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“Want me to pause the movie while you get that?”
I glance at Ryder, who lounges on the couch beside me before popping to my feet as another insistent knock comes from the other side of the apartment door.
“If you don’t mind, that would be great.”
With one click of the remote, the television screen freezes as I quickly pad into the small entryway. I have no idea who could be pounding on the door at this time of night.
I peer through the peephole before stumbling away. With a quick step in retreat, I glance over my shoulder at the guy in the living room. It took fifteen solid minutes to convince him that Easton and I are nothing more than friends and that there’s never been anything remotely romantic between us. Him showing up uninvited on my doorstep at ten at night won’t reinforce that notion.
I nibble my lower lip and try to decide what to do.
There’s always the possibility that if I ignore him, he’ll go away. Relief slides through me as the knocking abruptly comes to a halt. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with Easton. Right now, I want to spend time with Ryder.
Before I can swing around and rejoin my date on the couch, a deep voice says, “Sash? Are you in there?”
“Is everything all right?” Ryder calls from the living room at the same time.
Damn.
Damn.
Damn.
There’s no way I can remain silent.
“Yup, everything’s fine,” I call back, anxiety tinging my voice, making it sound high pitched and reedy. “Just give me a minute.”
“Sash,” Easton growls, voice turning insistent, “let me in right now.”
I open the door just enough to slip into the hallway without allowing him to catch a glimpse inside before closing it behind me. My hand remains wrapped around the handle.
“Um, hey...what are you doing here?” A fresh wave of nerves skitters down my spine before invading my voice, giving it a fine tremble that’s difficult to hide.
“We need to clear the air.” His gaze stays pinned to me. The heavy weight of his stare makes it impossible to breathe.
“Yeah, sure.” I pause as my head continues to spin. “How about we tackle that tomorrow when we’re both clear headed?” And Ryder is nowhere in the vicinity.
He huffs out a breath before shifting his stance. “That’s the thing. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m actually thinking clearly.” He nods toward my apartment. “Can we go inside and talk? I don’t want to have this conversation in the hallway.”
Frantically, I try to come up with an excuse as to why that can’t happen. “You know what? I’m exhausted. I was just about to hit the sack.” I feign a yawn. “Maybe we could meet up and grab a coffee tomorrow morning before classes?”
Easton frowns as he glances at his phone. “It’s not even ten. You usually stay up until at least midnight.”
“Yeah-yeah, I know. But it’s been a long week. Practice really kicked my ass.” My hand flutters between us like a hummingbird on crack. “You know how it is.”
For a long moment he stares at me before his eyes narrow. “Is there any reason you don’t want me to come inside?”
Oh crap.
I’ve never been able to lie to Easton. At least, not successfully.
“Um, no?” My brows rise as I force out the last syllable.
“Why does that sound more like a question?”
“Umm...” That’s the moment my brain decides to take a hiatus.
He straightens to his full height, every muscle tensing. “Is Ryder here?”
