It just goes to show how naive and immature I am. That I still carry these hopes and dreams of falling in love just like I was promised in the fairy tales and movies, that the damsel in distress would be rescued by a knight in shining armor.
Instead, I’m stuck here until my brothers say I can leave.
How pathetic.
On Friday night, I still hold out a shred of hope that Ryder will come. I tidy my room, put on regular clothes instead of pajamas, and even do my hair with some extra waves. There aren’t many reasons to look cute these days; I’ll take advantage of any opportunity I can get.
But the minutes tick on, then hours, and when it finally reaches midnight, I give up hope. I put on my pajamas, wash off my makeup, braid my hair, and climb into bed.
Even with my eyes closed and my heavy weighted blanket, my thoughts keep racing, and I can’t fall asleep. The push and pull between my desire and terror to go outside; my dreams of falling in love and having a family; my crush on Ryder that’s getting a little out of control, especially since I’m locked up here with just my imagination as company.
Frustrated, I throw off my blankets and walk over to the kitchen table, where my Bluetooth speaker sits. I take it off the charger, connect it to my phone, and pull up my favorite piece of string orchestra classical music—Fantasia on a Theme by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It’s not going to put me to sleep, even though it’s a slow piece, but it’s one of those pieces of music that makes youfeelfrom the top of your head to the tips of your toes. When my thoughts are racing like they are right now, the only thing that stops them is music that consumes me.
Whenever I listen to this piece, I lie on the floor like a starfish with my eyes closed. So I put the music on and stretch out on my rug, flat on my back, and let the music consume my thoughts. Ryder might not be coming, but at least I have my music.
CHAPTER 11
Ryder
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS — FANTASIA ON A THEME BY THOMAS TALLIS
I’m so late.
I told Lily I’d be there tonight, but Gwen wanted to stay up late talking about the new story she’s writing.
Gwen knew I was visiting Lily the first time, but now I don’t want to get her caught up in my lies. So I keep my planned visit a secret, even from Gwen. That means I couldn’t explain why she needed to stop talking to me about how the male character of her new novel needs a backstory to explain his commitment issues, and I had to sit and work it out with her until she was satisfied enough to go to sleep.
Which wasn’t until after midnight.
I listen in my room for sounds of her getting ready for bed, then going into her room, and then I still wait a good half hour to make sure she’s finally asleep before sneaking out of the apartment. I feel a little shady for lying to her, but it’s really just an omission of the truth. Besides, I’m not hurting anyone or doing anything wrong. I’m just visiting an old friend. And I’m doing a favor for Peter, checking on his little sister.
Yeah, that’s it.
I stay in the shadows as I walk to Agatha’s tower, a littleworried about Henry’s claim of booby traps, but I’ve been doing stunts long enough to know my way around dangerous situations. Now that I’m on my guard, I’ll just stay extra cautious.
I give Galileo an extra squeeze at the base of the tower, then begin the climb for the third time. It gets easier every time I do it, but I take an extra pause before putting my hand in a groove or placing my foot on a stone. Step by step, I make my way up to Lily’s balcony.
The door leading to her room is closed, and now I wonder if I should have come after all. She’s probably asleep in bed, and I’m making things more awkward by showing up.
Except the light is on in her room. And through the small sliver of clear glass next to her curtain, I can see Lily lying on the floor of her bedroom.
Okay. So she’s…awake? Maybe?
Now I’m concerned. What if she fainted? What if she hit her head and is lying there unconscious? She’d be thankful I came!
With that final impetus, I push the door open and hear an overwhelming orchestra through her speaker. “Lily?” I ask, my voice raised so she can hear me over the music.
She opens her eyes and turns her head to look at me from her spot on the floor. “Ryder?” She hits a button on the phone next to her, and the music stops. She scrambles to her feet, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s Friday night,” I say slowly.
“I know,” she says. “But it’s so late. I thought you weren’t coming.”
I shake my head, relieved she remembered. “I just had to wait for Gwen to go to sleep.”
She looks down at her clothes with a sigh. “Of course you had to comeafterI put my pajamas back on.” She pauses, then a small grin tilts up the side of her mouth. “You weren’t scared off by Henry’s threat of booby traps?”
“Are they real?” My voice comes out a little more panicked than I expected.
