Dancing In The Rain

Late Night Adventures*

"Huh? Oh yeah it's um Ryder, his name is Ryder." I say distractedly. Ryder stops suddenly and looks up at me. He frowns and writes something before holding up a sign that says open your window. I frown but open it anyway.

"What's going on Lex?" Max asks.

"Sorry I was just opening my window, room's a little stuffy." I say to him while looking at Ryder. He holds up a finger before climbing out of his window and slowly making his way over to mine.

"Lex is everything okay?" Max asks when Ryder thuds into my room. I put up a finger to shush Ryder.

"Uh yeah, why do you ask?"

"I heard a noise, are you okay?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine Max, I just dropped something." I say.

"What was it that made such an awkward noise?" He asks.

"My, um lamp fell over when I tried to turn it off." I say.

"Oh, alright then."

"So what's been up with you?"

"Oh you know, learning a lot about culinary stuff, I can't wait to be able to say I have enough skills to open a restaurant."

"I'd definitely eat there! I mean I learned just about all I know about cooking from you after all." I laugh eyeing Ryder as he sits in my desk chair spinning around.

"Oh come on! Before I left you were a better cook than I was." He chuckles.

"Maybe our family is just a bunch of culinary geniuses then." I shrug.

"Wait wait don't distract me! I was gonna give you big bro advice!" Max says.

"Okay so lay it on me." I laugh.

"Don't let that Ryder kid get you down too much though, I'm sure he's not doing it with malicious intent."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Well I am. Any guy living only with his mom and sister who's how old again?"

"Seven."

"Right seven, he wouldn't treat a lady badly unless of course they were just joking or they like said lady."

"Maxy shut up, he doesn't have a crush on me that's crazy." I roll my eyes.

"Okay well, I'll talk to you soon okay? See you in about three weeks, right?" He asks.

"Yeah, three weeks." I nod.

"Alright bye baby sister."

"Okay bye Maxy." I say hanging up.

"Who's Maxy?" Ryder asks turning in the chair to face me.

"Max, he's my older brother." I say sitting on my bed.

"Why did he call so late?"

"He's in Italy, it's like nine in the morning there." I shrug.

"Oh..."

"What are you doing here exactly?" I ask remembering that this guy just climbed into my room at midnight.

"Well, I couldn't exactly stay home."

"Why not?" I cock my head to the side.

"Don't worry about it."

"Hold up, you climbed through a tree into my room at midnight and you won't even tell me why?" I ask. He sighs.

"My father came over." He grumbles.

"I'm lost."

"The man whose DNA unfortunately runs through my veins was in that house to speak with the woman he left eight years ago with a ten year old boy and a baby girl on the way."