Tasting

75–Back To School 

Nora: 

Time was flying by, and Natalya had fully recovered. I anticipated her return to the hostel, but she seemed a bit hesitant. I didn’t directly inquire, but ensed her worry that 

others at school might single her out, leaving her to navigate back to the hostel alone and sink deeper into depression. So, I thought it best for her to stay a while longer. 

“Really?” I questioned as she slung her bag over her shoulder. She hadn’t been her usual self in the mornings since we started going to school. I swear I could detect the scent of anxiety emanating from her. She was as nervous as could be. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there with you, I reassured her, squeezing her hand to comfort her. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, trailing closely behind me. I had asked the warriors to bring her belongings here so she could get ready and head to school directly from our place. 

As we descended the stairs, I noticed Ryker standing by the exit door with his cellphone in hand, head down. He was clad in a black long coat with high collars and black pants, his weapons protruding from his belt as usual 

“Um, you usually ride his bike, don’t you?” Natalya whispered in my ear. The way she spoke about my living arrangements and my stepbrothers made me feel like she wished she could experience that attention someday. 

5. Back To S 

“Yeah, but we’re definitely not biking today,” I replied, addressing her as Ryker’s attention shifted to us. He lifted his head, slipping his phone into his pocket, realizing it wasn’t just the two of us today. 

“The driver can take her to school” Ryker whispered, prompting me to give him a discreet glance, signaling not to mention that. It would be odd for me to ride with him on the bike when I could go with her in the car. 

“I’ll start the car,” Ryker stated with an eye roll after receiving my cue. He exited the mansion ahead of us while we lingered to give our outfits one last check. 

Once he was ready, we left the mansion and found him standing next to a black car. He didn’t say anything but held the passenger side door open for me while Natalya settled in the back. I sat beside him and adjusted in my seat as he leaned over to help me fasten my seatbelt. I wasn’t a child; I could do it myself, but I understood what he was trying to do. He came so close to my chest when adjusting it that I had to squeeze myself back into the chair and hold my breath. 

Once we hit the road, I started feeling uneasy. I was still curious. about the change in him. I didn’t want to discover he was playing me because he wanted some secrets from me. That was my biggest fear. On top of that, I had too many secrets myself. That was the worst. I wasn’t very clean myself. There was so much that I had hidden, and I feared the day they found out; they would just cut ties with me. 

“Scared for your first training session with me?” Ryker asked, snapping me out of my bewildering thoughts. 

“Not really,” I sighed. 

“I’m scared of what will become of us. Everyone will question. why we’re not exercising like them, and then they’ll bully us,” Natalya quickly shifted to the edge of the seat to poke her head out from between our seats as she complained. 

“Hmm! It will be some easy exercising. Like running a mile and light stretching today,” Ryker addressed me again. It was as if he wanted to talk to me, but she kent interrupting. 

“As if we can hit a mile,” she scoffed sadly. 

“You think we’ll be fine. The most important thing is that we don’t give up,” I turned to her and noticed Ryker adjusting the rear view mirror to steal glances at me. 

“Easy for you to say. Your stepbrother will cover it up for you,” she said it right in front of Ryker, who frowned at her words. 

“Um, Natalya,” I glanced at her. There was no such sense in her that we weren’t supposed to talk about everything in front of everyone. She just didn’t get hints and hence would always end up in a mess. 

“You should worry about yourself. Now that you’ve lied, you’ll be under scrutiny,” I had a feeling she had pissed him off to the point that he began to comment on her situation. 

“Really?” Natalya gasped. 

“No! I’ll be there for you. Don’t worry, don’t listen to him,” I grunted as I glared directly at Ryker, but he was focused on the road. However, as he noticed my eyes on him, he smirked a little, and just like that, he melted my heart again. 

“Please help me if I need it, okay?” Natalya brought my attention 

15 Back To School 

back to her, and I gave her a nod 

The school arrived, and we both got out first before Ryker joined us. I understood he was going to stick around for classes and then drop us home before he went to the border for his rounds. 

“You go ahead, she’ll join you in a minute,” Ryker gestured at Natalya, almost waving her off when she tried to reach for my hand. 

“Okay! Please be quick,” Natalya uttered in a lost state, requesting I don’t leave her alone for too long. 

“What was that? Why were you so rude to her?” I asked Ryker, tapping my foot on the ground. 

“Why does she keep interrupting?” he frowned, his hands on his waist. His beautiful eyes narrowed in my face made me feel so shy. The double shade of his hair and eyes was just enchanting. 

“Because she didn’t know she wasn’t welcome to have an input,” I retorted, “what did you stop me for?” I then inquired of him. 

“There are two teams today, mine and Brody’s. Sign up for mine,” Ryker said with a furrowed brow without explaining anything else.