Chapter 57 57: The Magic Carpet

Chapter 57 57: The Magic Carpet


SIX MONTHS LATER

NEW YORK CITY



\[ K A R A \]

"I still can't believe you're getting married to Ryder next week," mom said as she stomped to the kitchen with our dirty plates.

"You've known him how long exactly? Three months?" she teased, referring to the time when I argued with her over her choices on marrying Peter.

"Ha-ha, very funny," I laughed sarcastically as I stalked to the living room to continue packing my things.

There was so much stuff that I had to sort through, my room was a mess. I even had to use the living room because there wasn't enough space. And now the living room looked like the ballroom in Titanic as they were sinking.

If you were wondering what's with all the packing, well… It’s because I’m moving out of New York City.

"Totally kidding, by the way, I'm with you a hundred percent,” she said again. “I'm just really gonna miss you though, I can't believe I'm not gonna have my baby girl around anymore,"

About seven months ago I said yes to Ryder's proposal. Apparently, saying yes was the easy part. Figuring out the next step was a whole other ball game.

Ryder wanted to stay in New York City for me, he was even willing to give up surfing, but I told him there was no way I'd ever let that happen. So after I got discharged from the hospital, Ryder went back to Hawaii to figure things out. He sort of traded places with my mom because her divorce was then finalized, so she moved back in with me.

So for the past six months, Ryder and I were in something called a long distance relationship. If you want to know what kind of hell that was, that was the exact definition for it. It was pure torturous hell. Every day I went to bed missing him and I woke up thinking about him. And it just went on and on and on.

Thank goodness we had FaceTime, phone calls, and texts. How did people ever survive without them? I would never know.

Ryder was and will always be my favorite notification.

My heart fluttered every time I hear that ding on my phone. He’d send random messages throughout the day, sometimes funny, sometimes dirty, and sometimes lovely. I never thought I'd say this, but Ryder made one hell of a boyfriend.

Whoops. I mean fiancée.

Being with Ryder made me realized something, sometimes the best things in life happened when you least expect it. They were the ones that took you by surprise and challenged every view you had ever had.

Meeting Ryder challenged every view I ever had, love, life, and everything in between. For instance, I took that job at the New Yorker because I thought that was what I wanted my life to be like: safe and secured.

But safe and secure... didn't really make me happy.

When I looked back to my life, to the time where I was truly content and proud of myself, it would be the time when I finished my novel. I wanted to write again. At the company, all I did was sort through other people's writings. Although I learned a lot, I never got a chance to write anything myself. So a few weeks ago I did something insane. I handed in my two weeks notice. And today, I officially became Kara Livingston, a 23-year-old unemployed millennial.

Ryder kept saying how I had changed the game for him, but honestly, he had changed my life too. Before I met him, I was just a scared little girl who lived by her rules and the walls she built to keep people away. But I wasn't that girl anymore. Now I wanted a crazy, wild, adventurous, and beautiful life where I could lose and find myself at the same time. And I wanted to do it all with him.

And so I decided to move to Hawaii.

"So, Ryder is picking you up at the airport, right?" mom asked.

"Yup," I said as I zipped up my third and final suitcase.

"You sure you got everything packed?"

"Yes mom, don't worry,"

When Ryder told his dad that I was moving to Hawaii and that we were thinking of getting married there, Peter was ecstatic. He wanted to throw us a whole big celebration. We told him it wasn't necessary, we were fine with just a small dinner with family and friends, but Peter insisted.

So next week, Ryder and I will tie the knot at this beautiful cliff overlooking the sea. Yes, it was the place where we almost had our first kiss together. We both thought it'd be fitting since that place was where it all started.

"Oh, I miss you already, baby," mom ran over and hugged me tightly.

"Aw, mom, I'm not leaving right now," I laughed.

"I still can't believe my baby girl is getting married," she shook her head again.

"Do you think it'd be weird? Seeing Peter and all their family again at the wedding?"

"Becoming in laws with my ex-husband, weird is one way to say it,"

"It's crazy, isn't it? Literally, if five years ago you'd tell me I'll fall in love with a boy who was about to be my stepbrother, I would have laughed so hard. And not just any boy too, it's Ryder,"

"That was my point exactly," mom nodded her head in agreement, "But I don't know hon, lately I think he's doing quite alright,"

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes at her. She had this guilty look on her face like she was hiding something, I could just tell.

