“So, do you plan on staying here?” I jumped at the sound of Ryder’s amused voice. “Or, are you going to actually go to class?” He chuckled.
“What? Oh…” I brushed the hair back from my face as I laughed sheepishly. I had been distracted all morning. “Did the bell ring?”
“Indeed it did.” His eyes flickered with laughter as he extended an arm to me. “What’s got you so wrapped up in that pretty little head of yours?”
I shook my head. The last thing I needed was everyone worrying about what a dream of mine might bring on this time. “Nothing, I’m fine, I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” Which was an understatement. After waking up at one in the morning, I was simply too riled up to fall back asleep, I’d been awake ever since.
“I can tell.” He started quietly as he brushed his thumbs underneath my eyes. “Here, let me help.”
“What are you doing?” He continued to move his hands over my skin, most of my drowsiness fading with each stroke.
“Well, I’ve been practicing some new healing techniques over the summer.” He winked as he spoke in obvious code as students moved around us.
“Ah,” I chuckled. “I see.” I sometimes forgot that my life and boyfriend was far from ordinary.
He nodded as he stepped away with a smile. “There. How do you feel?”
I waited a few moments before smiling. “Hmm, I actually feel a lot better.” I answered truthfully. “Now, if only you could erase what was in my head…Actually, you probably could.”
He laughed as he started to speak, only to be cut off by a shrill scream. “Riley!”
“Oh my gosh.” The breath was nearly knocked right out of me as someone threw their arms around me.
“Three months! It’s been almost three months since I saw you last!” The high pitched stranger finally pulled away to look me in the eyes with disdain on her face.
“Winter! Oh my gosh, you’re here!” I pulled her back into me as I returned a bone crushing embrace.
“Yes, I’m on rotation today. But the question here is, where have you been?!” She jutted out her bottom lip as she whisked me off, giving me minimal time to say goodbye to Ryder. “You were M.I.A. all summer!”
“I’m sorry, I just needed some time off.”
“What, so we’re a job to you now? Riley I thought we were family?” Of course she wasn’t going to let me off the hook.
“You are, it’s just-”
“You know Ryder practically banned us from contacting you in anyway. He said you were in a fragile state.”
“I am not fragile!” I defended. “I just needed time to get back to a sense of normal, you know?”
“Oh Riley dear, your life is far from normal now.” She laughed while placing a kiss on my cheek.
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me.” I huffed. “So, how is...everyone?”
Winter rolled her eyes as she fixed her blazer. My heart sunk as I noticed she wasn’t in uniform, a reminder that my best friends had practically moved on without me. I really had missed out on a lot this summer.
“If this is your way of asking me about Avery, I’m going to be frank with you and say that my lips are sealed, had you really wanted to know how he was doing, you would’ve stopped by.”
“Winter,” I whined. “I’m sorry okay, I shouldn’t have given you all the cold shoulder.”
“Forget everyone else,” she quipped while making me hide a smile. “I thought I was your best friend!”
“You are! You all are, I’m sorry, really, I am.” I held her by the shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes.
She heaved a dramatic sigh before finally smiling. “Ok, all is forgiven.” We hugged once more before she scurried off in the opposite direction. “Oh, and heads up...he’s here.”
“Who-” She had already ran off, leaving me to silently brood.
She could only mean one person.
******
My mind was completely taken over by the thought of Avery. He was here today...on campus. Who knew how close he was right now. What if I ran into him? Or worse, what if he saw me and went in the opposite direction? After all, he had avoided me yesterday. Then again, Winter hadn’t been there either.
I made it to class seconds before the late bell rung, but my relief was only short lived.
“Riley!” The Liam kid waved me down, pointing at the seat beside him.
I groaned internally, unable to ignore him being that he saw me look directly at him. “Um, hey...Liam.”
“Would you look at that, we have a class together.” He beamed.
“Yeah, amazing.” I forced a smile on my lips as he scooted his seat closer to mine. This day was turning out to be perfect.
I was aware of every student in the halls, knowing that at least one of them would be him. I don’t know why I was so worried, it had been months since we saw each other last. Things couldn’t be that bad could they? I mean we didn’t exactly end on bad terms, just not great terms.
I had to snap out of it, I was just going to psych myself out. Avery and I could be friends, right? I mean, I had Ryder, and he had Aspen. Aspen and I weren’t trying to rip each other’s head off. That had to count for something...didn’t it?
“Get it together Riley.” I huffed while walking into the dining hall.
“Ok.” Ryder suddenly appeared beside me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He chuckled while placing a hand on the small of my back. “But, what’s got you so worked up? I can feel your anxiety rolling off of you...literally.” His smile was gentle as he brushed the hair from my face.
I sighed, trying to hold back my impish smile. “I know, crap, I’m sorry, I forgot how...connected we are now.”
He shoved a hand in his pocket. “Yeah, going to take some getting used to, I know.”
