missmara13

The latest of my gifts!

This one is in the StrokeVerse, about how Ryan and Isabella first met in that universe. Also, an additional little surprise before the story... again, Isabella is portrayed by Kristen Kruek in my mind... lol...

"I know of the perfect guy for you, if you'd just let me..." Summer began for what had to be the 10th time.

Isabella groaned and leaned her head back. "If I agree to meet this guy, will you leave me alone about dating for at least a year, regardless of how it turns out?"

"Deal!" Summer said quickly.

"What's wrong with this guy that he needs a blind date?" Isabella asked warily.

"Nothing is wrong with Ryan!" Summer protested. "He's really sweet, and smart, and subtley funny..."

"Subtley funny?"

"He doesn't try to be funny, it's just that every so often he'll crack a joke and it'll be something that you might not recognize as one at first, but like 2 seconds later you'll get it and start laughing. He's also perfected the art of letting other people walk right into the jokes themselves. Those end up being even funnier as the people realize just what they've done."

"And you care about his love life why?"

"He's my boyfriend's brother, and him and me have been friends since Sophmore year of High School," Summer said. "You'll love Ryan if you just give him a chance."

"Just call me with when and where," Isabella said, getting up. "I have class."

"You won't regret this!" Summer called after her.

~~~

"You won't regret this," Summer said as she and Ryan sat at a table in the quad, waiting for Isabella to get out of class.

"So you keep saying," Ryan replied, sighing and shaking his head.

"She's pre-med like me, and she's absolutely gorgeous, funny, smart, she likes oldies, and she's really laid back and zen..."

"Zen?"

"Shut up," Summer said, smacking his shoulde rhten half standing. "Isabella!" she called.

Ryan turned to see who was coming, and was momentarily stunned by the sight of the beautiful girl heading their way, long dark hair hanging in soft waves around her face. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Isabella replied, smiling shyly as she slid into the seat across from him.

"Isabella Montenegro, meet Ryan Atwood. Chino, meet Izzy."

"I prefer either Isabella or Is," she said, the slightest hint of an accent in her voice as she shot a mildly scolding look at Summer.

"Well, I prefer Ryan," he replied. "But Summer's always been obsessed with nicknames."

"And apparently other people's love lives," Isabella agreed, nodding.

"I know, that's weird, right?" Ryan said, smiling.

"My mama isn't so obsessed and she keeps calling matchmakers for me."

Ryan laughed. "Well, that's probably still better than what my brother says."

"What's that?" Isabella asked, neither of them noticing as Summer got up and left them alone.

"That I need to forget girlfriend and just go for 'getting laid'," Ryan said, rolling his eyes. "Trey's..."

"Rude? Crude? Immature?"

"Yes," Ryan said, nodding. "To all three. But..."

"He has your best interests at heart," Isabella said. "What I don't understand is how you don't already have a girlfriend."

"Not many girls wanna date a guy who has a cane," Ryan said, holding it up so she could see and noticing the confusion on her face. "Summer didn't tell you?"

"Are you hurt?" Isabella asked, frowning in concern.

"I was... hurt... when I was 15. They gave me something in the ER to slow the bleeding, but it didn't get noted in my chart and up in the OR..."

"They gave you more," Isabella said, flinching and muttering insults about the doctors' mothers in Italian. "Stroke?"

"On the table," Ryan said. "It took me months to even be able to take a couple steps, and my physical therapist says I'm kind of a miracle story that I recovered enough to go to college, even if it took me this long to finally get the guts to move out of my parents house and into my own apartment."

"How bad is it now?" Isabella asked, tilting her head slightly to listen as he told her more about his syptoms, nodding in understanding and occasionally asking for clarification on something.

A little ways away, Summer smiled as she watched them. "Mission accomplished," she said to herself.
The End