Ryder (Fallen Brook High School YA Series)

by J. L. Wyer

  “I do,” I say, acknowledging the truth.

  “These past weeks with you, Ryder, have made it clear to me just how much I like being with you. How badly I want to be with you,” she clarifies. “And I would like to be able to explore that…with you. I can’t remember my past, but I want to start living in my present. I would like it to be with you.”

  She lifts my hands to her lips, lips I am dying to kiss, and presses them softly against my curled fingers. Her eyes flutter close and her sigh causes goose bumps to erupt up my arms.

  “I would like that too. Very much,” I confide.

  Even though her eyes are closed, she continues talking to me in a hushed voice. “What we do is between us. You and me. It’s no one else’s business.”

  Elizabeth opens her eyes and while watching me, nips my thumb with her teeth. A spark zings down my hand and through my body. We drift closer as we both lean over the table; that invisible string that has always connected us, pulling tauter. I rub my thumb along her bottom lip and up along her cheekbone. I can feel the heat of her blood come to the surface underneath my fingers, deepening the color of her skin before my eyes.

  “Okay,” I hear myself tell her.

  Her radiant smile lights up my soul. God, I love this girl.

  ∞∞∞

  Elizabeth

  I can’t believe I just asked him out. It was like word vomit. I couldn’t help myself. I was starting to freak out when he went silent for a minute. But then he said yes. Holy moly. He said yes! I smile at him and press a kiss to the pad of his thumb when he caresses my face. The smile he gives me in return detonates a bomb inside of me. That familiar stomach flip returns with a vengeance. Shivers of excitement tickle up and down my skin, causing tiny epidermal fireworks to explode everywhere.

  We’ve been dancing around this undeniable attraction to each other for weeks. Ryder is so handsome. But it’s not just Ryder’s devastating good looks, that I find myself staring at more often than not, that have me hooked. He’s also caring and supportive. He doesn’t push. He doesn’t try to make me be someone he used to know, or to fit a preconceived mold of who the old Elizabeth was. When I’m with him, I’m happy. I feel free and alive, more comfortable in my new skin. Every moment I spend with him makes me even more attracted to him, and I fall just a little harder. And right this second, I would give anything for him to kiss me.

  “When would you like for me to take you out on our first date?”

  His question breaks me out of my daydream.

  “Next Saturday?” Please say yes, please say yes. I would have suggested tonight; I am that eager for our first official date together. I know Fridays are a no-go because of his races.

  “Saturday it is. I’ll make up some excuse to tell the guys.”

  I frown. I hate that we have to keep this a secret from Jayson and Julien, but like I told him, it’s no one’s business but ours.

  “I can’t wait,” I tell him, frown now gone and my excitement clear as day.

  “Hey, Elizabeth.” Meredith pops up at our table causing both me and Ryder to startle. “Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all.”

  Meredith happily sits down, completely unaware of the intimate tension arcing across the table between me and Ryder.

  “Are you solo today?” I ask her.

  She gives me a look. “Just because Trev and I are twins, doesn't mean that we are joined at the hip. I was heading over to the bookstore when I saw you guys through the window. There's a new romance series my favorite author just released that I want to buy.”

  “Not an e-book fan, then?”

  “I like to have both,” she explains.

  “We were planning to head that way once we finished here. Want some company?”

  “Sure! Oh, and we're starting that Marvel movie marathon on Wednesday.”

  “I thought you guys were supposed to be doing a study group," Ryder says, dipping a cold fry into his ketchup.

  Meredith winks at him. “We do. We also take lots of breaks. Why? You want to come?”

  I perk up at that. Spending more time with Ryder during the week? Yes, please. “You should come. I can text you when we're done studying, or you can come and study with us. I mean, you’d be able to get some homework done while we do our English assignments.”

  “You wouldn't mind?” he asks.

  “Not at all,” Meredith and I say at the same time, then we both burst out laughing.

