I wake up in my bed, slightly confused. I rub the sleep from my eyes and stretch out my legs. My foot makes contact with something and my eyes shoot open.
I slept with Ryker.
"Shit," I mutter, pushing the covers off of me. I sit at the end of my bed and look down at the dark haired boy. I can't tell if I'm admiring his features or regretting what we did.
Maybe it's a little bit of both.
I stand up and wander to my closet, searching for a sweatshirt to wear since I'm only in my panties. I don't even bother putting a bra on before I pull the fabric over my head. I tiptoe back to the bed and crawl in again, snuggling up to Ryker.
He's really warm and smells of vanilla. He's facing me, but his eyes are closed and his breathing is even, so I know he's still asleep. I pull the covers over me and intertwine my legs with his. I start to fiddle with his hair and draw shapes on his skin with my fingertips.
"You were right. You're a sensational fuck," I whisper.
"I knew you'd come around," he grumbles. I jump a little bit. I wasn't expecting him to hear that.
"When did you wake up?"
"Five minutes ago, I don't know." I sigh in response and he opens his eyes, offering a slight smile. "Now you know I'm not a liar," he taunts, sitting up.
"Come back, you're warm," I whimper. He gives me a look. I prop myself up on my elbows. "What?"
"You actually want me to lay with you? I usually have sex and just...leave," he answers tentatively. I smile at him.
"Yeah, lay back down."
"I don't cuddle, Delilah," he says with a shake of his head. I frown and he falls back onto the bed with a huff.
"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?" I question. He tilts his head to look at me.
"We could go for a round two?" I roll my eyes at him. "Come on," he prods, poking me in the cheek. I grin and he laughs. "Or I could just leave...but I prefer the first option." I think about it.
"Goodbye then, Ryker." He smirks and sits up again. My bed creaks as he pushes off of it, standing up to stretch. He's in just his boxers. He fishes through our pile of clothes, carelessly thrown on the floor a few hours ago, and pulls out his shirt and shorts. He slips them both on and walks out of my room. I get up and follow him to the mudroom.
"When are we going to do this again?"
"Give me your phone," I demand. He finishes putting on his left shoe and types in the code to unlock his iPhone. He hands it to me when he's done. I add in my name and number and give him his phone back.
"I had fun," he admits, pulling his beanie on. I lean against the doorway, still in just my panties and a sweatshirt. He turns over his shoulder and bites his lip slightly while openly checking me out. I wave at him, wiggling my fingers and returning a smile. "Goodbye, Delilah." I watch as he closes the door behind himself.
I return to my room and flop down on the bed. I reach for my phone, removing it from its charger. Seven unread texts. All from Harry.
HarBear: Sorry for leaving like that xx (11:24 pm)
HarBear: Del, is Ryker still there? (12:12 am)
HarBear: Delilah. You always text me back within minutes :( (12:31 am)
HarBear: Love, please don't let Ryker fool you.. x (1:14 am)
HarBear: When can I see my favourite girl again :( (1:56 am)
HarBear: Text me backkkk I wanna see you. (2:13 am)
HarBear: If you're up, I'm going to come get you for a late night shakee x (3:45 am)
I laugh at the name he chose for his contact in my phone. HarBear. I haven't called him that for a long time. I check the time at the top of my iPhone screen. It read 3:48. Harry must've texted me while I was saying goodbye to Ryker. I tap out a quick reply, hit send, and set off on my mission to find some jeans to put on. I find my darkwash jeggings and settle for those. My phone buzzes after I get my left leg inside the pants so I have to hop over to my bed to grab it.
HarBear: Cool, be there in 10. xx (3:50 am)
I send him a thumbs up and finish squeezing into my jeans. I slip my phone into my back pocket and head to the living room, closing my bedroom door behind me. I turn on the TV and watch until I hear Harry honking outside.
I press the 'power' button and slip out my front door. I squint my eyes as Harry's brights blind me. I open the passenger door and slide in.
"Hi," he greets, voice sounding a little raspier than usual. Maybe a little sexier, too.
"Hey."
"What are you doing up?"
"What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't fall asleep, I guess," he answers with a sigh. "You?"
"Uh, same, just woke up around 3:30 and couldn't fall back asleep," I lie. What am I supposed to say, 'I was shagging your best friend?'
