in the house. It was a decent size, but with pretty much the whole town in the house, it was starting to feel a little warm. He walked over to his mom, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a quick smile. "I'm just going to go outside for some air. I wont be long." he assured her, in case she went looking for him. He knew she wouldn't care considering it looked like she was having a fine enough time with all her friends.

Grabbing his jacket, he put it over his shoulders, opening the back door and stepping outside. He took in a deep inhale and closed the door behind him, the breeze felt so nice after being so stuffy. Moving from the door and out of the view of the windows and everyone inside, Ryan grabbed a smoke from his back pocket and lit it, sticking it into his mouth. If his mom found out, she'd smack the life out of him.

The women woke up, the plane alerting it's passengers that they would be landing soon. She was heading home to the place she grew up. She had spent the last few years in college, and the last year traveling around the US. But she knew she was ready to return home for a little while. It was time to see the people she grew up with and show them all the growing up she had done.

From a young age, Autumn had been the quietest girl in town. She was known for that, for being like a mouse. As she went through school, she was able to break that shell and dish out all the things she had been dishing out in her mind. She now didn't hold back much at all, she went from one extreme to the other, but it wasn't all bad. She got what she wanted now, she wasn't walked all over as she was before.

[i Attention passengers, we will be landing shortly. Please buckle your seatbelts and put your trays in the upward position. Thank you for riding with our airline today, we hope you choose to fly with us soon.]

Autumn adjusted her tray in front of her and buckled the seatbelt. She’d be home soon, and she’d be around her old familiar surroundings and old familiar people she hadn’t seen or heard from in years. She looked out the window, watched as the sun began to come up. She looked forward and closed her eyes, smiling. She couldn’t wait to be home.

[center ~]

As Autumn made her way home, she opened the door slowly as her father lowered the newspaper he was reading. [b “Autumn! You’re home! Jenny, Autumn’s home!”] he yelled, alerting his wife that their only daughter was home. Autumn was the youngest of three, with two older brothers who had long but moved out and were now married. Her parents had been living an empty nest life and were so happy their daughter was home at last. [+i “Oh Autumn! We missed you! Get your things upstairs quickly! We are going to a party tonight, the whole town will be there.”] her mother announced as she rushed back to the kitchen to finish baking whatever sweets she was bringing to the party tonight.

Autumn sighed, rolling her eyes as she headed upstairs with her suitcase. She looked at her outfit, a pair of leggings and a maroon sweater, and shrugged, assuming it was nice enough. She waited until her parents called her down to leave for the party, and headed down, making sure she slid her pack of cigarettes, her dirty pleasure, into her pocket before heading out with her mother and father.

[center ~]

After maneuvering around the party for a little while, she needed to get out of here. She had been bombarded with questions of why she never came home for any holidays until now. She brushed it off and turned the question back onto them. She headed out the back door, sighing lightly. The nervous energy that was resting in her chest was lifted as soon she stepped out of the crowded house. With all the commotion, she didn’t even think to ask whose house it was. She made her way away from the door, pulling out her pack of cigarettes, lighting it as well. She took a little bit of a walk, seeing someone also smoking away from the party. She knew him. [+purple “Ryan? Ryan Matthews? Wow, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”] she spoke, a small smile resting on her face. She took a drag of the cigarette in her hand, looking over to him. [+purple “Looks like we both picked up the same bad habit.”] she laughed, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. She couldn’t believe this was Ryan’s house. She had been over his home so many times in high school, and now she was in front of him again. He was still just as handsome as she remembered. Autumn had crushed on Ryan for years, but it never really went anywhere. But now, who knows?

The night was a bit crisp but it felt so good on his face as he stood a little away from the house. He could hear the music and all the commotion in the house and it made him smile. It kind of felt good to be back in this small town. It felt like no one had really left other than him. The same people were still there, celebrating and reminiscing on old days. It felt like he hadn't left at all and things just picked up right back where they had been. One factor had been missing from the equation, however, and it was hard not to think about what she was up to. It was almost like the girl who had gotten away from him, though they didn't have a chance to start anything. They had said they wanted to keep things as friends, for the sake of the friendship. He had feelings for her sure, but he sure as hell didn't want to lose her in case she didn't feel the same way. He decided not to tell her how he felt about her and kept it as friendly as possible. Then they both went off to college in completely different directions. He remembered how hard that talk was and the day they both left. That was years ago, but he still thought about it.

Another cloud of smoke escaped his lips before he heard his name just a few feet away. His heart stopped slightly and in blind panic, he hit the smoke behind his back, turning quickly and looking to see who it was. There she was, standing right in front of him, the girl that got away. "Autumn?" he questioned as if he hadn't recognized her, though he could probably pick her out of a crowd of people. She was still as stunning as she was back in high school, hell even more so. "Wow.." was all he could muster up before he felt the stinging of the smoke that was still in between his fingers. He quickly brought it back to the front of him before shaking off the ash that was piling up on it. "Uh.. Hey!" he stammered, trying to collect his thoughts as she stood right in front of him before she spoke again, seeming to snap his mind right back into this moment. "Sorry, you kind of surprised me.." he managed to speak before he looked down at his feet, trying to act like he wasn't just thinking about her. He had to get it together, this was embarrassing. He looked back up and looked at his smoke as she mentioned their bad habits. A small chuckle came up before he shrugged. "I'm not surprised at that.." he grinned before sticking it back in his mouth and inhaled sharply. "I needed to.. get out here for a second and sneak one in. If my mom knew, she'd probably bury me right now." he spoke, making a fake concerned face. "I didn't think I'd see you." he muttered softly, looking down at her. His heart was pounding hard in his chest he was sure it was going to fly out of it. He knew he was coming off as nervous, but this was a shock to the system.

He felt like he had a million questions to ask her, he wanted to catch up. He'd be here for a few days before heading back but it felt like all these emotions and questions just surfaced. He felt nervous and excited and a little sad all at once. He breathed slowly, trying to calm his scattered brain a little bit. He looked her over, shaking his head at the fact she changed so much, yet still seemed like the same Autumn he grew up with. He missed her, but it felt like it was too soon to say that. "Oh..wanna sit down for a bit? At least until our smokes are done." he chuckled. "It's kinda chilly, we don't have to be out here long." he reassured her, hoping to get a little catching up done before people came looking.

Autumn honestly couldn’t believe that Ryan was right in front of her now. All those years ago, the two had a conversation about how they would always stay friends, but the two had started to lose contact after being apart for so long. In all honesty, Autumn couldn’t just keep Ryan as a friend. She wanted to be more than that, and hearing about girls he liked just broke her heart too much. Of course, she enjoyed talking every day to him, but those small things that reminded her that he wasn’t hers hurt her too much. But now, all those feelings she had years ago flooded her mind. He was right in front of her now. He had been speaking, but she wasn’t paying attention. She was focused on his features that had matured in the years she didn’t see him, but she still remembered his face so well.

Autumn was brought back when he mentioned needing to get out of the house. [+purple “Oh, me too. I could only take so many questions about where I have been for the last few years…”] she laughed, taking another drag and letting the blowing the smoke out slowly, letting the nicotine calm her system. [+purple “Well, I won’t tell if you don’t.”] Autumn teased toward him, a small smirk rested on her lips. [+purple “To be honest, I didn’t think I’d see you either. I didn’t even realize I was at your house until now.”] she laughed lightly, letting her eyes lock with his. She didn’t know why Ryan seemed so nervous, he never seemed nervous before.

As he mentioned sitting, Autumn nodded. She just wanted to sit and talk with him all night long. She’d much rather than have to go back inside and talk to her parent's friends all night. She wanted to hear about all his travels, his time in school, and, most importantly, how long he would be staying here. But she also didn’t want to seem too eager, as she didn’t want to get too attached to Ryan again. [+purple “I’d rather be out here than in there, there are so many people.”] Autumn mentioned, as she always got anxious in large group settings, as Ryan would know from high school. [+purple “So, tell me about school! Really, I want to hear everything.”] she smiled, taking another drag and blew her smoke up into the air, being cautious that no one would see either of them smoking. She used her free hand to run through her hair, pushing it out of her face. She didn’t know how she got so lucky to have found someone she was so comfortable with as soon as she got home. She just hoped they would have the time to catch up properly.

"I know what you mean... I've been getting the same questions... It's annoying.." the male grinned, finishing up his smoke. "Thanks." He laughed, happy the girl would be discreet as her parents probably wouldn't enjoy their daughter smoking either. He rubbed the nub against one of the rocks in the back and tossed it in a place he figured his mother wouldn't see. He had no problem waiting until Autumn was done her smoke before the two wandered back inside. No doubt if his mom saw them together she'd be gushing at the sight of the two of them. She always told him she was a nice girl and he'd be lucky to have her as a girlfriend and he always brushed it off, saying they were simply just friends. He would always get embarrassed when she talked like that, knowing he'd want to start something but never had the guts to take a risk like that.

