TWENTY SEVEN - RYDER

Ryder I acted on impulse, raising my hand to halt Lexie's advance without a second thought. She hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her wide blue eyes as she weighed her next move. Once again, the sunlight bathed her in its glow, accentuating the sparkle of the tiny diamond studs adorning her earlobes. Her smile, though gentle, hinted at a youthfulness that struck me profoundly. In that moment, I found myself momentarily regretting my intervention. I didn't just crave a friendly embrace from her; I longed to feel her arms envelop me, to have her lean in so close that our bodies would be pressed together, testing the softness of her lips against mine, tasting to see if they were as smooth as they looked. An irrational anger simmered within me, and my words came out harsher than intended. "Lexie, we're not a sorority. This is a fraternity," I stated firmly. In the real world, farewells were marked by a firm handshake, not an embrace. Her lips, once pink and smiling, parted in surprise,