Page 213 of When We Fall: Part Two
“I don’t understand,” I said as I followed him down the sidewalk.
“I have this chick who won’t leave me alone. I told her I’m dating someone. She stalks my socials. This helps me.”
“What if she stalks me?”
“You have dudes who watch your ass. I have Trent, and that guy can’t even cook spaghetti.” He paused next to a blacked-out motorcycle. “Of course, might be able to use his clumped-up noodles as a weapon.”
He grabbed a helmet and handed it to me.
“What’s this?”
“It’s to protect your pretty little head.”
“This is your bike? We’re going on a bike?”
“Yeah.” He put his helmet on and turned to help me with mine.
“Ryder, I-I’ve never really been on a motorcycle before. I-I don’t think today is a good time to start. And in this dress?” I shivered.
“Today is the perfect day to start living, Red,” he murmured, pulling the helmet down over my head. “Now get your sexy ass on my bike and hold on.”
I laughed loudlyas Ryder tossed a strawberry into the air. He missed catching it with his mouth, and it hit him in the eye. He’d taken another picture of us and posted it on my Instagram and tagged our location once we’d arrived.
“Fuck. Ow,” he grunted as a few of the nearby people at the restaurant shot irritated looks at us.
This place was way too fancy to be laughing loudly, but it felt really good.
Like,really good.
Ryder picked the strawberry up from the table and grinned at me.
“Open,” he instructed.
“I’m not eating something that’s been in your eye,” I said immediately.
He snorted and ate it himself before picking up another from his bowl of fresh fruit.
“Open,” he said again. “Don’t tell me no.”
I leaned in and parted my lips for him. He placed the fruit against it, and I bit. The juices rushed into my mouth, dancing with my taste buds.
“Oh wow.” I covered my mouth. “That’s really good.”
“Better be. Shit is twenty-two dollars a bowl.”
I widened my eyes at that. “We could have gotten several pounds at the store for that price.”
“Well, Red, we have three. Three strawberries. Six blueberries, and…” He counted the remaining fruit. “Four, no, five raspberries.”
“Yikes.”
“Yikes, indeed.” He ate a blueberry, his eyes fixed on something over my head. He stiffened for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, well, this is unexpected.”
I made to look behind me, but he hissed at me.
