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Riley is stubborn, but I am more stubborn than her.
While she’s busy looking at the baking ingredients, I make my way to the other aisles, adding things to the basket that I know she’ll be needing.
Riley meets me at the self-checkout, and when she finally notices the items I’ve got, she gapes at me. “How do you know which tampons I use?” she blurts out in surprise, before her cheeks flush with a deep pinkish color. I like a blushing Riley. There’s something innocent in that look of hers.
I lift a shoulder, half-shrugging.
“That’s kinda creepy, Bennett.”
Is it creepy to notice the littlest things about the girl I care about? It’s not like I’m stalking her. I’m just good at noticing what other people usually don’t.
“I got you your favorite chocolate too.” Mint chocolate and cranberry chocolate.
Her lips twist, almost like she’s holding herself back from making another remark. After the payment is made, I grab the bags and we leave the store. Riley doesn’t argue when I grasp her elbow, helping her walk to my car. I know she hates being vulnerable like this.
Once she’s inside the car, I wait for her to put on her seat belt before I close the door. The drive back to our apartment is quiet. The Little Wallflower seems more pensive today. She doesn’t have a lot of fight in her.
When we pull into the parking lot, I see Maddox and Lila. They must have just gotten back from the airport. Right after our final exams, Maddox took Lila on a week-long vacation to Paris. The two tickets were a birthday present from his father.
It still baffles me how these two are still just…friends.
Four years of chemistry and sexual tension. Four years of emotional intimacy but they are still too stubborn to change the status of their friendship to dating.
As I’m helping Riley out of the car, Lila notices us. She drops her bag, racing toward us and wrapping her best friend into a tight hug.
“How’s the leg?” Maddox nods toward Riley’s blue cast
Riley’s lip juts out, a sad pout. “It’s fine now.
Lila makes a strangled sound at the back of her throat, a look of outrage on her face. “I can’t believe you waited a whole day before you called and told me about what happened. You broke your leg, what the hell!”
“Fractured,” I amend. “Not broken. She’s lucky I was next door and heard her cry out.”
“You shouldn’t have climbed up on that counter when you were home alone. That was dangerous.” Lila’s forehead creases with worry as she frets over Riley. “You could have been hurt worse!”
“She could have just called me, and I would have fixed the broken cabinet,” I mumble under my breath, still very much annoyed about that fact.
Riley hisses, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “I had it all handled if it wasn’t for the cat jumping over the counter. I tripped over it. Rory asked me to cat-sit for her while she and Jaxon were away this weekend.” She twists around to face me, glaring. “I didn’t…and don’t need your help, Colton.”
I grunt in response. “Funny. I’m the one who drove you to the hospital in the middle of the night.”
Her shoulder straightens, her lips curling up in distaste. “Because you insisted.”
“You were in pain.”
“Who cares? I was fine on my own and could have called 9-1-1!”
My chest rumbles with a growl. “I care!”
The words spill out before I can stop myself, before I can even think of what impact such a confession would have on us— on our relationship, or whatever it is we have between us.
This is the first time I’ve admitted that I care about Riley out loud. The first time I’m hearing myself utter those words. I’ve known a long time ago that Riley Johnson is important to me, but I’ve never confessed that to her.
She opens her mouth to snap back at me, but then pauses, looking shocked at my confession. Riley blinks, opens her mouth again, before finally shutting up. No smartass comeback? Huh, interesting.
“Whatever,” she finally mumbles under her breath, “how was your trip, Lila?”
Lila’s gaze finds Maddox, as she turns red. She blinks away and sputters out a half-ass response to her friend. “Oh, fine. It was fine. Everything was nice and fine.”
