by J. L. Wyer
“She wants to try it out,” is his reply.
Ryder finishes his coffee and starts to pack a cooler with snacks and bottled water.
“You and Liz have been spending a lot of time together lately.”
“Yeah, and?” He looks over at me. There’s a challenge in the way he angles his head my way.
“And nothing. Forget I said anything.” I back down, not wanting to get into an argument I know I'll lose. “Why don’t Jules and I join you?”
“Join what?” Julien asks as he walks into the kitchen.
“Join Ry and Liz today at the beach.”
“You never said anything about going today,” he says to Ry. “I’m in, but Elijah has to work this afternoon.” Jules finds a protein drink in the fridge and chugs it down.
Ryder throws a few bagged chips in the cooler and closes it. “Not up to me. You need to ask her.”
I hold up a finger and dial Liz’s number. It takes two rings for her to pick up.
“Hello?” she answers a little too hesitantly for my liking.
“Good morning, princess.”
“I’m not your princess,” she groans.
“Jules and I want to know if we can crash your beach day,” I say, trying to sound cheerful, even though my heart is beating out of my chest from just the sound of her voice. Liz doesn’t answer for several seconds. “Liz, you there?”
I hear her sigh. “Yeah. Is Ryder there?”
I look over at him. “Yeah, he’s here.”
“Can you give him the phone, please?”
I grit my teeth. “Yeah. Hold on.” I shove my phone at Ry. “She wants to talk with you.”
He takes it and walks out of the kitchen. “Hey, I’m here,” is all I catch before he disappears down the hall.
I slam my coffee mug down on the counter.
“Jay, let it go,” Julien tells me.
“Easy for you to say. You’ve gotten to spend time with her already. That’s all I want, Jules — to spend some time with her. I don’t care where or when or how. I just miss her.”
“I know. You know I know, and I get it. Time and patience, brother.”
Ryder walks back in and hands me my phone.
“What’s the verdict?”
“She suggested we all meet up later. That is, if you still want to make the two-hour trip out. We can grab some dinner or something before coming back home.”
“What the —? Come on, Ry. Seriously?”
“Like I said, not my call. You don’t like it, take it up with her.”
He knows I won’t do that. If this is the compromise that I have to accept in order to spend time with her, then I'll take it.
“Fine. Where and what time?”
“Around three at Seaside Grille on Pier 3. We'll be on the strip of beach next to it.” Ry grabs his bag and cooler. “Jay, I know you feel that this situation sucks, but if all of us are going to be part of her life right now, we can’t push, and we have to defer to what she wants, not what we want. It’ll get better,” he promises and cuffs me on the shoulder before walking out.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth
If anyone dares to tell you that standing up on a board in water is easy, they need to have some sense smacked into them. I think I’ve fallen off every single time I’ve gotten on this stupid thing.
Ryder had me practice with the surfboard on the dry beach first. I had to go from lying on my stomach to popping up on two legs over and over again before he would let me take it into the water. I understand why now. Surfing is a hard skill to learn and I know my leg muscles are going to be sore tomorrow from all the jump-squats I've been doing.
“You’re doing fine, Elizabeth. You’re trying too hard. Just relax and let it happen.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumble, falling off the board yet again. “I think I need a break.”
I hop myself up and do a belly flop onto the board, splaying my arms out wide. Ryder pulls me out a little farther where the swells aren’t so high, and we bob gently up and down in a rocking motion.
“Sit up for me and straddle the board,” he instructs, and I do as he says. I don’t know how he accomplishes it, but he gets on the board so that he’s facing me and our knees touch. I become mesmerized by how the sun glints off the water dripping from his hair and face. He’s wearing a swim shirt that fits his chest like a glove and makes me drool a little. I’m not so sure that all the sun I’ve gotten today is the reason I’m feeling hot and flustered right now.
“We’ll need to head on in soon to meet the guys.”
“It’s that time already? I feel like we just got here.” I want to spend more time with him. Just the two of us.
“We could take a walk on the beach while we wait for them to show up.”
I brighten up at his suggestion, very much liking the idea of a walk on the beach with him.
“How do you know me so well? Wait, that was a stupid question. Of course, you know me well,” I laugh, causing Ryder’s eyes to sparkle like smoky quartz crystals.
“I hope this wasn’t too bad for you.”
“I may have grumbled through most of it, but I seem to have fun with you no matter what we’re doing.”
“Good to know. I’ll take you to a monster truck show one day.”
“I insist on a greased pig race,” I counter.
“Sumo wrestling.”
“Golf.”
“What’s wrong with golf?” he asks. “You played putt-putt at the go-cart place, did you not?”
I dip my hands in the warm ocean and flick water at him. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. Golf is boring to watch — like paint drying. At least with mini golf, you have obstacles and windmills to make it more exciting and kick it up a notch.”
Ryder kicks his foot up, spraying me with water. “True.”
Giggling, I kick both my feet and douse him good.
“Oh, she wants to play,” is the only warning I get before he tips the board and we both fall in the water.
