Page 26 of What are the Risks
He threw the sock and missed. “You’ll tease me, Rubz.”
“I won’t, Wheels. I promise. Lay your girl drama on me.”
He fell silent for a beat, mulling it over. After a few more unsuccessful throws, he caved and levelled with me.
“I liked the idea of having a girlfriend.”
Ryker had never had a serious relationship in all the years we’d been friends – aka forever. There had been girls around for longer periods of time, but that generally only meant hooking up with the same person more than once. No girls he’d introduced as his girlfriend, or brought to meet his parents, or God forbid, fallen in love with.
“There was just something about her that, I don’t know, I could’ve fallen for. With how insane next year will be, the thought of having someone beside me was... nice.”
As I rolled onto my side to face Ryker, he continued to throw the sock in the air, trying and failing to land it.
“Out of curiosity,” I guardedly began. “Why have you never had a serious girlfriend?”
“I’ve never needed one when I have you.”
I shoved his arm, sending the sock way off target. “Be real with me, Wheels.”
“I am. Whenever I need to talk something through, I call you. If I see a funny reel, you’re the one I think to send it to. When I’m needing advice, I turn to you.” He casually shrugged, as if it was obvious. “That’s a girlfriend, Rubz. You’ve always been there to give me everything I’ve ever needed.” He grinned at me, his dimple appearing. “Except sex.”
We were in uncharted territory. Ryker and I didn’t dig into the depths of each other’s intimate relationships, which is partly why him mentioning Noah over Thanksgiving had been so unexpected.
I obviously knew the basics, and I’d heard rumours about that part of his life, but for some reason, it had always been a line we’d never crossed.
Though now that he’d mentioned sex, part of me wanted to test how far I could push this. To ask how many girls he’d slept with, or when the last girl was in his bed, for no reason other than curiosity. But I knew if I did, I’d open a door we couldn’t close. I wasn’t willing to risk new territory.
Snatching the sock from his hand, I rolled onto my back and squared off against the ceiling fan. After letting the sock fly, Ryker and I each held our breaths as it teetered on the edge for a moment before settling on the blade.
With a dimpled grin, Ryker knocked his knee against mine. “You win, Rubz.”
Somebody banged on the door, startling us both. For a moment, it felt like we were back in his childhood bedroom, with no roommates around to interrupt.
“Leaving in five,” Brady shouted from the other side.
Shit. I needed to keep getting ready.
I partially sat up, hovering on my elbow to glance down at Ryker. “For what it’s worth, Wheels. I think you’ll make a great boyfriend to someone someday.”
CHAPTER NINE
He’s not you
Ryker
I ambled along the aisles, absentmindedly pushing the cart as Mum added item after item. We were only partway through her shopping list and the cart was already almost full.
“Ryker, honey,” she said, gesturing to the top shelf. “Can you get some Coke?”
I put my height to use and grabbed a slab of cans, making sure to get the stuff with sugar. Ruby claimed any type of diet or sugar free soda was pointless.
“Remind me to stop by the Wilson house on the way home,” Mum added, tossing several packets of crisps into the cart. “Cherie bought Doug a tool kit for Christmas and needs help sneaking it inside while he’s out collecting Ruby from the airport.”
“She needs help with that?”
“Apparently it’s heavy.”
Right. So what Mum really meant wasIneeded to bring it inside.
