Ryder

twenty

I saw him again.

The boy I'd seen creepily staring at me in the library that night. The night that happened to be the last time I'd seen Ryder as well.

He was once again in that dark hooded sweatshirt and was wearing black shades this time as well. It was him--the boy from the library--and I don't know why seeing him again made a shiver crawl up my spine (not in a good way at all). He wasn't even staring at me this time, or at least that's what I thought since I couldn't make out his gaze under those dark shades. His face was slightly tipped forward and I wasn't so sure if he could see me sitting inside The Bakery and staring at him with all the distance between us.

"And you have no idea why she just left like that, sugar?" Macy asked me, making me look away from the street outside the cafe and back at her. I was sitting on my usual spot on one of the stools lining the counter.

"No." I shook my head when I saw her furrowing her brows worriedly. "I do try to call her every day. Last I heard about her was from her dad. He told me she's not feeling well, and I don't think I should keep calling him even though I'm worried."

Macy squeezed my shoulder before patting it. "She'll come around. I've seen you both together, sugar. You're best friends."

We were friends but I didn't think Brooke had ever considered me her best friend. Brooke was my roommate first and foremost. She was like an older sister to me, even. She cared about me. And if only I'd just...

"I know about the thing that happened with your boyfriend." She added in, lowering her voice. "Soren, wasn't it?"

I stared at her. That's also when my eyes darted to the glass window behind her and saw him again. The boy I'd seen staring at me in the library. Maybe, I told myself as I found him still in the same spot, it's just a coincidence.

"Brooke hooked up with him when you and he were still a thing." Macy looked sad.

I blinked and looked back at her. "That's...It wasn't a big deal." And then I frowned. "How do you even know about this?"

She shrugged and wiped the already clean counter with a kitchen towel. "College kids show up here a lot and it may surprise you, but they talk."

I didn't think anyone knew what had happened between Soren and me, other than the both of us. Well, no one else except Nico, Soren's roommate, and Ryder.

And Brooke.

I cleared my throat. "Really, Mace. It was just...I guess, I was hurt when I found out. But Soren and I weren't serious. I've never had a serious relationship and you know it."

"I suppose." She sighed again and pulled away from the counter. "Besides that boy had no idea what your favorite pastry was. I feel like that should've been our first red flag."

I managed a smile. "He hated the pastries here."

Macy placed a hand over her heart, looking so highly offended at that moment that I almost laughed. "You dodged a bullet there, sugar."

I smiled and shrugged, albeit a bit sadly. She smiled too and hers was gentle. "You're in a nice mood today. Not that you're ever not in a nice mood. Your friend there--" She nudged her chin at the empty space beside me so I gathered she was talking about Nico (who'd joined me but had left the moment he'd been done with his morning coffee). "--he kept saying something about not being able to handle the sun the first thing in the morning before he left."

I felt my cheeks heating up.

Macy laughed and clapped her hands together before pulling a stool at her side of the counter and sitting right across from me. "I've got like three and a half minutes left before I've got to go back and take orders. Tell me everything."