He chuckled at her comment on not knowing it was his house. She had been there a handful of times, they usually went to her place so he understood, but still found it funny she didn't remember. He was sure he could remember where hers was, then again, it was a while ago. He found them a place to sit, near the fire pit area just off the back deck. A medium sized brick pit with plenty of comfy chairs to sit at. He thought for a moment he should light a fire to indicate he wanted to stay out for a while, but figured that might be too bold. He didn't want his mom or her parents to worry that they were gone for too long. At her mention of too many people around, he nodded his head. He could remember the anxiety school brought her, or even gatherings just smaller than these ones with their friends. She was never comfortable in crowds. "Yeah, she had to go and invite the whole town to this thing.." Ryan smirked.

As they sat, he couldn't help but look at her. He tried to be at least a little cautious with how much he looked at her but it was hard. He just couldn't believe she was right in front of him, and the two already talking as naturally as they were after seeing each other for the first time was so comforting. He was actually far more excited to be home knowing she was around now. "School?" He repeated. "Eh... School is school. A little stressful considering I'm trying to work so I can live on my own too." He laughed, shaking his head at the situation. "I"m just trying to get through it. It's a lot of work." He muttered. He personally always hated school. He didn't get high grades in high school because all he wanted to do was hang out with friends and goof off. He had always been a slight trouble maker but nothing too serious, he just liked joking around. He had really been trying in college though, but he wasn't exactly happy. "You know how it is.. school sucks and it always will. I'll just be happy to get the hell out of there." He laughed. "You? Hows school? How long are you staying here?" he asked. The last question he really wanted to ask, hoping she'd have more than a day or two to stay here.

Autumn followed behind him as he led them to his fire pit. She remembered having bonfires with their friends there, even though Autumn and Ryan would always stay even after all their friends would leave. The two would stay out and be out there until all the embers burned out. There was one time where it was dark and the two had been talking and laughing all night. Their faces were so close in the dark until his mom had made sure the two of them were okay. She was so close to kissing him that night, but after the interruption, she couldn't. Being back here only brought her back to that night, and the night before they left each other for college, when they decided to stay friends.

Autumn listened as he talked about school. She knew Ryan wasn't a fan of school, he'd rather be doing anything else. She knew he tried though, it just had never been his thing. Then, he asked her about the school, and how long she would be here. She hoped the darkness around them would hide the slight blush that dusted her cheeks. He cared how long she would be here, he cared about her. [+purple "Oh, you know. The school is fine. I changed my major though, I'm studying visual art now instead of English."] she smiled. Autumn had always been a talented artist but assumed art wouldn't be a good career choice. After a semester of English, she knew she wouldn't be happy unless she switched to art, which she did and was fully supported by her parents. Now was a difficult question.

The woman took a drag of her cigarette, the terrible habit calming her nerves and anxieties about being around Ryan and all these other people. [+purple "I was actually able to graduate early, considering I was able to place out of the lower level art classes. So, I'm going to get my own place soon and I'll be staying here. What about you? Are you going back soon?"] she asked. She was nervous that Ryan would be leaving soon and they wouldn't be able to spend the time she felt like she needed to with him. She finished her cigarette, making sure to put out the ash, and found somewhere where it wouldn't be seen by his mother.

[+purple "Do you want to go back inside? Or we could stay out here, I missed talking to you."] Autumn said, something pretty bold coming from her. All she wanted was to tell him how she felt, how she still had feelings for him in her deep down, but it had been so long since they had seen each other. He probably had a girlfriend or something at this point. [+purple "Any new girlfriend or anything?"] she asked softly, half not wanting to know the answer. She didn't know what she would do if he was in a relationship, but she didn't want to do anything with him if that was the case either.

Ryan listened to her speak. How he missed these moments with her. When she told him about her changing her major over, he chuckled. "You can't do just one thing, can you?" he smirked a little. He was happy for her and happy she was finding her own path. "That's good, though. I'm happy you stuck with your guns." he chuckled, leaning his head back to look at the cloudless sky. A starry night. How the weather really did go in his favor. When her answer to how long she was staying came up, he looked over at her with a surprised expression. "You're moving back?" he asked. He knew he still had some time in school, but maybe things would change. "That's awesome... " he spoke. When she asked him the same question, he looked down. "Well I still have a bit of time..." he commented, but shrugged his shoulders. "But I don't really know if I want to stay." he commented. Before he would have been fine with going back. Albeit a little homesick, but he never minded but hearing how she was coming back, he hesitated on the thought a little bit. "Honestly, I hate school... It sucks... plus, my brother's buddy's dad owns a labor company... I might just go work for him. Get paid good money and it's not a bad job either." he mentioned. His brother, Jared, worked there too. He got decent pay and was able to afford a place on his own too. "It's something to look into and It's only just outside the town here." he commented. Maybe he could stick around.

When she said she wanted to talk more, he smiled a little and looked towards the fire pit. "Well, if you want... I know my mom said the basement was off limits to guests. It'll be quieter down there." he shrugged. "Then at least we don't have to be around a ton of people and we can still talk and be warm." he chuckled. The basement was furnished and a nice little living room space. "We can turn on the TV and chat down there if you want?" he asked. "Plus I've got the good drinks down there." grinned at her, standing up as an indication to head inside. "If you drink, of course. 'Cause then I got like...I don't know.. Juice or something." he chuckled.

He wanted nothing more than to continue talking to her. He missed her a great deal and wanted to catch up with her more. Moving inside the house, he looked around at everyone. They were all preoccupied with their conversations and their mingling. He caught his mother's eye and all she could do was grin at the boy when she saw who he was hanging out with. He gave her a stern glare and shook his head at her, hoping she wouldn't take this time to embarrass him in front of everyone and in front of Autumn. He looked back at the girl, waiting for her to follow behind him before he opened the door to the basement and walked inside. It was warm in the house thanks to all the bodies and it was a nice place to just get away from everyone in the house.

[+purple "You know me, I can't ever stick with one thing"] Autumn smirked. He did know her, better than anyone else did. Even with years between them, they still remembered everything about each other easily. When Autumn heard he might consider moving back, a small smile crept onto her face. She'd love it if they both lived in the same place again. She missed her friend and was happy that she was able to reconnect so easily with him. It was what she wanted for years.

Autumn rubbed her arms a bit when he asked if she wanted to head inside to the basement. That sounded wonderful, they could still catch up and not be around the large group of people that filled the Matthews house. She nodded following behind him softly. As he mentioned drinks, she smirked. [+purple "Yeah, I drink. You think I would pick up smoking but be against drinking?"] she teased. Autumn could hold her liquor pretty well for a girl of her size and stature, being a short and slim girl.

The basement was warm and cozy, and Autumn kicked off her shoes and curled up onto one of the couches. [+purple "So, where are these 'good drinks' you spoke about?"] she teased, lightly licking her lips. She smiled toward Ryan, having all the feelings that she had for him before rush back into her body. [+purple "So, considering you might be back soon, you must not have anything holding you back? No girlfriend or anything? How are you able to stay single?"] she asked, her cheeks turning a light pink. Her last question clearly made it seem like she was still interested in him, but she attempted to play it off as normal.

As she followed him in, he smiled. He was happy she was going to come with him but knew she'd be down to stick around and not have to be around a bunch of people. "Hey, I don't know.. some people are weird." he smirked at her, watching her get cozy on the couch. He slipped off the jacket he had and the sweater underneath and looked over as she asked about the good drinks. "Coming right up!" he smirked, rubbing his hands together in excitement as he made his way towards the bar. Leaning down to grab the liquor bottles from the fridge, he listened to her speak again, smirking at her question. She wanted to know if he had a girlfriend that bad? Interesting. "A girlfriend? Sorry I was so excited to get inside I forgot you asked that." he laughed. "Oh god no. I think I'm too much of a shithead." he smirked. "I've had girls interested but damn, with school and work there was no way I was getting any relationships in there." he laughed. She was definitely hinting at a little feelings for him and he couldn't deny he had them too after all these years. Being around her kind of bubbled them back up. "I'm assuming the same? No man in your life?" he chuckled, looking up from pouring the drinks for a second.

Once he was done, he came back to the couch, handing her a glass and sat himself down next to her, keeping a distance as not to make things too awkward. "Since you are coming back anyway, I assume not. Unless you've got a relationship here?" he smirked. He knew it probably wasn't a thing considering most of the guys their age weren't exactly her type. Then again, people change but he doubted it anyway. "And if you tell me you do, tell me where he lives cause I'm gonna kill him." he chuckled. He wanted to play it off as that old protective friend he used to be towards her. No guy would be good enough for her. Not only because he had feelings for her but because there was legit no one good enough for her, not even him.

He took a sip from the glass and smiled. "See, good stuff. You know what she's got up there? Wine...and....a little rum for the eggnog." he rolled his eyes. "I've got vodka, rum, whiskey... whatever you want in there. You go ahead if you want." he shrugged. He'd be having a couple drinks. A celebration of a reunion between the two of them he supposed. "Man it's good to be back, though." he chuckled.

