For Rylie

Chapter 22

I knew it was early when I woke up. I didn't feel at all rested and the light filtering in through the window wasn't nearly bright enough.

I had no way of knowing until I went downstairs, so that is exactly what I did.

I went to get out of bed but was held back by an arm around my waist.

The lines were too blurred and I needed to fix that.

So I gently pried Max's arm off me and got out of bed, padding across the room to the stairs.

I took one last glance at a sleeping Max, looking perfect as per usual, and sighed. I had to let go.

Meaning I needed to go home.

I went downstairs to see Hazel and Hayley sitting at the kitchen counter with breakfast in front of them.

"Speak of the devil," I heard Hazel mutter with a smirk on her face. "Goodmorning Rylie."

"Morning," I responded, sitting in the same stool as I did this morning.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Hayley smirked and I shook my head while rolling my eyes.

"Is there any chance you could take me home?" I asked her, not wanting to ask for fear of being impolite, but the only shoes I had were heels and I didn't particularly want to walk home in them.

A frown lit Hayley's face. "Did something happen?"

I wish.

"No, I just," I paused, not knowing what to say. "I just need to go."

Hayley immediately got up. "Go get your dress and shoes. I'll just go grab my keys."

I nodded, silently thanking her for not asking questions right away.

I smiled at Hazel before I ran upstairs, picking my dress and heels from the couch then met Hayley at the front door.

"Uh," I glanced down at the pyjamas I was wearing that were hers.

"Just give them to Max tomorrow," she said, still frowning, as she led me to her car.

“So what really happened?” Hayley asked when we were both seated in the car. She was frowning with concern and I shrugged.

“Oh come on, something must have happened for you to leave before Max woke up,” she told me, inching her way out the driveway. “I promise I’ll only tell Hazel.”

I sighed, not knowing how to explain and not sure if I could trust her. I mean, she seemed pretty trustworthy but I hardly knew her.

After a moment of conflicted thoughts, I decided to tell her. “Nothing really happened,” I told her truthfully, running a hand through my tangled hair. I tried explaining about the line between friends and more than friends and she nodded in understanding. “The lines are blurring and they need to stop,” I finished just as she drove past my street.

She didn’t seem affected, even though I had told her where I lived.

“Were there even lines to start with?” She asked, making me frown.

“Of course there was. I hated him to start with,” I informed her, feeling guilty for some reason.

I didn’t know how to explain that I hated his mask, not the real him, without sounding like a total weirdo. 

Hayley's laugh was amused. "That doesn't surprise me. But he has never hated you."

She did a U-turn at the roudabout then went back to my street, turning at the right place this time. "Just, be careful with him?" Hayley asked after I indicated where to pull over. "He's been through a rough time with our dad and he doesn't really trust people not to... Hurt him," she winced at the last words but recovered her expression with a careful smile.