36: The Breakfast Club

[ K A R A ] I woke up the next morning to the warm sunlight and Ryder's familiar scent. But when I opened my eyes, Ryder wasn't there! "Ryder?" I murmured, foolishly thinking he would somehow appear out of thin air. My bed was messy and my clothes were scattered everywhere, a clear sign that I wasn't dreaming about last night. My heartbeat suddenly quickened as the thought came to mind: did he just leave? I quickly pulled myself up, ignoring the soreness of my muscles, and put on the first shirt I saw on the floor. I raced out of my bedroom door, and my heart stopped when I saw the most unimaginable thing possible. Ryder was shirtless in my kitchen, holding a spatula and flipping a pancake. "You looked like you've seen a ghost," he commented when he saw me. "I thought you left..." He cocked his head to the side and said, "That would suck now, wouldn't it? I would never do that to someone, especially not to you," he smiled bitterly. I looked down at my feet because it was getting unbear