Autumn couldn't help as he responded to her question to roll his eyes. [+purple "Oh come on. You aren't [i too] much of a shithead."] she teased. But she agreed with him when he explained about work and school. She had the same problem in school. Between late-night art classes and working in the campus library whenever she didn't have class, Autumn didn't have extra time to date. [+purple "No, no one for me either. And I would never date anyone around here, you know that."] she smirked. The people around here had never been her type, no one she was ever interested in. The only person from her childhood she was interested in was Ryan. She could help but let a small smile rest on her lips, so they both were single. Interesting...

Autumn happily accepted the glass he handed her, taking a small sip. It was strong but tasted good. She definitely needed some liquid courage to loosen up some tonight, and a few of these would do the trick. [+purple "Waaaay better than the wine upstairs."] she laughed, taking another sip. She nodded at his statement, it really was good to be back. Traveling was fun, and she loved seeing the world, but home would always be home. [+purple "I really did miss you, sorry I was so bad at keeping in contact"] she said softly, looking down at her drink. She couldn't tell him it was because it hurt too much to speak to him so far away, but she could tell him she was sorry about it.

The woman shook her head, allowing her emotion to change. She wanted to catch up, not get sad about not being around. She was back now, the past is the past. [+purple "So, what have I missed these past few years? Anything new and exciting happen? The only thing is I got a tattoo, but that's the most exciting thing that's happened. I know you gotta have something, you are the most interesting person I know."] Autumn smiled.

Ryan chuckled at her reply and shook his head. "You know it." He laughed, shurgging his shoulders. When she replied saying she didnt have anyone he smirked. "Is that right?" He smiled. He was happy about her answer. This could be interesting, thats for sure. The both were single, and clearly into each other. All that could wait. He wanted to catch up. "I missed you too..." he said honestly, happy she felt the same. "This is the perfect time to catch up, though" he smiled. Alone with no one coming down to bug them.

He sipped away at his drink and listened to her speak. Nearly spitting it out when she said he was the most interesting person. "You're such a liar.." Ryan laughed, shaking his head at her. "Honestly... beyond working and school.. there wasn't a whole lot I did. Maybe a few nights at a local bar but I wouldn't say my life has been all too exciting." He replied. "I got too drunk one night and ended up in the drunk tank though.." he chuckled. "I guess I accidentally bumped into some bigger brawn than brain guy and he didn't like it. Took a swing at me and punched the wall." He laughed
"I got tossed into the tank though... I didnt even swing back." He grumbled. He wish he had done more, but it truely was a boring time.

Upon hearing about her tattoo, he became intrigued. "A tattoo? Where? What is it?" He smiled, moving his head around as if to look for it. Taking another sip, he waited for her to show him or at least tell him about it. "I didnt know you'd go out and get a tattoo you little rebel" Ryan teased, rubbing at his neck lightly.

(Ok one more off my phone. Its not long but I wanted to reply haha)

Autumn's mouth hung open when he explained the story when he was at the bar. [+purple "See!? You are more interesting than you think. When you are as boring as I am, anything can be exciting. We [i have] to find a time to go to a bar together, now that we are legal!"] she smiled. She knew if they went out to a bar together, they would get into something. Autumn, even as small as she was, would try to fight anyone when she got too drunk. Ryan would probably think it's hilarious, but her drunk mouth has gotten her into some shit at times. [+purple "We could hustle some people in the pool and then we don't even have to pay for drinks."] she laughed, running a hand through her hair.

[+purple "Yeah, I'll show you. You can't make fun of it, okay? I really like it."] Autumn said. [+purple "Oh, and it's on my thigh...so..."] the woman started, and she pulled down from the top of her pants to show off her tattoo on her thigh. She held down the area of her leggings that covered the tattoo, revealing a tattoo of a moon with stars on the side of her thigh. The moon was a black outline with some blues and purple watercolors, around with some diamond-shaped stars that were outlined and filled in the same way. [+purple "You know how much I loved the moon and stars"] she responded.

It was true, Autumn would spend most of her nights laying outside looking at the moon and stars. There was even a time in high school where Autumn and Ryan laid on Autumn's roof, and Autumn would point out the moon and showed off all of the constellations she knew. She would constantly point out the moon if she ever saw it, she always had loved the moon. [+purple "I know it's nothing really cool or anything, but now I want more. I really want to get one of my pieces of art as a tattoo, I think it would be really cool."] she replied. [+purple "I'd like to cover my whole leg, that's the goal."] she smiled, pulling the top of her pants back up to cover it back.

Autumn took her drink, letting the rest of the liquid in the glass slid down her throat. [+purple "Want to teach me a fancy drink? I mostly just drink vodka lemonades but I want to learn something else. Whatever you gave me was really good."] she asked, holding her glass out to him, a smirk resting on her lips.

[https://www.thisistattoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/moon-tattoo-designs-24.jpg Tattoo looks kind of like this with small diamond-like stars around it!]

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, that would be hilarious!" Ryan smirked. "We should, we would show the whole town how dumb we are." he laughed again, taking another chug of his drink. "Everyone would be scared of us if we went out for a drink together." he chuckled and watched her stand up to show him her tattoo. Tilting his head to the side, he wondered what it was going to be. "Make fun of you?" he asked, waiting for the big reveal. Was it embarrassing? Hilarious? He was excited. He sat forward and watched as she pulled her pants down slightly and leaned back again. He felt his face get a little hot but he took a sip of his drink to calm himself before he saw the tattoo. He smiled and tilted his head to the side a little bit. "Why would I make fun of that.." he chuckled. "It's pretty cool." the boy chuckled, looking it over. As she explained how she wanted her whole leg done, he nodded his head. "That would be sweet." he laughed, thinking about her all tattooed up. That probably would drive him even more crazy but he pushed that thought to the back of his head.

Ryan looked up towards her as she asked about making a drink. Rubbing his hands together he nodded his head. Grabbing his glass, he slung the rest of the alcohol back into his mouth and stood up, making his way towards the small bar in the corner of the basement. "Alright!" he smiled. He grabbed things he needed out of the fridge and from behind the bar. "It's not like... hard to mix drinks. I wasn't a bartender or anything I just put together shit I liked and it turned out somehow. You just gotta know flavors.." he smiled, looking at everything he got out. "So what do you like? Mix them together... unless they don't go well together but I'll letcha know." he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's easy, go on."

Autumn blushed as he commented that he liked her tattoo. [+purple "Because you always used to make fun of me, you dork."] she smirked, pushing on his shoulder lightly. They always would playfully make fun of each other before, but they were older and more mature now. She knew he would never make fun of her tattoo in a serious way, just in his usual playfulness. She might have left out the fact that she would be getting more tattoos on her leg the day after Christmas.

Autumn followed him over to the bar, leaning against it with her forearms. She looked at the different mixers and liquors he had brought out. It seemed intimidating at first, but she quickly realized she knew all of the things in front of her. She had tried them one way or another, at a bar or in her dorm room. She started grabbing vodka, putting in a decent amount into her cup. She was careful and particular with what she picked, trying to make something that would taste the best and get her at least a little buzzed. She grabbed some cherry schnapps, adding that along with some lemon-lime soda. Every time she grabbed a new bottle, she'd let her eyes rest on Ryan. This felt just like old times, being able to talk freely with him and just be herself. She really missed doing this.

[+purple "How'd I do?"] Autumn asked, taking the glass in her hands. She took a small sip, making a bit of a face. [+purple "The flavor is good, I just made it a string. Guess I'll get drunk quicker, then."] she laughed, taking another sip. [+purple "Want to try it?"] she asked, walking over to him, holding the glass out to him. She had situated herself pretty close in front of him, one leg out farther in front, brushing against his leg. She could feel the alcohol start to hit her body, reaching out a hand out to the bar, to stabilize her body. She clearly overshot how much she could actually handle, but didn't want Ryan to know that.

Ryan couldn't help but watch her face as she began making some sort of concoction. He watched her reach for a few things and tilted his head slightly. He couldn't figure out what she was going to make but she used a lot of alcohol with what seemed like a splash of chaser. His mouth opened slightly as he looked at her, leaning his back against the counter with his arms folded in front of him. He shook his head and bit at his lower lip. That was going to be a strong drink. He watched her finish up and take a sip of the drink she created. She made a face, which he felt would happen but she claimed it was good. A laugh escaped him as he shook his head. "Oh my god." he laughed again, looking over at her again. Once she held the drink towards him, he looked down at her leg as it brushed against his and instinctively pushed his leg back against hers before watching her hold the bar. Was she wobbling already? He ignored it, letting her still believe she could hold her liquor and shook his head at her, taking the glass from her and sighed slightly. "Alright... let's see how you did." he laughed. He took a sip of whatever she had made and felt a chill run down his spine. Bringing his hand to his mouth he swallowed before laughing. "It tastes like high school when we weren't suppose to drink and we made our drinks ten times too strong." he commented but shrugged. "I missed those days." he joked, taking another sip. "Not bad, though. The taste is nice." he laughed.

