I’m heading to the front door to get my backpack when the familiar crunch of gravel hits my ears. The sound I heard all throughout high school.I guess he brought the truck today.If it was his bike, the walls would have been vibrating as he belted down the street.
The door swings open. ‘Good morning, my sexy stacks of sunshine.’ His voice brightens the whole house before he even steps over the threshold.
Ryker Edwards. Star power forward, most-loved Kingsman and the reason for hushed whispers in the hallway by blushing, giddy girls.
It’s me. I’m the blushing, giddy girls. Blushing, giddy girls is me.
‘Gianna!’ My brother’s best friend wraps me up in a hug so tight, my feet leave the floor and he swings me around. I expect him to let me go but he lingers for a moment, enveloping me in him.
His scent is everything. It’s the sap from the cypress trees when we’d go camping as kids mixed with the citrus of the shampoo in his hair. But the leather … that’s new. The leather makes him smell like bad decisions. The kind that makes for fun stories.
‘Morning, Ryker.’
He leans his head back to look at my face. ‘What’s that?’ He frowns. ‘Morning, Ryker.’ He parrots my monotone. ‘Not happy to see me?’
‘I’m always happy to see you.’
‘Then a little more chirp, please.’
I try my bestCharlie’s Angelsvoice. ‘Good morning, Ryker!’ It wins me a killer smile.
God, that smile.
Along with a perfectly straight nose, flawless creamy skin and a jaw that’s criminally sharp.
‘Better,’ he says, releasing me. ‘Jace ready?’
I nod, taking my backpack off the hook. ‘He’s just gone to his room.’
I dig around for my AirPods and choose a playlist. Satisfied with Recently Played, I go to swing my bag over my shoulder but Ryker reaches out.
‘I’ll bring it to the car for you.’
I shake my head, gently pulling the straps free from his fingers. ‘I need air. Ma cooked this morning.’ The smell of burnt pancakes still clings to my nostrils, but I also feel lightheaded from the scent of him.
Ryker waves a hand, tasting the air like he’s savouring wine. ‘Hmmm, yes. Smoky with a hint of charcoal.’
I snort. ‘Yeah, it tasted exactly like it smells.’ I reach for the door, but he sidesteps into me.
‘Wait for us. We’ll walk to class with you.’
‘I think Jace is keen to try out the new upgrades. He’s gonna want to drive today.’
‘Then you can come with me. We can leave the windows down and you can get all the air you want,’ he presses.
I’m about to protest, but our attention is pulled to the footsteps approaching.
‘Yo!’ Jace appears, breaking our interaction, holding a backpack and basketball. ‘The prince is here.’ A backward cap now covers his head, and he’s changed into a clean Kings jersey with grey sweats. He slaps Ryker’s hand beforethey bump forearms, the handshake they’ve shared since forever.
‘The prince?’ I pull a face. ‘Are you actually calling yourself royalty now?’
‘Not me.’ He nods his chin toward Ryker. ‘He coined it in practice yesterday. The Booker Bay Prince.’
‘But you’re already a Kingsman. How can you be a princeanda Kingsman?’
‘Don’t read so hard into things, baby sis. It’s not that deep.’ Jace bounces the ball across the living room with a proud smile. ‘The Sonics are gonna love us when we join next year.’ He passes to Ryker who catches it.
A bizarre mix of happiness and emptiness fills my chest. Because of course, if two friends were going to get drafted to the same national team and debut their rookie year together, it would be these two. But it means I’ll lose them both. Ryker nudges my side, giving me a small smile that says he knows what I’m thinking.