I come up sputtering and feel hands around my ankle. I kick out as a reflex because scenes from Jaws are never far from anyone’s mind when they enter the ocean, and for some reason my brain decided to retain that movie for me to remember. Instead of the sharp bite of a shark, I feel fingers around my lower calf and a tug that releases the ankle strap tethering me to the board. Before I have time to consider why Ryder would do that, I’m lifted high and thrown up and out, landing in a big, inelegant splash.
“Oh, now it’s on,” I threaten him when I resurface. I swim over to where he’s hanging on the surfboard and dive under. Once I come up behind him, I jump on his back and dunk him. Ryder retaliates by grabbing my legs and pulling me under with him. Breathless when I resurface, I make a 'T' with my hands and ask for a time out.
“Give up?” He smiles down at me as I float on my back.
“Never. Just give me a minute. You’re sneaky.”
I grin up at him and he grins back. And there is that flip again, deep in my stomach. I right myself and grab hold of his shoulders. They feel like banded steel under my wet hands. My legs automatically come around his waist, and he reacts to my touch by taking my hips in a firm grip. I notice his pupils contract to pinpoints; the brown, green, and yellow of his eyes hypnotic as we stare at each other. We start to lean in towards one another. I’m so ready to do something stupid, like attack him and kiss him senseless, when we hear our names being called. Ryder and I look over to see Jayson and Julien waving at us from the shoreline.
“I guess that’s our cue,” Ryder says, but he doesn't let go of me.
“I guess so,” I reply, disappointed. “Want to tow me in?”
“Hop on,” he says, easily lifting me up onto the board without me doing a thing to help.
“Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for another wonderful time.”
“Anytime.”
“I guess we won’t get our walk on the beach.”
/> “Who says we can’t? I’m sure Jules and Jay won’t mind joining us.”
I reach to cover his hand that’s gripped on the side of the board. “I meant with you.”
He turns his hand over and we link our fingers.
“Anytime you want, Elizabeth.” And I fall just a little bit more.
Chapter 14
He Said Yes
Elizabeth
It's been a week since the races at the Fields and the beach trip, and I just can't seem to stay away from Ryder. I mean, I know we see each other at school every day and sometimes in the morning when I meet up with him and the guys for breakfast, but I love the times when it's just the two of us. Nobody else around. No distractions. Just me and him. God, I sound like a desperate, pathetic loser.
I felt like one last night too when I texted him to ask if he would like to show me around town today. I didn't go to the Fields last night because Daniel had made dinner reservations for us. He said he'd barely seen me all week and wanted us to spend some family time together.
Ryder texted me back immediately with a “yes” for today, then he showed up on my doorstep this morning after I had finished my run with Julien. Ryder arrived holding a box of donuts that I happily accepted and proceeded to devour.
Now, he and I are ambling down the quaint main street of Fallen Brook. It's as picturesque as can be, with its old-fashioned window displays and old-timey brick work. It even has a town square with a huge clock, much like the one in the Back to the Future movie. Yes, it seems that I remember that movie too. We're heading to a little bookstore at the corner that Ryder says I will love, when my stomach lets me know it wants food.
“Do you mind if we stop and get something to eat?”
Ryder laughs incredulously. “You can’t still be hungry after all of those donuts.”
“Hey! I ran eight miles this morning. Eight miles! I need at least another five thousand calories to make up for it. And I’m really, really hungry.”
“Ruby's Diner is two blocks away.”
“Sounds great. I'm craving cheesecake. Maybe some chips and salsa too. Better yet, some sweet potato fries and a chicken lettuce wrap.”
Ryder grimaces at my food choices. “I can’t wait to see you try to eat all of that.”
“Challenge accepted, my friend.”
∞∞∞
Ryder
I watch in fascination as Elizabeth finishes off her cheesecake and groans. “I’m not going to be able to get up.”
“I told you.” I chuckle, and she sticks her tongue out at me.
We’re sitting at one of the smaller tables in the back of the diner. There was a group of college guys at a booth up front when we came in. As we passed by their table, their gazes blatantly followed Elizabeth, not bothering to hide their interest in her. I got insanely jealous. I can’t blame them though. I would be checking her out too if I was in their group. Elizabeth is absolutely gorgeous; you can't help but get caught in her beauty.
She takes a drink of her iced tea and relaxes back into her chair. “It was worth it. So good.”
“You and the new twins seem to be becoming good friends,” I casually say, making conversation.
Elizabeth went to their house Wednesday after school for a study group they started together. She later told me they just spent most of the time messing around and watching movies without doing much studying.
“They're cool. I like Meredith, but oh my gosh, that girl talks. A lot. Luckily, I don't have much to say, so we're a good fit.”
“Trevor likes you, you know.” Why did I say that?
Elizabeth splutters her drink and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Not you as well. That’s what Mer keeps saying, but I don’t see it. Trevor is a massive flirt and likes to tease me about it, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me in that way.”
“He’s already given you a cute nickname.” He calls her Ace.
“Oh, my God, no, Ryder. Besides, even if he was, I’m not. Trevor is friend-zoned and is relegated to study buddy and cool guy I like to hang out with. Nothing more.”