He handed the glass back to her and shrugged. "Make me one. Do the same as yours, I like a drink that'll put a little hair on your chest." he laughed, keeping his back against the bar before pushing off slightly. Her leg still on his, he closed the gap between them quickly before moving passed her and towards the freezer. "I think some ice cubes might cut that a little." he smirked, grabbing a bag of ice and putting some into her glass, then his own. He was wondering how the night would go if they kept drinking like this. The party upstairs was still raging on and he assumed no one but his own mother knew the two were downstairs. He was excited to have this time with Autumn.

Autumn smiled, grabbing the bottles she used before. She added a little extra liquor to his drink, just to mess with him. She enjoyed the fact that she was able to get out of questions she didn't want to answer. She had been asked her major too many times and had been answered with some worried responses. The only one whose response was positive was Ryan, which she appreciated. There was no need for anyone to crush her dream, art was her dream and she would do what it takes.

Autumn allowed him to drop ice cubes into their cups, hoping it would help with the amount of alcohol she had put into the glass she was drinking. She finished his drink, handing him the glass. [+purple "It does taste like high school, I agree. Man, remember getting so drunk on a Friday night and trying to sneak by your mom when you'd walk me home, and us pretending we were sober. Those were the days."] she laughed, the two of them had lots of drunk memories. Autumn remembered almost trying to kiss him once but pretended to be doing something else and chicken out at the last minute. She sighed, wishing she could tell him how she felt, but their rekindling friendship was honestly too important to her.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she couldn't help but scrunch her nose at all her sips. [+purple "I have to get more of this down. I want to feel it."] she smiled, taking two or three big gulps of her drink. Her throat burned, but it was a good burn. [+purple "So, what should we do now? Anything else I should know about you I missed out on?"] she asked, lightly tapping her fingers on the bar. [+purple "Maybe some truth or dare? I know, I know, but we are drinking like its high school, might as well get into character."] she teased, running a hand through her hair.

Ryan smiled, taking the drink she handed him and took a sip. It was far stronger than what she made herself. He shook his head at the stinging and exhaled deeply. "You definitely added more alcohol to mine." he chuckled. He had a feeling she did it on purpose but he wasn't by any means mad at it. He could probably hold his liquor a bit better than she could, given their size difference. As she brought up their drunken memories, he laughed at the thought of them. They had been such brats in their earlier years and he was sure they hadn't gotten any better. At this point, he was sure they would revert right back to their crazy old days once they had enough alcohol in his system. "Yeah, those were the days." he joked and took another sip. Ryan looked over at her with a chuckle as she mentioned she wanted to feel the alcohol and looked down at his own drink. "Yeah, I'll probably feel this one soon." he smirked, looking back up towards her.

At the mention of truth or dare, Ryan laughed and shook his head. "Oh god, truth or dare? I haven't even heard of people playing that in so long." he chuckled, looking around already trying to think of things to ask or dare her to do. "Hmm.." he mumbled and rubbed his chin. "Alright that does sound pretty fun.. Let's do it." Ryan commented, tapping his fingers on the glass. He took another big sip, feeling quite confident that he could finish before they started the game. His throat burned but he was enjoying the drink so far. "Ok, one more drink then we can start." he smiled, looking towards her and shrugged. He downed his drink, taking a minute to register the alcohol of it and felt his whole body shaking. "Oh..." he shuddered. "That's so strong.." he laughed before grabbing another quick drink. He decided to keep it a simple rum and coke. "Okay, I'm definitely ready."

Autumn followed suit with Ryan, downing her drink as well. It took her a minute, taking a few big gulps to finish the very strong drink. She made herself her usual drink she likes, a vodka lemonade, adding a normal amount of alcohol, making sure she didn't blackout. She stood up, heading from the bar to the couch, knowing she could fall over at any point. [+purple "I know, I know. I'll get better with practice."] she smiled, pulling her legs up to her chest. She could hear the party upstairs wouldn't be ending any time soon, and it felt so nice to spend time with Ryan again.

Autumn smirked, thinking of all the things to ask him or dare him to do. [+purple "Alright, big shot, truth or dare?"] she asked, taking small sips of her drink now. She couldn't go too hard, considering she would be going home with her parents later tonight. She wondered how far she could push it with Ryan, the alcohol clearly giving her some confidence around him. Ryan was now even more attractive than when they left each other in high school and still had the same personality she adored. She couldn't help but bite her lip as she waited for his response.

They both were affected by the amount of alcohol in their systems. How far would he be okay with going? Where would he draw the line? Their games in high school used to go pretty hard anyway. [+purple "I'm not going easy on you."] she teased.

Ryan settled his body into the couch, half of him against the back of it and half of him against the arm of the couch, tilted slightly towards her. He had his drink on his knee and he felt completely relaxed and in his own element. Looking towards her as she asked him first, he smirked. "Easy on me?" he chuckled. "Good, cause I'm not going easy on you either." he grinned. He hoped this would get crazy. It really did feel like old times. "Hm... let's start this off with some fun." he laughed, taking a sip of his drink. "Dare." he spoke, placing the glass back onto his leg. "And make it good. This is the start." he laughed. He wondered what he would have to do. She was always good at making these things up. He always had issues, but it was always a good time either way.

Ryan waited for her to get him to do something. He had a feeling this night would be a crazy, fun filled, drunk night with his former best friend and he was more than excited to spend this time with Autumn. They had been away from each other for so long and to be able to act like they did before they both separated from each other felt amazing. It was truly a friendship that no one else could live up to. Every friend he had never did compare to their relationship.

Dare, huh? She would have to think of something good, she didn’t want him to think she lost her charm. She had a few truths up her sleeve, but dares were hard to come by. She knew he didn’t have a girlfriend, so any of those things were out. He also couldn’t tell his mom anything, considering they were at a party at his home. She took a sip of her drink, her mind was also becoming fuzzy with the amount she had been drinking that night. She [i could] just ask him to kiss her, but that was even too forward for Autumn, even if she was pretty drunk already.

Autumn tapped her chin, taking another sip. Then she got it. [+purple “Call the last person you hooked up with and talk dirty to them for 10 seconds. But you can’t text or call them back to explain for at least an hour after.”] she said, smirking as she leaned back. She knew Ryan would most likely say yes to anything, so she knew he wouldn’t not do it. Especially something like that, [+purple “Unless you're...scared or something?”] she teased. She knew teasing him would get a rise out of him, and she loved getting a rise out of him. She let a small laugh escape her lips as she took another sip, letting a smirk sit on her lips as she watched him.

[+purple “Get to it.”] she said, sticking her tongue out and sending wink towards him.

Ryan waited for her to think of something, taking a swig from his drink. When she said it, he nearly spit his drink out and looked over at her. "What!" he asked before laughing hard. "Oh my god, you did start off strong!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "Damn that's good." he laughed. "You're going to regret this.. I promise you that." he smirked, leaning back and grabbing his phone from his jean's pocket. Looking down at it, he pondered the thought of who he last hooked up with. It had been a little while since he had, but he remembered after a few seconds. "Oh Jesus.." he sighed before shaking his head. "I hope you're happy, this chick was crazy. She's not going to leave me alone for weeks now." he laughed and shook his head at the thought of having to do this dare. Dialing her number, he looked up at her as it rang, a deep sigh escaping his mouth as he put it on speaker phone so she could hear that he was actually doing it.

[+red "Ryan!"] a shrill squeak sounded from the speaker as the phone picked up. Ryan's face instantly sunk. It had been a drunken night when he hooked up with this girl but she stalked him ever since. "Hey, Carmen." he replied, leaning back into the couch. Oh how he didn't want to do this. "Listen...remember that night...a couple months back." he started. "I've been thinking about it for so long. All I want to do is come back and pin you against the wall again." he spoke, trying his hardest not to laugh. "I just want to touch your body and feel you against me again." he spoke, rolling his eyes at the shit he had to say. He didn't want to get too vulgar and he couldn't really remember what the two had done anyway. "I want you riding on top of me again....Anyway, bye!!" he practically shouted as he realized his 10 seconds were up. He quickly hung up and tossed his phone across the floor onto the other couch. "Damn, she's going to be texting me all night!" he laughed, putting his hands on his face. "I didn't know what to say to her, I can't dirty talk to save my life." he groaned, grabbing his drink and downing half of it after the embarrassing conversation he just hand. "Truth or dare! I'm getting you back for that one!" he chuckled.

Autumn made a face when the shrill high voice came over the phone. She couldn't help but let a silent laugh come across her face as he started to dirty talk. Wow, he was really bad at this. She covered her mouth, not wanting to let the laughs give it away. Just from her voice and the noises that the girl let escape as he spoke, she could tell this girl was [i so] into Ryan. As he threw his phone away, she basically fell into a fit of giggles. [+purple " Seems like you guys had a fun night together. But see? Maybe you shouldn't hook up with crazy people! This seems like a trend for you, remember Jess from high school?"] she mentioned. Jess was a girl in high school that Ryan hooked up with at a party, who basically drove by his house once or twice a day. She used to try and get information from Autumn but soon found a new boy to follow around.

