A Place to Belong

RYKE MEADOWS || 28 || HILLSDALE

[ryke--meadows-blog]

amelialcpez:

“Is that so?” she was almost curious why he thought that, but she realize that he was right on the dot. Perhaps it was just the confidence she exuded, but the grin on her face showed that she was more than pleased with his assumption. “I don’t know if I’d eat anyone alive but I’d like to think that most people would think twice before they crossed me.” Her head nodded, leaning forward slightly as she watched him as they finally sat. His comments made her grin then, crossing a leg over the other before she tucked a strand behind her ear. “I think that you were genuinely sad about what you did, but I’m also sure you’ve though of whatI would look like beneath you or on my knees as well.” Her gaze moved over him, “just like I’ve thought of your face between my tights. If you haven’t, then maybe you’re a bigger idiot than I believed you to be.”

Ryke kept his eyes on hers, as she moved closer so they were just a breath away from on another. He knew her response would be surprising because this woman was nothing but unpredictable. What he didn’t expect was for her direct words to come out of her plump lips causing desire to pool inside of him. “Oh, trust me... I’ve imagined you in all kinds of positions, not just on your knees, but you better be careful what you wish for.” With that, the bartender slid their tequila shots across the bar with a lemon edge on top of each glass and a salt shaker beside it. Ryke took her slim hand in his before lifting it up to his lips and ran his tongue over her smooth skin. He then reached for the salt shaker shook it onto her skin.

[ryke--meadows-blog]

amelialcpez:

“I don’t look like a Riley?” Amelia asked with a sly grin on her lips, deciding that maybe the male had some hidden talents up his sleeves after all. He was good looking, but Amelia had met many attractive men. Those who were dominant tended to be the ones who made her fold and if there seemed to be no dominant traits than she often took over that position. “I can think of a few ways you can help me forget, namely with a drink, then maybe a dance…. to begin with.”

“Nah, Riley sounds too innocent for a woman who looks like you.” he said through a shake of his head as a grin flitted across his lips. “You look more like a ‘Don’t cross my path or I’ll eat you alive’ type of woman.” He may sound like he’s joking, but he was dead serious. The woman looks like she knew how to please people she met in order to manipulate them. Even though he knew that in the back of his mind, Ryke couldn’t help but let the woman do it to him due to her allure and charm. Ryke gestured to the bartender to give him two shots of tequila to start of their night before crossing his arms on the bar leaned forward so she would hear his murmur. “Aren’t you being a bit presumptuous? What if I was really being gentleman and felt genuinely sorry for causing such a mishap today that I wanted to just treat you to an innocent drink or two. Did you have something else in mind?” Ryke knew exactly what she had in mind, but he couldn’t help but pull at her strings just to see how she would react.

[ryke--meadows-blog]

athensambrosia:

She raised an eyebrow lightly as he took the seat across her. His words, however, had her nodding. Of course, in this case, it was always her mother that knew exactly what to send her way to have her caving in and attending the damned events they decided to throw. “Nope, quite the contrary. It is true, so there’s nothing that can be done about that.” She shrugged, refusing to go into discussing her family with someone completely unrelated. “The whole town’s supposed to be going,” She started with a gesture towards the invitation. “Have you received one yet?”

Ryke nodded at her question before replying. “Yeah, I did. I’m surprised actually. I’ve only been here for a few weeks and it’s like I never left.” He then took a sip of his coffee before looking back at the familiar blonde. He feels like he’s seen her before, but he can’t put a finger on it. “And I guess I’m going seeing as my friend loves to dress up and she’s forcing me to go. I’m a home body. I hate going out, but being out in public was part of an image that I had to keep with my career back in New York.”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

caseydelgado:

Casey was an hour shy of finishing off a marathon shift and wanted nothing more for the dispatch radio to remain silent, but the second that thought entered her mind the static crackled and a call was put through. With an exasperated sigh, Casey recognised the address from a previous call out then responded with her number to say that she would follow it up; she vowed silently to make sure the person who had called it in would know how frustrated she was with it. With a flick of her wrist, she turned the siren on and turned the squad car around before driving to Ryke Meadow’s house. Upon arrival, Casey’s partner volunteered to check round the back of the house while the female approached the taller male. “What is it this time, Meadows? Did a house elf knock a mug over?” she flashed him a small smile before clearing her throat. “On a serious note, what am I dealing with this time?”

