“Whooooa,” I said, steadying Matt, once again, when he stumbled.
“I want a dog.”
“A dog?”
“Yeah. Those furry things that go woof.”
“I know what a dog is.”
“They’re cute. And chicks love those things.”
I hoped this was the drink talking because another living and breathing entity wouldn’t last a day living with Matt.
“Or a parrot. Yeah a parrot. It could talk to me.”
Yeah, a parrot was probably more on his intellectual level.
“Oh, oh, oh… or a snake.”
“Thank fuck,” I mumbled to myself when our taxi pulled up in front of us.
“Or maybe a rabbit.”
After bundling Matt into the car as quickly as possible, I spent almost ten minutes trying to get him to remember his address. When he did I relaxed a little, then I spent the rest of the journey on the edge of my seat, praying his stomach didn’t explode through his mouth before I got him home.
A loud smash startled me awake. Jumping out of bed, I picked up one of my kettlebells from the floor and tentatively made my way out into the main living space. I breathed a sigh of relief, which quickly turned to worry, when I saw Ryder in a crumpled heap on the floor, surrounded by thick shards of glass from where he’d clearly fallen into the side table by the door.
“Fuck, you okay?” I asked, placing my kettlebell back on the floor and rushing over to him.
He looked up at me and laughed.
“Guess so.” Hooking my arms under his, I lifted Ryder to his feet. I guided him toward his bedroom and had to physically lift him onto the bed.
“I’m sorry,” he slurred into the air. I opened my mouth to ask why but he continued before I could suck in a breath. “I’ve been a dick to you.”
My heart fluttered a little as hope filled my veins. But then I looked at him, lying flat on his back with his eyes half closed and realized he wouldn’t even remember this conversation in the morning. I continued getting him ready for sleep as best I could, pulling off his shoes and socks and then reaching for the edge of the comforter.
“Do you hate me, tiger?”
Tiger. The name lingered in my ears and I swallowed down the nonsensical lump of emotion that swelled in my throat.
“No, Ryder. Of course I don’t hate you.”
From the way his eyelids fluttered I suspected he hadn’t even heard me. I covered his clothed body with the blanket and tucked him in at the sides. It made me smile, remembering all the nights my mom would do the same to me. But the smile turned sad when I turned away from him. I’d never had a best friend before, and despite the short time I’d known Ryder I was sure he had become just that… but then something screwed it up before I had a chance to enjoy it.
Reaching out for the doorknob, I heard him shuffle onto his side. I looked back on him fleetingly when I thought I heard him mumble.
“I was raped, Mason.”
Confusion.
Anger.
Fear.
Heartbreak.
When? Who? Where?
My body was paralyzed. My feet welded to the floor. I clenched my fists by my side as a thousand different emotions attacked my body. Had I heard him right? Ryder was… raped? I played the sound of his voice over and over in my head until I was left with absolutely no doubt that was exactly what he said. My lips tried to part as I attempted to speak but they were sealed together, my mouth suddenly too dry to talk.
A lonely tear formed in the corner of my eye when I looked over at him, but he was fast asleep, his breathing slow and heavy. So, I stepped gingerly out of the room, closing the door softly behind me. Then I took myself back to bed and wrapped myself tightly in my sheets, hugging a pillow close to my chest and squeezing the pain I felt deep in my heart into it.
My breath came in short pants as sleep evaded me. I felt sick. Winded. My heart felt like it had ballooned right up into my throat. I spent hours wondering how I would approach this in the morning, or even if I should. Then the last thing I remember is turning over, away from the dampness staining my pillow from the tears I didn’t notice fall.
Chapter Six
~Ryder~
“UGH,” I GROANED, walking slowly, very slowly, into the living room with my arm stretched out in front of me to stop me bumping into anything. My head was pounding, my stomach rolling. “Pills. I need pills.”
“Over here,” Mason said quietly, although it seemed like he was yelling right into my fucking ears. I forced my eyes open a little wider and saw a glass of water and two headache pills set aside on the coffee table.