Chapter 62 Bonus: Letters To “K”

Chapter 62 Bonus: Letters To “K”


ONE YEAR LATER

TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA



\[ K A R A \]

“Ry…?”

I woke up this morning shivering and cold. This usually wouldn’t happen. Especially that we were living in Tahiti now, it was 80 degrees outside. And normally, I would wake up with Ryder’s body wrapping around mine like a blanket. He always made me feel warm, so I didn’t even need a duvet. But today, I woke up with the bed empty and it felt cold.

“Ry?” I said again, but I heard no answer.

I stirred in bed and slowly propped myself up. Ryder wasn’t anywhere in the room. I glanced at the clock and it was still 5 o’clock in the morning. He usually woke up at around 5.30 or 6. Narrowing my eyes in suspicion, I made my way out of the bedroom.

“Ryder?” I called out. “Where are you?”

“Over here!” I heard him yelling back. He was in the living room.

As soon as I stepped into the living room, my jaw fell to the ground. Ryder had made a makeshift tent using the bed sheets and blankets. It looked a lot like the tent he made on our first date. There were candles and fairy lights everywhere. And next to it was a table filled with all my favorite foods. And yes, there were milkshakes, of course.

“Happy one year anniversary, baby,” Ryder beamed as he stepped out of the tent.

My hand went to cover my mouth instinctively. I stepped closer to him and he opened his arms. I threw my hands around his neck and hugged him tightly. My heart was so full of love and happiness, it was overflowing all over my body.

“Happy one year anniversary, Ry,” I whispered to his ear. “I love you so much,”

“I love you so much too,” he chuckled.

We shared a quick kiss before I pulled away and inspected the tent with excitement. Ryder even got me all my favorite junk food and snacks. This really brought me back to our first date in Hawaii at the beach.

“This is so awesome, Ry!” I gushed.

“I know, I thought it’s about time we finish that first date of ours,” he said as he cocked his head to the side. “Don’t run out on me this time,”

“Ha-ha,” I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re so clever, aren’t you?”

“I learned from the best,” he smirked and reached for my waist.

Ryder was leaning his head down, he was about to kiss me again, but then I remembered something.

“Oh, that reminds me! I got you something,” I said as I pulled away again.

Ryder looked at me quizzically as I raced back to the bedroom. I went into the closet and pulled out the small gift box I’d been saving for weeks now. Walking back to the living room, I had a playful smile on my face while Ryder eyed me suspiciously. I handed him the box and he opened it. He looked even more confused once he saw what was inside.

“You got me a dog tag?” he let out a dry laugh and pulled the metal tag out.

I flipped it to one side and showed him what was engraved on it:

Ryder J. Williams.

If lost return to Kara.

“Just in case you ever get lost in the sea again, they’ll know what to do with you,” I said, and he laughed. Then I flipped the tag to the other side and revealed another message.

Rule Number 4.

Fuck rule number 1 to 3.

We'll love each other until the end.

I thought it was a clever message. It was a throwback to the rules we made up when we first got together. Ryder’s eyes widened in shock as he read it, and a smile was forming on his face.

“Baby, this is the coolest gift ever!” Ryder exclaimed. He couldn’t wait to add the tag on his chain, right next to my purity ring.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“Fuck, yeah! I love it!” he beamed and wore the tag proudly.

“Good, I’m glad,” I giggled. I was about to link my arms around him and pull him in for a kiss, but Ryder quickly pulled away.

“Oh, and I got something for you too,”

He went back inside the tent and came out seconds later with a small black box. It was probably half the size of a shoebox. He handed the box over to me and I took it. I opened the box and my eyes widened instantly.

“Ry, this is…”

There was a stack of letters inside, and all of them were handwritten. Some of the papers looked old and some looked new. Some were torn and some were neatly kept.

“They’re everything I’ve written you when we were apart. And then there are some that I’ve written in the past year. Basically, it’s everything I wrote that I never sent you,” he shrugged simply and smiled. “Now it’s yours,”

My eyes were glazing over and my hands were shaking. Slowly, I picked up one of the letters and I began reading.



