CARNIVORE [MxM+]

Chapter 32

Riley Worthright.

I'll admit that I was worried when Tycho suddenly called, saying that I had to drive him to campus before his game. 

I've been chewing my nails all day, thinking about what to say to him. I know it wasn't a hallucination when I saw him in the doorway this morning, even though I wish it were. Not only was I embarrassed that he had to see me in such a state- I was more worried about how much of a toll it'd take on him mentally. Alexei, Xavier, and I have talked time and time again about his stability, and we've all agreed that when it comes to any sort of affection between each other, it'd be best to do it with him out of the room. That's why I was so excited when he approached me the other day while I was doing the dishes.

"You can call me sweetheart."

I still remember the look on his face when he said that. He was battling with himself so violently that I was certain he was going to keel over and die right there. But he actually said it. And then he walked away. And ever since he's been getting better and better. 

Tycho reminded me so much of a younger Alexei that it made me want to vomit—his demeanor, speech patterns, way of carrying himself, and even his clothes were similar. He walked around like he was constantly stepping on broken glass. And I wanted to fix that. 

The opening of the passenger car door reminded me of our situation. 

Just how much had he seen?

I wanted to die from embarrassment. I didn't want to bring it up at all, but it was even worse to leave it alone. 

"Riley, hey." He settled into the seat with a smile on his face while he shoved his gym bag between his legs. Oh my God, he's seen me naked.

"Thanks for the ride. You didn't have to do this." I hated this. Why the hell was he acting like nothing had happened? There's no way he could just ignore it. Regardless, I swallowed the lump in my throat and started the car. 

On the way to Gretchen, he was overly chatty. For the first time in his life, he managed to ask me how my day was and not go back to his room to avoid the awkwardness. I was hesitant to reply, more than afraid of saying the wrong thing to make it all come crashing down. But if he could play normally, so could I. So I kept the act up all the way to the football field before parking the car. 

"So..." I started but trailed off. God, it was like a first date. I didn't know what to say. I looked out the window and noticed the lack of cars. I guess we were early. 

"'So' what, Riley? Something wrong?" I turned toward him, and it only then occurred to me that something was different about him. He had this attitude exuding from him that he'd never had before. Almost like he was confident about something I didn't know about. 

He tilted his head at me, seeming to question my reaction. My mind stuttered. I had no clue what his motives were and it kind of scared me. 

He smirked, sensing my lack of encouragement. Then he surprised me by placing his hands on the middle console of the car and leaning forward. He was suddenly inches away, making my breath catch. 

"You seem hesitant about something, Riley. Something on your mind?" My face was physically heated at the tone of his voice. This entire situation felt off but I couldn't help to like it. From this close, it was easy to see just how handsome Tycho was. Black hair was such a weakness for me.

But eventually, I found my tongue. Although I definitely wasn't going to face him while admitting this. "I... wanted to apologize for this morning. I don't know exactly what you saw, and-and Xavier and I thought you were at school and we didn't exactly plan-" Fingers gripped the side of my jaw, snapping it shut to stop me from speaking. Tycho's hand pulled my face back in his direction gently, and I couldn't help but close my eyes as the softest lips I've ever felt touched mine.