- Over here! - says Ryder giving me a towel.
I raise my head staring at Ryder, then I realize that he wears a pair of jeans, T-shirt, but remains with his hands wrapped in strips. Maybe he got dressed in a hurry. I look at the towel and he smiles.
- That's the towel I use to wipe the blood off my hands, but I haven't used it yet.
I frown with a disgusting face, but I'll take the towel.
- Oh, God. That's disgusting. - I mean by wiping my mouth.
Ryder laughed and for a few seconds he was the one again. I had to confess that I missed him and his arrogant way.
- Stay here! - says he holding me in his arms and sitting on an abandoned stool next to the exit door. - Please don't go anywhere!
Even if his heartfelt plea had no effect, I felt too dizzy to go anywhere, alone.
- Like I can move! - grumbling.
I was tired and cushioned from being on my own for the drink. There was also the fact that he got angry and cried over Ryder. I put my head against the wall, because I was starting to spin again. I was starting to get sick again. Ryder comes running back with a bottle of water and gives it to me.
- Drink up! - he orders by ignoring the face I make.
I sigh drinking a little of the cold and very refreshing liquid. It was beginning to relieve the nausea, but my head was still spinning.
- How are you feeling? - he asks when I close my eyes. I open them again and face Ryder's worried eyes.
- Like shit! - I whisper by running my hands through my shaggy hair. - I think I'll go home now.
Ryder snitching to keep me from getting off the bench.
- Alone? No way!
I no longer sigh without the strength to fight him.
- Ryder, please! I can't handle you or your twin brother right now. - I say begging. - I'm very tired of fighting.
He releases a laugh that irritates me, so I push his chest and jump off the bench. I begin to stumble out of the alley, feeling like the most pathetic person in the world. Maybe I really deserved a beating.
I was almost reaching the street, when strong arms circulated my waist carrying me backwards. There was no time to dodge or run, because Ryder presses me against the wall holding me between his arms.
- You're not pathetic! - Ryder says next to my face. - You are beautiful, intelligent and have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen in my life.
Ryder takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. He supports his fists locked in the wall. His serious expression was frightening. He seemed frustrated and desperate at the same time.
- I was stupid for doing that to you. - he says sighing. My forehead's leaning against mine. - I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Throwing you out of my apartment was stupid and very wrong.
- Ryder...
- Let me talk! - he whispers. - The morning I woke up, I felt like the greatest imbecile on the face of the earth. I've been through hell since you walked out that door.
- I've seen the hell you've been living in. - I mean with sarcasm.
He lets out a laugh.
- Brooke, it's not what it looks like. - he answers in a serious voice. - I tried, but I can't sleep with anyone, because they're not you. It doesn't smell like you.
I hold my breath before that statement.
- Your smell was on my couch, so I've been sleeping in that room every night. - Ryder moves his face away. - I have no regrets about what happened. Now I understand that I was only confused because of the intensity of my feelings. What I felt was so strong, I got scared.
- Why are you doing this? - I ask you confused.
- Because if I were in my right mind, I would never realize how special you are and how stupid I am not to have seen this for so long.
Ryder says leaning his mouth against my ear giving me a lot of chills. I hold my breath by sticking my nails in the wall to know if it was real or if I was fantasizing about being drunk. My fingers hurt when the skin scraped off the rough wall behind me.
- You said you wanted to be just my friend. - I say in tears, I can't control myself.
Ryder puts his hands on my face, drying his tears with his thumbs.
- I thought this was what I wanted and even tried to get back to my routine, but I could not concentrate on anything. Not even those stupid slides or my calculations. - Ryder sighs, grunting then. - Everything got worse when I heard you were dating Parker.
- So you're here because I was dating Ash?
- No! I'm here because you deserve more and preferably with me.
I arch my eyebrow, struck by your arrogance. Ryder smiles to show he was serious.
- You're saying that...
- Come
