43

43

Ethan’s POV

I stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around my waist, rubbing another through my damp hair. My body still felt warm, the steam from the shower lingering in the air, but the space beside the bed was empty.

Riley was sitting on the edge of the mattress, his back hunched, head in his hands.

Something was wrong.

I frowned, tightening the towel around my waist. “You look like you just ran over a puppy.”

He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Feels like it.”

I sat down beside him, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin. “What’s up?”

Riley hesitated. For a second, I thought he might actually tell me. But then he sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair, shaking his head.

“It’s nothing.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Bullshit.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “It’s just… complicated.”

That was new. Riley never hesitated. Never looked like he was fighting some internal battle. I didn’t like it.

I nudged his thigh with my knee. “You dying or something?”