Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
“No.” I forced out gently. “You can’t come here. Ashton’s asleep, and I’d have to explain everything. It’s better if I wait until daylight.”
“I wouldn’t give a fuck if he were right beside you. That has nothing to do with us. Matter of fact, how is he even sleeping when you’re not there? You’ve never left my bed without me knowing, and you never will.”
The implication behind that caught me off guard. It meant he saw a future where we’d be sharing a bed again. We hadn’t done that since freshman year of college, back when it was a bit easier to ignore the way he looked at me and hide how much I adored it. Long before that, when we were younger, it was late-night movies, sharing secrets, him stealing my blanket, and me shoving him off the bed in retaliation. It had never been more than that. It was never like this.
I shook my head as if that would clear it. I wasn't going to let my thoughts go there. I couldn’t afford to drown in a deeper sea of what-ifs when I was already treading water just to breathe.
“Calm down, okay? Nothing happened, Rye. I’m—.” I paused mid-sentence. A low engine rumbled on his end of the line, followed by muffled voices. My eyes narrowed. “Did you just start your truck?”
He didn’t answer.
“Ryder, please.”
“Stay inside. Check the locks,” he ordered softly.
“I will. If I see anything else, I’ll call.” I locked the door and tugged the long blinds shut. I doubted anyone was going to Spider-Man their way up to the third floor, but better safe than sorry.
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Hey! Wait—.”
“Don’t tell me to stay away again. I heard you the first time. I’m pretending I didn’t because everything in me is screaming to do the opposite.”
His tone was still soft, but the edge beneath it was impossible to miss. I wasn’t sure if the hostility was aimed at Ashton, the tension between us, or the person who had better be long gone before Ryder found them.
“I didn’t mean—.” I started, guilt bleeding into my voice
“Don’t say sorry to me,” he cut me off one last time. “I’m letting you stay with him.” A second later, he added, “For now.”
The phone beeped twice, signaling he’d ended the call. I stood there, staring at my phone with a slow-building scowl. He was letting me? The freaking nerve of him.
I shot him a text.
Don’t go off and do anything crazy, Ryder.
His response didn’t come for another grueling fifteen minutes.
Rye 🥖❤️
When it comes to you, Sass, Crazy’s much too tame a word for what I’m willing to do.
You’ve been so good, Rye don’t let something this silly mess it up.
I didn’t get another reply for hours.
By the time my phone buzzed again, shy of 4 a.m., I was staying awake purely from pinging between royally pissed and viscerally concerned. And Ashton still hadn’t woken up once.
Rye 🥖❤️
Go to bed.
That was it?
That’s all you have to say? 🙃🙃🙃
The typing bubbles appeared. Disappeared. Then it reappeared again. I sat up straighter when his reply came through.
Rye 🥖❤️
Are you scared?
I can come and remind you who’s always been better at making you feel safe.
I nearly launched my damn phone across the room. Wisely, I aimed it at the couch cushions instead, where it bounced with a soft, unsatisfying thud beside me.
CHAPTER FOUR
SANJANA
I got a whopping three hours of sleep.
When I finally texted Ryder back, it was a full line of middle finger emojis. That was my version of a love letter when he was being a dick. Naturally, it earned me a reply two minutes later:
Rye 🥖❤️
Tell me how you really feel.
Or better yet, come show me.
You know where I sleep.
Yeah, he was definitely in a mood, but I preferred this to him riding around trying to commit a few felonies. I texted back something I knew would get under his skin--sue me.
Beside Brooke? 😊
He didn’t respond right away, which meant he was either pissed, amused, or imagining things he shouldn’t be. I pictured him gripping his phone, doing that broody thing where he stared off into space like he was deciding whether or not to burn the world down. When his response came twenty minutes later, it wasn’t anything I could twist into something safe.
Rye 🥖❤️
Be ready when I stop holding back.
That was all.
A promise wrapped in a warning. It set off a back-and-forth war. By the time we finished launching digital attacks via GIFs, reels, and passive-aggressive commentary like mature, responsible adults, my alarm was practically going off, and I’d nearly suffocated myself trying to smother my laughter.
I used to think I was a morning person, mostly because I had those fond memories of when my beloved dictator, Roxxi, used to drag me out of bed before dawn had the decency to crack her ass. I’d since learned that being an early riser was a trait I no longer possessed. Not only did I hate being forced to wake up early, but I also couldn’t stand having to rush, which was exactly what I was doing.