Page 33 of Rear View
“I’ll keep you company,” Christian mumbled and caught up to them.
His arm touched Ryah’s as he moved. My gut hardened and I stretched my neck to cover my irritation.
It didn’t work.
The girls slipped into the washroom while preppy boy waited outside. He pulled out his phone and started typing.
“Christian was at the hospital,” I said to Miles.
“Yeah,” he replied, tone flat.
I propped a hip against the platform and crossed my feet at the ankles. “He someone I should know about?”
His mouth pulled to the side, and he took a bottle of water from his pocket. “They’ve known each other since high school. Dated on and off for a bit a couple of years ago. They TA together at the university. He’d been seeing someone else but I’m not sure where that sits now.”
Dammit.“Ryah doesn’t talk about any of it?”
He shook his head. “Not anymore.”
“Any reason?”
“Dunno.” He popped the top on his drink. “She keeps to herself a lot these days. It’s been a minute since she was out like this.”
My head cocked his way. The girl was gorgeous, smart and had a wicked tongue. She was a goddamn catch. She should’ve been living it up. What the hell would keep her home? “You shittin’ me?”
“Nope.” He took a swig of his water. “Not my place to talk about it, but she’s been through some stuff, man.”
The kind of stuff that just happened? Or the kind of stuff that was done to her? The girls headed back our way, Christian on their tail. My eyes tracked Ryah’s.Someone hurt you, darlin’?
“Either way, I’m pretty sure she’d tell me if they were a thing, so my guess is she’s single. Why?” Miles smirked. “You interested?”
I straightened and kept my tone easy. “Be a problem if I was?”
He tipped his bottle my way. “Don’t turn out to be an ass and you’re golden.”
Good answer.“Can do, brother.”
Zoya nudged Ryah and said something to her. Bitingher lip, Ryah came my way. Christian followed her with his stare, a frown creasing his brow.
“You two look like you’re up to no good,” she said.
I patted the stage beside me. “Just waitin’ for you.”
Christian’s nostrils flared.
A familiar face sauntered toward us, paper bag in hand. “Hey, stranger!”
“Hey!” I turned to my dream girl. “Ryah, this is Alec’s fiancée, Sheila.”
Sheila grinned. “So,you’rethe one he’s been talking about.”
Ryah froze.
Fuck me.Sweat crept along my spine when my attention flicked to Alec and screamed,“Get your girl before she chases mine off.”
His mouth arced up like he considered letting me suffer before he turned to Sheila and put me outta my misery. “You got something for me?”
She rattled the bag. “Lunch.”
