15
More Than You Know
AT THE moment, getting Kendall to forgive him seemed to be the only thing that mattered to Ryan. Kendall was the only person that was important to him, aside from his mother.
Ryan had a rough childhood. He was an angry and explosive kid, but it wasn't his fault. He didn't realize that he was becoming the mirror image of his dead beat-father, and that was the last thing he wanted. The only reason why he became an actor was that he wanted to provide things for his mother that his father couldn't afford. But sometimes his father would use the money that Ryan made as a kid for his own selfish needs. He was an angry drunk and a drug addict. And when he got angry, he'd often take it out on Ryan's mother.
Ryan had vowed to be better than his father, but he was never good at keeping promises. Two nights ago, Ryan saw a little bit of his father in himself. But Kendall seemed to dull Ryan's constant anger at the world. However, when other things got in the way of their relationship, Ryan would lose control.
He needed her.
He needed her to be his, and only his. And he would do anything to make that happen.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan pulled open the coffee shop's glass door and walked in. He immediately spotted Kendall at the register, talking to a woman who looked like she was in her late sixties. She was so immersed in the conversation that she hadn't noticed when Ryan entered.
Kendall said goodbye to the woman with a smile, but her cheery expression faltered when she saw Ryan. Her shock faded just as quickly as it came.
"Welcome to Literature and Lattes. What can I get for you?"
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't act like we're strangers," Ryan clarified.
Kendall sighed. "Fine. How's your hand been doing since you decided to break glass with it?"
She was playing hard to get, and it was obvious. Ryan knew that Kendall couldn't stay angry forever. He just had to find the right words to make her forgive him, and words were an easy thing for Ryan to use. It was all in his tone of voice and facial expressions that could convince people to give him what he wanted.
Acting had taught Ryan a lot, but with Kendall, he didn't have to act. He truly believed that Kendall was good for him, and he was good for Kendall.
Looking down at his bandaged hand, Ryan laughed dryly. "My hand is fine, but I wish we could be. Take your break right now. Just give me five minutes."
The way Ryan looked at Kendall made her heart squeeze. No matter how desperately she tried not to, she finds herself drowning in Ryan's intense gaze. Although they were brown, Ryan's eyes really were beautiful. They closely resembled the color of the coffee that brewed in the coffee shop daily.
Kendall didn't even feel herself move from behind the counter, nor did she feel herself clock out. But now she was with Ryan, standing outside of the small coffee shop. Not a single cloud resided in the sky, and all Ryan could think of was how delicately beautiful Kendall looked in the sunlight. It was as if she were a glittering gem, and Ryan wanted nothing more than to keep her tucked away with him forever.
As she turned to face Ryan, Kendall crossed her arms. "Say what you need to say."
"I'm sorry," Ryan began. "It's just that, since I was a kid, I'd always get angry easily. I was worried because you didn't answer any of my calls or texts, and when I saw you talking to that bartender it set me off."
Ryan gently placed his hands on the sides of Kendall's face. "You mean a lot to me, Kendall Morgan. More than you know."
An involuntary smile began to form on Kendall's lips, and she wanted to kick herself for how forgiving she was. A few sugary words from Ryan was all it took for her to bring her flimsy walls down. She felt pathetic. "Really?" she asked. Ryan nodded and reached into his back pocket. From it, he pulled out a Mercedes-Benz car key and held it out to Kendall. "You got a new car? I'm confused."
Ryan smirked. "I didn't get a new car, but you did." He points to a white Mercedes-Benz G Wagon, which was parallel parked down the street.
Kendall's mouth opened slightly. "You got me . . . a car?"
Ryan's cheerful expression fell. "What? You don't like it?"
"No, no. The car is gorgeous, but I can't take it." Kendall never liked taking things from others. She always preferred to work for everything she had. Although she liked the car, it was too much. And she had already stared saving to buy one herself.
Ryan took Kendall's hand and gingerly placed the keys into it. "I want you to take it. Plus, I already paid it off."
Kendall smiled and shook her head. "What am I ever going to do with you?"
Ryan snaked an arm around Kendall's waist and kissed her. And in this moment, Kendall felt completely and utterly happy.
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"What do I do next?" Kendall asked seriously. It was hard for Ryan not to laugh, because she was covered in rice flour from head to toe. Kendall was good at many things, but neat baking definitely wasn't one of them.
"Add the pink water to the rice flour mixture and stir," Ryan instructed.
Kendall did so attentively as Ryan watched her in admiration. The two were in Ryan's kitchen, and Ryan was teaching Kendall how to make Chapssaltteok. No one had ever shown much interest in Ryan's background, but Kendall wanted to know everything. She was just so inquisitive, and that was one of the many things Ryan liked about her. He also liked the way Kendall's eyes would light up whenever he told her a childhood storyâthe good ones, of courseâor when he told her about his culture's traditions.
As Kendall stirred, she looks over to Ryan. "Your mom taught you how to cook and bake?"
"Mm-hmm." Ryan pushed himself off the counter he was leaning on. "You should go clean up. You have rice flour in your hair," he said, tucking Kendall's hair behind her ear.
Kendall pouted. "I just want to finish this first."
"I'll finish it for you."
"I don't have any other clothes."
"Wear one of my shirts," Ryan suggested, turning Kendall around and gently pushing her towards the stairs. Kendall eventually gave in and headed to Ryan's room.
After making and putting the Korean dessert into a plastic container, Ryan went upstairs to find Kendall asleep in his bed. He smiled fondly and gently brushed his thumb over her cheek.
So precious. If only it could be like this all the time.
Kendall's phone vibrated against the nightstand it was sitting on, creating a loud buzzing sound. Ryan quickly took the phone off the nightstand, checked the caller ID, and scowled before pressing the red 'decline' circle.
"I should really do something about Phoenix," Ryan whispered softly, so soft that his words are almost incoherent. "But she's your best friend, so I'll leave her alone."
No promises.
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