My Soul to Keep

Chapter 10

Leilani had to admit that she'd been having fun with Ryd; fun she never thought she'd have with a stranger or even anyone who wasn't Hexander. Unlike everyone else around her, Ryd didn't make Leilani feel like she was inexperienced at life or naïve. She felt emboldened with him like the sky was the limit and he would support whatever her decision may be. They talked endlessly about everything that came to mind, joked about nothing in particular and skated around the rink until their legs were sore. Even after they'd left the rink to sit, Leilani made sure they were far away from her friends so she could have Ryder to herself for just a little bit longer. Never having someone show any kind of interest in her, she wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next, if anything.

"Is something wrong?" Ryd asked and Leilani looked back at him from where she had been staring off into space. "You got quiet all of a sudden."

"No, everything's fine," Leilani answered automatically.

"Liar," Ryder laughed. His tone shifted very slightly, becoming more forceful but still lighthearted. "I can tell when people lie to me, like you are. So tell me the truth."

"I just don't know what's supposed to happen next," Leilani answered honestly without pause. "I've never really been in this situation before so I don't know what to do. Is us talking here a one time thing, or...?"

"I hope not," Ryder answered. "I was just getting to know you and honestly I like what I know so far. If you don't mind, I kind of want to see you again."

"Like...?"

"A date, yeah," he finished with a chuckle. "You're a beautiful girl, Leilani. You shouldn't be surprised that someone would want to go out with you."

"Sorry, it's just that I've never really had luck with that before," she replied, looking away from him and thinking of Hexander. Even when she didn't want to, her thoughts always came back to him and how he couldn't see how she felt about him. Though, to be fair, she didn't know much about that herself.

"Hey," Ryder said, tapping his finger against her chin and gently guiding her to face him again. "Anyone stupid enough not to like you is going to be regretting it the rest of their life. They just won't know it until you show them."

"And how do I show them?" Leilani asked uncertainly. Ryder smiled slightly at her, beginning to move in towards her and her heart started pounding in her chest. For years she had waited for her first kiss and now that it looked like it was going to happen, her brain was working in overtime. What was it going to be like to finally kiss someone? Am I suddenly going to realize that I'm in love with him and not Hexander? Am I in lone with Hexander? Does Hex even slightly feel anything for me or am I like an annoying little sister he feels the need to keep safe? How would he react to news of me kissing almost a complete stranger?

Ryd was entirely aware of the questions going through Leilani's mind and they frustrated him. Never, in all of his existence, has he ever had a problem keeping a female, human or not, completely enthralled by him. And yet there Leilani sat, worried about what Hexander would do when he found out she had kissed him. Despite his goal of wanting to corrupt Hexander's precious project, Ryd's pride wouldn't allow him to do so while Leilani was otherwise preoccupied. "Leilani?" a voice interrupted and she turned to find Aiden standing in front of them. Though he was speaking to her, Aiden's eyes stayed locked on Ryder, earning a challenging look. "We're getting ready to go."

"Really?" Leilani asked in surprise, looking at her phone for the time. "Oh, it's actually later than I thought."

"Yeah," Aiden said simply, finally turning to her.