Steal My Heart

Ryan had been to the Yule Ball before with friends but he couldn’t deny that this year felt different. This year he had asked Savannah to go with him but the problem was he had no idea whether she wanted it to be a date or whether to her it was just the two of them going as friends. Their parents were best friends so they had grown up together and they knew so much about each other. Ryan saw some of his friends as additional siblings at times but if he was honest he had never felt that way about Savannah. The two of them had always been close, in fact she was one of his best friends and had been for as long as he could remember. Ryan knew that blurring the lines between friendship and something more could make things messy and he knew that the last thing he wanted to do was to end up losing her but at the same time he knew that he would regret it if he didn’t at least try and find out how she felt. He had seen the way his dad had cut himself off from finding someone else after his mum died and Ryan knew that he didn’t want to be like that. He wanted to be open to whatever life threw his way and there was a part of him that hoped that this was a good first step. He hadn’t told anyone that he liked Savannah as more than a friend, he knew that he could talk to his dad about anything but he knew that if he did say something then it only felt right that the first person to find out was Savannah herself. Ryan had no idea how she felt so he hoped that by going to the Yule Ball and spending some time together he might just be able to figure that out. If she didn’t feel the same then he knew that he would be disappointed but he would understand, at the end of the day their friendship came first and he knew that he would much rather have her in his life as a friend than not at all.

That day he had ended up spending Christmas Eve with his family as usual watching movies and just generally spending time together like they always did. Jacob had joined them for a while as well and if he was honest that was the kind of day that he loved. As time went on and night fell Ryan had started getting ready and he knew that his dad was doing the same. It was expected that his dad would be there each year to oversee the event and they had agreed that they would head up to Hogwarts together. Living so close meant that Ryan was free to go home whenever he wanted to and the truth was that he loved it. There were some students who had decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and would no doubt be at the ball and there were others who would be making their way there like he was going to. In a way he felt bad as it meant giving the Guardians more work but they didn’t seem to mind and that was a good thing as far as he was concerned. Heading up to the school with his dad once they were both ready, they parted ways once they reached the Great Hall. Ryan knew that his dad had things to do and Ryan couldn’t wait to catch up with his friends but more than anything he was eager to see Savannah. Ryan moved through the room talking to friends along the way but his gaze soon came to rest on his date and he felt his breath catch in his throat. “I could say the same to you, you look beautiful,” he said, a genuine smile touching his lips as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek gently. “Happy Christmas Eve to you too,” he said, taking her in for a couple more moments before reaching into his pocket. “I hope you don’t mind but I got you something,” he said as he pulled the jewellery box out of his pocket and held it out to her. Inside was a necklace that he really hoped she would like.

SAVANNAH MARIE FORRESTER

Ryan knew that he could have just told Savannah that he would see her at the Ball and perhaps that would have been less weird but the truth was that he wanted this to be different to the ones they had been to in the past. He was used to going with friends and a few times he had asked a girl he had liked to go with him but this time already felt different and that was scary to say the least. He and Savannah had been friends pretty much since they were born, their parents were at Hogwarts together and they were best friends so the two of them had grown up together but somewhere along the line those feels had started to change, for Ryan at least. He had no idea whether Savannah felt it too and he wanted to find out but he was still worried about ruining their friendship. Savannah was without a doubt one of the people who meant the most to him in the world and she had done for as long as he could remember. She was one of his oldest friends but she was so much more than that as well and whenever he thought about who he wanted there with him while he navigated his way through all of the new things that were sure to come his way over the next year or two it was always Savannah that he saw there with him. In just over a year they would be graduating and that in itself was a scary thought but Ryan knew that it would be fine as long as he had the people he cared about most around them and Savannah had always fallen into that category but now she was right near the top. He knew that it might be a little weird considering that Kirsten had been an Aunt to him throughout his whole life but he couldn’t help it. His dad had sometimes joked about when he was going to ask Savannah out and Ryan had always shrugged off his teasing comments but now he was starting to wonder whether his dad had known how Ryan felt about her longer than Ryan had himself.

