Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Tori. Diana. Ryder. It looked like there were some voicemails from a few people as well, and I’d deal with that later. Nobody needed to hear me like this.
The knocking stopped, and a voice called my name. It was an accented voice, and I sank back against my pillows. Ryder. He called my name and asked me to open the door, and I ran a hand through my messy hair. If I didn’t get the door, perhaps one of my neighbors would get involved.
I stood on trembling legs and felt my leggings and T-shirt that was too big for me. I looked a hot mess, but it didn’t matter. I stumbled to the door and looked through the small peephole to make sure it was Ryder before clicking open the deadbolt.
“Elyse?” he asked as I made my way through all four locks. I gazed outside to make sure that nobody was coming over to see what was going on, and met his eyes.
“Come in. We don’t need to stir up the neighborhood.”
He walked past me and locked the doors as I made my way to the couch, pulling my knees to my chest.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“It’s eight and way too fucking long for you to make me wait like this. I damn near dragged you away from that bar,” he growled as I gave him a wide-eyed stare. Ryder sat close to me, and I froze as he searched my face. There was a dim light on in the kitchen, but he couldn’t see the details of my face or anything like that. “What the hell is going on?”
“I…” I didn’t know what to say. I was still fuzzy with sleep, and my stomach growled as I pressed my face into my arms. “I just woke up. I can’t think.”
“I’ll get you something to drink. Are you hungry?” he asked, standing up and moving to the kitchen.
“A bit. Thirsty mostly,” I croaked as he started to make a noise in the kitchen. I heard the kettle and microwave and the sounds of the dishes.
“I have tea for you and some leftover pasta that was in your fridge. How’s that?” A hand touched my hair gently, and I tensed as he sighed. “I’d never hurt you. Ever. I reacted to that guy touching you the way he was, and I’m sorry. I didn’t take it as far as I could have, Elyse. I was just jealous.”
“I know.” I raised my head and looked at the plate and cup in front of me on the table. The tea was hot, and I smiled at the bottle of water beside it. “Ryder, I didn’t want him to do that. He flirted the first night we met, and I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to jeopardize our possible future. The night of the show, it seemed like he was always around. Isn’t that how it is?” I watched as Ryder opened the water to hand it over to me. “I didn’t want to ruin everything. Then, you were there. You looked so good until I looked into your eyes.” I took a long sip as he scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I saw so much anger there.”
“I was jealous, Elyse. I was looking forward to seeing you after being stuck at that game, and it threw me off.” Ryder sat down and sighed. “You had quite the bodyguard that night. What was the deal there with her?”
I blushed and reached for my tea to give myself a moment. It was still hot, and I held it in my hands to warm my cool skin.
“She is my aunt. We’re close, and she’s always been that way. It was a crazy night for everyone there.” I hoped it was enough and looked into his eyes only to be met with his doubt. “You were about ready to lose it, Ryder. I’m sure you’re man enough to admit that.”
“I am, but I saw more than that. She would die for you, love. There’s something you’re not telling me, and it’s pushing you away from me.”
Thoughts and emotions collided in my head. I was aware that the truth could come out sooner rather than later, but Ryder meant something to me. I could brush off any reactions potential fans might have, but he was someone I valued.
I also didn’t know how to tell him what happened. The words always stuck in my throat to this day, and I was still missing details. I was too scared to read the many articles about the event, but perhaps they could show him the reason I acted the way I did.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked around for my phone. I remembered that it was still in my room and licked my lips. “Do you have your phone?”