#Washington College

[dulaff16]

Visited my old college stomping grounds last weekend. I love Chestertown❤️

And if u know what that drink I’m holding is I assume you’ve spoken to the parrot too

[nhlclover]

THE ALCHEMY RYAN LEONARD

pairing: fem!reader x ryan leonard

summary: you find a brief moment to celebrate usa's world juniors win with ryan.

warnings: a kiss, mentions of drinking if you stare hard enough

wc: 1.12k

notes: based on 'the alchemy' by taylor swift. i borrowed some of their dialogue from taylor and travis when he won the superbowl lol

The crowd roared to life as you watched Teddy slip the puck between the goalie's legs, sealing USA’s fate. Your section in the stands, filled with red, white, and blue, erupted in chaos. Flags waved, strangers embraced, and the players on the ice flung themselves into each other’s arms, collapsing into a pile of triumphant disbelief. Around you, Ryan’s family whooped and cheered, his mom hugging you so tightly it almost hurt. The other families were just as exuberant, crying, laughing, high-fiving—caught up in the magic of a moment their boys had dreamed about for years.

Your eyes found Ryan in the chaos on the ice, wrapped up in a hug with the goal scorer himself. He had ripped his helmet off, his hair wild and sweat-soaked, his grin splitting his face in half. You watched as the celebration continued down on the ice, as the boys were presented with their medals and then the trophy.

When the fanfare wrapped up, you joined the spectators slowly making their way out of the stands. Eventually, you parted with Ryan's family and the rest of the crowd, deciding to meet them later for a private celebration. You couldn’t resist the pull to head down toward the tunnels, wanting just a glimpse of Ryan before the night spiralled into press conferences and parties. The labyrinthine halls of the arena were buzzing with activity — staff rushing by, reporters setting up, and muffled music echoing from deeper within.

As you approached the locker room, the thumping bass grew louder, paired with whoops and laughter. You paused just outside the door, your hand hovering near the handle. The music inside was deafening, a mix of victory chants and celebratory anthems. You could hear Ryan’s voice among them, loud and carefree, shouting along with his teammates.

You hesitated, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth. This was his moment, winning gold as captain of the team. Did you really want to interrupt? The thought of stepping inside and breaking the magic of their celebration made you falter. It would be better if you caught up with him later when things had calmed down.

You turned to leave, only to catch Teddy coming around the corner, still in partial gear and clearly riding the high of the win.

“Y/n!” Teddy’s voice boomed, and before you could react, he had scooped you into a bear hug, his gear still cold and damp from the ice.

You laughed, feeling your feet touch the ground once again. “Congratulations, Teddy!” you laughed. “It was pretty incredible. You even had Canadian fans on their feet.”

Teddy beamed at the praise, running a hand through his damp hair. “Yeah, I’ll probably never shut up about that one,” he joked. Then his expression shifted, more mischievous. “Hey, you should come in. Ryan would love to see you right now.”

You hesitated, glancing toward the door. “I don’t want to get in the way.”

“Get in the way?” Teddy snorted. “Trust me, you walking in there will be the highlight of his night. And that’s saying something, considering we just won gold.”

Before you could overthink it, Teddy had slung an arm around your shoulder and was guiding you toward the locker room. The second the door opened, a wave of noise hit you — shouting, laughter, music. The air was thick with triumph and joy, the kind of euphoria that only comes from achieving something extraordinary.

Your eyes widened at the scene. The boys were a chaotic mess, still half in their gear, some holding beers, others swinging their medals around like trophies in themselves. And then you spotted Ryan.

He was at the center of it all, being hoisted up on the shoulders of his teammates, the gold medal around his neck gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. The guys around him chanted for him, their voices hoarse as they celebrated their leader.

“CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!”

Your heart swelled at the sight of him, so unapologetically happy. He deserved every second of this. When they finally let him down, he stumbled slightly, laughing as his teammates patted his back and messed up his hair. Then, as if sensing you somehow, his eyes darted toward the door.

The second he saw you, his expression shifted. His grin widened, and he broke into a sprint, dodging teammates and abandoned gear until he reached you. Before you could even speak, he had his arms around you, lifting you off your feet and spinning you in a circle.

“Thank you for coming baby,” he said into your ear so only you could hear, despite the prying eyes of his teammates. “You’re the best. The absolute best.”

He held you tightly against his heaving chest, holding you as if he couldn’t believe you were quite real. He pulled back, only slightly, brushing his lips against yours. You kissed him back, and not a quick peck — the kind of kiss made the room disappear and time stand still. The noise around you faded, and all you could feel was him.

The jeers and whistling from his teammates broke into your little moment, you burying your head in Ryan’s shoulder as he told the boys to pipe down. “Save it for later, Cap!” Cole hollered, earning a loud chorus of cheers.

Ryan leaned his head down to you, his breath warm and uneven against your ear. He chuckled, his voice low and full of affection. “They're the worst,” he murmured, though you could hear his grin as he spoke, betraying his fondness for his teammates.

His hand slid down to take yours, his thumb brushing over your knuckles, which made you pull your head back out of his shoulder. He lifted your hand to his lips, kissing the back of it softly, a gesture so tender it made your chest ache. “I’ve got to handle the press and celebrate with the guys for a bit,” he said, his voice apologetic. “But I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

You nodded, smiling up at him. “Of course. I’ll be with your family in the meantime.”

He hesitated for just a beat, as if reluctant to let go. “I love you,” he said, his voice steady and full of certainty, even amidst the chaos around you.

Your heart swelled. “I love you too,” you replied, squeezing his hand before letting him go.

Ryan lingered for a moment longer, his eyes holding yours as if committing this moment to memory. Then, with one last grin, he turned and disappeared back into the locker room chaos. You watched him go, your cheeks aching from smiling so much. As you made your way back through the winding halls toward the stands, the distant sounds of celebration faded into the background.

[muhlcentral]

crying i miss this trio together so bad

[mysharona1987]

[mitproblem]

jossam moodboard. what they should've gotten

[boqvistsbabe]

Feeling very patriotic right now 🦅🦅🦅

[frommylimitedtravels]

Fall is getting ready to turn into winter

[samanthasgone]

Credit: br_openice

[orofeaiel]

Happy Holidays from the Forest 🎄

[beauty-funny-trippy]

[hoopster321]

The chokehold TruFru has on these players needs to be studied 😭

Insta Story credits: Emily Engstler

[dream1earth]

What a wonderful time, last night 🥳🫧😘

[nhlclover]

AFTERGLOW RYAN LEONARD

pairing: fem!reader x ryan leonard

summary: a misunderstanding drives you to a island of isolation, making you question yours and ryan's relationship.

warnings: mentions of cheating/unfaithfulness, self-isolation, crying

wc: 2.34k

notes: based on 'afterglow' by taylor swift. i love me some angst with a happy ending😋

You hadn’t meant to see it. That’s what you told yourself over and over again. It wasn’t snooping. 

His phone had lit up beside you on the couch while Ryan was in the kitchen getting drinks. It was instinct, really — just a glance at the sudden brightness in your peripheral vision. But your eyes betrayed you, catching enough of the notification to make your chest tighten.

Brooke Last night was fun! Let’s do it again soon :)

The name hung in your mind, unfamiliar and somehow venomous. Brooke. Not a classmate he’d mentioned, not one of the guys’s girlfriends. You tried to shake it off, reminding yourself that Ryan was the most solid, trustworthy man you’d ever known, but curiosity — or was it paranoia? — itched beneath your skin.

You quickly stood, frantically gathering your belongings and shoving them into your bag. You called out to Ryan, telling him you weren’t feeling well and you were going to head back to your dorm. He’d rushed out of the kitchen, catching you just as you were shoving your feet in your boots. 