Somehow Ryan managed to arrive first which was unusual for him but it wasn’t a bad thing as it meant that he got to have a little time to himself before Savannah joined him. For some reason Ryan felt nervous this time around, he had never felt that way before when meeting Savannah but this time just felt different somehow. He wasn’t sure whether it was the same for her but he knew that he would find out soon enough. He couldn’t resist kissing her cheek but even as he pulled back he started mentally kicking himself for being so weird. He had never done that before so he had no idea what Savannah must be thinking right now and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was perhaps blowing this already. He hoped that he wasn’t but that didn’t make it any easier. He had been out with different girls in the past but he had never felt this way about any of them and he had never wanted anything to go as well as he wanted this to. A couple of his exes had felt jealous of his friendship with Savannah even though he had told them that they were just friends and he had ended things with them when they had asked him to choose between them and her, knowing that he was never going to choose someone he was dating over Savannah. He had always thought that they were wrong about there being something more between them but now he knew that he was the one who had been wrong after all. Ryan couldn’t help but feel a little shy as he held the jewellery box out to Savannah, they always got each other a present for Christmas but he had wanted to give Savannah her present early and now he was left worrying that she wouldn’t like it. As she spoke, however, he let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “You like it?” he asked, visibly relaxing slightly now that she had seen it and he knew that she didn’t hate it. It wasn’t long before Savannah was lifting the necklace out of the box and asking him to put it on her and Ryan nodded. “Sure,” he said, moving so he was standing behind her before fastening the necklace around her neck. Returning to where he was, Ryan felt a smile touch his lips as he took in the sight of her wearing it. “It looks even better than I thought it would,” he admitted. “You’re welcome, I’m so glad you like it,” he said, his smile returning as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. He hadn’t shown anyone what he had bought Savannah for Christmas that year, he had wanted it to be a surprise and he hadn’t wanted to embarrass himself too much if she didn’t like it so it had seemed easier that way. “That’s fine, you know I can wait,” he chuckled. As far as he was concerned it was always the giving of presents at Christmas that was the best part rather than the receiving. As Savannah asked whether he wanted to dance or get something to eat first, Ryan thought about it for a moment. He hadn’t even realised what song was playing but as he realised that it was a slow song, he knew exactly what his answer was going to be. “Can I have this dance?” he asked, a smile touching his lips as he held a hand out to her.

SAVANNAH MARIE FORRESTER

Ryan had had girlfriends before but he had always suspected deep down that it was never going to work out with any of the girls he was seeing. He hadn’t known why back then, he had never tried to hide his relationships with those closest to him from the rest of the students so everyone knew how close he was to Savannah but along the way he had seen some girls grow jealous of that. He had never really thought anything of it and he had always dismissed it whenever anyone had asked if there was something going on between the two of them. For as long as he could remember his dad had joked about him and Savannah ending up together but Ryan had never taken him seriously either. The two of them had grown up together and their families were so closely connected that he had never thought that anything else would develop between them. Savannah’s mum was an Aunt to Ryan and her siblings were like his cousins but if he was honest he had never seen Savannah that way. She had been his best friend for a long time and he knew that he would be lost without her but it was only after the Enlightened revealed magic to the world that he had started wondering if he saw her as more than that. He had found himself worrying about his family more and more but with Savannah it was different. They had always enjoyed spending time together but something had shifted for him that year and now Ryan could no longer deny that he looked at her in a different light. He was certain that it was one sided but it still didn’t make it any less true for him. Savannah was incredible and somewhere along the line he had started feeling jealous of the way some of the other guys around Hogwarts looked at her but Samuel always seemed to make them keep their distance. Ryan really wasn’t sure if his friend would even approve of him having feelings for Savannah but Ryan had still gone ahead and asked her to the Ball so he could try and figure out whether there was any chance that she might feel the same.

Buying the necklace for Savannah had seemed like a good idea at the time but when the time came to give it to her, Ryan suddenly felt nervous. He wasn’t used to that, even when he had been out on dates before he had never felt like this but then again this was Savannah and if there was one person that he didn’t want to lose, it was her. “I’m so glad,” he admitted as Savannah said she loved the necklace. “I thought of you as soon as I saw it.” Ryan knew that he was breaking tradition by giving Savannah her present that night rather than the following day but he hadn’t been able to resist. He hadn’t told anyone that he was getting it for her because he had known what they would say, he had wanted Savannah to be the first person to see it. Taking the empty box back from her, Ryan slipped it back into his pocket and knew that he would have to remember to give it back to her later. “You don’t have to wear it all the time or anything like that, I just had to get it for you,” he said gently. He knew that he didn’t want Savannah to feel obligated to wear it all the time, he wanted her to wear it whenever she wanted to and he hoped that she would. It really did look amazing on her, though, and he was glad that he had decided to take that leap. Another leap was asking Savannah for a dance and he felt a smile touch his lips as she answered him. “This way, my lady,” he grinned as he led her out onto the dance floor. Once they were there Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck which in itself was enough to give Ryan hope that perhaps this wasn’t one sided after all since he had seen other friends dancing apart from each other but Savannah wrapping her arms around his neck gave him the courage to have his hands find her waist and he pulled her close to him as they began to dance. He had danced with other girls at the Ball like this in previous years but this already felt so different and he knew that he wanted to make the most of it.