Dear K,

I know it’s over and done, but tonight’s just one of those nights where I miss you. I miss everything about you. It hurts to think about you sometimes. But I also feel lucky that I have someone like you to miss and dream about. If anyone had to break my heart, I’m glad that it’s you. It’s an honor and a privilege.

Yours always, Ry.



Dear K,

Millions of miles and three years had gone by, but why am I still stuck on you?

What would happen if I just show up out of the blue?

Will you see me and remember everything we’ve been through?

Or will you turn around and break my heart in two?

I guess there’s only one way to know what’s true.

This plane is flying and I’ll be seeing you soon.

Yours always, Ry.



Dear K,

When you sent me that comma sign, I almost fell into a comma. You don’t know how much that means to me. I love you so much and I think about you all the time. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about coming back to you. I still don’t know if I did the right thing or not by leaving you. But that comma sign told me everything I need. We love each other like nothing else in this world. And maybe that’s enough. That’s more than what most people got. So I’ll be forever grateful when I remember you and that comma sign. We may not be together, but what we have will never end.

Yours always, Ry.



Dear K,

I need you to open your eyes and look into mine, because then you’ll see my world and everything that matters in it. I need you to wake up and hear me speak, because then you’ll hear everything that was only meant for your ears.

I know it’s scary to come back but I need you to come home to me now. I’ve been waiting and I’ll be waiting here with open arms. For as long as it takes, no matter how my heart breaks, I will always hold your hand.

Yours always, Ry.



Dear K,

Today is the start of a new era.

We’ve packed our bags and we’re heading out to see the world. The next five years of our lives will be full of uncertainty. But still, you said yes to me.

Some days I wake up and I still can’t believe this is reality. We got the world right in front of us, and I got you, standing here next to me.

Today is the start of many things. And though the future is going to be filled with all sorts of crazy things, one thing will always remain, and that’s you and me.

Yours always, Ry.



Dear K,

Today, I'll tell you all my secrets.

Today you'll go to sleep knowing something new.

Today I'll show you all my fears and regrets.

Today this will all be true.

It will happen today, and then all the days after that

Because these letters, these poems, and these words

Will fight, will break, and change the world

Just to make their way to you.

Yours always, Ry.



My eyes were filled with tears. I couldn't help it. These were the most beautiful things I’ve ever read in my life. They broke my heart and built it back up at the same time. My heart never felt so big. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any bigger, Ryder pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and he began reading.

“Dear K,” he said.

“Ry…” my voice cracked. Tears were falling off my face.

“This last letter, I didn’t put it in the box because I don’t want you to read it, but I want you to hear it coming from me. For years I’ve written you letters that I never sent. I think it’s about time you finally hear one in real time,”

Ryder paused and looked up at me. He was smiling as he read the letter.

“I don’t know what to say in this letter, honestly. I feel like I’ve said everything I want to say already. But the thing is, we’ve lived together for a whole year now and every day there’s always something new that I get to learn from you. I could write these letters every day if you want me to. And maybe you do. But I don’t want to write letters anymore. I don’t want to write them because I want to say them to you. I’ll say them to you every day in every way, and watch you smile or cry like you do right now,”

I was a mess. I couldn’t stop laughing and sniffling at the same time. Ryder was so sweet. How could I not melt into a puddle of mess like this?

“Kara, my love. Today, we’ve got one year under our belt but I’m excited for all the days and years to come. I used to hate the thought of getting old, but I’ve changed my mind. Growing old with you will be freaking awesome. I can’t wait for more adventures and moments that I get to put into words like this,”

Ryder then stepped closer and put the paper away. He cupped my cheeks with his hands and wiped the tears off my face.

“You’re my favorite person, my favorite place, and my favorite wave. You’re everything to me, and I’m…” Ryder leaned closer until his lips were barely touching mine. His eyes were glimmering and his lips twitched into a smile. He held my gaze for the longest time before finally closing the distance between us, claiming my lips, my heart, and my soul as his.

“Yours always,”







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