“A-are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine, just need some rest,” you reassured him, hoping he’d buy your flimsy excuse. The door was open and shut, with you on the other side before Ryan could ask another question. 

The spiral began as soon as you left his apartment. Every glance at your phone felt like a reminder of what you hadn’t asked, hadn’t confronted. You replayed every moment of your relationship in your mind, searching for signs you might have missed. Had he seemed distant? Had he started texting more? Was he pulling away from you?

It wasn’t deliberate at first — not entirely. You told yourself you just needed time to think, to calm down, to process. But each day stretched into the next, the unanswered texts piling up. Hey, is something wrong? turned into Did I do something? and finally Can we please talk? Your heart broke a little more with every message you ignored.

You stopped going to his games, too — a first since you’d started dating. You simply couldn’t bear the thought of sitting in the stands, watching him skate across the ice, wondering if Brooke was sitting somewhere else in the crowd. The thought of it all felt insurmountable. So you stayed home, your own guilt a quiet, gnawing threat.

Ryan’s friends noticed. Of course they did. You’d all become close since you and Ryan started dating, and the change in your behaviours and your absence from games was glaring. Practices were off — Ryan was missing passes, his shots lacked precision, and his usual easy laughter in the locker room was conspicuously absent.

Gabe had always been the observant one, the kind of guy who noticed when something was off long before anyone else caught on. So it didn’t surprise you when he showed up at the library one afternoon, a concerned look etched into his usually easygoing face.

He slid into the seat across from you, ignoring the pile of books and papers scattered in front of you. You tried to put on a smile, but it felt weak, forced.

“How’s it going?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m fine,” you replied, the words coming out automatically. You were fine. You just needed to figure things out, that’s all. You forced yourself to focus on the open textbook in front of you, but Gabe wasn’t buying it.

Gabe leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I know that’s not true,” he said bluntly. “And before you say anything, I’m not here to grill you or get in the middle of anything. But Ryan’s a mess.”

That got your attention. You looked up, heart thudding uncomfortably in your chest. “What do you mean?”

“He’s barely talking to anyone. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. And on the ice?” Gabe shook his head. “He’s not Ryan. He’s off—like, really off. It’s like his head’s not in the game at all.”

Guilt twisted in your stomach, sharp and unrelenting. “I didn’t mean for—” You stopped yourself, biting your lip. “It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Gabe said. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you two. And it’s none of my business. But I do know Ryan’s not the kind of guy who lets just anything mess him up like this. He cares about you. A lot.”

You finally let out a shaky breath, trying to steady your emotions. “I found a message on his phone. From someone named Brooke.”

Gabe’s expression morphed into confusion. “Brooke?” he repeated, frowning. “Who the hell is that?”

You shook your head, feeling the familiar ache in your chest. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard him mention her. And the message... it felt... off. Like something was going on that I didn’t know about.”

Gabe’s brow furrowed as he processed your words. “But Ryan? I can’t see him doing that to you. He’s... he’s not like that. Trust me.”

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” you whispered, the weight of the situation pressing down on you. “I can’t just ignore it, Gabe.”

Gabe sat back, tapping his fingers on the table as he thought. “Look, I don’t have all the answers, but you need to talk to him. Maybe there’s a reason for all this. Maybe there’s something you don’t know. But shutting him out isn’t going to help either of you.”

You felt torn. You wanted to believe Gabe, to believe in Ryan and the love you shared. But part of you was terrified of confronting him, of facing the possibility that your fears were real.

“I don’t know if I can,” you admitted, your voice barely a whisper.

Gabe studied you for a long moment before leaning forward again, his voice steady but insistent. “You can. You’re stronger than you think, and this — whatever it is — it’s eating both of you alive. Friendsgiving is at my place, Wednesday night. Ryan’s going to be there, and so are you. No excuses.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but Gabe raised a hand to stop you. “I’m serious. You don’t even have to talk to him there if you’re not ready. But seeing each other in person? That’s the first step. Take it.”

