Chapter 140: A stupid leech!
Ryder explained quickly to make sense of the misunderstanding. "Lisa’s my cousin. We studied together back in college, and we’ve always been close. I swear, there’s nothing going on between us." He sounded almost desperate for Noah to believe him.
But Noah didn’t want to hear any of it. His mind was already exhausted, and dealing with Ryder’s explanations just made him feel more drained. "I’m leaving," Noah said, cutting Ryder off mid-sentence as he turned to walk away.
Ryder, seeing the bags still straining in Noah’s hands, tried once more. "Noah. Let me take you home."
Noah didn’t respond, his eyes focused straight ahead, ignoring Ryder’s attempts as he marched away. With a sigh, Ryder told Lisa to go on without him, then quickly caught up to Noah. He wasn’t going to let things end like this.
When Noah finally reached his place and opened the door, Ryder was right behind him. Noah glanced back, annoyance clear on his face. "Why are you still here?" he muttered, stepping inside and already planning to close the door in Ryder’s face.
But Ryder had anticipated it. He quickly slid his hand between the door and the frame, blocking it from shutting. There was a sudden dull thud, followed by a sharp wince from Ryder as the edge of the door caught his hand.
Noah froze, eyes widening in shock as Ryder let out a pained groan. "Ryder, what the hell—" Noah started, but his words were lost in the swirl of emotions. For a moment, he felt concerned, but he didn’t want to show it.
"Why are you even here?" Noah demanded coldly, trying to suppress the guilt gnawing at him. He didn’t want to care, but Ryder’s injured hand made it hard to ignore.
Ryder, clutching his hand, took a breath before holding up a can of tomato sauce. "You left this," he said, his voice tinged with pain. "Thought I’d bring it back."
Noah stared at the can, recognizing it from the groceries he’d dropped earlier. He narrowed his eyes, knowing full well that this was just a flimsy excuse for Ryder to follow him home. But the sight of Ryder wincing made him falter. Damn it. Ryder was really hurt. This crazy piece of shit!
"Does it...hurt?" Noah asked, though his voice was still cold.