Boulder (Riders of Apollo #5)

Chapter Seventeen: Riley Everett

He's still here.

What the actual fuck? It's six am and I have things to do, I don't need him here breathing funny and taking up half my bed. I'm already dressed in my work out gear. My makeup is done and my hair is straightened perfectly, yet this fucker is still here.

I'll admit, some of the best sex I've ever had but I'm not one for sleepovers. That's why I go to their place because I can let myself out the minute the fall asleep, it's hard to do that when they're in your flat.

I'll take the blame for that considering we were at his place before I made him follow me to mine. I groan in anger before writing a shitty note and leaving it on the bedside table, telling him to let himself out. I don't even care if he leaves the door unlocked, I've got nothing to rob so.

I grab my purse and a few other important things to make sure I get to the meeting in time. She says meeting, it's really me rocking up to the clubhouse to beat the shit out of Saviour, Lexie and Runner for a few hours. They want to rinse me for all I'm worth and it's fun for me to do so I don't argue against it.

The guards at the gate let me in and I salute them on the swiftness before slamming into the main part of the house to find it basically empty. I'm not even partly surprised, these fuckers stay up till god knows what time at night, no wonder they don't wake up until midday. I find Rubble in the empty space with his phone in his hands and an angry look on his face.

I stroll over and drop into the seat next to him, he startles and manages to drop his phone onto the floor. "You alright, mate?"

"Yeah, just having a hard time, that's all." To be honest, I have noticed a certain coldness towards Rubble from everyone, especially the women. He's been made a target if anything and I imagine that is anything but comfortable since he is a loud and chatty party person beneath this sadness.

"Why are you on the outside?"

"You noticed that, huh?" He grumbles and leans back into the couch with an empty look on his face. This is his family here that are alienating him and making him feel alone, I understand how that feels. I nod, hoping that my silence will prompt him to explain without forcing him. "Last year I did something stupid, so fucking stupid and I regret it but no matter how many times I apologise nobody takes me seriously. I guess that's my fault for being the party kid that can't be trusted."

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

"Cassidy turned up last year, we helped her out of a bad situation and she became really close with all of us."

"Adrian's woman?"

"Yeah... anyway when I first saw her she was so bright and warm, ya know? Just gives you that fuzzy feeling that makes you want to be around her all the time. The innocence and naivety of that just drew me in. I thought I wanted her, I mean we played pool once and it was possibly the best time of my life so I thought that meant I wanted her to be my woman... I didn't realise until after I staked a claim on her how I really felt."

I squeeze his shoulder as he leans forward to rest his face in his hands. "I lost my little sister when I was fifteen, she was two years younger than me and she was so happy and I loved her more than anything. Even when she was wasting away in the hospital with cancer she smiled all the time and she was just so kind and Cassidy... Cassidy made me feel the same way Lou did. I misread those feelings and I forced my way in between her and Breaker even though I knew how they felt about each other.

Everyone could see how good they were for each other, even on the first day and I still had the audacity to get involved. I was selfish and malicious, prideful really and after all of it went down I couldn't help but think about how disappointed Lou would be in me for doing what I did. I thought I had made amends, I did the trials - Breaker knocked me on my ass - and that was meant to be the end of it... I suppose nobody ever really got over it. So, now I'm on the outside missing my sister even more with no family to run to when I need someone."