My Hired Boyfriend (Completed)

36. Frying an Egg

            Addy takes me silence as an affirmative and she sighs heavily.

            “I’m all for the die-hard love, you know me. I love romantic proclamations and note-book worthy kisses that are hot enough to make your face grow so red that I can fry an egg on it—“ I giggle at her choice of words. “but, I want to be sensible here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

            I consider her words, the silence comfortable between us when I suddenly realize something.

            “When did we get so mature? We literally went from me throwing your favorite pack of Oreos at Jeremy to talking about life and death situations,” I tell her.

            She snorts, squeezing my hand. “I am techniquely the reason behind you and Coda’s get together. I made you get more Oreos at eleven at night and he jumped into your car.”

            I groan. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot. That feels like ages ago.”

            “Yeah,” she murmurs, our laughter dying down. “It does.”

            We go silent after that, both of us engrossed in our thoughts.

            ~*~

            I am running.

            My breathes are coming out in pants as the pounding footsteps behind me get closer.

            My heart is going to burst out of my chest and I am heaving a noise of fear—foreign even to me.

            “I am coming for you.”

            Rick’s voice fills my head, ricocheting off of the walls of an alley that are closing in on me.

            Ahead of me, the light is growing dimmer and when I squint, I can see Coda.

            He is kneeling on the ground, screaming in pain as he hovers over the body of a younger boy.

            “No Ridge. Stay with me,” Coda yells over and over again.

            My voice is stuck in my throat.

            Oh no, not Ridge. Please don’t let him experience this again I think to myself, tears on my face.

            I want to scream out Coda’s name, tell him that Rick and Cordero are right behind me.

            I feel like I am running slowly through time, the walls now pressing against my arms as I try to break through and reach Coda.

            A shadowed figure emergences from the alley opposite of me, Coda’s back to him.

            I scream but there is no sound.

            The figure raises his hand, blood dripping from the gun he is holding down to his forearm. He points it straight at Coda.

            “Coda!” I scream, my voice a jolt of electricity that has me surging out from between the walls.

            The walls around me suddenly disappear and I am standing in the middle of the road, watching Coda look up at me.

            He is covered in blood and the look in his eyes freezes me to the ground.

            “Hazel,” He murmurs, staggering towards me.