The next evening, you found yourself hesitating on the porch of Gabe’s house, the soft hum of laughter and conversation drifting out through the windows. Your stomach churned with nerves as you clutched the bottles of wine you brought, the glass cool and grounding against your fingers. You hadn’t seen Ryan in weeks. You didn’t even know how to begin to bridge the chasm that had grown between you.

Before you could turn and flee, Gabe opened the door, grinning like he’d been waiting for you. “There she is! Get in here, we’re just getting started.”

The warmth of the house wrapped around you as you stepped inside, your heart pounding. The inside was warm and chaotic in the way only Friendsgiving could be — mismatched chairs pulled around a too-small table, dishes precariously balanced in a potluck array, laughter and voices overlapping in the candlelight.

You caught sight of Ryan the moment you stepped through the door, standing near the kitchen with a beer in hand. His eyes met yours briefly, widening in surprise. He looked tired — pale, shadows under his eyes, and his usual easy confidence replaced by something far more hesitant. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Jacob intercepted him, clapping a hand on his shoulder and pulling him into a conversation.

Throughout dinner, you found yourself hyper-aware of Ryan’s presence at the opposite end of the table. Occasionally, your eyes would meet, but neither of you spoke. He seemed quieter than usual, laughing at jokes that didn’t quite reach his eyes and pushing food around his plate more than eating it.

After dinner, you ushered everyone into the living room, volunteering to handle the dishes. Your offer was driven partly by a desire to help and partly by a need for a quiet moment to collect your thoughts. A few protested, but you insisted, retreating to the kitchen before anyone could argue further. The rhythmic sound of running water and clinking plates was soothing, a brief respite from the tension.

You didn’t hear Ryan approach at first. It wasn’t until his voice, quiet and hesitant, broke the silence that you turned.

“Need a hand?” Ryan’s voice was quiet, almost tentative.

You glanced over your shoulder. He was standing in the doorway, his hands shoved into his pockets, looking at you like he was afraid you might tell him to leave. After a beat, you nodded. “Sure.”

Ryan stepped closer, rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt and taking his place beside you at the sink. For a while, neither of you spoke, the clink of dishes and the rush of water filling the silence. You stole glances at him out of the corner of your eye, noticing the faint shadows under his eyes, the way his shoulders seemed weighed down.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost a whisper. “I don’t know what I did, but… whatever it is, I’m sorry.” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “And I know I should know what I did wrong, but I’ve wracked my brain and I just don’t know what I did. But please tell me… let me fix whatever I did.”

You gripped the dishcloth tightly, the weight of his words sinking deep into your chest. Ryan had always been the kind of person to face things head-on, but hearing the crack in his voice—seeing the way his shoulders slumped like he’d been carrying the world—broke something inside you.

“It’s not your fault,” you said, your voice trembling. “I—God, I’ve been such a mess, Ryan. I thought I was protecting myself, but all I did was push you away.”

Ryan paused, setting the plate he was drying onto the counter. His eyes searched your face, a mix of confusion and hurt. “Protecting yourself from what?”

You swallowed hard, knowing there was no turning back now. “I saw a message. On your phone. From someone named Brooke. It said, ‘Last night was fun. Let’s do it again soon.’ And I — I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t know who she was or what it meant, and instead of asking you, I let it get to me.”

Confusion flickered across his face, then realization. “Brooke?” he repeated. “That’s — God, that’s nothing. She’s my mom’s friend’s daughter. She just started at Boston College, and my mom asked me to show her around. That’s all it was, I swear.”

His words came out in a rush, like he needed you to understand, like he needed to erase every doubt that had built up in your mind. “We grabbed coffee, and I showed her some places on campus. That’s it. I didn’t think it was a big deal, so I didn’t mention it. I never meant for it to come across as something… more.”

Your throat tightened as his explanation sank in. “So… you’re not—”

“No,” Ryan said firmly, stepping closer. “I’m not cheating on you. I would never, ever do that to you.”

