I really should tell them. I'm sure they'd want to know. I mean, if it were me, I'd want to know my only daughter had been accepted as an intern to Seventeen magazine in New York City, at the other end of the country. As far as they knew, I was still going to be working at my father's real estate agency, living only thirty minutes away from them. I sighed and folded the paper of my dreams and placed it back on my dresser. Today wasn't the day to tell them. I would do it another time. I had three months to break it to them, and then they had three months of summer to get over it. Six months was a long time. I was sure everything would end up okay. I decided to wait to tell them. This was a family picnic and big family gatherings like this one had enough drama included. Extra chaos and stress would only ruin the day.
"Rachel! Rachel!" My ten-year-old cousin, Abigail, ran towards me, her blonde pigtails swaying behind her. She was being chased by the man who made my heart skip a beat. Ryan Anderson, the Prince Charming in my fairytale life. The curly blonde-haired girl quickly hid behind my legs, trying to stifle the giggles that were rumbling up her throat. I laughed as Ryan approached me. He was my type, as my mother would say. Tall, blonde and handsome. He had these piercing blue eyes that could stun anyone or anything in his path. His smile was so wide and so bright, covering up my bad mood or sadness any day. He was my dream come true.
"Have you seen a ten-year-old...about this tall?" He asked me and motioned with his hand to Abigail's height. He knew perfectly well she was standing right behind me.
"Nope, I'm sorry, I haven't," I shrugged playfully. He laughed and rubbed his chin, as if he were in deep thought.
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to take you hostage, Miss. I hope you don't mind," he smiled and picked me up off my feet as if I were a baby or something. I laughed hysterically as Abigail attacked his legs, ordering him to put me down and let me go. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he cradled me in his arms.
"Ryan! Put Rachel down!" Abigail yelled furiously as she charged his legs over and over again. She rammed her head into his knee caps until we both fell down laughing to the sand below us. I fell on top of his chest and he fell laughing on his back.
"Oh! Are you okay?" I laughed as I lifted my head from his chest. His chest heaved with laughter as he nodded. "That was kind of a hard hit." I couldn't stop laughing.
"Nah, she's only ten," he laughed. I could tell he was trying to catch his breath, no matter how old she was. "I'll live."
"Okay, you two love birds," I heard my mom from behind us. I laughed and rolled off Ryan. We helped each other up and smiled at my mom. She was the perfect mother, the perfect wife, and the perfect neighbor. Her shoulder-legnth blonde hair sat perfectly on her shoulders, a little gray creeping out at her roots. Her big blue eyes could read a person in a matter of seconds. God knows she read Ryan when I first brought him home. Good thing, for me, at least, was that she fell in love with him. Sometimes I think she's more in love with him than I am.
"Dinner!" Dad yelled from the grill. I smiled and hurried over to the picnic table where Abigail was climbing onto the seat. We all grabbed a plate and began to fix food for each other.
"I have something I need to talk to you about later," Ryan whispered in my ear seductively as we both made our plates. I looked deeply into his eyes, looking for a hint or clue as to what it was he wanted to talk about.
"Is everything okay?" I asked him. He nodded and smiled. It reassured me enough. I couldn't help but look in my parents' direction and see cheesey grins planted firmly on their faces. "Is there something wrong?" I asked them. They both shook their heads no. I frowned and laughed, but kept the buffet line moving along.
"Uncle Ryan, help me make my plate!" Abigail exclaimed and tugged on his pant leg. He laughed and took the plate from her hands. My heart nearly stopped. She had just called him Uncle Ryan and I wasn't sure if I was happy or scared by that.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is my second fan fiction I've started on this site. My first isn't completed yet, I'm hoping to return to that one as well as work on this one. Please R&R!
