Thrive (Addicted #4)

by Krista Ritchie

It’s one of my favorite photos of him—maybe also because he’s carrying me on his back. I was a mouse. I thought it’d be ironic since I’ve been so quiet, but Ryke thought I was a rat so…maybe it wasn’t the best costume choice.

i love the lily & ryke dynamic

Rose’s yellow-green eyes drill holes into him. “Congratulations, you are officially the cockiest human being on planet Earth.” That’d be Iron Man. But I hold my tongue.

i love lily sm

I look back through the crawl space just as Ryke hits his head on one of the pipes. “Fuck me,” he curses. “Fornicating with the rats already?” Connor asks with a grin.

i cant with connor oml

I hate Scott more than I’ve ever hated another person.

sameeee

I want to be the accumulation of my failures, my successes, of all the people I’ve ever met, of the man I love, and the life I want. I want to be defined by so many factors that it’s too complicated for any mathematician to piece apart. That would be the perfect life. Not good or bad. Just complex.

Lily darts beside me with a high-pitched scream, steals the bottle out of my hands and chucks it at Scott. The bottle, still in the bag, makes a loud impact on the wall beside his head. He jumps back in surprise, the glass shattering and whiskey dripping down the wallpaper. I’m so stunned that I can hardly move. Did Lily just…yeah, she did.

OKAY LILY

“She’s just being nice to us,” I say. “Don’t jump down her throat, Ryke.” My eyes bug. “Notlikethat.” Lo groans behind me. “Appetite lost, Lil.”

I CANT

“I don’t know what kind of doggy style you’re doing, but it’s wrong.” He pats her head before exiting.

NOT THE HEAD PAT

I climb onto his back so he’ll stay put. “Go fuck someone who actually likes you, Julius!” Lo yells. “Oh wait, that leaves no one on this planet. Better go find someone who can take you to Mars, you motherfucker!”

“I just want everyone to know,” I whisper again, “that I predicted this would happen the moment I saw them together.”

His gaze falls to my lips. And after a long moment, he breaks the quiet. “I want to marry you.” The words rock me back a little. He holds tighter. “Soon,” he continues on. “In the next year maybe?” His eyes rush mine, searching for confirmation, to ensure we’re on the same page. “Next year,” I smile and slap his arm in excitement. “What if we get married on 6-16?” He’s grinning. His sharp jawline and cheekbones just plain gorgeous. “Whatever you want.”

SOBBING

And then he screams, “I FUCKING LOVE HER!”

this gets me everytime

The perseverance to do anything, to be anything. To thrive. Someday, that word will belong to us too. After years of coming up short, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.

the character growth omg

“We’ve never even been able to keep a goldfish alive. Do you remember BJ?” I ask. He begins to smile at the memory. I add, “He didn’t even last a week before he floated to the top of the tank. I think I overfed him.” “He probably died in realization that you named him Blow Job,” he says, his eyes light. “Though you definitely overfed him.”

Without my brother, I wouldn’t be sober. I’m not even sure I’d be alive. His decision to enter my life and never let go was one that saved me. No thank you will repay what he’s given me. But it’s all I have.