The weight you’d been carrying for weeks suddenly felt unbearable, tears springing to your eyes before you could stop them. “Ryan, I’m so sorry,” you whispered, your voice cracking. “I should’ve come to you. I should’ve trusted you. God, I’m so fucking stupid. I got inside my own head and I-I hurt you.”

“Hey,” he said softly, stepping closer. His hands found yours, damp from the soapy water. “You didn’t ruin anything. Yeah, it hurt, but I get it. I just wish you’d come to me instead of dealing with it on your own.”

“I was scared,” you admitted, tears spilling over. “Scared of losing you, scared of finding out I wasn’t enough.”

Ryan’s grip on your hands tightened, his thumbs brushing gently over your knuckles. His voice was steady, but there was an unmistakable softness in it, a warmth that wrapped around your heart. “You are enough,” he said firmly. “You’ve always been enough. You’re all I want. Nothing — no one — could ever change that.”

Tears streamed freely down your face now, but Ryan didn’t seem to care. He released one of your hands and reached up to gently wipe the tears away with his thumb. “I was so stupid,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “I should have trusted you. I should have talked to you instead of running away.”

Ryan shook his head, a small, sad smile on his lips. “Hey, we all mess up. Relationships aren’t perfect. But we don’t have to let this break us. We’re going to be okay. I promise.”

You looked up at him, the sincerity in his eyes making your chest ache. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know us,” he said simply. “I know what we have. And I know we can get through this, as long as we’re honest with each other. No more shutting each other out. Deal?”

You nodded, swallowing past the lump in your throat. “Deal.”

Ryan let out a soft sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever. “You scared me,” he admitted quietly. “When you pulled away like that, I thought… I thought I was losing you. And that terrified me.”

The idea that you’d made him feel even a fraction of the fear and doubt you’d been drowning in made your heartache. “You’ll never lose me,” you said, your voice steady despite the tears. “Not if I can help it. I’m sorry for putting you through this, for doubting you when you’ve never given me a reason to.”

Ryan smiled softly, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. “We’re okay,” he murmured against your skin. “We’ll be okay.”

For the first time in weeks, the tightness in your chest began to ease, replaced by the comforting warmth of Ryan’s presence.

[muhlcentral]

watching these new uconn games don’t feel the same without these three playing together

[urfavluvergirl]

Begin Again - all of the girls you loved before au

AU masterlist - you can find other stuff under 🪼opheliajones

What happens on an all too sunny day on Boston College?

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

So it’s here! Finally am I right? And I also found Ophelia’s face claim! Her @ is lovingmaryam on Pinterest. I apologize if this fic is all over the place this is mostly just to set up the plot/issues in the au.

wc: 1.8 k

things to look out for: swearing, mentions of sex, abusive parents, guilt (Ophelia just spiraling)

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

It was hot, and Ophelia’s head was spinning from the overflow of information that was piled into her head from her first class.

It was syllabus week, and as much as Ophelia knew that this time would be very much needed to help her integrate into college, the hour and a half long class of the professor just talking and talking at them was mind numbing and boring.

On top of that, she already had a homework assignment. Which is fine, she’s in a prestigious college and should obviously expect it, but her first assignment is probably going to take her at least 2 hours, so that didn’t feel very nice either.

Right now, her dorm seemed like a pretty good place to regroup, call her mom, and then figure out a course of action, as well as maybe change out her jeans, since it was way too hot in Chestnut Hill to be wearing them.

She was starting to get some familiarity around campus, she knew that if she took the staircase from the quad down to where the hockey rink and football field were she could get back to her dorm 5 minutes quicker than walking around the quad then going down.

The sun was hot in the sky, and it caused a glare to reflect onto the lightly colored pavement—which made the whole area seem like it lit up, it didn’t help that Conte Forum, where she was walking in front of, at least that’s what she thought— was a building of straight glass, and the sun reflected even more off of it.

It looked like she was literally on the fucking sun temperature wise and now she coudn’t see, not like that also mattered.