Autumn bit her lip, thinking about what she should choose. She could take the easy way out, but that wasn't how the two of them played. Of course, she'd choose truth later on, but they usually got deep with truths too. [+purple "Okay, dare I guess."] she said, knowing she'd be in for it now. She took a sip of her drink, leaning against the arm of the couch. [+ "And you can't just take mine, that's cheating."] she said, taking a few glups of her drink. She was gonna need it.

Ryan shook his head vigorously. "God .. I know I shouldn't I get stalked." he groaned. "And yes, I remember her. She was the first psycho I accidentally hooked up with.." he rolled his eyes. "I should have learned my lesson but I never do." he commented, looking down at his drink. "And It's all thanks to this." he chuckled, holding up the glass. He took a swig of his drink and exhaled softly. His vision was starting to blur a little bit but he had to remember to keep himself in check tonight. He couldn't get beaten by Autumn out drinking him.

When she mentioned dare, he smiled. He looked around and thought for a moment. "Hmm hmm..." he mumbled, wondering what horrors he should put her through now. "Go upstairs and in front of your mom... fake an orgasm." he smiled, tilting his head to the side. He hoped she would do it loud enough the entire party would hear but he wasn't sure if she would, and he was okay with that. "Or a stranger walking on the street.." he chuckled. "Cause if we do it upstairs, your mom is going to follow us downstairs... but you do have to choose. A complete stranger, AND, you have to get close enough to them.. you can't just hide by the house. At least a few feet apart, do it and then you can come back inside. Or! You can do it upstairs in front of your mom and then we got to deal with that.." he laughed, taking another smaller sip of his alcohol.

[+purple "Seriously?! My mom! Oh, I'm definitely going up to a stranger. I think my mom will think I'm sick or something."] Autumn laughed, rolling her eyes. She downed the rest of her drink, she'd need it for this. [+purple "You have to come outside and make sure the stranger doesn't kill or kidnap me."] she said, taking Ryan's hand and pulling him toward the back door. She knew she'd need a smoke after this, maybe even smoke a joint, that'd be even better. She wondered if Ryan smoke weed too, she'd ask him after.

Autumn looked over, seeing some young-looking guy, about their age, walking his dog down the street. She smirked, following behind him, catching up to him. She started her 'fake orgasm' behind the man. He turned around, giving Autumn a weird look before going over to her. [b "Hey, do you need help? Are you okay?"] he asked. Autumn moaned again, looking up to the man. [+purple "Nope, just practicing."] she giggled, winking before getting up and walking over to Ryan. [+purple "Done."] she smirked, walking past him back inside. The man just walked the girl walk away, before quickly jogging away from the house.

Autumn sighed, a hand running through her hair. [+purple "Ryan, do you smoke weed? I either need a cigarette or a joint."] she said, falling back into the couch. [+purple "Oh yeah, truth or dare?"] she asked, turning her head toward him, their eyes locking.

Ryan laughed at the mention of her mom thinking she was sick. He was loving the fact she picked a stranger over her own mother. "You're funny." he laughed and stood up when she grabbed his hand. "Okay, Okay.. but I don't know if anyone's gonna kidnap you if you make fake orgasm sounds." he joked, following her outside anyways to watch the scene unfold. He looked up to see the unsuspecting victim and covered his mouth with his hand as she ran up to him and did her fake orgasm. It took everything in him not to drop to the ground in laughter but he still had the kneel down and laugh to himself. Listening to her do her orgasm, he shook his head and stood up as she came back to him. "I really hope that's not how you actually sound in bed... oh man, you sounded like you were in pain." he laughed again, covering his mouth to laugh as the man picked up his pace and started running. "He thought you were hurt!!" he laughed loudly, putting a hand on his stomach. As she walked back inside, he followed behind her closely, breathing deeply to try and calm his laughter down a bit. "That was good." he commented, following her downstairs.

At the mention of weed, he smiled and crossed his arms. "Do I smoke weed.." he chuckled, shaking his head. "Hold on." he smiled. Before he moved back up the stairs he bit his lip. "Truth. I'll be right back." he commented. He walked up the stairs, then the other flight up to his room. Grabbing his bag, he picked it up, pulling out a few things before finding the baggie he had to very cleverly sneak away in his bag as to not get caught. He pulled out a couple joints and pulled his sleeve over his hand, moving back downstairs as quick as possible then down the other flight, closing the basement door shut and walked over to the couch, setting the joints on the table. "There ya go." he smiled, leaning against the back of the couch. "Got a truth for me?"

[+purple "Fuck you!"] Autumn said, pushing him lightly.before entering the basement. Autumn watched as he ran upstairs, smiling to herself. He chose truth, and she had the perfect question already lined up. The two of them were pretty dirty anyway, so nothing was really off-limits, not for Autumn anyway. As he returned and handed her a joint, she happily sighed. [+purple "Thank fucking god..."] she said, taking out her lighter. [+purple "Should we go outside?"] she asked, placing it between her lips at first, before taking it in her hands. [+purple "After the truth."] she smiled, placing it back on the table.

[+purple "What's the filthiest fantasy you have, but would never actually go through with?"] Autumn asked, biting her lip. [+purple "You wouldn't even believe me if I told you mine."] she winked, enticing him for him to answer his. [+purple "C'mon, I want to hear all the things you [i wanted] to do to [i Carmeeeeen]."] she teased. She slid closer to him on the couch, the alcohol clearly had taken away her sense of personal space or the fact that she had to pretend there was no attraction between the two of them.

Autumn licked her lips, sitting very close to Ryan. One more scoot over and she'd be on his lap. She ran a hand through her hair, shaking it out as well. [+purple "You tell me, and then we'll go get fucking high."] she smirked, holding up the joint between her two index fingers.

Ryan looked at her as she asked the truth. He bit at his lower lip, taking a moment to think about it. He tapped his cheek lightly and hummed about it. When she moved in closer, he looked towards her, finding her closer than she had been in a while, practically on top of him. He refused to move, wanting to be just as close to her in this moment. "Well.. I'm sure there's dirtier ones." he commented, putting an arm around the back of the couch and looked around. "Mine's not like entirely dirty.. kind of normal really, from what I've heard anyway." he chuckled. "And I definitely don't want to do it to Carmen." he fake shivered.

As he thought, he chuckled lightly, placing his other hand behind his head and rubbed at his neck. "I kind of want to blind fold a girl.. tie her hands behind her back and grab the back of her neck, pushing her against a wall and fuck her from behind." He commented. "Pretty normal in my mind but I haven't gotten the chance.. any girl I find I just don't want to deal with that whole bondage thing... " he sighed. "Then I want to turn her around.. keep her against the wall and pick her up, putting her on my shoulders as I.." he trailed off before laughing a little bit. "I don't know.. pretending to be other people is fun too." he commented. "Like pretend we met at a bar or something, take her home and do all this shit.. like she has no choice." he commented. "But that's just me. Let's go get high...and you're going to have to tell me yours. I'm not letting it go till I know If I wont believe you." he chuckled. "Mine's so standard and boring I bet a ton of people think of that." he rolled his eyes.

Autumn listened to Ryan as she was so close to him. She bit the inside of her cheek as he spoke. Was he really going to tell him that her fantasy was pretty similar to his? She could feel her face get hot, but she looked away to hid it from him. [+purple "Uhuh, super normal..."] she spoke, her voice breaking slightly. [+purple "Yes, please. Let's go get high."] she responded.

The two of them headed outside, hiding behind some trees and far away from the house to allow the smell not to linger. She took the joint in her lips, lighting it up before taking a long drag, handing it to him after she took a drag. As she let out the smoke, her body relaxed. [+purple "Fuck, that feels good."] she smiled. She turned to him, knowing he wouldn't let up about her fantasies. [+purple "Well, to be honest...our fantasies are the same. I really just want someone who will dominate me. Someone I can let go and have someone do whatever they want to me. I feel like I would have to trust the person a lot before I would do it, but it is a fantasy."] she smiled, biting her bottom lip. She found a spot on the ground to sit on, patting next to her for him to join her on the ground. She reached for the joint, feeling like after spilling her secret she needed to get high to let her insecurities float away. She took another puff, handing it back to Ryan. She let it out slowly, her head looking up toward the sky.

[+purple "I've also wanted someone to blow their smoke into my mouth, ya know. But I've never been with anyone who smoked..."] she said, still looking up at the sky while speaking.

Ryan laughed and shrugged. "I don't know.. I thought maybe it was." he chuckled a little bit. "I swear compared to other people's fantasies... that's pretty vanilla." He smirked. He got up and nodded, stretching himself out and walked outside with her. He looked around once they were upstairs. Everyone was still happy and having fun, and he thought that was good. They had no intent on leaving any time soon. He followed Autumn outside, walking with her to a secluded part of the yard. After she took a hoot, he grabbed the joint and brought it to his lips, taking a drag as well and let the weed calm him. He leaned on one leg and exhaled slowly, looking around slowly and smiled. The combination of weed and booze made him feel so good.

