Page 33 of Ryder

RYDER

One year later

“Luca,to what do I owe the pleasure?” I haven’t heard from my friend in a few months, but we call each other every now and then.

“Hey, Ryd, I’m gonna be in town next weekend,” he says. “I thought we could catch up?”

“They finally lettin’ you outta Cali?”

“Something like that.”

“Sounds good. You still studin’ to take the bar?”

“Yep, hence the reason I need to get outta town, and it’ll be good to catch up with Crystal.”

I stop, thinking for a second if I heard that right. “Crystal’s comin’ with you?”

He pauses for a second. “Didn’t she tell you? She moved to New Orleans a few months ago.”

I scratch my head. “Nope.”

“Huh. Well, I guess she’s been busy finishing up with school and working, probably hasn’t left much time to catch up on old friends, that is if you’re still talking to one another?”

Luca never found out about that night we had a year ago, and he never will. But he does know we touch base every now and then and I check in on her.Why wouldn’t she tell me she was moving?

We’ve shared text messages, but not frequently, and it’s always ‘how ya doin’ or ‘what’s new?’

“We are, not that I get any free time myself. Shit’s been busy around here lately.” That’s an excuse. I’d always make time for her. I’m just floored that she didn’t say anything.

“Anyway, she moved in with her boyfriend, so that’s probably why she hasn’t called you. She’s probably afraid you’ll hunt him down.”

I hear the words, but they don’t register.Boyfriend?Of course, I’m not stupid enough to think she wouldn’t have moved on. We had one night together. We’ve been on friendly terms, but we haven’t shared anything deep. In fact, this last year she’s kept pretty quiet. Now I know why. She met some other guy.

I barely choke out my next words. “What’s he like?”

“I have no clue. I’ll probably meet him next weekend. She’s been pretty cagey about him, to be honest. As far as I know, they met a while ago, but things only just got serious.”

Serious? How serious?

“What does he do?”

“Some kind of businessman.”

So she got herself a suit? Would I really expect anything less?

“I see.”

“Don’t worry. I thought the same thing. Mom and Dad aren’t happy about the whole situation, and she’s making out she’s living with a friend, but I know she got an apartment and he’s living there with her.”

Fuck. It’s worse than I thought.

The idea that my sweet, innocent — or maybe not so innocent — Crystal is shacked up with some dude in the very city I live in causes a new kind of pain in my chest.

“Why would he do that if he’s a businessman? Surely he’d have his own apartment?”

“You’re asking the wrong person,” Luca sighs. “And you know my sister, when she has her sights set on something, she just goes for it.”

Don’t I know it.

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