Ryke was waiting in his living room when he heard a car stop outside. With the slam of the car door, he opened the front door only to see the same brunette come to his apartment for the same reason. I hoped it would’ve been a different person on shift tonight because this woman did nothing but judge him for being an insane person. Ryke rolled his eyes at the woman’s sarcasm before letting out a sigh. “Look, I’m not making this shit up. I swear I heard something and no it wasn’t the house elf. It might’ve been Santa Claus, but then again... It’s a little early for him to be arriving here.” Even though his tone started out serious, it ended in a joking tone hoping to get a rise out of the cop. He knew it might be a bad idea to pull a joke like that, but she was getting on his last nerves.

[ryke--meadows-blog]

jewelsgreyson:

Jewels was permanently tired of the word what, since it seemed that was the only thing he could keep saying over and over. But she decided to stay put and calm, anxious in secret, but calm on the outside nonetheless. “Condom aren’t always a hundred percent safe, its on the label.” She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at him. “Look you don’t have to be ready for kids, you won’t be part of this Ryke. I just thought it would be fair to you to know.” Julianna shook her head slightly at his question. “Well, you see, it really isn’t easy to get a hold of a famous nfl player, specially when everyone I spoke to just thought I was another blonde bimbo that made things up. The humiliation was not easy to take, so I gave up after a few tries.” She said with honesty, her blue eyes meeting his and locking gazes.

Ryke stared at the blonde and took the few seconds to calm himself down, barely registering what she just said. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it back out. Could he live his life peacefully knowing that there were a set of twins with his blue eyes wandering around this world and not knowing them? Would he be able to live with himself? He told himself that if he were ever to have kids he wouldn’t be like his parents. That meant supporting them. Now, there are a set of twins that is a result of his actions and they are going to be punished because of it. Despite his reluctance, Ryke knew there was only one thing to do-- he needed to step up. Ryke looked back at the blonde, now calmer and finally said his first few coherent words. “Look... I’m sorry. This is just.... This is just too much to take in. And let me continue before you cut me off by saying that you don’t need me in your life because even though I know you’re probably capable of taking care of these twins I want to help. It takes two people to conceive a child let alone two, so I need to step up and I will, okay?”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

lunemarie:

      @ryke–meadows

      Ryke Meadows. His name was often murmured in the hospital. Something about football, or so Luna had heard. She was far too unfamiliar with the world of sports to really know the extent of why people were so curious about this man. She had spoken to him numerous times, whether it was helping him with the paperwork after his physical therapy or even helping him during his sessions. She made it a point to never ask about his football career like all the other nurses wanted to so desperately. All she focused on was helping him recover. But then suddenly her curiosity got the best of her. Luna found herself sitting on a bench next to the hospital’s bushes of flowers eating her lunch- one of the few times she got to enjoy the outdoors while working. She spotted Ryke walking by, most likely leaving his physical therapy. She smiled to herself and set her lunch in her lap. “Mr. Meadows,” she called out to get his attention. “How are you doing today?”

Ryke walked out of his physical therapy session feeling drained as usual. He hates it because it was just a weekly reminder that he was never going to get better and he was never going to step back onto the field. His career was dead and it was the sole reason he was now disconnected from his parents. He slung his gym bag over his shoulder and began hefting himself out of the hospital, trying to get out the place as fast as possible. He hated it there. The place was full of death and it constantly smelled so... sterile. The familiar scent brought back memories of his childhood, as he waited from his mother to finish her long shifts. Before he could escape, as a familiar nurse approached him. “Hey, yeah I’m good. Getting better each time.” That was a lie, but she didn’t need to know that. It might be bad, but Ryke would like to live in oblivion for a little longer.

[ryke--meadows-blog]

gabriellehiinton:

His first response made her instantly think she had made a bad decision by offering him a drink, afraid she had a made a fool of herself before his second sentence made her feel more relaxed. “Oh,” she chuckled. “Well, just let me know when you need a second drink and I’m your girl.” Flashing a smile, Gabrielle asked for a drink to herself, hoping the rest of her night could be great enough to make her roommate regret not coming. She liked to get out, it was her own way of having a share of fun, appreciating life and ignoring any sort of worry that could haunt her mind. Gabi had a good life, she loved her job and she had plenty of experiences to go through while living in Devinstone, so what could possibly go wrong? “I’m Gabrielle. I thought I should introduce myself before you think I’m some kind of evil woman with bad intentions.”

