Page 103 of Come Break My Heart Again

Ryder rolls his eyes.

I smile, then hit the button on the key. “Done.”

The rain picks up even more as we walk toward the stairs that lead to the front door, saturating my scalp and spreading through my hair. The water feels refreshing on my face, although it’s probably making a mess of the makeup I’m wearing.

Ryder tries the door, then swears under his breath.

“You lock yourself out?” I ask, pausing a few inches behind him.

The tiny porch is barely big enough for both of our bodies.

“Not exactly. The shitty paint on the door sticks when it gets wet. Last time I broke the lock to get in … my mom wasn’t happy.”

“That’s … inconvenient.”

Are we stuck out here then?

“Surprised your place doesn’t have the same problem.” Ryder grins, then heads down the stairs.

“Ha-ha,” I respond, following him. “So, what are?—”

Ryder rounds the corner, so I quicken the pace. By the time I catch up to him, he’s reaching up to pull off a window screen. Rain is still falling steadily. Fast enough that it’s altering visibility, adding a haziness to the air. The shoulders of Ryder’s gray T-shirt look black.

He makes quick work of the screen, leaning it against the foundation, then starts jimmying the window frame.

“You’ve done this when the door worked fine, haven’t you?”

Ryder doesn’t turn so I can see his entire expression, but I catch the crease in his cheek that suggests he’s smiling. “Yeah.”

A few seconds later, he’s got the sash wide open. He tilts his head toward the window, indicating I should go first.

I eye the distance from the ground to the opening. I’d estimate it’s about five feet. Not an impossible distance. Not an easy one either. “I’ll wait for the door to unstick.”

Ryder chuckles. “Come on, Clarke.”

“I’m wearing a skirt.”

“I noticed.” His gaze sweeps down deliberately, his smirk suggesting he knows what effect it has on me. “Looks good on you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, James.”

He leans back against the side of the trailer, flashing that grin that should come with a neon-colored warning label. “Wanna bet?”

Not particularly.

Ryder’s smile grows in my answering silence. “C’mere, Lo.”

I never should have admitted how much I like him calling me that.

His hand lands on my lower thigh as soon as I’m close enough to touch. My breath hitches, and he hears it.

“Drop the bag and turn around.”

I heave a sigh and listen. A few seconds later, I’m being boosted, the window’s opening right in front of my face. Drops of water hit the backs of my legs as I wriggle through, landing on the floor in an uncoordinated heap. I sit up and survey my surroundings, experiencing a surprised jolt when I realize this is Ryder’s bedroom.

“Elle.”

I stand and reach for my backpack, pulling it through the window and then dropping it on the floor by the bed. It’s only a twin, and I’m having a hard time picturing Ryder fitting on it.

---