  The waitress comes over and Meredith orders a soda. “So, how did you two meet?” she asks, flicking her finger back and forth between me and Ryder. I let Ryder answer this one.

  “We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

  “Seriously? That’s cool.” Meredith keeps talking, still not noticing the deep stares Ryder and I can’t stop giving each other, or the fact that our feet keep touching under the table.

  We finish eating, pay the bill, and go with Meredith to the bookstore. Ryder and I peruse the shelves while she's trying to find the book she came in for.

  There's a display of classics on a table that catches my interest. I pick up a copy of Where the Red Fern Grows and leaf through it.

  “That was our book,” Ryder says beside me.

  “Tell me,” I implore him, wanting to hear another story about the two of us as kids.

  He scratches the back of his neck. “Alright. I transferred schools when we moved to Fallen Brook, so school had already been going for a few months by the time I showed up in your class. You volunteered to be my class buddy.” He starts smiling at the recollection, and I love that his memories of me do that for him. “Jacinda and Samantha were being mean to me because I had grease stains on my shirt from helping Dad change the oil in mom's minivan that morning. They refused to move over on the reading rug so I could sit down. You literally punt-kicked them off of it. It was awesome. My own tiny fierce warrior.”

  “Wow. I really haven't liked those two since elementary school?”

  “Trust me. You aren't missing anything by not being friends with them. They aren't nice girls.”

  “Where does the book come in?” I ask, wanting him to continue the story.

  “I was so nervous that day, and you were trying so hard to get me to relax and come out of my shell. You teased me unmercifully until I cracked. Then the librarian — I can't recall her name — gave you a copy of Where the Red Fern Grows. You had been waiting to read it for ages. I mentioned that I was interested in reading it too, and without a second's thought, you gave it to me and told me to read it first. That was the first day we met, but it was also the first day we became best friends.”

  My heart melts at his recollection and then melts even more at the softness in his eyes as he looks at me.

  For the second time today, Meredith suddenly appears, scaring the mess out of us again. “Found it. Thanks for coming in with me, but I've got to get back. Mom wants me home for chore duty.”

  We wave bye to Meredith, and I turn to Ryder. “What do you want to do now?”

  “I have an idea. Do you trust me?”

  I want to tell him that I trust him with every fiber of my being, but settle for a simple, “Yes.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  Chapter 15

  You Leave Me Breathless

  Ryder

  “So where are we going?” Elizabeth asks.

  With her beside me as we hold hands like a normal, everyday couple taking a leisurely walk down Main Street, I’m having trouble keeping a straight thought. I’m also half expecting Jay to jump out of nowhere and kick my ass, then grab Elizabeth and run off with her. A little paranoid of that actually happening, I quickly scan around us before I pull her inside the music shop. Air conditioning blasts us as we enter and it feels wonderful, a stark contrast to the stifling humid air outside.

  “We’re here,” I announce, quickly bypassing the front counter where a salesperson is busy with a customer, and lead Elizabeth down a hall lined with doors.

>   Elizabeth cocks her head to the side when she hears music. A lilt of a saxophone, the deep keys of a piano, the thumping of a drum set, and the strings of a violin going up and down a scale. Her face lights up.

  “They do music lessons here?”

  I don’t think she’s even noticed that she’s been bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet since the moment we stepped inside. Her enthusiasm is reminiscent of the night she came out to the Fields for the first time when I taught her how to drift. I knew she would love this place, and I’m proud that I’m the one who has put a deliriously happy expression on her lovely face.

  “Follow me.”

  I check a few doors until I find one that’s unlocked and open it. We’re really not supposed to be in here unless we're signed up for lessons, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

  The music room we enter has a piano against one wall, and beside it, an acoustic guitar propped up in its stand. Elizabeth approaches the piano and runs her fingers across the white and black keys to tinkle out a simple four-note tune. I walk over to where the acoustic guitar sits in its cradle and lift it out. I don’t have a guitar pick so my fingers will have to do. I sit down on a nearby stool, propping one leg up on the bottom rung, and situate the guitar until it feels comfortable in my hands.

