Page 81 of Home Game

She stared at me.

I lightly brushed the hair from her eyes. “Would that work for you?”

She put her small hand on my cheek. “You’re a nice person, Ryan.”

“You might be the only person who thinks that.”

“Can I make you breakfast tomorrow?”

Another smile tugged from me. “Why would you want to do that?”

“I like to do that stuff.”

“Then I’d like that.”

I felt a loss the moment she climbed off my lap. “Night, Ryan.”

“Night, Zobenia.”

She spun around at the sound of her name but a little smile played on her lips.

I remained sitting there and tried but failed to take my eyes off those bare legs as she walked back to her room.

CHAPTER 18

ZOEY

When Ryan wentAWOL for two nights straight, it had terrified me that he was avoiding me. The first day he told me he was going out, I thought it was just for a couple of hours. I waited for him until I couldn’t keep my eyes open but I didn’t hear him come in.

The next day, he didn’t even come home from practice. I stressed all day. I made dinner for him and didn’t eat until it was obvious he wasn’t coming home. Then all the doubt came in. What if he was sick of me? Wanted me gone?

That anxiety turned to true fear as the hours ticked by. What if he had been in a car accident and was lying unconscious in the hospital? I sat for hours on the couch in the dark, waiting for his return. When I heard the keys in the door, my heart had literally leaped into my throat. I was so thankful, so unbelievably relieved that he was okay, it didn’t even matter that he had been gone all day long. I was so grateful that he was safe.

I still didn’t know why he had left. After we had shared that kiss, everything was confusing. And then he said he thought we were better off as friends, which made things more clear. I felt feelings for Ryan that I hadn’t felt for anyone else before, but it didn’t exactlysurprise me when he told me he didn’t want to take it further. He had set some clear boundaries for us and even though it disappointed me, it didn’t surprise me. But when he had avoided me that had hurt. Everything was so confusing so I was just constantly looking at him to take the lead. If he wanted to kiss me, I would kiss him back. If he wanted to be friends, I would be grateful for that too. But him not wanting to see me, that made me feel really bad.

The next morning,all was right in our little world. I woke up and cooked breakfast for him and then went over my list for IKEA again.

Ryan sat beside me with his food. “What are you doing?”

“Just going over my list.”

“For the bathrooms?”

“Want to see what I’m going to go with?”

He leaned close to look at my phone. “Let’s see.”

I scrolled through all my bookmarks, explaining to him in detail my plans.

He glanced up at me. “You’re good at this.”

I looked at the phone. “I kind of am.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“It’s probably for you,” he said.

“Is that your way of saying you want me to answer the door?”

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