I woke up the next morning to the brightness of the sun hitting my face. I turned around in the bed but Ryder wasn't there. I sit up and see him leaning against the balcony. I wrap a dressing gown around me and lean on the railing beside him

He didn't look at me, instead he was looking straight ahead, a cigarette between his fingers. Over all I could feel a different vibe and attitude coming from him

"You're smoking again?"

The last time I checked he'd given them up

He turns to me with cold eyes and a smirk on his face "you wanted the old Ryder back that's what you're getting. I mean now that you're back to normal I don't have to pretend to be your knight in shining armour, I can be me, a heartless prick"

"I don't get it?"

"What's not to get Tal, I'm being me"

I nod "well I'm glad I'm not holding you back anymore Ryder" I turn around to walk away when he grabs my arm and pulls me so I'm between his chest and the glass of the balcony. His lips connect with my neck and he tugs at ties holding my dressing gown together and before I know it he drops it "Seriously Ryder" I mutter and I can feel him smirk against my skin

"Ryder? Talia?" A voice questions from across from us and I look behind me to see Sarah standing on the balcony beside us with a confused but amused look on her face

I bend down and grab my dressing gown and wrap it back around myself my face probably reflecting a tomato

"Babe did you just say......" Mike follows her out onto the balcony and stops when he sees us "why are you staying in a honeymoon sweet? Was there a second wedding we didn't know about?"

"Mix up in the rooms" Ryder briefly tells them

Sarah gasps "that was you two last night, seriously T, I really didn't think that's what you took from my advice"

"Either did I" I exclaim

Ryder laughs to himself and Mike speaks up "same with you, you idiot"

"Did you really have to mention that?" Ryder mutters

"Wait Ryder came to you too?" Sarah asks her husband

Mike nods "same with Talia?"

Sarah nods "these two are more complicated than we were" she laughs

—————————————

It's been almost two weeks since Sarah and Mike's wedding. Me and Sarah have become really close friends, they live only ten minutes away so we're always meeting up for girly days. We decided that tonight we're going to go out drinking

Sarah is wearing some yellow pants with a white bandeau, her long blonde hair straight and some reflecting sunglasses

I decided on wearing a baby pink pair of shorts with a matching jacket and a lacy white bodysuit. I had my long hair in its natural curls and some natural make up done

"So how is married life?" I ask her putting both of our drinks on front of us

"Amazing" she exclaims "I mean bossing Mike around knowing he doesn't know how to divorce me"

We both laugh

"So how's everything with you and Ryder?" She asks. She already knows everything that happened between us up until the wedding

"We haven't talked since the wedding" I tell her

"Not even in school?"

I shake my head "Nope"

"He's still smoking?" She asks

I nod "yeah and he's got this new bad boy attitude that no one can crack, not that much people have tried the girls are literally drooling when he walks into the room"

"Is he getting with any of them?"

"Not that I know of"

Since we haven't spoken in a week, Ryder spends his lunches doing god knows what - which is his own choice and I spend my lunches at our usual table snapchatting Sarah

"Him and Mike are pretty close so he probably knows what's up, not that he'll tell me because he knows you're my new bff"

I laugh

"So how long are you two together?" I ask

She grins "On and off six years, so basically since we were fourteen. Senior year in high school we finally realised that we were it for each other there was no one else for either of us. After that we moved pretty quickly hence why we're married now"

The way she smiles when she talks about him shows how much she worships the ground Mike walks on

It was almost 1am when we decided to go back to Sarah's, thankfully they had a free room that I could stay in so I could drink

We got out of the Uber after we paid and walked inside. The lights in the kitchen were still on but I just assumed it was Mike waiting up for Sarah to get back.

"Oh hey Ryder" Sarah says walking into the kitchen ahead of me

"Hey Sarah, have a good night?" I hear him ask. Sarah walks further into the kitchen and I follow behind her, Ryder and I make brief eye contact before we both quickly look away and I notice Sarah give Mike a look

"Uh Ryder can't stay at his place tonight so I offered him the spare room" Mike informs us

"Is everything ok?" Sarah asks, concern taking over her face

"Everything's fine" Ryder buts in before Mike can say anything

But from looking at his facial expressions I can tell everything isn't fine but he's not going to say what it is and it's not my place to pry

"I actually offered T, the spare room as well" Sarah looks between us

"It's fine" Ryder suddenly smirks "I can find some where else, there's loads of girls who'd welcome me in without a problem - with some sort of payment of course"

I roll my eyes "it's fine I can just get an Uber home"

"Don't be stupid, you two have shared a bed before what's one more time" Sarah crosses her arms

And that's how half an hour later I found myself closing the bedroom door to the room where Ryder was currently lying in bed. I got under the duvets "Have a good week?" I ask slightly salty

He smirks "Really good actually, girls weren't as scared to approach me when you weren't beside me"

"But I'm sure you missed me" he added

I pretend to think "hmm let me think.... nope pretty sure I didn't"

"You're such a liar" he smirks but his face goes serious after a minute "how have you been sleeping?"

I nod "pretty good actually. Since I got back into the car everything seems to have gotten better, so thanks for that"

He grins "that's what I'm here for babe, good fucks and advice"

"You're such an idiot"