  Elizabeth takes a seat on the piano bench. “Why didn’t you mention before that you play?”

  “Your dad gave me lessons growing up.” I strum a few chords of the song I want to play for her. “I’m not anywhere near half as good as you are, though.” Her cheeks flush, the prettiest blush appearing, and she gives me a demure smile.

  “You are so beautiful, Elizabeth.” Her blush deepens to the point it turns an almost fiery crimson. Chuckling, I begin strumming a few measures.

  She scooches the bench closer to me and crosses her legs on top of it, her rapt attention on my face as we gaze at each other.

  “You used to put on mini concerts for us. I loved hearing you sing,” I add.

  As I softly pluck at the strings with my fingers, I continue talking. It’s almost as if my words are the lyrics to the music I’m strumming, and it captures Elizabeth’s attention.

  “This song is one you wrote for me. You gave it to me the night of our Junior prom. I have played it and practiced it over and over, putting it to memory, hoping that one day I could play it for you.”

  “I wrote this?”

  “Just for me,” I affirm.

  I begin to play for her in earnest. My fingers glide across the strings and ruts, and not once do I look away from her. The song she wrote for me is heartbreaking in its melody. The ebb and flow of the musical notes are filled with longing. She wrote it about us. The music is our story. As Elizabeth sits cross-legged on the piano bench, she closes her eyes and begins to hum the tune. Does she remember? Is the music transporting her back to that night when we danced cheek to cheek, longing and love flowing between us?

  She has her hair up in a loose bun today; little wisps hang down on the sides of her face and on her neck. I take a mental picture of how she looks now — like a blond Titian goddess. I wish I had my phone out to capture her beauty with my camera. I finish playing as her humming grows softer and an electric silence penetrates the room.

  Her misty green eyes open. “I really need you to kiss me right now, Ryder.”

  I’m off the stool and in front of her before she can annunciate another syllable. She uncrosses her legs and stands up to meet me. I curl my fingers around the back of her neck as she grabs hold of mine, and we both pull at the same time until our mouths come together in the most amazing kiss. Our kiss goes on and on, and it’ll never be enough. I’ll never get enough of her lips. I could kiss Elizabeth for a lifetime, and still beg for more. I know we shouldn’t be doing this here where anyone can walk in and discover us, but I don't care.

  “Ryder. Oh,” she says when I kiss right under her ear.

  I smile and press a tender kiss to the tip of her nose. “Hey, beautiful.”

  Elizabeth exhales a shaky, shuddering breath. “Jesus, Ryder.”

  She stares at my grinning mouth, and I’m two seconds away from lifting her up in my arms and kissing her until she breathless, when the door to the music room opens.

  A thin guy holding a trumpet case steps inside and halts when he sees us, his eyes bugging out of his head when he notices me and Elizabeth plastered intimately together.

  “Oh, hey, I’m so sorry. I, um…this room. My lesson, I mean...I’ll just step outside.”

  After he closes the door, we burst out laughing.

  Elizabeth drops her head down on my shoulder. “I think he meant to say that he has a lesson in this room,” she tries to get out between giggles.

  I hug her tightly to me, and she wraps her arms around my neck.

  “Thank you for the song,” she says.

  “Thank you for the kiss.”

  “It was an amazing kiss.”

  “So amazing, we’ll need to do it again.”

  “Absolutely,” she joyfully replies. “I can’t wait until Saturday.”

  “I guess we should give the guy the room now.”

  “I guess so,” Liz says back, but neither of us is in a hurry to break apart.

  When we do open the door, trumpet guy is waiting outside looking at the floor as we step out of the room.

  “Sorry if we messed up your practice time,” Elizabeth apologizes to him.

  Still not looking at us, he squeezes past and into the room with a “not a problem” before shutting the door.

  Heading outside, Elizabeth takes our joined hands and pulls them behind her so that she can press up against my side. “I think we scandalized that guy for life,” she snickers.