She was just ready to get back into her nicely air conditioned (a fan pointing at her bed) dorm and possibly stay there, now that it seemed like the heat and humidity was only getting worse and worse— which was pretty uncharacteristic for Boston and being so close to the water, but who knows.

But being near the sports side of campus, she was bound to run into multiple football players, or any other athlete that happened to be using the gym in their free time, and this time was no different.

To Ophelia’s eyes, it looked like the hockey players had just gotten out of mid day practice, as a small clump of boys exited Conte Forum with their backpacks on, laughing obnoxiously loudly about something.

She had heard about the new freshman hockey players, quiet hushed conversations in her classes about them all being communications majors. Girls hopeful that maybe they could strike a relationship with them, guys wishing that they would be inducted into their circle. But at the end of the day, Ophelia didn’t really care.

If they were nice that was one thing, but that was about a 5% chance and she just didn’t want to take that risk of falling deep and having to swim to the surface on her own again.

Besides, she was perfectly content with making friends, chasing that degree, graduating, and moving on with a successful career in journalism, maybe work in DC—who knows.

When she turned the corner on the actual building of the Conte Forum, her whole vision erupted in light, trying to shade her eyes so she could actually see where she was going, but then collided with something hard.

She didn’t realize it was a person until a close voice spoke from above her.

”Oh! Are you okay?” The voice spoke, first, it was definitely a man’s and then it sounded familiar. Really familiar, but with an edge of maturity.

Ophelia finally looked up at the person who she collided as he went to speak again.

”It’s really bright out here, don’t worry—-“

Oh.

Now he definitely looked familiar, and Ophelia could finally put a name to him too.

He seemed to have made that connection too, because he was looking at her wide eyed too, taking in her whole face, then proceeding to look down at her locket and then back up to her face again.

”Um, Ryan? You doing okay?” Another boy's voice came from behind Ryan.

“Ophelia,”

Ophelia.

The two boys from behind him were staring shocked at her too, which was weird because she didn’t even know them. But she saw the blond boy smirk and look over at the one with brown curls.

Ryan must’ve told them.

She looked back at Ryan, her facial expression probably mirroring his, as she took him in.

He looked different, after all it had been a little more than 10 years. The baby fat was gone, and it was replaced with cheekbones and a strong jaw. But the freckles that she loved so much were still there, darker from the summer sun and days on the beach.

Days on the beach that didn’t include her.

A soft close lipped smile works its way onto Ophelia’s face.

”Ryan.”

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ જ⁀➴

“Bro I can’t even! He froze up, like I’ve never seen him do that!” Will laughed, Aram snorted and took a sip of his drink.

”Dude, you guys witnessed history,” Drew laughed, as he recalled one time Ryan couldn’t stop pining for her to him a year back.

Gabe smirked to himself, tapping to check the location of Ryan, he was still at Ophelia’s dorm,and he turned his phone screen to give Will a look.

After Ophelia finally shut up Ryan— who was a blushing, stuttering mess, and told him that she does need to get back to her dorm, he insisted that he walk her back himself so that they could continue talking and possibly get each other’s numbers.

“So what does she look like?” Aram asked sneakily, “Blonde?”

”No actually,” Gabe spoke up,”Dark hair, she’s really short, I’d say about 5”? She looked really shy too,”

Drew’s eyebrows furrowed, confused. That was not the type of girl that Ryan usually went for, at least who he saw Ryan go for.

“I would’ve never thought.”

”He looked like a whole different person,” Gabe recalled, “I mean we’ve only known each other for three years but like, still— it was weird to see him like that.”

”Like what, whipped?” Aram teased.

Gabe nodded his head to that.

”I mean, I kinda get it though,” Will started,”They were best friends and then all of a sudden they weren’t, and it’s not like either of them could do something about it.”

Aram nodded thoughtfully before he smirked again,”Hopefully they’re just talking”

A mix of giggles and groans broke out from the group at that comment.