SAVANNAH MARIE FORRESTER

Ryan knew that he shouldn’t be nervous right now given that this was Savannah that he was with right now but the truth was that was exactly why he was nervous. She was one of his best friends and they had known each other pretty much since they were born. His dad had often joked about him and Savannah ending up together one day but Ryan had always felt sure that it was never going to happen. He hadn’t even realised that he felt that way about her until recently, he had told so any girl he was dating who brought it up that he and Savannah were just friends but he had always seen the disbelief in their eyes and he had dismissed it. She was one of the people in his life that he genuinely cared about and he knew that he didn’t want to end up losing that. Deep down he was certain that she didn’t feel the same way about him anyway, Samuel would never stand by and let his sister date just anyone but Ryan knew that Savannah wouldn’t do that anyway. She deserved to be happy and he wanted her to find that sooner or later even though that would mean seeing her be with someone else. Ryan knew that he would feel pretty jealous when that happened but he knew that he would deal with it because at the end of the day as long as Savannah was happy then that was all that mattered to him. “So are you,” Ryan said, unable to stop himself as Savannah said the necklace was gorgeous. His cheeks flushed red slightly when he realised what he’d said but he stayed quiet, not wanting to draw too much attention to it. He had no idea why he was being this awkward, he never had been around anyone he’d dated before but with Savannah it felt so different and he wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“I’m glad you like it,” Ryan admitted, a smile touching his lips as Savannah said that she was never going to take the necklace off. He really hadn’t thought that she would like it this much but the fact that she did really meant the world to him. He had wanted to get it for her the moment he had seen it but he had worried about making things weird between them and then he had just decided to go for it much like he had when he’d asked her to go to the ball with him. He was a little surprised when Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck but he soon pulled her closer and they started dancing together. Ryan knew that he probably should have waited for a quicker song and asked her to dance to that instead but the song that was playing had seemed perfect for a first dance and the truth was that he didn’t regret it now that she was in his arms like this. As she asked if she had to share him tonight, Ryan shook his head. “I’m all yours tonight for as long as you want me,” he assured her, wanting her to know that he wasn’t going to end up ditching her for someone else but also wanting to make sure that she knew she didn’t have to be stuck with him all night if she didn’t want to be. “How about you, have you promised anyone else a dance tonight?”

SAVANNAH MARIE FORRESTER

A few times lately Ryan had found himself trying to pinpoint exactly when his feelings towards Savannah had shifted from friendship towards something more but deep down he was starting to wonder if he had perhaps always felt that way about her to an extent. Savannah had been one of his best friends his whole life and his dad had sometimes teased him about the idea of the two of them ending up together one day but Ryan had never really thought too much about it. Savannah was a constant presence in his life and even though he had tried dating in the past, whenever the girl he was seeing had started feeling insecure and had tried to get him to choose between them and Savannah, Savannah had always won hands down. He had always told them that there wasn’t anything more going on between the two of them and it was just the fact that they had known each other their whole lives but Ryan knew now that it was more than that after all. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way about her since he was certain that Samuel wouldn’t approve but the truth was that Ryan couldn’t help it. He had tried to ignore the way he felt about her and he had tried to bury it but it always seemed to find a way to rise to the surface. He knew how protective her dad was as well and something told him that Josh wouldn’t approve of Savannah dating anyone either but that still wasn’t enough to deter Ryan. He had figured out that the only thing that would stop him was learning that Savannah didn’t feel the same way about him but even then he knew that it would take time for him to move on from what he felt for her. Asking her to go to the Yule Ball with him had been a big step, Ryan knew that she might just think that they were there as friends but to him it was something so much more and he was hopeful that it would turn into something great. As Savannah said that the necklace, makeup and dress did a lot of the heavy lifting, Ryan shook his head. “Even without all of that you’re beautiful, Savannah. Inside and out,” he said gently. At first he had been kicking himself for saying that she looked gorgeous but he knew that Savannah doubted it and Ryan didn’t want her to. She really was beautiful inside and out without even trying.

