Ryker: Hey Rae-Rae
Me: Rae-Rae? That's the best you got?
R: Hey, it rhymes.
Me: Okay, I'll give you that.
R: You wanna go get lunch?
Me: Sure.
R: Meet me at Wetzels in 20 minutes.

My phone stopped buzzing after that. I set it down in the charger and went downstairs to tell my mom. She was sitting in a comfortable chair, reading The Fault in Our Stars.

"Still reading that, mom?" I asked her. She nodded. It looked like she was about half way through it. As much as I didn't want to bother her in the midst of her book, I decided the situation called for leaving her in the middle of a paragraph.

"Hey mom, I'm going to out to lunch, okay?" I asked her. She nodded her head as I walked out. I grabbed the keys and opened the door before I heard her call to me again.

"Don't forget that we'll be stopping by the hospital at three!" She reminded me. How could I forget? My grandmother was in the hospital for the second time this month. Her health was failing rapidly and I didn't want to be reminded of her pain. I yelled bye and started the car.

It was 1:20 by the time I got to Wetzels Pretzels, the best pretzel shack in all of the Denver area. Nothing could beat one of these delicious twisted treats. I met Ryker, standing out in his black jacket and tattoos.

"Let there be pretzels!" He joked. I rolled my eyes and took out my wallet, standing in line for a cinnamon treat.

"Hey, let me pay." He moved to pay the cashier but I intercepted him. The young teen standing behind the register awkwardly took my money and handed me my own. Ryker shot me a look.

"If you were to pay, this would then be a date, and then my boyfriend would accuse me of cheating. I don't want to do that to him." I shook my finger at my new friend. We took our food outside and sat under the warm sun. It had yet to snow this month.

"You have a boyfriend?" He asked me. I nodded, not revealing any other information. We munched quietly for a bit and watched small children play in the fountains.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked him. He shook his head solemnly. I clucked my tongue at him.

"What?" He asked defensively. I couldn't help but grin.

"What, a pretty boy like you no girl?" I asked him sarcastically. He stuck his tongue out at me. I launched the wrapper for my lunch into the trash can and scored.

"Nope. It ties me down." He sighed with a hint of longing tinging the sound. We talked for a while after that. Our conversation bounced around different topics like bands, family, and hobbies.

The sun wove through every crack between the buildings and pierced the shadows. I checked my phone to see it was about 2:30. I needed to leave soon. We both headed back to our truck and my silver Dodge Durango.

"Nice truck." I commented at the black beast that lumbered next to mine. His hand patted the side affectionately.

"The Beast has served me faithfully." He explained. I didn't ask what he used the car for. I didn't think I wanted to know. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Text from: Austin

I threw my phone into my pocket, ignoring it for now. Hopefully he'd understand.

"So where do you need to be off to?" He questioned. I sighed, deciding he might as well know.

"My grandma is in the hospital." I confessed. His eyes softened a moment. They hard icy blue shell around them melted to a gentle ocean.

"I'm sorry about that." He wrapped me in a hug. I hugged him back, but quickly backed out. What was I doing?!

"She'll be okay." I explained, although I didn't believe the words I said to myself.

"Well it was fun getting to talk to you again." He gave me a crooked grin. I smiled and hopped in my own car, waving to him farewell. As I pulled out of the lot, I saw him lean against the bed of his vehicle, watching me leave.

Notes

Okay sorry about another boring chapter :p I promise, the next few will be a little more exciting!

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