"I don't know. I hope so."
"She'll come to you when she needs to," he said quietly, and I believed him.
There was a pause, and then I asked, "Anyway... what are you making?"
"You'll see, Ven," he said, trying to sound mysterious, though he was secretly grinning.
"Oh my God. What is Ven? Some kind of secret code? A potion? A trap?"
He laughed, not taking his eyes off the jewel he was working on. "You'll know eventually. Patience, young apprentice."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Then I'll call you... Denn, Ten, Sin. Or maybe Dr. Mysterio, Keeper of Secrets, Master of Gems—take your pick."
He threw his head back, laughing so easily it made my chest warm. "I'll take all of them. And you'll owe me a dramatic bow next time you say it."
"Ugh, you're insufferable," I muttered, but I couldn't stop smiling.
He waved a hand over his work, still grinning. "Go on, then. Keep guessing. The suspense is half the fun." With that, Iwandered back to my room, shaking my head and laughing softly.
The next morning, I was halfway out the door when I froze. Ryder was standing in the courtyard, talking to someone, a woman I didn't recognize. She was tall, pretty, laughing a little too loudly at something he'd said. A sharp, unwelcome pang stabbed through my chest. I tightened my grip on my bag, told myself to keep walking. It was none of my business. He was allowed to talk to whoever he wanted. But then I heard her voice float over the quiet morning air.
"Come on, Ryder," she was saying, her tone playful, coaxing. "You can't seriously be turning me down. It doesn't even have to mean anything. Just... fun. Do you have someone?"
I went very still. Ryder's reply was calm, steady but it carried enough weight to still me completely. "Technically, I'm single," he said, and my stomach twisted at those words until he added, "But my heart already belongs to someone and that's not going to change."
My breath caught. There was a pause, and then she laughed lightly, like she thought he was joking. "So what? Can't it just be physical? No strings?"
"No," Ryder said simply, and there was a quiet finality in the word that made my chest ache. "I'm not interested. "
I backed away before either of them could see me, my pulse thudding in my ears. I should have felt triumphant and part of me did. He hadn't just turned her down, he had said out loudthat his heart belonged to me. But instead of relief, a wave of something sharp and miserable rolled through me.
Because I wanted to believe him. I wanted to run to him right then, throw myself into his arms and say,Fine, yes, I'm yours, let's build something real.But I couldn't. Because wanting him was one thing. Trusting him and trusting myself was another.
What if he changed his mind? What if he left? What if all of this crumbled and I was the fool who believed too easily? The questions circled like vultures, picking at the edges of my resolve. I hated that I was still this broken, still this cautious. I hated that no matter what Ryder does or says, it still wasn't enough to silence the fear clawing at my chest.
By the time I reached the school, my thoughts were a storm cloud I couldn't shake.
"Who kicked your puppy?" Finn's voice broke through my haze.
"Hi, Finn," I said dryly, forcing a half-smile. "No one. Just me versus my own brain."
"Then you need caffeine," he said with an easy grin. "Join me for coffee after work. My treat. We'll swap depressing thoughts."
"Finn, I told you—"
He held up his hands. "I know. I get it. Just friends. Promise. No agenda this time, scout's honor."
I hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. I could use the distraction."
Truth was, I needed to vent. Something was clearly going on with January, so I wasn't about to add to her load. And May?She was no help, drifting through life with her endless mantra oflove, forgive, forget. Beautiful words, sure, until you were the one left holding a bruised heart.
Later, at the café, we found a quiet corner table, the warm hum of conversation around us softening the edges of my mood. Finn didn't waste time.
"So," he said, leaning back in his chair, "if your heart already belongs to someone else, why not just... try again with him?"
I let out a startled laugh. "Right to the core of the story, huh?"
"You know me," he said, shrugging. "No use dancing around it. So? Why not?"
