FIFTY - LEXIE

I had hoped to wake up to the smell of apple turnovers or maybe a fresh loaf of pumpkin bread wafting through the house, but instead, it was the familiar sweet and nutty scent of freshly brewed coffee that hit me first. I shifted under the blankets, inhaling deeply as I tried to piece together why that smell was even filling the air. My mom always brewed a pot when Lorraine, her best friend and next-door neighbor, came by. But my sister and I? We preferred soda or tea. It was strange for coffee to be brewing just for us. I pulled on my old, worn-out robe, the same one I’d worn through most of high school, and padded down the hallway. For some reason, I expected to find Lorraine at the kitchen table, sipping her coffee. Instead, it was Ryder. Even with his back to me, I knew it was him. My jaw dropped, my eyes darting from his broad shoulders to the calm expression on my mother’s face as she offered me a small, knowing smile. "How are you feeling, hon?" I couldn’t speak. I just stared,