"Ah, I see," he says approvingly. He puts the car in reverse and looks over his shoulder to make sure nobody was coming. I don't think he has much to worry about, considering the time of day. "How come you didn't text me back last night?" Damn it Harry.
"I told you, I fell asleep."
"Well when did Ryker leave?"
"When did this trip for shakes become an interrogation?" I retort. He stays quiet for a minute.
"I just want to know when he left. Jesus, Del. Just tell me."
"Like, 11:30. Why does it even matter?"
"I was just wondering," he growls. I decide to stay quiet for a bit. I didn't like it when Harry was angry. He breaks the silence first. "Please just tell me if he tried anything on you. I don't want him to make you into one of his stupid games."
"Games?" What kind of games did Ryker like to play? I like games, and I'm pretty good at playing if I might say so myself.
"He takes a girl, chats her up, fucks her, leaves her, puts her through heartbreak, fucks her again, leaves her again. It goes on until he feels like enough damage has been done."
"Really? That seems a little extreme, don't you think? He doesn't seem that much of a douche."
"Well, maybe he doesn't exactly aim for how much damage he can do, but he's no strings attached. In those types of relationships, somebody always ends up hurt," Harry informs me. I think about what he's saying.
"Every girl, he does that to? No exceptions?" I think back on what we said last night and what we did.
"Del, he hasn't had a girlfriend in three years."
"And? Maybe he's not ready for a commitment." I don't know why I'm even defending him.
"Quite frankly, babe, you don't know shit about him. No matter what you two could've possibly talked about last night, you'll never know him like I do." Harry's words are dripping with venom.
"You're right, Harry," I mutter. I just decide to accept defeat. I don't want to push him.
"I know I am. So, back to my question, did Ryker pull shit on you?" I roll my eyes at him.
"No, Harry, he did not. Okay? We ate some of the leftovers from dinner and watched a cheesy romance movie. You only left an hour before he did."
"I know, but you can never be too safe around him." Harry sounds genuinely nervous.
"Harry, I'm not a fucking child. I'm a 15, almost 16 year old girl. I know my boundaries, my personal limits. I'm not going to fuck some guy I just met. Why would it even concern you if I did?"
"Because, I care about you, Del. You're like a little sister to me, and I'd never let my sister get fucked, then fucked over by some douchebag who is not worth her time."
"Thought he was your friend," I defend Ryker again, crossing my arms over my chest.
"He is. And I know what he's like. So I'm protecting you. Okay? Leave it at that." By now we were in the parking lot at the all night diner. Harry gets out of the car, rambling under his breath, and slams the door behind himself. I let out a sigh and exit the vehicle too. He walks a way in front of me.
"Harry, it's not polite to leave me back here alone," I call out to him. He stops in his tracks and jams his hands in his pocket. I knew I could get to him with that. I smirk to myself in success. "Thank you," I say once I catch up to him, sweetly as I can. He shrugs and we walk inside the old fashioned restaurant.
"Where should we sit?" Harry questions. "There?" he suggests, pointing at a booth in the corner.
"Sure, yeah." He takes my hand gently in his and guides me to the table. We sit down opposite each other and chat as we wait for our waitress. We both end up ordering chocolate shakes.
"You're really something, Delilah," Harry says quietly, out of the blue. I look up from the table, swallowing the chocolate drink and letting my straw slip out of my mouth.
"What do you mean?" He twirls his straw around his shake, spinning the liquid. He takes a drink before finally answering.
"You can stand up for yourself like nobody I've ever seen before," he says with admiration. I smile at him. "But at the same time, you're so delicate...so fragile. You need somebody, no matter how much you don't want to admit it."
"I don't need anybody, Harry." He takes a quick swig of his drink and sets it back on the wooden table with a clunk.
"Alright," he replies with a slight chuckle.
"What?"
"You know you need somebody. I'm just telling you, love." I let out a puff of air. He focuses on the table, putting all his concentration in scratching at the wood with a fingernail.
"Well don't. I have you, that's more than fine with me."
"But you're gonna need something more eventually. You'll need somebody to love you and break down your walls."
"I know what's best for myself. I know what I feel." He looks up at me and smiles.
"Do you?"