Page 106 of Shy Girls Can't Date Rockstars
Ryder stands abruptly, almost knocking the bench over. “I said I know.”
“Then prove it.” Chase starts tuning his bass, the notes plinking through the tension. “We’re practicing. Now.”
I take a small step toward the door. Maybe I can slip out while they’re focused on each other.
But Ryder’s hand catches my wrist, gentle but firm.
“Don’t,” he says quietly.
Chase and Brooks both turn to look.
“Seriously?” Brooks’s eyebrows shoot up. “You want the walking disaster to stay?”
“Cool it!” Ryder barks. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
Brooks smirks, shrugging with surprise. “Since when?”
“Since now,” Ryder snaps.
“Okay, I get it,” Chase says with a mocking tone. “You both skip school, hang out here alone on a Friday, get real friendly at the piano…”
My face burns hotter. “Ryder, I really need to go.” I tug on his grip. “Please?”
His jaw tightens, looking between me and his bandmates.
“Give me a minute,” he finally says to Chase and Brooks.
“A minute?” Brooks’s grin turns filthy. “That’s all you need, Hamilton?”
“Don’t take too long,” Chase says with a wry smile. “We got actual work to do.”
“Yeah, work,” Brooks echoes. “After you two finish...whatever.”
Their laughter follows as Ryder guides me toward the door. His hand rests on the small of my back, and he positions himself between me and the other boys like a shield.
“Save some energy for practice!” Brooks adds, and their laughter gets cruder.
Ryder ushers me into the hallway, and as soon as he closes the door behind us, some of the horrible tension releases from my shoulders.
Ryder steps in close, and there’s barely a sliver of air between us. His head tilts down as he whispers, “This sucks. I liked when it was just us.”
“Did you know they were coming?”
He shakes his head. “We have open invitation practice sessions. They come over whenever they want. Have you noticed we never lock the front door around here?”
“Yeah, who would want to break into this creepy old house?”
Ryder sighs, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “I don’t want you to go.”
My eyes flick back to the closed practice room door. “I don’t want to be around them.”
Ryder smirks. “Neither do I.”
“I can see why you were so angry before I turned up. Those two say some stupid stuff.”
“Exactly why I don’t want to go back in there.” His voice has the same gravelly, raw texture as when he was singing. “If I’m left alone with those two idiots, they’ll get in my head. I’m worried I’ll build a wall between us again.”
“Can’t you tune them out?”
