166Haaaalelujaaah I am finally posting the sequel to 'So I've Fallen in Love'. I'm very sorry but my updates will not be regular. I am insanely busy right now but I hope you guys will be patient and the read will be worth the wait.
To be honest, you're probably best to have read 'So I've Fallen in Love' before reading this. But if not, don't sweat it. This chapter relates quite a bit to the last chapter of 'So I've Fallen in Love' so you might need to read that one but otherwise I don't think anything will confuse you.
So, first chapter. Hope you enjoy. Here we go!
Kelsi
"Wow someone looks tired."
Kelsi looked up from her toast to glare at her brother. However, it was a bit of a half hearted attempt seeing as she could only just open her eyes.
"I told you to get an early night." Kelsi's mom said sternly as she rushed into the kitchen. She was holding a pile of clothes under her arm, a plate of toast in one hand and, bizarrely, a bag of small padlocks in the other.
"I went to bed at ten o'clock mom." Kelsi mumbled as her mother dumped the plate of toast in front of Thomas and moved over to the iron board.
"I just couldn't sleep for nerves." Kelsi added to Thomas. Thomas shrugged non-chalantly.
"That's weird… I couldn't sleep either. But that was because I heard your window open and close around 1am… and then again around 5am…"
Kelsi coughed loudly as she accidentally choked on her toast and looked at her mother in alarm. Thankfully, she was feverishly ironing the large pile of clothes beside her and seemed oblivious to absolutely everything else. Fixing her features into what she hoped looked like a disinterested expression, Kelsi looked up at her brother.
"What are the padlocks for?" she muttered.
"Mom's taking every possible precaution to make sure you're not attacked, mugged, used, abused, sat on, stepped on, puked on etc in New York." Thomas smirked.
"You don't know these people you're staying with." Kelsi's mom snapped, not taking her eyes off the ironing for a second. You need to keep your valuables safe!"
Kelsi looked at her brother exasperatedly.
"You didn't get it this bad when you left did you?" she asked.
Thomas rolled his eyes.
"You think this is bad? I had to dissuade mom from calling up the university to run background checks on my room mates." Thomas muttered. Kelsi giggled just as her father entered the room.
"What's the joke?" he asked as he sat down at the table. Thomas and Kelsi jerked their heads at their mother who now had the clothes in her arms and was marching in their direction.
"Peter, this is a disaster!" a voice stressed from behind the clothes. "I still have two more piles to do. We haven't had breakfast. I still need to stop by the pharmacy and get all the medicines and toiletries Kelsi's going to need. And I just realised this morning that the car's low on petrol so I need to go to the gas station. Neither of us have had breakfast, I need to finish Kelsi's packing…"
"And there's no jam left." Thomas added casually, peering inside the empty jam jar on the table.
"And there's no jam left!" Jennifer Neilson screeched. She then turned to swiftly leave the room, and the pile of clothes, catching the side of the table, fell from her arms. There was a small silence as everyone anticipated the reaction.
"I… just ironed those." Kelsi's mom growled, dipping down to gather them up.
"Mom… you don't need to do everything…"
"YOU need all the time you can get…"
"Jenny." Peter said sharply and she looked up at him from the floor, her eyes flashing. He ignored this and crouched down to her level.
"Sit down. I'll make us breakfast. Without jam." he said softly.
"But what about…"
"Thomas can drive. Once he's finished his toast, which at the speed he eats shouldn't be long, he can go to the pharmacy and get gas on the way. I'm sure Kelsi is perfectly capable of packing her own suitcases and when have either of the kids ever cared about ironing?" Kelsi's dad grinned. After a few seconds his wife seemed to give in and grinned also. She straightened up and dumped the clothes on the ironing board
"Thomas, come here and I'll give you a list of what we need. Kelsi, the rest of the clothes are in the living room. Peter, I'll have toast with cream cheese please." she gave her husband a small kiss and a smile.
"Now!" she barked and Thomas and Kelsi leapt from the table. As she sprinted up the stairs towards her bedroom Kelsi tried to make her mind focus on the fact that she was leaving to go and LIVE in New York in the next few hours. A place she had never even visited. But all she could think about was the night before. In a few hours she would be in a crowded airport, looking at the guy who was responsible for the bags under her eyes, the butterflies in her stomach and the smile on her lips. The guys who also happened to be her boyfriend. The guy that had told her he loved her last night.
Ryan
Ryan took a brief look around the cavernous hallway of his home .It had never looked so busy and stress seemed to hang everywhere in the air. His father was striding back and forth from his study to the hallway, bringing out what looked like another form or document that Ryan needed. In addition he had a cell phone held to his ear by the crook of his neck. His mother was frantically making a packed lunch for him, something Ryan had never seen her do. Sharpay was nowhere to be seen and Ryan was checking off a list with their butler, James.