  “He’ll live.”

  “I'm supposed to meet up with Jayson and Julien later at their house. Their mom and dad want to see me. Any advice on how to handle it?”

  “Freda and Mitch are awesome. They loved you like you were their own daughter. Don't be surprised to get hugged and kissed often, and then Freda will force food on you. She loves to cook.”

  “Want to join us?”

  “I'm meeting up with Fallon later and don't know when I'll be back. I'll text you.”

  We get back to my car and I open the passenger door for her. Elizabeth looks around and then raises up on tiptoe to place a soft kiss on my lips. I’m still in disbelief that I get to kiss her like this. If this is a dream, I hope to never wake up.

  She looks up at me and gives me such a brilliant smile, it takes my breath away. Yep, I'm a goner for this girl.

  Chapter 16

  In Love

  Jayson

  I can’t believe how badly I'm messing things up with Liz. The more I try to reconnect with her, the farther I drive her away. I’m about to lose my ever-loving mind. And I’m afraid. Afraid from the past three months of thinking I was never going to see her again. Terrified that she might have died and I would never know. I’m also angry at having her back and not being able to touch her or hold her, kiss her or wake up to her wrapped in my arms. I don’t know how much more I’m going to be able to take.

  A year ago, our lives were so beautifully put together; our futures were bright and full of promise. We had Senior prom and Homecoming to look forward to. Once we graduated high school, our plan was to attend Carolina University with Jules and Ry. Liz and I would find a small one-bedroom apartment off campus, and we would live together. So many dreams for us, and now those dreams are mine alone. Liz’s mind has wiped them all away.

  As I wait on the porch for her to arrive, I’ve been wracking my brain for ways to get my girl back. She fell in love with me before. I need to go back to that time and figure out what I did then so that I can do it now.

  While planning out my next move, Liz drives up and parks behind my truck in the driveway. Our front door opens and Julien flies right by me, engulfing her in a hug as soon as she gets out of her car. She laughs at something he says, and he places a kiss to the sid
e of her head. That’s something I’ve noticed more and more lately. Julien never used to touch Liz like that before. I’ll need to bring it up with him later.

  “Liz brought dinner,” Jules says when he sees me. I walk down the porch steps and take the paper bags from her.

  She smiles at me and I decide to take a chance and place my own kiss on her forehead. I regret it instantly because it makes me want to toss the bags and take her in my arms instead.

  “What's for dinner?” I ask, spying a box of pasta.

  “Spaghetti. Is that alright? I figured you can't go wrong with spaghetti.”

  “It sounds delicious, Liz. Come on inside. Mom and Dad are out in the backyard.”

  We put the groceries in the kitchen and the perishables in the fridge. Then, we walk out to the back patio. The reunion with my parents goes better than I anticipated. Mom tears up a couple of times, but she and Dad keep things light to avoid overwhelming Liz. And because they are the best parents in the world, they go out for dinner and a late movie so we can have the house to ourselves.

  Currently, we are gathered in the kitchen. Liz has been humming the entire time as she helps Julien prepare dinner. I have been relegated to staying out of the way. I don’t mind one bit because it’s allowing me time to watch Liz. She’s so pretty in her short shorts, tank top, and blond hair pulled up in a messy bun. This is how it should be with us. Me and her in our own space, cooking dinner, relaxed and happy. The only things missing are my hands around her waist and my lips devouring hers.

  “Jay, you hear from Ry? I wonder where he's been today.”

  I’m a little surprised when Liz answers Julien's question. “He’s hanging with Fallon tonight and said he'd drop by if it wasn't too late,” she replies casually, then stops. Her head snaps up and she looks at me. “He, um, texted me earlier.”

  I raise my eyebrows and Liz turns back around and attacks a cucumber for the Greek salad with a fervor, cutting it into tiny, square pieces. Once she's finished, she walks over to where I’m sitting at the counter island, holding a slice of cucumber between her fingers.