I shook my head as I waved it away. “I promise, I’ll be fine...eventually.” He rubbed my arm soothingly, I could almost feel the anxiety receding. My lips quirked. “What did you just do?”
He shrugged with a casual smile. “Comes with the connection, just think of me as your ultimate comforter.”
“Well...there is still so much I have to learn about this connection of ours hmm?” He nodded with a smirk, pressing his lips firmly against mine.
“This is going to take some serious getting used to.” I snapped back at the sound of his voice, I would know it anywhere.
“Avery.” I breathed as my heart fell to my toes.
He stood in creme colored button up and navy cardigan with a boyish smile on his face. His hair was fuller now while his eyes seemed lighter. I felt something turn in my stomach, he was just too familiar, and the sight of him made my insides do flips. I was attracted to him...yet not, at the same time. It was odd, and I was sure it had something to do with me connecting hearts with Ryder.
“Hey Riles, how are you?” His causality struck me as strange.
“Um, I’m good.” I responded with a clear of my throat. “How was your uh, summer?”
He nodded. “Pretty good actually, your hair looks great.” He smiled.
“Oh,” I pulled at it self-consciously. “Thanks.” The three of us stood there awkwardly before he finally gave us both a smile. “Well, I’ve gotta-”
“Oh yeah, yeah...see you around.” We both watched him leave. Thankfully, he wasn’t on lunch duty, otherwise that would have been torture.
“So I guess I know why you’ve been so stressed out this morning.” Ryder chuckled quietly as I frowned.
“I’m sorry, I-”
“Ri, you don’t have to keep apologizing for everything. I know how strange it must be for you. You knew nothing about hearts and connections, and all the other strange phenomenon that goes on with our people. You think it was easy for me to watch the girl I spent half my life with with my best friend?” He chuckled with a shake of his head. “ It’s going to take some getting used to...for all of us.”
I frowned, feeling even worse. “Why are you so understanding?” He laughed as he pulled us in the direction of Blythe and Aspen.
I tried not to think about what Aspen must’ve been feeling at the moment. She and Ryder had been together longer than Avery and I ever had. Her attitude towards the whole thing seemed to be a lot better. Thinking of all that had went down in Mexico last year made me cringe.
“There’s the royal couple.” Blythe joked as Aspen elbowed him in the side.
“For the last time,” Ryder started with a roll of his eyes. “Stop calling us that.”
“What, I can’t help it. Who would’ve thought that the lost princess, and rightful heir to the throne, would end up with the current prince, and current heir to the throne? Seriously, it’s like a fairytale come true.”
I fidgeted in my seat uncomfortably. “I’m with Ryder on this, let’s not bring that up. Ever.”
“I agree.” Aspen sighed.
“Oh come on, I’m just having a little fun.” Blythe teased.
“Blythe, I have to say...I missed you the least.” They all laughed as I shot him a dirty look.
“I love you too princess.”
******
“Hey Lex,” I poked my head through my sister’s door. She sat on her bed flipping through magazines and eating a bag of chips. “I’m going out with the guys. Mom and dad should be home by seven the latest.”
She rolled her eyes as she looked up. “For crying out loud go out with your friends, and would you stop treating me like some delicate china doll? You’ve been acting weird all summer.” She flung a pillow at me as I ducked behind her door, calling out from down the hall.
“Call me if you need me!”
Lexi was right, I had been treating her like some helpless little kid, but after losing her that one time, I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening again. She may not have remembered anything, but I did. I remembered everything….including her son that was wiped completely from her memory.
Ryder was waiting for me downstairs. It was the first time he had been in my house in months, and this time...it was under different circumstances. “Ready?” He smiled. He’d changed out of his “school clothes” and into a pair of khakis and thick cable knit. It was only the beginning of September and the air had already cooled significantly.
“Yeah, just let me grab my sweater.” I sniffed, trying to quickly make my way by him.
“Whoa, slow down,” he laughed quietly while catching me by the waist. “What’s the matter? Your eyes are tearing up.”
“Oh,” I wiped them away hurriedly as I plastered on a smile. “Nothing, I’m fine.”
He smirked gently. “When are you going to learn that you can no longer hide these things from me?” He asked while poking me in the chest. “Remember? We’re tied to each other now.”
I brushed a hand through my hair while sniffling. “I don’t know, this is the first time I’m leaving her alone in like, forever, and it’s just sometimes, the whole thing that happened with Lexi and Andrew comes rushing back, and...I know she’s okay, it’s just-”
“Ri, love, slow down.” He soothed. “Say no more.” He rubbed my back in soothing circles while placing a kiss on my lips. “I know it must be a little scary to think about every now and then, but I promise you, she’s one hundred percent safe now.” He pressed. “Look, we could even bring her along, I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind.”
I shook my head. “No...you’re right, I just need to relax. It’ll be good to hang out with everyone...just like old times.”
He smiled as he helped me into my sweater. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”