As soon as she started speaking, he looked over at her and smirked a little bit, looking back down and handed her the joint back. He processed what she said and exhaled slowly. He sat down beside her and leaned back on one hand, grabbing the joint back and put it into his mouth. When she mentioned she wanted someone to blow smoke into her mouth, he looked over at her and looked back towards the sky. Letting the smoke out, he looked over at her. He bit his lip and smirked a little. Maybe it was too bold of him, but the alcohol was hitting him and he was feeling pretty bold at the moment. "Mhm.." he mumbled, taking another drag before moving closer to her, grabbing her chin and brought her close to him, titling his head slightly and moved in close to her, an inch from her mouth and opened her mouth. He slowly blew the weed smoke into her mouth and waited until it was done before pulling away slowly. "There you go, one fantasy fulfilled." he smirked.

Autumn was happy as she watched the sky, the moon and the stars above were beautiful. She then felt her chin be grabbed, her eyes widened as he pulled her face close to his. She opened her mouth and let the smoke drift into her mouth. She felt her face heated up, a tinge of pink covering her face. He pulled away softly and Autumn honestly couldn't believe he did that. I mean, she did say it was a fantasy of hers. [+purple "You're right."] she said, biting on her bottom lip.

Autumn had dreamed of doing that with someone, she never thought that it would be Ryan. She had hooked up with a couple of people when she was away, but no one who she really trusted or anything that would turn into a real relationship. Autumn made it really hard for people to get close to her, to get past her walls. She worried about giving people the opportunity to hurt her. The last person who was able to do that, break her walls down, was Ryan. It had always been him.

Autumn smirked, hoping to get another rise out of him. [+purple "Do I have to fulfill one of yours now?"] she said, lightly licking her bottom lip. She let him sweat for a minute before responding, [+purple "Don't worry, I'm teasing."] she spoke, even though if he asked her, she would say yes. She took her own drag of the joint, placing her a finger under his chin as she leaned his face close to her, blowing the smoke into his mouth. As she pulled away, she winked at him. [+purple "I thought I should show you why I wanted to do it so much. It's it nice?"] she asked. It was a connection between the two people she enjoyed so much, even better that it was Ryan.

Ryan chuckled as she said that. He wouldn't mind in any sense if she did but he knew it was a little soon for all that to start happen. "Maybe soon." he joked back, laughing lightly as he said it. When she did the same thing, he breathed in softly, keeping himself close to her. When she pulled back, he blew out the second hand smoke and laid back onto his back. "Yeah, that was really nice. I see why you like it." he chuckled. Surprisingly, he hadn't ever thought of that. He liked it a lot. "We should do that more often." he laughed. Putting a hand behind his head, he looked up at the sky, feeling himself sink into the grass. "This is really nice." he commented. He felt like he could sleep outside under the night sky with her right beside him. He liked their banter and he hoped eventually they could fulfill some fantasies together, but for now, he'd settle for some fun games and some good weed and alcohol.

They had dug in pretty deep with each other and he liked that they did. They were grown now and they had different thoughts of different things and now they were sharing them together just like old days. They opened up to each other again and didn't hide a single thing. He never could hide anything anyway. She always found out if he was lying and he couldn't keep it up for too long. She had a way to push it out as quick as she found out he was lying. He looked over at her, feeling his body buzzing from being around her and being under the influence. He didn't want the night to end now. He was having fun with her.

Autumn watched as Ryan leaned back, and she leaned back as well but laid her head on his stomach. This is something they always used to do back in high school, except his stomach used to be a bit softer. He clearly had gained some abs since then, which Autumn didn't mind. She laid one arm across her stomach, which she had also gained some abs since school as well. Being in school and traveling, she picked up a nack for running. She ran every day if she could, but sometimes she skipped a day or two. But it definitely helped her stay fit.

[+purple "I agree. This is really nice."] Autumn smiled, the nostalgia setting in with her. She took a piece of hair in her fingers, twirling it lightly. The cross-fading made her calm but also wanted to get up and run a marathon. But she felt so nice laying with Ryan, she refused to move unless she had to. [+purple "Is it my turn, considering you asked my question back to me? Or is it your turn, cause you technically didn't ask me? Well, I pick truth anyway. Ask away."] she spoke, waving her hand around in the air.

Autumn heard some people from inside start to head outside, hearing talk about starting a fire. [+purple "Fuck. Hide that joint and let's head inside quickly. The party-goers are gonna ruin our fun."] she smirked. She put out their joint, shoving it in her pocket. She grabbed Ryan's hand, lacing their fingers together. She ran with him, putting their heads down. Autumn did trip a bit, Ryan catching her on the way down to the basement. They got inside quickly, running down to the basement. Autumn had to use the wall next to the stairs to make it down without falling. [+purple "Fuck, I'm drunk."] she laughed, plopping down on the couch.

Ryan smiled as she laid her head on his stomach. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, I guess it's my turn, hey...?" he asked, thinking of something to say. As they heard people coming to the back, he scrambled up quickly with her, walking passed everyone and ran down the stairs, catching the girl as she tripped before hysterically laughing. When she plopped back onto the couch, he followed suit, sitting down next to her and leaned deeply into the back of the couch. "Woah." he sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. "That was so close." he commented before laughing again. The thought of them almost getting caught was somewhat funny and a whole lot scary. He didn't want to think of what their parents would do if they found out. He looked over at her and rubbed his chin. "Hmm... truth, hey?" he asked, thinking about what he could ask her.

"What..." he started, rubbing his chin and thinking. "What is the one thing... you've always wanted people to know about you but you were too scared to say. Or like me... what is something you've wanted to tell me." he asked, looking around the room again. "Like... do you have a tail or something? Cause that would be so interesting. I've never seen a human have a tail before." he laughed, putting a hand to his cheek, feeling every ounce of alcohol and weed combining inside him. He was happy and excited yet completely calm.

Autumn sighed as she wiped her own forehead. [+purple "That was close. Thanks for catching me."] she laughed. It was pretty funny, the fact that they two were so drunk and high at this point, they were tripping over their own feet. This felt just like old times, except now all these things were legal. They both may be legally able to drink and smoke, but their parents would be so upset with both of them. Best they kept it a secret for now.

When Ryan asked her what she wanted people to know; what she wanted him to know, she froze. Does she tell him? What was the worst that could happen? Well, he could never want to speak to her again...which was her worst nightmare at this point. But her thoughts were blurred, and she never lied to Ryan, as he never lied to her. He would know if she was lying anyway, so lying was useless.

[+purple "Hmm. Well, I'd like people to know that I am not as innocent as they think I am. I've had sex, I drink, I smoke, I have kinks. Ya know, I just look young and people always think I've never done anything."] Autumn sighed. The hardest thing was next though. [+purple "I don't have a tail, stupid. The thing I've always wanted to tell you is that I had a crush on you basically all through high school. And I didn't want to tell you before we left because I thought it was too late."] Autumn said, avoiding eye contact with him. She didn't lie, she just left out the part that she still had a crush on him. She had to see how he took the first part. She bit her lip lightly, her eyes finally looking up to meet his. [+purple "Well...say something! Please?"] she asked. She was nervous, hoping he didn't kick her out right then and there.

Ryan watched her freeze after he asked the question. He looked over at her and waited her answer. What could it be? Maybe she really did have a tail and he had just guessed it. He laughed that thought off seeing as it would be a VERY rare occurrence and it wasn't in their books. "Spit it out." he chuckled, looking over at her. When she started speaking about not being innocent, he laughed and nodded. "You're telling me. You're kinks are fucked." he joked, knowing full well his were too but he liked it. What she said next wasn't as much of a shock to him. He felt they had chemistry when they were younger, he couldn't deny it. He had the biggest crush on her in high school too and hell it was coming back and hitting him like a bullet train again. He was feeling the stuff he felt back then. It was all bubbling up to the surface again. He couldn't deny he was more than ecstatic upon hearing her actually admit she had this crush on him. That's all that rang in his head now. At the mention of her not wanting to hell him, he knew the feeling. He couldn't tell her either. There was no way the two of them could say how they felt before leaving. They had no choice and a long distance relationship, in a brand new one at that, it would have been doomed from the beginning.

When she demanded he say something, he kept quiet for a little longer. "Jesus..." he mumbled. He was completely joking at this point but he loved bugging her. "You... had a crush on ME?" he asked, giving her a little chuckle. "Well that's a damn shock isn't it... considering I had a massive crush on you in high school too." he admitted. The two of them liked each other but by some stupid twist of fate, they never got to tell each other. "That must be nice to get that off your chest, huh?" he chuckled. "It wasn't the right time... we were going to completely different states just for school. A relationship that new long distance would never have worked." he commented, shaking his head at the situation. He wondered how it would have gone had they told each other sooner.

As he began responded, Autumn wanted to melt into the floor. He had no idea, and she was actually kind of devastated about it. But when she heard the tone of his voice, she realized he was teasing her. Her face when from embarrassed to amused when she realized. When he started speaking and telling her he also had a crush on her in high school, her eyes widened. She always assumed that the chemistry she felt between them was something she made up in her head. She never would have believed that he had any feelings for her too. She assumed that his crush on her most likely faded away after all these years, but her's was slowly creeping back in after seeing him again. They were able to fall back into this sense of normalcy that they had back in high school. She pushed him lightly, a smile resting on her lips.