"Mom, have you been speaking to Ryder?"

"Yeah...” she grinned sheepishly. “Just a little. Well, I guess you can say we're sort of friends now,"

"What? Has he been bribing you or something?"

"Ha-ha,” she laughed sarcastically. “It’s just that, I realized Ryder and I have something in common,"

"Which is?"

"We both love you so very much,"

"Mom..." I croaked and pulled her in for another hug, "Thank you... for everything,"

"Oh, the things I do for my family," she rolled her eyes, mimicking what I had done to her exactly five years ago.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

We were both just laughing at one another, when suddenly we heard a knock on the door. It was in the middle of the day and we weren't expecting anyone or any deliveries.

"Oh and hon, you should probably get that," mom said with a smirk.

I eyed my mom with suspicion, and she just shrugged with this naughty grin plastered on her face.



\[ R Y D E R \]

Funny how when we let go of trying to control our lives, things just happened.

My life was no longer defined by random wanderings and meanderings. My life was no longer defined by me, doing whatever the hell I want trying to please myself, trying to take care of me, and be the captain of my ship.

Now I took a step back and let love lead the way.

As sappy as that may sound, after Kara said yes to me, we knew we had a lot of things to figure out. I couldn’t do it with own strength, and that was where love came in. I told her I could stay in New York and not surf, but she wouldn't hear any of it.

For a while, we were in limbo, trying to figure things out while doing long distance relationship. Until one day, the beautiful and fearless Kara Livingston told me of her plan. She said she'd been feeling tied down by her job and she wanted to go back to writing. So a few weeks ago, she gave me the biggest surprise when she told me she had resigned from her job and that she was coming to live with me in Hawaii.

"I'm gonna be my own freaking company," she said.

What a fucking badass. This girl inspired me beyond my wildest dreams.

Meanwhile, for the past six months, I was also working on my secret plan. I had been training and networking in the surf community nonstop. I was in my best shape. Sponsors took notice and they offered me some very good deals. Volcom offered a five-year world tour contract and a huge signing bonus too. I hadn't accepted the offer yet. I had to discuss this matter with my old lady first. This wasn't something that I could just mention over the phone.

Which was why I was here at 4 in the afternoon, standing outside her apartment door.



\[ K A R A \]

I opened the door and—

"Surprise!" Ryder beamed, standing right in front of me.

"Ryder...?"

"Hey, I'm here to kidnap you," he smirked.

"Hey, how was the flight, Ry?" mom called out from behind me.

"It was alright. You got everything ready?" he replied.

"Yup, here ya go," mom handed Ryder my suitcase.

"Uh, what's going on here?" I looked at the two of them in confusion. Mom and Ryder looked especially friendly. This never happened before.

Did I miss something?

"Thanks, Lace, I'll see you at the wedding," Ryder ignored me completely, giving my mom a kiss on the cheek.

Lace? What?

"Have fun you two," she winked.

"Mom?" I gaped at her.

"Come on," Ryder took my hand and dragged me out of the apartment.

"Drive safe!" I could hear my mom's voice in the background, followed by the sound of my apartment door closing.

"Ry, where are you taking—" but before I could say that whole sentence out, Ryder had pinned me against the wall and his lips landed hungrily over mine.

"I missed you so damn much," he murmured as he deepened the kiss.

"Wait, Ry, wait a second—" I pulled away quickly. "Ryder Jake Williams, what in the flip-flopping flapjacks is going on here?"

I was totally serious, but he just laughed at me.

"Six months without me and you're back to your made up cusses,"

"I... those are reserved for special occasions only," I smacked his arm playfully, "But seriously, what are you doing here?"

"I need to take you somewhere,"

"Where?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Well yeah, but—"

"Let's go then,"

Not wasting any more time, Ryder pulled me by the hand and led me out of the apartment building. Right outside my building, there was a black Mustang convertible parked by the curb. Ryder threw my suitcase right into it, and I just watched him in confusion.

“Ryder?” I asked again. “What is this?”

“It’s a magic carpet ride, baby,” he laughed.

In his cool and sexy way, Ryder put on a pair of sunglasses and smirked at me as he opened the car door, “It’s a great adventure, Kara. It’s you and me against the world,” he said again.

“Get in,”







\- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -