13
CALISTA
I was a few minutes late, but I could see Ryder lying on the ground under the willow tree. My heart started to beat erratically again, and my palms began to sweat. Why am I so nervous? I paused to gain my composure. I’d never been this crazy over a guy before, and what was worse was that I didn’t even know if the feelings were real. He looked over and saw me heading his way. Getting up from his place on the ground, he opened a path through the leaves so I could walk through.
Fiddling with my hands, I uttered, “Thank you, and I’m sorry I’m late. I got held up a bit.” It was a rare occasion that I got nervous, but something in his eyes had me wary.
He gave a small laugh and shook his head.
“Yeah, I know how busy you were, Princess. In fact, I saw through your window how busy
