CHAPTERNINETEEN
Standing at a high-top table, I subconsciously searched for him amongst the crowd, eyes bouncing from person to person. Noah had insisted that we come to our reunion, despite my last-minute protests and attempts to use every ounce of sexual leverage I could think of. Since stepping through the threshold of the banquet hall, my heart had not stopped beating wildly in my chest. Music played loudly through the speakers and the vibration seemed to keep time with my heartbeat, increasing my nerves with every changing song. The reunion was giving off prom vibes more than reunion vibes; I felt like I had stepped into a time machine. The banquet hall was crowded, and I shouldn’t have expected anything less, considering who the crowd was. Our graduating class had always been very buddy-buddy with each other.
Sipping on a glass of white wine that was far too dry for my taste, I sighed deeply as the boredom creeped in and I let myself wonder if it had been an appropriate amount of time for me to now leave. I glanced over at Noah, who was speaking animatedly, hands and all, with a man I vaguely recognized. At least someone was enjoying himself.
Looking around the room, it was easy to see who was putting on a show for the sake of impressing others. Bored, I rolled my neck in an effort to make it a little less stiff and closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of it pop a little.
Everything about this reunion felt so old school and lackluster that I was nearing my limit of people-ing for the night. Stick a fork in me, I’m done.
The exuberant laugh that bellowed out of Noah startled me; my eyes flew open, and I turned to see what on earth was so funny. Maybe this reunion was about to finally get interesting.
Before I could get my answer, though, the air was stolen from my lungs as I locked eyes with a familiar stranger across the room. A chill ran down my spine, and the entire room faded around me. I had convinced myself that I would never see him again, but as I stood frozen in place, my entire body was set alight.
He’s here.
Ryder had the same piercing emerald eyes, though his hair had darkened slightly with age. His features were sharper than I remembered, more prominent, and tattoos peeked out from beneath the sleeves of his white button down. The cuffs of his shirt were rolled to almost his elbows, which showcased his strong, muscular forearms. I drank him in, unable to resist the pull toward him that I still felt.
I can’t be certain how long I stayed like that, but I was jolted back to reality when Noah’s heavy arm landed around my shoulders, forcing a knee-jerk reaction into looking up at him. His eyes were cast across the room, venom emanating from him as he tightened his grip on me.
When I looked back, Ryder was gone.