Page 12 of Red River

"No!"

I stepped closer. His wide eyes blinked, but he didn’t move.

"Red River. That should be your nickname," I whispered, taking another slow step toward him.

River didn’t retreat. He seemed strangely frozen—hypnotized, almost enchanted. I couldn’t smell his Allure scent since my glands hadn’t developed yet, so I was unable to produce my own Allure or sense others’. But even so, I caught a faint, sweet fragrance—like strawberries and dahlias. Maybe it was just his shower gel, but it felt intoxicating.

I gave him time to step back or push me away, but he didn’t. Slowly, very slowly, I leaned in. My eyes moved to his delicate, plump lips, as red as his hair.

River didn’t stop me.

Our lips met softly. A pleasant shiver ran through my body, and I felt River tremble too. Instinctively, my hands slid around his back, and his landed on my chest.

The kiss started as a shy touch of our mouths, but soon evolved into something more. My tongue slipped between his lips, and, to my surprise, he let me in! Our tongues brushed against each other in a gentle, exploratory caress. I was completely lost in the sweetness of him—his taste, his essence. It was magical, better than anything I could’ve imagined.

We kissed and kissed. River’s fingers clenched my T-shirt as his tongue responded to mine, matching my motions. It was crazy—completely insane—but I couldn’t stop myself. And, judging by the way he kissed me back, I was sure that, deep down, he didn’t want to stop either.

Then, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.

I pulled back quickly, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"The best first kiss ever, my Red River," I whispered before Sam walked into the room, looking apologetic.

"Sorry, guys," he said, "but the matter of transferring the house in Rowan to me picked up speed, and there were some changes in the paperwork. I had to talk to the notary. Hope you weren’t bored?"

My eyes flicked to River’s face. His cheeks were crimson red, his expression dazed and awkward.

"No," I said, my voice calm despite the rush of adrenaline still coursing through me. "Everything went very well—actually perfect. I’ll go back to my room now. Thank you, River, for thisshort interaction. I’ll always remember it." I emphasized the last words deliberately, locking eyes with him.

Sam raised an eyebrow, his nostrils flaring slightly. "Was your conversation that significant?"

I winked at him. "Yeah, I’d call it life-changing."

With a final small smirk at River, I nodded and left the room.

I remember that moment clearly because, internally… I was saying goodbye to River. I knew our future meetings wouldn’t be possible. Sam was planning to move to Rowan, where he’d inherited a house from his dad's side of the family. He would be living nearly 120 miles away from River, which would obviously limit their meetings—and by extension… my contact with the gorgeous redhead.

I looked at him one last time, convinced we were parting forever.

It felt like a knife to the heart, a burning pain. But River was right.

Our lives had taken different paths, and there was no chance for us.

At least, that’s how I saw it then.

River also looked at me, and our eyes locked for a few seconds. Then, he turned away… and left.

A month later, Sam moved out.

He and River still talked, but mainly online. When I visited Sam, I no longer had the chance to see River. Traveling with a bunch of kids would have been too inconvenient for him.

Years passed.

Of course, I kind of forgot about River. I was young, my hormones were fully awakened, and life was moving on.

I went to college, had my share of relationships and heartbreaks, and, in my final year, inherited a huge house from my uncle, who had indeed chosen me as his heir—notmy cousin Jan— though Jan did receive some money. I also inherited shares in my uncle’s company, which set me up with a comfortable life.

Bored and alone on campus—since my two best friends, Gabriel and Skye, were no longer around for various reasons—I buried myself in my studies and ended up finishing my entire last year in just six months.

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