I had cleared the air with Cassandra and though reluctant, she allowed Andrew to live with us. However, I failed to tell her he was susceptible to the werewolf gene. Maybe she already knew. I was excited, though, that Andrew would be with me again...so excited that I didn't even think about my sides burning during my run the next day.

What are you running from, beautiful? I heard Ryder ask in my head. The only way I knew it was telepathic was because my music was blasting through my ears, making any outside noise nothing. I didn't know if he knew I could hear him, but I looked around, trying to find him. I slowed into a walk and saw that he was sitting outside, on the back porch of one of the diners with Preston. My heart was already racing from the cardio, but as soon as I saw Ryder, I had a sort of calmness. I approached the fence that divided us and Ryder definitely noticed.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Morning," I returned, out of breath.

"Running from something?" Preston asked, immediately receiving a threatening look from Ryder.

"No, I'm just...running," I breathed. Ryder looked at me not only like he was studying me, but like he was finding anything admirable about me.

"Mm," Preston hummed.

"Well are you too busy to join us for breakfast?" Ryder asked. "Or are you just gonna run past us?"

"Uh..." I began. He nodded his head for me to join him and I tried to contain my smile.

I walked into the diner and out of the door in order to meet up with the guys. Now, Ryder was standing over the chair right across from Preston. He pulled it out for me and sat beside me.

"I owe you an apology," Preston told me before Ryder had actually sat.

"What for?" I asked, politely, even though I could name a few things.

"For acting like an asshole to you," he clarified.

"Pretentious asshole," I joked with a straight face. Preston smirked while Ryder looked us like he was confused. "You're forgiven."

"Thank you," I heard Preston return with a breath— it was strange because it sounded closer than his proximity. I didn't want to believe in mass telepathy, but that's what I suspected in that instant. I looked over at Ryder, now questioning what he was thinking because he was sort of out of it.

"I'll be right back," Preston said as if sensing I wanted to talk to Ryder alone. Preston got up, raising his eyebrows at Ryder as if it was planned and then went inside. I turned to face Ryder and put my head on my hand.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Why?" he replied. I gave him a look. I knew something had happened. I didn't know if it was in his favor or not, but something definitely happened.

"What happened with your dad?"

"It doesn't matter," he said.

"If he doesn't want you to be around me—" he interrupted me by shaking his head.

"I don't care what he wants," he whispered. "He's not the one in charge...All I care is what and who you want."

"Ryder, I don't know if what I want...is what you want," I tried to reason, but couldn't. I didn't want some summer fling with anyone. I really didn't want a summer fling with the town bad boy whom I really, really liked. I didn't want to really, really like someone who I didn't know if they liked me in equivalence. I just wanted to figure out family crap right now and see my brother and then sort out what I felt or didn't feel about Ryder Ramon. But part of me wanted to believe that being with Ryder would help me discover all the other stuff. Especially when I looked into his chocolate eyes.

"That's probably true because we do want different things in the long run," he told me with our faces just inches apart. "But right now, all I want is you so no matter what we are, my first concern is what you want. Don't worry about what happens to me."

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting him to be so cool with it. I was expecting him to act as rejected as what I said sounded, which wasn't the case. Before either of us could ruin it, Preston was coming back outside and I looked away from Ryder, only so our proximity wouldn't make Preston suspicious of us. Eventually, Ryder looked away from me, but my heart kept fluttering like he still gazed at me.

The entire breakfast was like this. Though Preston and Ryder made comments vaguely answering or referring to topic out of my jurisdiction outside of annoying small talk, I still sensed a bit of tension between the two boys. I didn't even order that much food other than a stack of pancakes, but I had been pushing it around and absentmindedly playing a game with Ryder to see how much I could add to his plate. Though he'd nod or speak with Preston as he picked up a placed, pre-cut pancake, right before it'd enter his mouth, I'd see the corner of his lip twitch as if he was trying not to laugh—an indication that maybe being sneaky wasn't my forte. But I still managed to play this game with him like an inside joke between us, even though Preston narrowed his eyes at me and essentially tried to avoid even including me in conversation unless Ryder invited me. I didn't really mind because my conversation was obligatory to either of them. And when they started using emphasized pronouns in reference to that thing that happened in regards to that person on that night that was important, I took the hint that if I was gone, they would have a more reasonable conversation. I started to stand up and then Ryder's eyes snapped over as if they weren't previously locked with Preston's as he was speaking in secret.

What's wrong? he asked through thought, and I brought out my phone to pretend to read a message.

"I...actually have to go," I told them both, looking at Preston before Ryder's sad eyes. I didn't doubt he read my mind and knew I was lying. I put a ten dollar bill on the table for my meal. "Thanks for the outing...I'll see you guys later."

I did this all in a rush, not only so I wouldn't intrude further in their banter, but because something made me wonder how Ryder would react. Any time the two of us have to part, he acts as though it's unwanted and if he doesn't chase me, he apologizes later on. My usual self would find it pathetic, but the Ashlynn intrigued by the boy, found it...adoring. What Ryder would he be with a disapproving Preston sitting in front of him? It took my walk through the inside of the diner for me to sense him behind me and to find out my answer.

"What happened?" he asked with worry plaguing his eyes.

"Nothing," I said within a sigh. "It's obvious that Preston doesn't need me around to spoil whatever you two need to talk about."

"It's not that important," he said as if he was willing to just leave his best friend outside for the rest of the day if it meant I wouldn't leave.

"Either way, I'm not going to make either of you suffer with me sitting there any longer," I continued. Maybe suffer wasn't the word I meant to use, but something along its lines to capture just how much of a struggle it was for them to sound like humans making normal conversation with me around. I expected him to deny any sort of suffering, but he didn't and that's all I needed. "I'll see you around."

He said my name, like he always did when I walked away from him, too stubborn to stay to hear his pleas. It was the hardest thing to walk away from, but I managed, and exited the diner. Ryder didn't make any sense to me. I was leaving him so he could hang out with his best friend, which is what most teenage boys want from any girl remotely close to being a girlfriend—which I wasn't. Even though I wanted to spend all my time with him for some reason, I knew it was unhealthy and I think that he came to the same mutual agreement because even after I enjoyed a long walk home in the warm sun that resulted in a nap once I got home, I noticed that the telepathic link between he and I was closed as if the connection was set on a blocking Airplane mode.

I didn't really mind and I knew he didn't either, because instead of the mental thoughts sending back and forth on occasion, my inner self was content and sure that Ryder's wellbeing was alright and basically, it was all I cared for, so I was able to relax myself.

Until of course, Andrew remembered our telepathic link and began thinking in his boredom while trying to find Dad's will.