Ryke noticed the relief wash over the woman’s features causing him to chuckle a little. “Nice to meet you, Gabrielle. I’m Ryke.” He then finished his drink before raising his finger at the bartender to give him another one of the same. “Now, only an evil woman with bad intentions would introduce themselves like that. Now I’m a little worried.” he said teasingly before a newly refilled glass slid over the bar and towards his awaiting hands. “Now, Gabrielle. What brings you to Devinstone? I’m sue it wasn’t all the excitement of a small town because this town offers nothing but other people’s secrets.”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

griffin-oreilly:

Griff listened intently to what his highschool buddy had to say, and grimaced with an audible intake of breath as he told him of his knee injury.  He knew more than a few people in the army who had tanked their knees, and it almost always seemed endlessly painful.  “Shit, man—And like, you ended up going pro, right?”  Griffin felt bad for not knowing for sure, he had mentions of it during the brief periods of time he had been back, but had always been too wrapped up in something or other to really ask more about it, or even watch anything other than the Pats games that played at the bar.  “Well, uh, shit—I’ve been in the army for most of ‘em, big surprise there.” He added sarcastically.  “I also got a kid, with Daphne, although, again, big surprise.” Griffin knocking up his high school sweet heart wasn’t surprising, the fact that he hadn’t married her out of Irish Catholic Honor however, was.  “You really gotta swing by the bar, man.  We can drink, legally for once, and even better I can put it on the house.”

“Yeah, I did. I guess I should’ve listened to my parents, huh? I told them no to being a doctor for football and here I am with a career down the drain.” he replied with a slightly sardonic chuckle, as he tried to reign in his cynical state of mind. Ryke crossed his arms, as he nodded his head at Griffin’s words. His eyebrows rose in shock at his declaration of having a child. “Well, I see that life was boring for you after high school. I don’t think I’m ready for kids. What’s it like anyways? Are you and Daphne together?” Ryke wasn’t sure if he would ever be ready to have a child, but he knew one thing-- he would never treat them the way his parents treated him. He would be supportive of everything they wanted to do. “I’ll take you up on that offer. Since I’m not training anymore, I can drink as much as I want with zero guilt.”

[stephanie-lynn-swan]

Coffee at the Cafe

[ryke--meadows-blog]

stephanie-lynn-swan:

Steph watched him as he looked up and as he smiled, or tried to. Then he declined the brownie that he asked for. She might have been lost in thoughts without Jack Handey, but this guy she wasn’t sure she knew him well enough to be her Jack Handey, or whomever he is. It was nice that he noticed she was troubled. Most don’t, but she was definitely not ready to pour everything out to some stranger in a coffee shop. He would be anyone. He could be a reporter trying to do a story on troubled girls at coffee shops. He could be a stalker just gathering information to use to torment her later. Okay, she took a breath to stop her mind from going crazy.

Steph took another sip of her coffee, and then she slipped the brownie back in his direction. “You can have it, it’s okay.” As she took in the look on his face, “Most people start with names. I’m Stephanie,” she added. She was doing everything she could to avoid the conversation, as that would be one big mess right here in the middle of the coffee shop. At least she thought so.

Ryke’s eyebrow arched, as he watched her slim fingers slide the plate back across the table. “Well, if you insist.” he said with a small smile before devouring the sweet chocolatey goodness in one bite. He may be an athlete, but his career is pretty much dead, so he might as well indulge in comfort food. People told him not to worry and that his knee will be fine but he can’t even survive five minutes on the treadmill before bawling like a baby.

“Nice to meet you, Stephanie. I’m Ryke.” He knew what she was doing because he used the same tactic on Beatrice-- the only person who knew every last problem in his life. She would pry and annoy him until he confessed and it continued to work, so he knew what he had to do, but then he might come off as a stalker. “I know what you’re doing Stephanie. If you keep it all inside it’ll eat you alive.” he replied with a knowing glint in his eye. “Okay, why don’t we start with this: Why Devinstone? I mean, it’s a small town with very little to do. You’re at an age where you might want to meet lots of new people maybe have a little fun. so why Devinstone?”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

amelialcpez:

The brunette couldn’t help but smirk to herself when the male seemed fixated on her chest. “You want to take a picture?” she asked him without missing a beat. It was always fun to watch a male falter as most women chose to ignore it. Her head fell into a nod, turning on her heel to direct him towards the nearest bar, though at the mention of her name, her head picked up. “Already eager to know my first name. Perhaps you should earn it? For now, you can call me Riley.” It wasn’t anywhere close to her name, but maybe it would make it more memorable. After all, men loved their chase. 

