The door opened and Connor was standing on the other side with worry etched on his face.

"Em, are you okay?", he asked stepping into the room. I nodded.

I was okay but it was Ryder who was in the verge of panic attack again.

His eyes scanned the room and settled on Ryder, sitting on the bed with eyes focused on us.

His eyes widened and he quickly averted his gaze to me.

"Em, what happened? Why are you here in his room?"

"We had a date and the door knob broke, no reception and no one was here. So I was stuck here", I said with a shrug.

His eyes diverted from mine to Ryder and back to me. This time he was scanning me as if he knew that Ryder had hurt me.

It meant that it had happened before?

I winced when he held my hand. Panic was overtaking his features.

"What happened to your hands?"

I didn't know what happened but the urge to defend Ryder was strong.

"The window closed on my hands in wind"

After contemplating, he asked me to follow him to apply some medicine.

I turned to see Ryder with his back to me, hunched over placing his head on his hands.

A warm coffee was what I wanted to clear my haze. Every minute felt like a dream.

I let Connor treat my hand. He was furious, but never hurt my hand in the process. He asked me again and again if it was true that I hurt myself and I assured him every time.

At one point, he asked if Ryder did it to me. I gave a firm 'No' until he stopped asking further questions.

I sat in the couch with a blanket and coffee in my hands. Connor was next to me with his cup of coffee.

Ryder didn't come out of his room. I was conflicted. I wanted to check on him but afraid that he would attack me again.

"Connor? ", I called while sipping my coffee.

"Yeah? Do you want anything else?". Why was he saying such charming things to me now?. I was doing a good job avoiding him

"Can I ask you something?", he eagerly nodded.

"When we were in the room, Ryder behaved a certain way"

Connor visibly stiffed and I knew what I was going to ask a serious one.

"What way did he react? Are you sure he didn't hurt you?"

"No, Ryder didn't hurt me. He asked for Hayley"

"What?!", he asked surprised widening his eyes. He was tensed, wetting his lips and pushing his hair back like he was unable to believe that he asked me for Hayley.

"Connor?", I called softly. He turned towards me with guilt swirling in his brown orbs.

"I..I.. I don't know what to say", I knitted my eyebrows in confusion before he continued, "Did he ask for Hayley to you?". I nodded.

"Hayley was her girlfriend. I can't believe that he mentioned Hayley to you"

Girlfriend?

"Did they break up?", I asked before I could stop. Something was bad in this question and I didn't want the answer which I thought.

"She died", he replied looking painful at the thought.

My heart broke in pieces. My eyes flooded thinking about Carrie. I missed her so much.

"When?", I asked with a hiccup.

"It's been two years".

I was bawling and Connor was hugging me. The thought of Matt, Carrie, Ryder and even Hayley was painful.

I didn't know Ryder was lover but the way he mentioned Hayley, it was open that he was hurting.

After bawling for an hour, I convinced Connor that I would sleep in the couch. He half-heartedly accepted and walked into his room.

After my phone charged, I called Luke informing that I would leave the place after the rain stopped and assured I was safe and the pepper spray was with me.

The cloud clashing sound was heard in a distance and every time my eyes were trained on Ryder's door.

Time 2.30 am. I threw my blanket, made a cup of coffee and walked towards my enemy's door.

I knocked lightly and opened the door.

"Connor, it is not the time", he said still facing the window.

"Ryder", I said in a low voice and walked into his room.

His head snapped towards me and his eyes followed as I walked next to him.

"Emily", his eyes moving to my hands.

I handed the coffee to him and sat next to him, looking out of the window.

"I don't like rain", I said.

He sipped the coffee turning his attention to the window.

"Me too", he asked after a stretched silence.

"Is the coffee okay?"

"It could've been better", he said scrunching his nose.

"Hey!!", I said in an offended tone.

"What? I've never drank a coffee that's so much bitter"

"Coffee is supposed to be bitter. You know I make the best one among my friends"

"I don't want to think the worst coffee if this is the best", he mocked still sipping the cup.

"You know what? Give me the cup. You don't deserve my coffee.", I huffed and tried to reach the cup.

He extended his hands behind distancing the cup from me. He was smiling at my struggle to reach the cup.

I gave up pretty quick and sunk into the bed with a pout continuing my expedition with the rain.

To me, rain was associated with tears. I always tend to cry everytime it rained.

Ryder settled down after throwing the cup in the kitchen.

The space between us was closing down slowly. His breathing was loud in the room and when thunder striked he became jumpy.

Time 3:00 am. My eyes were burning. We never spoke a word. The thunderstorms stopped, only raining which would probably stop in few hours.

It was definitely my sleep time. My mind already went into zombie mood. I stood up from the bed to my paradise in the couch.

Suddenly, Ryder grabbed my hand. There was a spike in my heart rate after his unexpected touch.

I shook it off, looking anxiously at him. He understood why I was at edge by his behavior.

"Where are you going?", he asked.

"To sleep", I said rolling my eyes

"Sleep here with me", he surprised me again.

"Just because you had a momet doesn't mean I'm sleeping with you", I said in a low voice.

"The living room ceiling is leaking. It's fine if you sleep here, I'll take the bed and you can take the couch"

I stomped to living room only to live the Ryder's words. It wasn't leaking, it was flooding and it didn't spare my phone too.

I took my phone and walked past Ryder's room.

He circled around me, stopping right infront of Connor's room.

"Why are you going into his room?", he asked irked.

"I don't want to sleep there"

"Why?"

"What if you hurt me again?", I asked raising my eyebrows.

His face changed like I had slapped him. That was the first time I had seen him with that look. Like he was disappointed in himself.

I pushed him and opened the door.

"I don't want to sleep alone", he admitted and won the argument.

His couch was better than one in the living room plus his door was open for a run.

I looked at the bed to see Ryder looking at me. As if the day couldn't get any better I dreamed about Ryder hurting me for Hayley.