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“Ryker, please stop.”
He casts me a raised brow. “Make me.”
I sink further into the couch. “I’ll pass.”
“That’s what I thought.”
When he’s done with the coffee table, he moves to the kitchen, doing the same thing in there.
I remain firmly planted on my couch, with no intention of getting up. There’s a permanent scowl etched into my features. Not sure it’ll ever fade. Turns out, my mom was right. If I distort my face long enough, it’ll stay that way. I thought it was just something mothers say to make their children behave.
Ryker’s gone for a while as he disposes of all the trash in the parking lot dumpsters. I consider getting up and locking the door, shutting him out, but I can’t make my legs move.
When he returns, he searches a few closets until he finds the vacuum. He proceeds to not only vacuum my apartment, but to dust it. Then he cleans the bathroom and the kitchen. He even mops the floors. There’s a reason why his penthouse was always sparkling clean. He must scour it all the time. Probably on a daily basis.
No wonder he’s so good at it. Surprise, surprise.
When he’s done, I hear the shower turn on. At first, I think he’s still cleaning in there. Then I hear him say, “Right now.”
I look up to find him standing in the hall with his finger pointed to the bathroom. “Get in of your own free will and choice while you have the chance.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
Uh, no. I get up and walk toward him. “I was going to take a shower today anyway.”
“Were you?”
“We’ll never know for sure now, will we?”
“Just get in.”
I decide to ask him the same question I asked Zane. “Tell me something, Ryker. Are you the good guy or the bad guy?”
“Bad guy,” he says with no hesitation whatsoever. “That won’t change. Don’t expect it to. Now get in the shower and don’t come out until the grease from your hair has melted down the drain. It might take a while.”
“You’re a mean man.”
“Proud of it. Now quit stalling.”
“Will you wrap my hand for me?”
“You can’t do it yourself?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t tried. But I can’t get it wet. How am I supposed to wrap it one-handed and make it waterproof?”
“Oh my gosh. You’re such a baby.”
But he wraps my hand for me anyway. He does a really good job too. And he’s gentle. He ignores the tears falling down my cheeks as if they aren’t there, which suits me fine.
I take a long, hot shower while contemplating Ryker’s actions. I once loved him, but those feelings have long since been replaced with... let’s just say, very unkind feelings. I don’t know what’s happening right now on the roller coaster of my life. I only know it’s an odd turn of events.
It makes me realize that most people are not all bad or all good. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, our own set of life experiences that shape us.
Ryker’s done some bad things, but here he is, helping me when he sensed I needed it. So unexpected. Like a wardrobe malfunction, his good side is showing.
I exit the bathroom with wet hair, dressed in fresh pajamas. It doesn’t make the Great Big Dark go away. But it sure does give him a run for his money.
