Isabella gave me a weird look.
"Do I ask now?" She mouthed.
I shrugged, "Don't make it awkward," I mouthed back to her.
She gave me a weird look, and then I watched as he started to do this weird move, almost like she was a bird.
"Why is everyone in the kitchen right now? You guys are stressing me out," Ryder said, turning around as we all jumped like morons.
I smiled at him as he scanned all of us one by one, "What are you guys doing? Is everyone okay with grilled cheese and tomato soup?" he turned back around and grabbed one of the plates.
"I will gladly take that," Matteo said, grabbing the plate before Ryder could even turn around.
"Okay," he said, laughing, "let me get you soup too," he said.
I pinched Isabella's back, "ask," I mouthed.
She nodded, "We should go to the beach."
"That's a good idea," Ryder said, handing Matteo the soup he was holding, and then he awkwardly penguin-waddled to the dining room table.
I rubbed my eye, "I don't know… I feel like we just went," I said, trying to remember what the plan I had come up with was.
"It's been a week or two, come on, it would be a funny family day," Ryder said, turning around and handing Isabella her food. "Thank you," she said.
"Of course."
"I don't know…I think the water and everything would be too much on my wounds, and I can't swim, and I…"
Ryder cut me off as he turned back around, "Now you care about wounds? You don't have to get in the water; you can just sit on the sand, and we can wrap your wounds really well if you do get in the water," Ryder said.
He handed soup to Leo and me.
"I'm good on a grilled cheese, thank you for the soup," Leo said, wandering off to the dining room table.
I walked slowly over to Ryder, "You take my bowl."
"Why? There's enough in the pot," Ryder said, and I put my head on his shoulder.
"No, there's not, I'll just eat some of yours, and then you take the rest."
He took the bowl from my hand and put it on the counter, and then hugged me, "You're being oddly nice."
"I just don't want you to be hungry."
"If you wanna be nice, let Isabella go to the beach and stop being a stick in the mud."
"I am not a stick in the mud," I said, hugging him back, "the beach is just dangerous." I am going deeper and deeper into this lie, but the more I convince him it was Isabella's idea, the less suspicious he will be of the proposal, because at the end of the day, I do want it to be a surprise.
"No its not, you are being dramatic."
"I also can't swim, baby."
Ryder rolled his eyes, "You don't have to go in the water," he said again, pulling back from me and turning around to grab the bowl and two grilled cheeses.
And then the two of us walked to the dining room table.
"Has dad said yes yet?" gonna enroll my sugar plum in acting school too.
"No. This old ass man is afraid of the fucking ocean, but I keep telling him that he doesn't have to get in the water. He can just sit on the sand," Ryder said, and the two of us sat down as his rant continued, "you took me to the beach like not even a week or two ago, and now you're anti-beach?"
"Does everyone want to go to the beach?" I asked. There was only one correct answer, and it was yes.
I watched as everyone nodded, "Right, so we are either going with or without you," Ryder said.
"Okay, okay, fine, I will go. But I'm not getting in the water," I said.
"Thank you," Ryder said, taking a spoonful of the soup and shoving it into my mouth, "just fighting for no reason."
I smiled at him as he ate his grilled cheese.
A family day at the beach. We can go get some food, spend time on the sand, in the water, walk along the boardwalk, and right when the sun is starting to go down, I will get down on one knee and propose. It will be perfect, so fucking perfect.
After our family lunch, everyone went back to doing their own thing. And Ryder and I were back in our room, planning out our outfits for tomorrow while hating on Matteo and Leo.
"Is this how everyone feels about us?" Ryder asked, going through his clothes as I went through mine.
"We are different. We aren't fucking disgusting."
Ryder laughed, "I feel like we are more PDA then them with all the hugging and kissing," he said in this disgusted tone of voice.
"No, they are worse because they used to be a thing, and Leo is giving that dirty bum another chance. So no matter what we are doing, they are infinitely worse," I explained, and Ryder continued to laugh, "I see, I see."
I pulled out a couple of shirts and swimming shorts and laid them out on the bed, "Which ones do you like?" I asked him.
He hobbled over with an evil look on his face, "I pick your outfit, you pick mine?"
"I'd be okay with that." It was all working so perfectly; it was great.
I walked over to his side of the bed as he handed me the clothes that he had picked out.
"What the fuck is this?" He asked, holding up the Hawaiian shirt that I pulled out.
"It feels very beach-like?"
"Yeah, no. I don't know when you got this or from who, but they are not your friend, and they or you, if you bought it, need to get their or your money back," Ryder said, and I felt myself start laughing.
God, he is so fucking funny, my cheeks hurt, "noted. I won't wear it."
Ryder put the shirt back into the drawer and looked down at the other shirts I had laid out.
"Ooo, you would look so handsome in this off-white top," he said, holding it up.
"If that's what you want me to wear, then yes."
"We should do like a matching vibe, but I do white, like that white shirt in front of you," he said, and I felt myself looking down at it, "it's like the white button up you like, just short-sleeved. That would be so cute. And then…" his voice trailed off.
"What?" I asked nervously.
"Why do you only own weird colored swimsuits?"
I smiled, "Those are the only ones that were on the top. I have black ones too."
"Great! Oh my god. Okay, so we both wear the black bottoms and match like a cute couple," Ryder exclaimed as he stuck his tongue out at me.
What a fucking cutie, oh my god. God, I can't wait for tomorrow.
"You don't seem excited," he said, squinting his eyes at me as he put the clothes I wasn't wearing away, and I did the same.
And then he walked over to me.
I quickly grabbed him and then picked him up as he let out a loud scream, "What are you doing? You are going to hurt yourself, you fucking moron," he said, hitting me lightly.
I smiled at him, "I just wanted to show you that I am so excited for us to match tomorrow," I said.
He gave me a weird look, "Now you sound too excited for someone who didn't even want to go to the beach like 20 minutes ago, what's wrong with you?"
I kissed him, "It just clicked in my brain that I will see you shirtless and wet, and that just made me excited," I said, not telling the full story.
"Put me down," he said, laughing, and I did, "you are so fucking weird."
"Only for you," I said, and I watched as he yawned.
"You ready for your 1st nap of 3?"
"How did you know?" Ryder said, faking excitement as he pushed the clothes we were wearing tomorrow off the bed and onto the floor, and he got under the covers.
I laughed.
"Are you gonna join me or are you gonna do some fake mafia work?"
"I will join you," I said, taking off my shirt and getting into bed with him.
"And as much as I love you, it's lowkey hot, so you can stare at me, but stay on your side of the bed."
I sighed, "Okay, fine, can I get a good night kiss then?"
He rolled his eyes and pecked my lips, "That was barely anything!" I said.
"That's all you're gonna get, now go to bed so we can maximize our first nap time."
"Yes, sir," I said.
And as my head hit the pillow, I knew that I would spend the majority of this naptime staring at Ryder, because I was too excited to sleep.
I was going to propose to him tomorrow. That's all I could think about, and I was okay with that, so okay with that.