Page 153 of Introvert
We both laughed, but as she waved goodbye, I felt a little adrift. Thiswasreally it. The final HERS show—for me anyway. I might not see any of these people again after this. But no, we'd stay in touch, I assured myself. I'd never been very good at it before, content to stay in place with the people I loved instead of growing my circle, but I was determined to do better.
"We should go," Freya said, "and give Aurora some time to get ready."
"Do you need help getting to the audience?" I asked.
"What?"
"You have to find your seats, right?"
"Oh, right," she said and sent mea too-bright smile. "No, we're fine. Awesome. No help needed."
As they enthusiastically agreed, I tilted my head. Viola, Charlotte, Scarlett, and Freya all looked way too innocent. If I didn't know better, I'd think something was up.
"See you later," Freya said quickly. "Good luck."
Brushing off my suspicions,I sent her a grateful nod. Once they'd gone, I started my pre-show ritual. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Relax and know it's all going to be okay. I was on my last inhale, exhale, when a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," I said.
Ryker opened the door and paused. "Hey," he said.
"Hey, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"For everything you did for Felix." He gave a gruff cough. "He's a good guy. The best."
I nodded. "I know."
As he continued to stand in the doorway, I waited, suspecting there was more.
"My brother and I don't always see eye to eye. But I know him almost as well as I know myself." Ryker stared at me as if trying to impart something important. "You remember what I told you?"
"I do."
"Even if he doesn't use those words, Aurora,Felix loves you. I'm sure of it."
I opened my mouth, but Ryker kept going.
"I've seen how you are with your family, and I hope you don't judge him too harshly."
"Ryker—"
"He's a good person like you."
I'd always tried to be a nice human, but it was nice to know Ryker thought so. I wanted his approval. Not just because he was Felix's brother but because I actually thought he was akind soul underneath all the moodiness.
"Felix deserves to be happy," Ryker said. "And he loves you. That's all I wanted to say."
I sent him a small smile. "You deserve that too, you know? So does another person we both care about."
His face remained blank.
"Thank you for coming to talk to me about Felix," I said. "You're a good brother."
With a nod, Ryker walked out, and I was left wondering how two guys with such big hearts could be so different yet the same. They both had trouble expressing themselves in words. But their actions spoke so loud. He'd said Felix loved me,and after that conversation, it was clear just how much Ryker loved his little brother.
