“Thank you.” He mouths at me, and I nod. We fly in silence. Once we land on the roof, they take the headset off me, and I get out and follow them inside,
“Dave, I will wait till your girlfriend gets here, okay?”
“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
Once I find the waiting room, I settle in and call Mum. She offers to come get me, but I know I won’tleave till his girlfriend gets here, so I tell her I will keep her in the loop. One of the nurses brings me a coffee after they hear I’ve come in with him. They say they’re not supposed to let me know what happens, but they’ll at least let me know when he’s out of surgery. I sit and wait and wait some more when John pushes through the door.
“Fucking hell, Ryder, thanks for that. You really stepped up today. What do we know?”
I give him as much as possible, and he sits beside me. “I’m offering you a place to try out for the team. We need people like you. People who stay calm under pressure and who put the team first. We’re accepting about four into the academy, and there will be one place at the end. You deserve it. Just keep it to yourself, yeah? We're doing a press conference in a few weeks.”
I go to speak, and John shakes his head.
“Don’t bother. I know that’s not why you did it, but the fact that you did it all means a lot. You’re the type of guy we want on our team.”
I’m shocked, to say the least. That’s not why I helped Dave, but I get this overwhelming feeling that I was just in the right place at the right time. It could have just as easily been me.
We sit for a while till Dave's girlfriend arrives, and then I head outside to leave, leaving her with John. When I get outside, there’s a Range Rover with blacked-out windows parked in the drop-off bay. I pull out my phone to call my mum, but the window rolls down. Arch is in the driver’s seat.
“I thought you might need a lift.”
“You did, huh?” That is all I manage to sceptically get out. He waits for me to get in, then sets off driving.We travel mostly in silence. He keeps glancing at me, but before long, I’ve dozed off. I’m wiped.
Arch
Chapter 17
After about thirty minutes, he drifts off, and I keep watching him. I can’t take my eyes off him as I keep flicking between him and the road. He never had to think today. Not like me. I stood there in sheer panic. He ran in like a superhero and stayed with that guy, and he even flew to the hospital with him. I mean, what kind of person does that, just so selflessly putting themselves out for another person without being asked?
I sigh. He does, Ryder. He’s kind, caring, strong, and dreamy, and I think I’m falling in love with him. The more time I spend near him, the more there is to like. He has so many layers and great qualities that make him an outstanding human being, but the more I see, the more I like. The more I like, the more I feel like I will never be enough. I certainly wouldn’t be good enough for a guy like Ryder. What would someone like him even see in someone like me?
I sigh as I glance over at him again. How do you become a guy worthy of a guy like Ryder? What would I need to do to be good enough? As I pull up beside his van, I don’t want to wake him. I don’t want this to be over. I mean, we haven’t spoken, but I find just having him near me calming, and I can’t get enough. He groans, and I flick my eyes to his.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.” I chuckle, and he gives me the most hard-on-making smile before stretching. The hem of his top rides up a little, and I can’t help but flick my gaze down to check out the abs on show.
As he slides out of the car, he turns and grins at me. “Thanks, man, for coming to get me.”
I nod, and I drive away once he’s closed the door. I don’t want to. I want to stay. I want to talk to him. I want to stare into his dark, brooding eyes now they’re open and lose myself in him, but I also don’t want to be creepy. So, I head home alone, but I actually feel good about myself for a change. I liked helping him. I liked how he smiled at me when he thanked me, and I liked how he looked sleeping next to me.
Ryder
Chapter 18
He leaves me at the van and drives away. What the fuck is his deal? It’s like he’s had a personality transplant, but I don’t fucking trust him, he’s playing games and I need to watch my back. I’ve been told I have a space on the team and need to keep my head down for the next couple of weeks. If he wants to play nice, then I have to play along. For now, but my guard is well and truly up.
When I get home, Mum and Dad are waiting for me. She rushes forward, flinging her arms around me, taking in my dishevelled look.
“Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mum. Just tired.”
“You hungry, son?” Dad asks.
I shake my head. “I’m just gonna go to bed, okay? It’s been a long weekend.”
They both nod, and I walk away as I round the banister. I see my mum step into Dad’s arms, and he hugs her tight, rubbing his hands up and down her back. “He’s home now. He’s okay, love.” She nods in his arms.
As I flop down on my bed, my phone starts to ring. I groan, tossing my arm over my eyes and groaning, “What?”
