*Book one in the Again series*
After a heated argument lands him in the spare bedroom of his grandparents' rancher, late bloomer Leon Snyder finds his love life heating up after multiple unsuccessful run-ins with a mysterious girl. Despite his faile...
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"Katie, I'm fine," Ryder insists with a chuckle, securing his seatbelt in the backseat. He holds up a bag of ice on his cheekbone, letting out a quiet wince when the coldness reaches his skin. "Your boyfriend has one helluva right hook."
Katie doesn't respond to his comment. Instead, she closes the door to talk with Miranda a few feet away from my truck. Katie looks upset, and it seems as though Miranda is trying to console her based on the sympathetic hand she places on her shoulder.
"Roll down the window, man," Ryder says, scooting over until he's sitting in the back middle seat, leaning between the driver and passenger seat. "I'm not good at lip reading, and I wanna be nosey." He doesn't seem at all mad about the events that transpired between us. If anything, it's like he's trying to break the ice. I can't say I would act the same way if my sister's boyfriend punched the living shit out of me. Then again, Kelly's not allowed to date. Ever. "Where'd you learn to hit like that?"
"I boxed in high school." Miranda's pulling Katie in for a hug as I say this. "Are you feeling nauseous or dizzy?" I ask, fearing I might've done more than superficial damage to his face as I look at him from the rearview mirror. "I can take you to the hospital if you are, you could have a concussion."
He gives me a swift shake of the head. "Nah, it looks worse than it feels."
Katie pulls open the door, climbs into her seat then buckles her seatbelt. She twists her body around to face Ryder. "Do you need to go get checked out?" Ryder shakes his head. "Are you sure?" Katie draws out.
Ryder chuckles softly. "Yes, Katie, I'm sure."
"Alright." She inhales a deep breath, then turns back around and rests her back against the seat. "Go to my house," Katie instructs me, placing her hands on her lap. It's probably insignificant and meaningless, but I can't help but overthink the action since we usually hold hands while I'm driving. Is she not holding my hand because she doesn't want to be with me anymore? Or is she so angry with me that she can't bear to touch me?
I'm being irrational. Just because she's not holding my hand right now doesn't mean anything. I mean, she is in my truck, and I would think if she felt that way, she would've ordered an Uber home. Yeah, she would've, I think to myself. Everything is going to be okay between us, she just needs to cool off.
***
I wasn't being irrational.
Katie's barely looked at me since we've returned to her house, let alone talked to me. I know I fucked up by hitting her brother, but fuck, can she at least roll her eyes or tell me I'm an asshole? I'd take anything over the silence.
"Here's some Tylenol for the pain," Katie mumbles, dropping the pills into Ryder's hand as she takes a seat beside him. She rummages through a first aid kit for a beat before squeezing out disinfectant onto a cotton pad. I watch as she reenters her big sister role, taking care of the brother she hasn't seen for more than half her life, blotting at his wounds, and applying antibacterial ointment and bandages once she's finished.