"So I was thinking I could pack the rest of the clothes I have clean if you could quickly iron the ones that have just come out the drier. And after that we can start on my toiletries. I have NO idea where my guitar case is so while I'm looking for that you could…"
"Ryan!" James burst out exasperatedly. Ryan started a little. James was usually very calm and collected. But then again, Ryan wasn't usually this demanding. Stress, however had taken its toll.
"Sorry James." Ryan sighed. "I'm just freaking out here…"
"No it's not that." James said, shaking his head. "I have a very impatient Miss Evans sitting in the dining room, deman… Imean asking for her breakfast. She's been at it for the last half hour."
"Did you tell her to get her own breakfast?" Ryan frowned.
"I… suggested it."
"And…"
"She refused."
Ryan gave James a quizzical look. Sharpay could be demanding when she wanted but she usually treated James with the upmost respect. She also didn't seem to be lifting one of her manicured fingers to help.
"She seems in an odd mood this morning." James said quietly.
"I don't have time for this." Ryan growled. Of all the mornings Sharpay had chosen to be difficult, it was today. He strolled into the dining room to find Sharpay was sat with her back to him.
"If you want your breakfast that bad Shar, make it yourself like the rest of us did an hour ago. Then maybe you'll have the energy to get off your ass and lend a hand!" Ryan snapped before stomping out. Sharpay just sat where she was. When he re-entered the hallway he found that James had vanished. Assuming he was off to start his list, Ryan made his way upstairs to resume packing. He was so sure he's packed everything last night. But things just kept cropping up! Though honestly he's been thinking more about he and Kelsi's last night in Albequrque, rather than preparing for the journey ahead. Ryan felt his tense shoulders relax at the thought of his girlfriend. The fact he was going to New York today hadn't really sunk in yet. But what had sunk in was that he was going away with Kelsi. Just the two of them. The days of Kelsi's long work hours were over. As were curfews, boundaries, parents and anything else that stood in their way. Ryan smiled as he remembered how they had parted when he had dropped her off back home the night before.
"I'll miss you."
"We have to be at the airport in about five hours, I'm sure you won't miss me." Kelsi giggled, though she looked unwilling to leave his arms.
"I honestly will." Ryan grinned, hugging her tighter.
"Well as much as I don't want you to leave, I don't think my parents could cope with waving me off to New York and finding you in my bed in the same morning." Kelsi laughed. Ryan laughed with her. Her smile was so contagious. Looking down at her… she looked so HAPPY. It radiated from her whole body. And the funny thing was, Ryan felt it in himself too. It was as if they were inside their own bubble of happiness and contentment and nothing could penetrate it. However, the cold air was managing to reach them and Kelsi began to shiver in his arms.
"Ok, you're freezing. Go to bed." Ryan smiled, reluctantly loosening his grip on her.
"It's n-n-not that c-c-cold." Kelsi stammered, her teeth chattering.
"Right." Ryan laughed. "C'mon. I'll already feel guilty when I see how tired you are tomorrow. So if you have hyperthermia too then I'll feel REALLY bad." Ryan joked. Eventually Kelsi gave in and went onto her tiptoes to kiss him. As their lips met Ryan relished in the joy it brought him. The knowledge that this extraordinary girl was in love with him made each kiss all the more meaningful.
"I love you." she whispered as they broke apart.
"I love you too."
He had been half joking when he had said he'd miss her. But he actually did! Truth be told he was holding back from calling her, even though they'd both be at the airport in just over an hour.
"We leave in twenty minutes. Mom wanted me to tell you."
Ryan spun round and just caught Sharpay backing out of his room. He quickly marched the length of the room and grabbed her wrist.
"What is your problem today!" he spat, pulling her back into his room.
"Do you mind!" Sharpay snapped, snatching her arm back. Her tone was venomous but she didn't meet Ryan's eye.
"Shar look at me."
Sharpay met his gaze, her brown eyes stubborn… and Ryan understood.
"I'm… really going to miss you." he said sincerely. As soon as he started to speak Sharpay's lip began to quiver and her eyes became glassy.
"Don't." she said quickly, her voice breaking slightly.
"I'm sorry I've been… well this morning I've been so.. And I haven't helped…"
Ryan saw his twin's eyes begin to fill with tears and he quickly pulled her into a tight hug.
"It's ok sis." he said softly. "I know what you're like."
A small muffled laugh came from his sister and he smiled. He should have known this was what her behaviour had been about.
"This is hard for both of us but I REALLY need you to help sis. Why don't you tell me where I should shop in New York while we pack?" he suggested. Sharpay stepped out of the hug and wiped her eyes, strategically so she wouldn't mess up her make up. She then looked up at him and smiled.
"Well Sharpay Evans' little brother needs to be well dressed in New York at all times." she said, suddenly business like. She then marched briskly over to his open trunk and tutted.
"You'd think we'd been on enough holidays for you to be able to PACK properly Ryan!"
"What on earth am I going to do without you?" Ryan laughed, joining his sister to observe how a suitcase ought to be packed.