[+purple "You liked me and you never told me?! But I get it, a relationship at that point wouldn't have worked. Besides, you wouldn't have got to meet Carmen."] Autumn teased. [+purple "You are right, it was nice to get it off my chest after all these years. My mom actually pushed me to try and tell you that night we met up before we left, but I chickened out of it. I didn't know what I would have done if you didn't feel the same way."] Autumn spoke again, pulling her legs underneath her. [+purple "I'm glad we can still talk like this, like no time every past between us."] she smiled toward him, letting her eyes rest on his.

[+purple "Well, truth or dare?"] Autumn asked.

Ryan smiled at her as she began talking. The relationship probably would have gone under had the two of them tried for a long distance relationship. "Yeah, there was just no way we could have made that work...not with how young we were." he shrugged, leaning himself back into the couch with a small sigh. "Ahh don't get me started on Carmen. I wish I hadn't met that one. She's got a few screws loose." he smirked, shaking his head at the thought of that. "That whole situation was...definitely not a good one. I could have gone my whole life not knowing her." he laughed again, placing a hand to his forehead.

He felt a lot better, having her know he had a crush on her as well. He felt like if he hadn't told her, it would have all festered up anyway and it probably would have been revealed tonight, what with their drinking. The liquid courage he had now would have told her anything at this point. He was feeling good and felt like a whole weight had been lifted. He liked the fact she had a crush on him too. He felt like before maybe her feelings had changed but this little bit of time they had together, he felt like maybe some of her feelings were creeping back. He knew his were hitting him like a truck again.

"Hm..." he mumbled as she asked her question. "I will have to go with Dare this time." he smiled, wondering what she had cooked up for him this time.

Autumn hadn't thought of a dare that would suit to Ryan's taste, as if it were anything simple, he'd no doubt tease her for it. She had to think of something good, and something he would have to think about before doing. She rubbed her hands on her thighs, leaning back before an earlier idea entered her head. She smirked toward him, before letting two words slip from her lips.

[+purple "Kiss me."]

Autumn now knew he had a crush on her, at least before he did. The pair had been close to kisses before but something would always happen where it never officially happened. Maybe if this happened between the two of them, they would see if they had any chemistry left. Years between the two, it seemed that no time had passed. But, would it feel the same in an emotional sense.

[+purple "I mean unless you think you have a better dare than that."] Autumn smirked. She adjusted her sitting position, sitting on her knees, letting the upper half of her body come down, holding it up with her hands. She was on all fours now, almost like how a dog would sit down. Autumn honesty had no idea really if he would ever do it, or just redirect to do something different. But, it would be fun to see what would happen. Would it be a gentle kiss, or a rough kiss considering they both had quite a kinky side.

Ryan looked over at her as those words slipped out of her mouth. Kiss her. He knew it would eventually happen. He wasn't sure how he would feel in this moment before hand but right now even the liquid courage seemed to instantly disappear. His eyes were glued to her now. Kiss her? How would he do this. Just go in quick and pull back quickly like a little bitch? Make it sensual like he wanted to? There was so many ways to do this. He bit at his lower lip and watched her change positions. She wanted it and she knew he wanted it so he had to do it. He had to make sure he did it right. He had been waiting for this for a long time. The two never actually got to kiss before and this time, they seemed completely uninterrupted. It was the perfect time to finally kiss her. He couldn't mess up a simple kiss, right? He was nervous though, he felt his heart pumping so hard he felt like it would fly right out of his chest. All he had to do was lean in and kiss her. Simple.

He sat there for a couple seconds more before he moved towards her a little bit, closing the gap between them a little more and leaned towards her. He tilted his head slightly and pushed his lips to hers. He kept them there for a moment before bringing a hand to the side of her neck. He'd start out slowly for their first kiss. He didn't want to get too aggressive right off the bat, he could wait for that. His heart was full blown beating right now and he could feel himself become extremely warm but there was no way he was moving just yet. He had been waiting years for this moment and it was finally here. He wasn't going to give her a peck, this would be a full on kiss.

Autumn's smirk rested on her face as Ryan's eyes were glued to her. She watched his every move, seeing his body tense up when she dared him to kiss her. Years ago, he would have laughed and made some dumb joke before placing a wet kiss on her cheek. Now, he was tense and nervous, something she never really saw in Ryan, not that it was a bad thing. It was kinda cute.

Autumn smiled as he leaned in, her eyes closing softly as the space between them was closed. It was awkward and perfect at the same time, as all first kisses usually were. As the stayed in a spot for a moment, Autumn felt Ryan's hand move to her neck, a shiver went through her body. When he did that, she moved her body closer, letting a hand wrap around his shoulder. She let a hand play with the hair on the back of his hair, a smile coming through as she kissed him. Would keeping the kiss freak him out, she had to see. She pulled him in closer, letting their kiss deepen slightly. She let a small moan escape her lips as their kiss deepened, excited to see his reaction.

As much as she was excited about his reaction, she held back her own feelings of wanting to melt into this kiss, and let him take over. She wanted to hold back her feelings of how amazing it was and how long she had waited for his, in case he was just doing this because she dared him. But she didn't know how long this act would actually last before she was putty in his hands.

Ryan felt her smile against the kiss, causing him to do the same. He didn't let up at all, and felt the two of them relax a little as she put her arm around his shoulder. He kept it going, not wanting to stop any time soon. He didn't want to stop. He was enjoying himself too much. He was almost glad it happened now and not years ago. He felt like if it happened years ago it would just be one of those awkward high school make out sessions where both parties didn't have a damn clue what they were doing. Now they knew. They had enough experience to actually make it not awkward.. well not as awkward. Hearing her moan into the kiss, he instinctively leaned in harder, moving his hand down to her waist and pulled her in a little bit more. His body became warmer when she did that.

It started as a dare but damn if he didn't want to do that well before. He was just happy it escalated to this point in the night. He wasn't going to pull a move unless he knew she would feel the same way about him so he didn't make this weird between them. He was happy she did feel the same way because now he could just let things happen naturally instead of risking a move and being shut down instantly. He kept it going for a moment before pulling back slowly, keeping himself as close to her as possible, his breathing heavy but he tried his best to keep it steady, which he knew he was failing at. Damn it felt good.

As Ryan reached down to her waist and pulled her in harder, it was over for Autumn. She dropped her act, and she knew she just had to enjoy this moment. This is something she had wanted for years, and now she was able to let it happen. The warmth that radiated from his body was comforting as Autumn was basically pressed up against his body now. Letting a hand run down his chest, letting it rest on his torso. He slowly pulled away from her, keeping his head close to hers. They both seemed a bit out of breath now, Autumn smiling. It was everything she had hoped for, and she knew she couldn't wait to do it again.

[+purple "Pretty good dare, huh?"] Autumn spoke through her heavy breathing, a small chuckle escaping as well. She didn't want to move away from her face, being close to him was her favorite thing. She moved in close to him, grabbing his lower lip with her teeth and lightly pulling on it. She released his lip back to him, biting her own lower lip then as well. [+purple "Imagine if either one of our parents caught us? They've been rooting for us for years."] she teased, running a hand through her hair.

Ryan smirked when she spoke. "Best one you've come up with yet.." he chuckled. When she bit his lip, he let out a small groan and exhaled deeply. He was loving every moment of this. When she mentioned their parents, he laughed and nodded his head. "They'd be cheering." he smirked, watching her eyes. "Bunch of weirdos." he chuckled, moving his hand across her back. He kept her body on his, feeling it a bit hard to let her go. He liked the feeling of her against him. He was craving more but he knew he'd have to take it slow. She wasn't just a one night stand. She was far more important to him and he had too much respect for her to push himself on her. Leaning himself against the couch more, he brushed his own hair from his face, looking down at her. "I've been waiting for that for way too long." he admitted, shaking his head at the situation. "It was definitely worth the wait, I'm not going to lie." he chuckled, putting a hand behind his head.

Moving his hand to the back of her head, he played a little with her hair. He didn't want to stop this moment for anything. His head was swimming a little and he didn't know where they would take this whole thing or how fast it was going to go, but he was along for the ride. He'd go along with anything at this point. He had always been wrapped around her finger and now, he felt he was even tighter around her. She could destroy his whole life if she wanted to and he was completely OK with it.

[+purple "I agree. Completely worth the wait."] Autumn smiled. As she leaned against him, she felt a buzz come from her pocket. She looked at her phone, a message from one of her friends from school. A couple of her school friends lived nearby, and they mentioned getting together while they were home. The text mentioned a couple of them going to a club the next night, asking if Autumn wanted to join them and saying she could bring any other friends along if she pleased. She smiled, turning to Ryan.