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ જ⁀➴

”So you really did make it, huh?” Ophelia smiled, looking back at Ryan from his phone screen.

”Yeah, 8th overall, it was kinda a surreal feeling, and then everyone started talking about Ovi and I kinda lost it.” Ryan remembered a faint smile on his face.

They were both sitting on her bed next to each other, which might have seemed fast, but thankfully to them it felt like no time had passed between them.

”I’m sorry I missed it all,” Ophelia said distantly, her smile slowly disappearing at the thought as she avoided Ryan’s gaze.

Ryan frowned, studying her face.

She looked different. Her hair still had that slight wave to it, her cheeks still flushed a natural red whenever someone was looking at her, but she just looked more grown-up. Her lips were fuller and pinker, her teeth straighter (probably from braces), and there was a new small sunspot right above her lip.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Ophelia questioned, snapping Ryan out of his trance.

”Uhm… thinking.” Ryan said quickly.

Ophelia laughed, and suddenly Ryan felt himself smiling too. He missed the sound of her laughter, when she fully believed he was the funniest person in the world who could always paint a smile on her face.

But when they both settled down, and the laughter faded, the air around them shifted, shifted into something more raw, more emotional.

”I tried calling your dad a couple times from my dads phone.” Ryan spoke.

Ophelia froze.

What was she supposed to say to that? Sorry you tried to reach out to me multiple times. I chased my dad away and didn’t even think to try to contact you?

“He’s… he’s busy now— really busy.” Ophelia lied.

The worst part was that the lie came out so easily. Yeah she’s lied before— everyone has…but to lie to Ryan, after meeting each other again?

”Oh.” Was all Ryan said.

Ophelia’s mouth opened but quickly shut again when Ryan’s phone began buzzing rapidly.

The contact “Will Smith” was calling him, and Ryan sighed, annoyed.

”I’m sorry Phia—“ Ryan started, but she interrupted him.

”No, it's fine! I got some homework to do anyway.” She rushes, standing up.

Ryan joins her in standing up and walks to the door, Ophelia following behind him.

“Wait!” Ophelia stops Ryan just as he’s about to open the door.

”I’ll um… can I see you tomorrow?” Ophelia stammers and Ryan just smiles and takes out his phone.

He holds it out to her, on the screen was a space for Ophelia to enter her phone number.

She let out an amused huff before entering her number in and giving Ryan’s phone back to him.

“We’ll talk tomorrow, yeah?” Ryan asked, watching as Ophelia’s smile stretched further on her face.

”For sure, yeah.” She replied.

Ryan nodded, and sent her a soft smile before opening the door and shutting it behind him.

Ophelia was left with a sudden emptiness from Ryan’s departure as she flopped down on her bed. Her mind was racing from when Ryan told her he called her dad.

Was he truly busy? Did he just not want to talk to his dad?

When they moved to Manchester she remembered him trash talking the Leonard family the entire car ride. Probably to rile either her or her mother up to start yet another argument. But the reality was her dad hated everyone, sure he might’ve been a good friend when he was with them but behind closed doors he was an awful person.

Guilt flooded her, she should've told Ryan. Should’ve told him that no, nothing was okay at home and the life that she had when he knew her had unraveled so quickly it was dizzying.

Her head hurt. There was too much that happened today and still more that needed to be done.

But when all was said and done, Ophelia smiled.

Ryan was right back arms length from her now, and he was still her Ryan.

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ જ⁀➴

It was late. Too late for Ryan to be calling home but he had been buzzing since he left Ophelia’s dorm and felt like he had to tell his family immediately.

The phone proceeded to ring about 6 times before his mom finally picked up, confused because she just talked to him this morning and wasn’t expecting to talk to him until tomorrow.

”Hey sweetie, is everything okay?” Cindy asked, she sounded concerned.

”Ophelia.” Ryan stuttered. “Ophelia, she’s—- she’s here…she goes to BC.”

[viennajoell]