Page 72 - It Ends with Us

“Rea dy to go?” he asks, looping hi s arm thro ugh mine.

I no d. “Yes . So rea dy.”
We find Allysa in the main living room. I tel l her and Marsha ll
goodni ght , using the ex cuse tha t I’m just ex ha usted from openi ng
week and I’d like to get some sleep bef ore work tomorro w. Allysa gives
me a hu g and walks us to the front door.
“I’ll be back on Mond ay,” she says to me, kissing me on the cheek .

“Happy birthd ay,” I say to her. Dev in opens the door, but right
bef ore we step int o the ha llway, I hea r someo ne yel l my na me.
I turn around and R yle is pushi ng thro ugh the crowd on the other
side of the room. “Lily, wait!” he yel ls, still trying to make his way over
to me. My he art is erra tic. He’s walking quickly, step ping around
peo ple, growing more frustrated with ev er y pers on in hi s way. He
fina lly rea ches a brea k in the crowd and makes ey e cont act with me

again. He ho lds my gaze as he marches toward me. He does n’t slow
down. Allysa ha s to step out of hi s way as he walks straight up to me.
At first, I thi nk he might kiss me, or at lea st give a reb uttal to
ev er ythi ng I said to hi m upstairs. But ins tea d, he does somet hi ng I’m
no t at all prep ared for. He scoops me up int o hi s arms.
“R yle! ” I yel l, gripping hi m around the nec k, afraid he might drop

me. “Put me down! ” He ha s an arm wrapped und er my leg s and one
und er my back.
“I need to borro w Lily for the ni ght ,” he says to Dev in. “Tha t okay?”
I look at Dev in and sha ke my hea d, wide- ey ed . Dev in just smirks
and says, “Be my gues t.”
Trai tor!
R yle starts to turn and walk back toward the living room. I look at

Allysa as I pass her. Her ey es are wide with conf usion. “I’m going to
kill your brother! ” I yel l at her.
Ever yone in the ent ire room is staring no w. I’m so em barra ssed , I
just press my face agains t R yle’s ches t as he walks me down the ha llway
and int o hi s bed room. Onc e the door is shu t behi nd us, he slowly
lowers my feet back to the floor. I immed iatel y start to yel l at hi m and

try to push hi m out of the way of the bed room door, but he spins me
and sho ves me agains t the door, grabbing both of my wrists. He
pres ses them agains t the wall above my hea d and says, “Lily?”