She said... (Rystain/open)

[Leilani Evetts]

"Don't look at me like that," Lani whispered, tears still streaming from her eyes. She wasn't sobbing, but she couldn't really stop them.

She had just made a lifelong enemy of lyra, she had been the reason the girl was hurting now. She was the reason all of tis went down.

She shook her head, secretely glad that he had not gone after lyra. Despite his words, she would have felt like he was choosing the other girl.

"I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I knew... And I wasn't going to say anything. But then she came in and the things she said... Is that how it's going to be? You'll be through with me and go back to her?"

The truth was, she didn't know why it was her and not Lyra either.

[Rystain Quandry]

Rystain took a breath and he walked over to the closest chair and sat down with his his head bent and his fingers raked through his hair. It was done, he'd made his choice and now he had to try to move forward regardless of the results.

"Lani.. I never meant to hurt you. I admit that what you did to Lyra, doesn't make me very happy because of the spitefulness, but it's done and over with. I'm not going to go back to Lyra, I'm pretty sure that bridge is burned and charred to the ground now, including any friendship I had with her. I don't know that I can make you any promises of the future, I don't know what it holds. But I sure as hell didn't pick you just to toss you out when I'm done with you." He sighed.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani started crying harder, her shoulders hunching as she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes. She felt truly terible that rystain had lost his friend.

Ryan sighed. He wished rystain would take lani somewhere more private, but he wasn't going to speak up. He quietly got to his feet and left.

"I didn't do it just to hurt her. She attacked me first, Rystain. I was going to sit back and let her say those things to me."

She was miserable. How was she supposed to be happy under these circumstances?

"I'm not sorry," she continued, hating the silence more than anything. She just wanted him to hold her and tell her he loved her and that things would be okay for them.

[Rystain Quandry]

Her tears were cutting through him like tiny daggers, and he was sure that Lyra was out there somewhere doing the same thing. It made him miserable. Knowing that somehow just being himself caused them to love and be hurt by him in the end. "Lani stop crying.. please, cheri" it was said as a soft plea.

He saw Ryan leave the common room and sighed. "Lani come here, please." He held out a hand to her as he stood up.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani couldn't stop crying and she didn't know why. She should be on cloud nine because he had chosen her. Rystain had chosen her over a best friend of six years...

And the thought just made her break down a little more. She looked up, her hands brushing her hair back as he stood and asked her to come over, and she still didn't want to move. She wasn't sure her legs would support her.

She had to admit, she had been nervous before he'd thrown the ball back in her court, and a lot of that was rushing out of her now, leaving her exhausted, and the tears flowing. But she couldn't say no to him, and found her way to her feet, moving towards him.

[Rystain Quandry]

Rystain had no intentions to do anything tonight, his own emotions were too raw right now and he just wasn't in the mood. But he knew they needed to get out of the common room and just try to keep her from crying at least. He hated seeing her cry and he wanted to make see her at least smile once tonight. "I'm not going to do anything tonight, but if you want you're welcome to join me in my room at least it'll be quiet for a while and I'll even lock the door and we can talk okay?" He took her hand as she reached him and waited for her response.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani shook her head. She wanted to be with Rystain, and she wanted him holding her, but not there. And who knew if Rabastan and Devin were there?

"No," she said. "I don't want them to see me like this. They like her better and they'll know what happened and I can't do it." She wasn't making loads of sense, but dealing with those two right now would be impossible, and she just assumed they were there.

[Rystain Quandry]

For once Rystain was at a loss, he was still dealing with his own emotions and two crying women and now he wasn't even sure what Lani wanted. "I doubt they'd be there but that's fine, where do you want to go? And do you even want me to go with you?" He really wasn't sure, his normal causal confidence was shot at the moment.

[Leilani Evetts]

"Yes!" She said quickly and vehemently. "After all of that, how could you even think that I don't want you? That I don't need you?"

She ran a shakey hand through her hair. "We can go to your room," she said quietly. Someone else had just come into the common room, and she didn't want to be around anyone except him.

[Rystain Quandry]

Rystain nodded and lead her by the hand to his dorm room. He was glad to see it was empty, it would save him from kicking his roommates out for the moment. And as soon as they were inside the door he locked it. He didn't want any company right now except for Lani. He dragged her near the bed and then turned to hold her in his arms.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani folded into his arms the instant he put them around her. This was all she wanted... this was all she ever wanted from him, and it made her feel so much better. She didn't know how she would have handled it if he had chosen Lyra. She would have moved on, yes... she was stronger than she came off sometimes, but she would have been heartbroken too.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, even after telling him that she wasn't.

[Rystain Quandry]

Rystain just held her until her tears stopped, his hands folded into her hair as his fingers got tangled and he just held her head gently against his shoulder. He was also getting hold of his own emotions of everything that had just happened and his mind was trying to replay what he'd just done. He'd just told her that he would try to be just hers, to not make her share him. And it scared him that he might not be able to, but he had meant it he realized. He didn't want to hurt her, the fact she'd admitted to falling in love with him had something to do with that even more so. He wouldn't have hurt either if he'd been able to but they'd made him choose. And Lani had something that he couldn't explain over his heart. He'd already begun to care for her that day of the tryouts. When she'd shown she was more than just a pretty face to dangle on his arm and tease him in his bed. She had substance that lay undiscovered and he wanted to discover more. She had an inner strength that he was sure no one else saw, but he was already beginning to learn. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Lani. I never meant to."

[Leilani Evetts]

"I know you didn't," she replied softly, holding on to him as long as he would let her, and as long as he'd hold her back. "I know. You tried to warn me, and I knew what I was getting into. But I can't help that I fell..." Just like Lyra couldn't help it.

"I didn't want to say anything. I was going to keep dealing with it, I promise," she continued, but she was glad it was out in the open now, and that she wouldn't have to keep dealing with it.

[Rystain Quandry]

Rystain heard the words she didn't finish and closed his eyes. He knew what she was going to say but she'd stopped herself. He wasn't ready to admit to love, even to himself... but he did care about Lani in a way he hadn't let anyone under his skin before. And that was one of the reasons he'd had no choice but to pick her. He wanted to know what it was about her that made him feel differently than he did for other girls he'd been with. "Well we'll just have to take things one day at a time and see where it leads us okay?"

[Leilani Evetts]

She nodded into his shoulder, unsure of what to say to him. She wanted to apologize again, but wasn't sure he even wanted to hear it. He likely didn't, and that left her silent.

It was just so hard for her to picture Rystain with Lyra... she had those female insecurities that, despite what she knew about herself, told her that Lyra was prettier, better in bed... all of those things. Then it didn't help that Rabastan and Lyra rubbed that in.

"Please don't let me go," she whispered, feeling like he was the only reason that she was still standing. Her tears were slowing, at least.

[Rystain Quandry]

"I'm not planning on letting you go, Lani." He pulled away from her a moment and looked at her face and then sat on the bed and pulled Lani into his lap, wrapping his arms securely around her as he kissed her temple. "see.. not letting you go," he said softly.

[Leilani Evetts]

She just curled up in his arms, breathing as deeply as she could. Everything was fine... she had no reason to cry. He was holding her, he chose her, and she wasn't sure, but she thought he said something about trying to be just hers. She didn't know if he could, and it would hurt, the next time she saw him with someone... but he was trying.

So in all, for now... this was kind of perfect. If she didn't think of anything outside of this room, things were perfect.