Ryke looked at the brunette with a cocked eyebrow and asked, “Why do I have a hard time believing that that’s your real name?" A part of him felt a little offended at the brunette’s lack of interest or trust. He was the football player here. He was the one who girls obsessed over, so he was the one who should be lying about his name right? Ryke squashed those thoughts, as they entered the Two Dragons and took a seat by the bar. “And what would you like? Maybe something to make you forget about those damn shoes.”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

jewelsgreyson:

She could feel her palms sweating, her cheeks burning up at the anticipation. Somehow she lectured herself about it, she should’ve had this scenario in mind, sure he was a famous athlete now, but this was still his home town. It wasn’t all that estrange that he decided to show up and you know hang around. Her small steps followed him to the park and her blue eyes couldn’t help but look around to see who could be listening to their conversation, but she was glad to find there wasn’t really anyone too close to them. She opted for remaining standing, her logic was she could run away if she needed to, not that she could actually run. “Well, I, um. I’m pregnant… Obviously.” She rolled her eyes at herself, but really what else could she say to begin the conversation. “I’m having twins, a baby boy and a baby girl. I am a single mom, and I have a plan, a great plan and there would never be anything missing in their lives for as long as I live. I do think you should know that you are who got me pregnant, but I don’t intent to pursue for any kind of advantage, I plan to do this completely on my own. And it will be just fine, I assure you, you don’t have to be involved or change anything for them or me.” Once she began speaking she found it hard to stop her word throw up.

Ryke sat there, as he stared at the paved walkway before them. He was barely blinking because there was so much information running through his brain that it didn’t even know how to perform such simple tasks anymore. He listened to the blonde speak and her first two sentences began to slowly relieve the anxiety that was gnawing at him. The feeling of relief was then instantly crushed when she revealed who the father was. He was stupid for even thinking there was a chance he wasn’t the father because then they wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to one another about a topic he never even thought about yet. Once she was done, Ryke craned his neck so he was facing her with confusion clearly written all over his face. “What?” he asked in disbelief before realising he hasn’t said anything but the word ‘what’ since they saw each other. “How did this happen? I wore a condom. We were safe. I’m not ready for kids.” His words continued to ramble on as he shook his head before he stopped and ran his hands over his face. “Why didn’t you even tell me?” he asked in disbelief, as he looked at her for answers.

[stephanie-lynn-swan]

Coffee at the Cafe

[ryke--meadows-blog]

stephanie-lynn-swan:

She didn’t realize he was sitting at her table, not at first, not until he offered to help with the brownie. It was in that moment that she realized she was being asked a question and that someone had sat down to her table. Brownies were one of her go to comfort foods so it was easy to connect that someone was talking about it. She turned toward him, and other than a moment of being caught in her head, you couldn’t tell by her outward appearance, just how much of a mess she was inside. 

Her coffee was mostly empty and waiting for a refill at this point. She was happy the waitress was on the ball and came by filling it for her. She also reached for the plate with the brownie and nudged it into his direction letting the plate stop a bit from his reach. “Help yourself.” She did think it a little strange that he sat down and offered to help with it, but it was a way to avoid eating it and gaining weight from stress so she was okay with it.  She took another sip of her coffee, “So, why my table?” she asked him curious to hear how he answered.

Ryke probably looked like a lunatic and if he were the brunette, he would’ve probably ran away with the sight of his hulking body taking the seat before her. He tried to give her the most assuring smile he could muster in order to send the idea that he was friendly and harmless. He watched her push the brownie towards him before he did the same action towards her. “Nah, you have it. I was just pulling at your strings. And by the way that you were staring out the windows, I think you need it more than I do at this point.” he said before he took a sip of his coffee. Ryke then shrugged in response to her question before laying back into his chair. “Let’s just say I haven’t had the best past month, so I know a troubled mind when I see one. So tell me, brunette staring deeply out the window, what’s troubling you? I’m a stranger, so I can give you an unbiased opinion I guess.”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

amelialcpez:

“You’re going to have a lot of making up to do since you just dug that in deeper than it needed to be and I swore I felt my heart break.” She placed her hand upon her chest, eyeing the male with a small smirk on her lips then. “The bar is a good place to start.” His money would be the second thing, which could easily be taken if she had the right number of drinks in him. “You’d be right about that. Seems like you know me, I’m surprised.”

Ryke looked at the brunette and couldn’t tell if she was just pulling on his strings or being serious. His eyes then followed her hand’s movements, attracting his attention to her chest causing him to stare a second too long before he regained his attention back onto her face. Ryke tries to be a gentleman, but he was still a guy after all. "Lead the way then, my lady.” he said it with a challenging glint in his eyes. “By the way, I never got your name. I’m Ryke by the way. I wouldn’t want to be known as the shoe killer forever.”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

athensambrosia:

“You would be surprised,” Athena sighed. Despite herself, she reached forward, hiding the small note that hadn’t been for anyone else’s eyes but her. Of course, her assistant made sure to slip it into her papers instead of telling her outright. She couldn’t blame her though. “A paper intended to hurt could make a huge deal of damage, though in this case it is simply ridiculous.”