Good. That makes me feel better.
“Trevor also doesn't see me as the girl with no memory, nor does he pity me because of what happened to me. It's easy to be around him and Mer because they didn't know the old me. They like me how I am now.”
“I like you. I like you a lot. And yes, I liked the old Elizabeth before the car accident, but I really like the new Elizabeth too.” Why won't my mouth stop talking?
She narrows those verdant eyes at me, but I can tell she's nervous about something by the way she starts reorganizing the sweetener packets in their little dish.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“What's different about me now that you like more than before?” For a brief second, a haunted expression flickers across Elizabeth’s face before it’s gone.
I don’t think any of us will ever be able to imagine the hell Elizabeth must live in with no memory. She is basically having to start her life over from scratch. I wish Jay would ease up with the pressure he puts on her.
I rest my elbows on the table and lean in. “I like the way you aren't afraid to try new things.”
She looks surprised. “Was I afraid before?”
Chuckling, I admit, “Don't get me wrong. You used to love the thrill of doing new things, but I had to pester and coax you into it. Now, you just jump right in, no hesitation. Like driving your car on the track. You were hella-badass.”
Elizabeth's grin brings out her dimples. “What else?”
“I like how you aren't afraid to say what you want or what you like, or don't like. Before, you would just follow me or Jay or Jules in whatever we wanted.”
“Wow. Old me must have been dull. And a doormat.” She scrunches up her mouth in displeasure at the thought.
“You also hated exercising.”
She laughs — a deep, full sound that echoes off the walls of the diner. “Julien said something similar.”
Elizabeth looks across the table at me. She starts chewing on her thumbnail, and I sense she's nervous again. I gently pull her hand away from her mouth and place it on the table. She looks down at our hands and I can feel the mood shift around us.
“Ryder?”
“Hmm?”
“Would you like to go out on a date with me?”
Did she just ask me out?
“What?” I state a little too loudly. My heart thuds triple count.
She focuses that sage green sight on me again, and I’m instantly caught. “Go out on a date,” she repeats. “With me.”
I can only stare at her. My brain has fritzed out, and all I can think is, Holy sh—.
“Ryder?”
“What about Jay?” I blurt.
“What about Jayson? I’m not asking him out. I’m asking you out.”
There it goes again. My heart speeds up to quadruple time now.
I’ve spent years of my life pining for Elizabeth. Watching from the sidelines as Jayson claimed her for his own. Forced to watch all the times he held her and kissed her. All the times I loved her and couldn’t be with her. All the times Elizabeth and I would collide back together; pulled toward one another by buried feelings that we were forced to suppress because of that one night Jay went behind my back and stole her away from me. The night when she chose him because she didn’t know that I was in love with her too.
Now it seems fate has given me a second chance. I think back to what Fallon said to me at the Fields — about how it was a good thing that Elizabeth had lost her memories. I understand now. I’m being given a second chance with her. But that chance may come at a price.
Elizabeth has no memory of what she and Jayson were to each other. She doesn't remember coming to my dad's garage that night before her accident, or about her asking me to give us a chance to be together, to test our ‘what if.’
What happens if I say yes now and her memory comes back? Will she leave me and go back to
Jay? Am I brave enough to take this second chance? Jay is sure as hell not going to stand by and watch me and Elizabeth date. A selfish part of me doesn’t care. Jay destroyed that nexus of our friendship years ago when he listened to me confess my feelings for Elizabeth, then immediately ran off to profess his love to her before I had a chance. I may have stepped aside then, but I have never forgiven him for doing that. I also never stopped loving Elizabeth.
Realizing she has been waiting for my answer, I open my mouth the say something, but she beats me to it.
“It’s fine. I understand if you don’t feel the same way. I apologize if I was too forward,” she says quietly.
Do something, I yell at myself. Don’t be stupid. Grab ahold of this gift that you have wanted so much, for so long, and take it. Yes, there are so many things that can go wrong, but if I don’t seize this moment with her, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
It’s funny how random thoughts pop into your mind at unexpected moments. I suddenly remember Elizabeth’s words from the night she came to me after her fight with Jay. The night she chose to kiss me for the first time. The night she chose to stop fighting her feelings about us.
I’m done letting everyone make choices for me. I won’t do it anymore. How do I know what I want if I’m never given a choice, never given a chance to decide for myself?
Right now, she’s making a choice. A choice that is all hers. And she’s choosing me. Not Jayson. Not Julien. Me.
My hand snatches hers on the table.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” she asks, a glimmer of hope and happiness in the inflection of that one, simple word.
I reach over and take her other hand in mine, rubbing my thumbs across their silkiness and reveling in the fact I get to touch her like this.
“Yes,” I tell her with determination. “I would love to go out on a date with you. But we need to be careful, Elizabeth. Jayson and Julien aren’t going to understand. Especially Jayson.”
“I don’t want to cause any problems between the three of you. It’s like I told Julien. I feel it — that thing that’s between us — and I’m pretty sure you do, too.”