Heading out onto the dance floor, Ryan was surprised when Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck but it was definitely a good sign as far as he was concerned, unless he was just reading too much into it. He couldn’t resist the temptation to draw Savannah even closer to him and soon enough they were dancing together with very little space between them. Ryan’s hands were on Savannah’s waist as they danced and his eyes were locked firmly on hers. Honestly he wasn’t sure how he had managed to get lucky enough to have her as his best friend let alone the girl he had a crush on but he knew that he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I like the sound of that,” Ryan admitted as Savannah said that otherwise she was all his and didn’t specify that it was just for the night. “I can’t hold it against Samuel for taking you away for a dance,” he added, a smile touching his lips as they continued to dance. She and Samuel were twins after all just like he and Alyssa were and Ryan knew that if Alyssa decided to show up and wanted to dance then Ryan would indulge her. As Savannah mentioned about Nessie staying at the house tonight before suggesting a wager, Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ll win but sure, how many times do you think she’ll mention it?” he asked, knowing that they would both end up counting to see who ended up winning. As they continued dancing Ryan felt something building in his chest. The longer he held Savannah in his arms like this the more difficult it was to keep his feelings to himself and finally he found himself studying her carefully for a moment before deciding that he needed to go for it otherwise he would only end up regretting it. “Savannah, if I tell you something do you promise we’ll stay friends no matter what?” he asked at last. He knew that it wasn’t really fair to ask her to make that promise when she had no idea what it was that he wanted to tell her but the truth was that telling her and losing her terrified him and Ryan knew that he wanted to try and make sure that wouldn’t happen. He knew that telling her was perhaps a little selfish but he knew that he would always regret it if he didn’t say something.

SAVANNAH MARIE FORRESTER

Ryan had had dates for the Yule Ball before, that much was true, but it had never felt like this. He had always liked the girls he had gone with in the past but with Savannah it was different and it always had been. He had always dismissed it whenever a girl he was seeing would ask him if there was something more going on between the two of them and he had refused to pick them over his relationship with Savannah which had always caused things to end pretty quickly. Now he was finally getting the chance to go with someone he genuinely liked and that made a world of difference. Ryan knew that chances were it was only a one sided thing, Savannah was incredible and the two of them had been friends pretty much their whole lives so he knew that she probably only saw him as an extension of her family but there were times when she said something or looked at him in a certain way that had him hoping that perhaps he might be wrong. He knew that liking her was risky because if he made a move and it backfired then he would lose one of the people who meant the most to him in the world but if he had learned one thing from his parents’ story, it was that he needed to take happiness when it presented itself and hold it tightly with both hands to make sure that it didn’t slip away. As Savannah spoke, Ryan felt a smile touch his lips even as his cheeks flushed red slightly at the compliment. “Then I guess we make a pretty good pair,” he said as his eyes met hers. She really was amazing and he knew that there were guys out there who were interested in her, guys that Ryan had often found himself feeling jealous of at even just the thought of Savannah going out with one of them, but this time it felt different. She had agreed to go to the Ball with him and even if that was only as a friend he knew that he was still lucky to have tonight with her like this.

Heading out onto the dancefloor with Savannah was something that he had been thinking about ever since he asked her to go with him and he had been happy to let her lead when it came to how they were going to dance together. If she had wanted to keep some distance between them then he knew that he would have respected that but she hadn’t done, instead she had moved closer to him and his hands found her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The fact that she hadn’t promised anyone else a dance was surprising given Ryan knew there were other guys who were interested in her but it was definitely a good thing as far as he was concerned. “I know he would, luckily I know what that’s like,” he chuckled. Being a twin himself he knew that he would say the same when it came to Alyssa so he definitely got it. “He didn’t mind you coming with me? I know how protective he can be.” That was perhaps an understatement, he and Samuel were friends and Ryan had seen the way the other guy liked to warn off guys who showed an interest in his sister. That was one of the reasons why Ryan had kept it to himself, another was because he had wanted Savannah to be the first person to find out how he felt about her. He wasn’t sure how it was going to go but as they danced together he was finding it more and more difficult to keep it to himself. As Savannah said that seventeen was her guess before asking what he thought, Ryan’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll go with twenty, I know your mum has really missed her,” he shrugged. He wasn’t sure who would be right and who would be wrong but he knew that they would find out soon enough. The next words to leave Ryan’s lips were ones that he hadn’t expected but he knew that if he didn’t get it off his chest then there was a good chance that he just might explode. Dating he was used to but liking someone like this was completely new to him, even more so given just who that special person was. He knew it wasn’t really fair to expect Savannah to promise that they would stay friends no matter what when she had no idea what it was that he was about to say but she promised anyway and Ryan’s breathe caught in his throat as she moved closer to him. “Nothing’s wrong, or at least I hope you won’t think it is,” he said gently as his eyes met hers. “I hope you don’t hate me for this,” he added before taking a deep breath, unable to deny that now he was feeling nervous. “The truth is I really like you, Savannah. Not just as a friend or someone I’ve grown up with, you’re so much more than that to me,” he said at last, studying her carefully as he tried to gauge her reaction. “I was hoping you might want this to be a date. The first of many, hopefully.” He had asked girls out before and he’d never felt nervous like he did now. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same though, we can forget I said anything if you prefer,” he added quickly, knowing that he would do that if it was what it took to make sure that he didn’t lose her.

SAVANNAH MARIE FORRESTER