Ryke took her response as an invitation to sit on the unoccupied chair in front of her. He spread out his long legs and made himself comfortable because he had a feeling that this was a long story. “I know what you mean. Funny how a piece of paper could have such an effect. It could be a certificate that show you succeeded in something or it could be something that flips your whole world upside down, but in the end its an inanimate object that holds such power.” Ryke paused before he looked up at the blonde. “Am I going too deep for you?” he asked jokingly before taking a sip of his coffee.

[ryke--meadows-blog]

gabriellehiinton:

She was for solid fifteen minutes by herself at the Two Dragons before her phone buzzed, letting her aware that her friend wouldn’t get there on time. Maybe next time, I’m too tired. Gabrielle rolled her eyes, leaving the message unasnwered. She could’ve created a video about it for her social media story, but there was something sitting at the stool right next to her which caused Gabi to feel weird about it. But, perhaps, this was her chance of being slightly more adventurous, hoping she could get a good experience out of this change of plans. Turning her head to the side and moving her attention to the person next to her, Gabrielle allowed words to come out. “Are you waiting for someone? Because if not, can I get you something to drink?”

If Ryke ever went out to drink he was usually at the Dubliner because he preferred the casual atmosphere. And plus, Griffin is usually behind the bar, so it was far more entertaining than any other bar. Beatrice wanted to have a night out, so Ryke decided to take a break from the pity party he’s been throwing himself all month and take her out for drinks since she didn’t know many people here. Ten minutes into waiting, Ryke received a text from the brunette saying that she was going to be a little late because she was a little far behind on grading. Ryke just told her it was okay and to take her time seeing as he was content just drinking anyways. He was just scrolling through his phone to check the football stats when he heard a voice pipe up beside him. “I am and I already have a drink.” he said through a small smile before lifting up his glass, but then he quickly downed it before placing it back onto the bar. “But then again, I never turn down an offer for a drink. That’s a sin I’m not willing to commit.”

[ryke--meadows-blog]

athensambrosia:

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She groaned, throwing the invitation onto the table with a roll of her eyes. Of course, her family would do this, the added note addressed to her instructing how her presence was required only made things worse. Couldn’t they come up with some stupid excuse as to why she wasn’t there? The coffee before her wouldn’t be able to fix her morning when the upcoming autumn celebration was bound to ruin her whole week and all for appearance’s sake.

Ryke was walking out of the coffee shop when he heard an angry groan causing his steps to falter. He glance to the side and noticed a blonde with frustration clearly written all over her face. Ryke couldn’t help but feel like he’s seen her somewhere, but then again, Devinstone was a small town and everyone pretty much knew everyone. “I don’t know what that piece of paper did to you, but I’m sure it didn’t mean it.”

[stephanie-lynn-swan]

Coffee at the Cafe

[ryke--meadows-blog]

stephanie-lynn-swan:

The day was wet and rainy with a cool breeze blowing through town. She was working on a project for work and wanted to take a break. The cafe seemed like as good as any place, at least until she got there. Once she ordered her coffee and sat down she could only sip and look out at the passing traffic. As she inhaled and eventually exhaled she couldn’t help but think life, all of her life, was passing her by. Despite her history she still managed to overcome things at every turn. Everything except sharing herself with anyone. She couldn’t talk about herself, or her past in too much detail. She wasn’t sure if she really could or if this would keep her from sharing anything real with anyone. The coffee was perfect and the brownie she ate with it was clearly comfort food as half of it was still sitting on a nearby plate. She noticed someone sat down at her table but at first she didn’t hear what they said. Her mind was deep into her feelings and searching. She wasn’t sure if the person had actually said something or if they were even really there. So much of her life already seemed so much like a painful blur…

Ryke walked into the coffee shop looking a little scruffier than he would’ve liked to, but he wasn’t back in New York and the media wasn’t following him around anymore. It kind of felt nice to be able to walk around looking less than his best without anyone scrutinising his appearance. He was waiting for his name to be called out when he noticed a brunette sitting by herself tucked away in the corner of the coffee shop. He knew what it was like to be in a situation where it feels like you’re drowning in your own head. Hell, he was in one right now. The only reason why he was out at the moment was because he needed to show Beatrice that he wasn’t rotting away in his apartment. His thoughts were then interrupted by the call of his name, which seemed to slice through the soft murmur that ran through the coffee shop. Ryke took his coffee and made his way to the brunette before talking a seat at the unoccupied chair in in front of her. “Are you going to eat that brownie or are you just going to stare at it all day? Because I can help you out if you need me to.” he said through a smile, as he tried to lighten the mood.