[+purple "Hey, are you interested in meeting up with some of my friends from school? They invited me to a club tomorrow night and told me to bring whoever else I wanted. We can finally go out like we always wanted to years ago."] Autumn smiled. Autumn really enjoyed her friends from school, she just hoped one person wouldn't be there. James. James had been so interested in Autumn, but she continued to turn him down. Until one night when she was blackout drunk, she had made out with him at a party until her friend pulled her away from him. He had been trying to repeat that night ever since. She knew James lived nearby too, but she just hoped he wouldn't join them.

As she leaned in to kiss Ryan once more, the words she had dreaded rang in her ears. [b "Autumn? Autumn, are you down here?"] her mother spoke, heading down the stairs. She saw the two in close contact, the happiness in her face was unmatched. Autumn all but jumped away from Ryan, allowing some space between them, something she hated now that she was away from him. Autumn's whole face turned a dark shade of pink. [b "Oh my goodness, the two of you! Autumn, we're heading home. Actually, we're the only ones left here. Ryan, you're mom would like you to help her clean up upstairs."] Autumn's mom spoke. Those words were the worst thing Autumn could think of hearing. She normally would have asked Ryan to walk her home later on, but knowing his mom wanted him, she knew that probably was out of the question. Autumn turned to Ryan, a disappointed look covered her face.

Ryan smiled when she invited him out with her friends. He thought it would be a good idea to meet her friends, especially since they would be pretty close again. "Yeah, that's a good idea." he smiled. "I think it'd be a good idea to meet your friends." he commented, looking down at her as she leaned in. Once her mother came down, he looked over towards the stairs, his face becoming hot once more and felt Autumn jump away from him in panic. He sat up a little on the couch and looked towards her mother as she commented on them together. He bit at his lower lip a little and listened to her tell Autumn they were headed home. A bit of a disappointing feeling rushed through him. He wanted more time, but he supposed they had a while since the two were here for a bit. He looked over at her and saw the look on her face before chuckling. "We have tomorrow." he commented, hoping she wouldn't be as upset as he pointed that out. "I'll walk you to the door." he smiled, standing up and straightening himself out.

He didn't want her to leave, but he kept thinking about tomorrow night. He walked them to the door, saying his goodbyes and watching as they walked out for the night. It felt like the night had gone by so fast, yet it had been quite a decent party. He watched Autumn walk off and closed the door, smiling a little as he did. His mother came up with a garbage bag, looking at the smile on her son's face and lit up a bit. [+r "Did you have a good night? I didn't even see you."] she commented, having a strange odd feeling he had a pretty good night himself. Ryan looked up at her and smiled again. "Stop." he chuckled, helping his mom clean up the house before going upstairs to get ready for bed. It had been a good night and now he was extremely tired. He was excited for the next night. He could see Autumn again and meet some of her friends from school. He was just excited to see her again.

As Autumn got home, she quickly got ready for bed. All she could think about was Ryan; how they were so fast to become comfortable again, how more handsome he became as the years passed, how soft his lips had been. She was excited to see him again the next day and how he was going to meet her friends. She never had to introduce Ryan to anyone, as they had been friends with the same people. Her friends had heard stories about Ryan, but she hoped they wouldn't bring it up too much. She hoped it would go smoothly, as long as James didn't show up. But he always did somehow.

The next day came quickly, and Autumn's head felt like it would explode. She was hungover more than ever before, and the weed from last night wasn't helping at all. She opened the window of her bedroom, lighting a cigarette to help a bit with her hangover. She sighed, allowing the nicotine to calm her body. She smiled, remembering she would be seeing Ryan again today. Yesterday was a blur, but she remembered everything. Their game of truth and dare, smoking a blunt outside under the stars, dodging the groups from the party, the kiss...it was a night she didn't think she could ever remember.

Autumn grabbed her phone, hoping his number she had was still the same. [+purple [i Hey! I had a great time last night, I hope your hangover isn't as bad as mine. Do you want to grab some hangover cure breakfast at our favorite diner?]] She sent her text, quickly getting dressed in some black pants and a cropped lavender sweater, wanted to show off a bit of her figure to Ryan. She was in a bulky sweater and leggings last night, and now she had on a pair of tight black jeans and the sweater showed off her décolletage and most of her stomach. She waited for his response to her message, and if he agreed, she'd head off to meet him.

Ryan got up the next morning. His head pounding but at least his stomach wasn't doing flips. He could deal with a headache. He got out of bed slowly, making his way down the stairs to greet his mother in the kitchen and grabbing a cup of coffee. He sat at the table, listening to his mom go off about whatever news was happening in the world that she had seen this morning and talking about her party. As she left to go upstairs to shower and get ready for her day of no doubt doing errands and getting the house in perfect condition for the holidays that were just ahead, he walked outside quietly, seating himself down on the stairs of the deck and lit up a smoke. He let it calm his body down before going back inside and grabbing an Advil. It wasn't long before the boy hopped into the shower to wash the smoke smell and the hangover off himself.

Once out, he dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a white tee, pulling a light gray hoodie over himself to keep warm in the weather. He looked down at his phone as it vibrated, a smile appearing instantly on his face as he saw who it was from and what it said. He replied, agreeing to meeting her at their favorite restaurant and walked downstairs, grabbing his keys. He said a quick goodbye to his mom and walked out of the door, getting into his car and driving off to their diner. Once there, he parked, looked for her car and walked in to get them a table, seeing as he was there first. He was excited to see her again. He couldn't wait to spend breakfast with her.

As she got the message that Ryan agreed, she smiled. As she headed downstairs, her mom started to speak about all the things they had planned since she'd be home. [+purple "Oh, that sounds great mom! Just, not today. I have plans to meet Ryan this morning, and we are heading out tonight with some friends from college. Soon though, I promise!"] she said, smiling. Her mom smiled back, knowing her daughter would keep her promises. Christmas had always been Autumn's favorite holiday, despite her name. She enjoyed the festivities that came along with it, but she needed time to readjust to the town.

Autumn hoped into her small black car, heading over to their favorite diner. They had many late-night visits here, and many early mornings before school here as well. She saw his car already parked and headed in to see him seated at [i their] table. They always sat at the same table in the corner, so she knew where he would be anyway. She sat down at the table, and couldn't help but smile toward him. The liquid courage from last night wasn't in her system anymore, so she was a bit more nervous. [+purple "Hey"] was all she could manage to say. The waitress dropped some menus on their table, asking for their drink orders. [+purple "Coffee please."] she managed to squeak out. She couldn't believe she was so nervous. She swallowed the lump in her throat, taking a deep breath. [+purple "Sorry."] she said, embarrassed, rubbing the back of her neck.

Ryan waited patiently for her. He didn't order just yet, wanting to wait for her to get there before he did. He wasn't even sure what she liked anymore. He tapped his fingers on the table and looked around as he waited. Then he looked up as she came in. He felt nervous for weird reasons. He was assuming because they were sober now and he still remembered them kissing the night before. He was excited and nervous all at the same time. As she walked towards him, he looked her up and down, biting down on his lower lip softly and exhaled slowly. She was so damn beautiful and her figure was his kind of perfect. Leaning back against the bench seat, he smiled up at her as she greeted him and sat down. He could tell she was just as nervous so that made him feel a little bit better about everything. As she ordered, he looked up towards the waitress and nodded his head. "A coffee for me too please." he spoke before looking across the table at her. He would keep it light, as he usually did.

"What a night." he began, giving a small chuckle before rubbing his temples. "I'm a little hungover... a headache mostly." he shrugged, breathing in softly before opening the menu to see what he wanted. "I think food will help though." he spoke again, feeling himself slowly become awkward again, even though he didn't want to. "So, where are we going tonight?" he asked, not wanting them to sit in awkward silences. He looked back up at her, leaning his chin on an open hand. "I'm pretty excited to meet your friends too." he smiled.

As Ryan started speaking, Autumn could feel herself relaxing. [+purple "Yeah, I think I outdrank you last night though. My head is pounding and the dry mouth isn't the best either."] she spoke softly, laughing. She opened the menu as well, already knowing what she was getting. She wanted to make sure her favorite item was still on the menu and she smiled as she found it. It was a breakfast skillet, all of the best parts of breakfast sat on top of a layer of potatoes. Even after visiting every diner near her school, no one had her favorite dish. She had been thinking about it since she came into town.

[+purple "Oh, tonight. I think they wanted to go to Lyghts. I think that girl Rachel from highschool had rented it out once for a party, remember?"] she spoke. They had only been invited to this rich girl Rachel's party was because she wanted as many people there as possible, and who would reject a rich girl party. They ended up making fun of all the extra things she had done, like come out of a clamshell.

[+purple "Should be fun. I think you'll like my friends, not sure exactly who will be there, but I do know Emma and Finn will be there."] Autumn spoke. The woman placed down the two coffees and asked for their orders. [+purple "Oh, the breakfast skillet please."] she ordered eagerly. [+purple "My favorite"] she smiled toward Ryan. She allowed him to order, and wrapped her hands around the coffee mug, taking a sip before adding a bit of cream and sugar before stirring and taking another sip.