CAFETERIA ENCOUNTER

VIOLET


I dreamt of Ryan four times in a row last night. Each morning, I woke up with the ghostly imprint of his hands lingering between my thighs, and an ache coiling in my stomach that made it hard to think about anything else.

Two days without seeing him hadn’t helped. No matter how much I tried to focus on the reconciliation with Mom, my mind kept circling back to him. I could still feel the grip of his hands, the way his fingers filled me as I shamelessly rocked into his touch, the raw desire in his eyes as he watched me come apart in his hand. It was burned into my memory, vivid enough that just recalling it sent shivers down my spine.

My cheeks were hot as I pushed the memory away and tried to tune back in. Ashley and Luke were both sitting across from me, laughing and talking about random school stuff. It should’ve been easy—talking about school gossip, poking fun at our teachers, or complaining about the mountain of homework waiting for us. But today, nothing could hold my attention. Not Ashley’s exaggerated recount of her chemistry mishap, not even her ridiculous impersonation of Mr. Fisher. My mind kept veering back, like a broken compass.

I fidgeted with my straw, swirling it around in my soda as I tried to push the memory away.

“Ashley nudged me with her elbow, a grin stretching across her face. “You’re doing it again, Violet.”

I blinked, snapping out of my haze. “Doing what?”

“Spacing out.” She leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I’d bet my lunch money I know exactly who you’re thinking about.”

I shot her a glare, cheeks heating. “Shut up,” I hissed, glancing over at Luke, who was busy scrolling through his phone but side-eyeing us every so often. The last thing I needed was him catching on to any part of my…situation with Ryan.

“Violet has a secret?” Luke asked, raising an eyebrow, a teasing tone in his voice, though his expression didn’t quite match the lighthearted words. He’d been like this lately—watchful, almost distant. We hadn’t talked about the kiss that almost happened yet Not a word. Every time we’d been together, I’d felt the silence looming between us like a question neither of us wanted to answer. And Ashley didn’t even know. I’d kept it to myself, too unsure of how things would be if I told her

“No secret here!” I said, hoping my voice sounded more confident than I felt. “Just…just tired.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Ashley smirked knowingly, nudging me under the table. “Tired…or maybe just distracted.”

I shot her another look, begging her to drop it, but she only waggled her eyebrows. She was having way too much fun with this. Ever since I’d told her about what happened with Ryan—mostly because I’d been too overwhelmed to keep it all in—she’d been relentless with her teasing.

Luke, still holding his phone but not really looking at it, let out a low sigh. “Whatever it is, seems like everyone’s got something on their mind today.” He glanced at me, and I noticed his jaw clench slightly, his eyes darkening just for a second before he looked back down.

Before I could come up with a decent response,a hush fell over the cafeteria. It was subtle at first, but like dominos tipping over, heads started turning towards the entrance. I didn’t have to look to know why.

Ryan.

Just the thought of him made my heart stutter. And yet, as much as I wanted to look away and pretend I hadn’t noticed, my gaze drifted over anyway, almost against my will.

There he was, standing at the edge of the room, eyes scanning the tables. I could tell the moment he spotted me. It was like he zeroed in on me, his gaze locking onto mine with a kind of intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. I quickly looked away, heart pounding. This was the first time I’d seen him since…well, since that night.

Ashley gave me a light nudge, her voice barely a whisper. “He’s looking right at you, Vi.”

I opened my mouth to fire back, but before I could, Ryan started making his way through the cafeteria. Right toward our table. Oh, no.

Every step he took felt like it reverberated through my chest. Ashley gave me a side-eye, and I could see her smirking out of the corner of my eye, but I was too focused on Ryan to care. He stopped right by our table, his gaze flicking between my friends and landing squarely on me.

“Got another spot?” he asked, his tone casual.

Before I could answer—or even fully process him being right here—Ashley, my supposed loyal friend, betrayed me with a quick, eager nod. “Yeah, sure!” she said brightly, giving me a sly grin as if this was all some kind of inside joke.

Ryan didn’t need a second invitation. He slid into the seat across from me, his gaze lingering just a second too long on my face before turning his attention to the table.

Luke shifted uncomfortably beside me, his jaw visibly clenched, his fork pausing midair as he stared at Ryan. The muscles in his neck tightened as if he was holding himself back. He didn’t say anything, but the air between him and Ryan was charged, tension practically buzzing in the space around us.

Ryan seemed oblivious—or maybe he just didn’t care. He leaned back in his seat, his eyes flicking to the soda I’d been swirling with my straw, his brow arched

"Didn't think you were the soda type," he remarked, his voice edged with something I couldn’t quite place.

I glanced down at the drink, feeling a strange wave of self-consciousness. "Oh…yeah," I replied "Guess I just felt like trying something different today.".

Ryan's jaw tightened, the muscle along his cheek flexing as he held my gaze. He looked…angry. Almost resentful. And I couldn’t understand why. If anyone should’ve been upset, it was me. I was the one he’d left hanging for two days—after he’d made me cum shamelessly in his hand.. He hadn’t even reached out. Just…vanished. And now here he was, back and brooding, as if I’d done something wrong.

"We need to talk," he said, his tone clipped as he swept a hand through his hair

My heart skipped a beat, caught off guard by his abruptness. "Huh?"

"And not here," he added, shooting a glare in Luke’s direction. I could feel the chill in his gaze. Suddenly, it all made sense. This anger of his—it wasn’t just about me. It was about Luke, too.

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his intensity bearing down on me. "Uh…yeah. Sure," I murmured, barely able to look at him.

Luke, beside me, shifted uncomfortably, glancing from Ryan to me with a look that was equal parts confused and resentful.

Ryan didn’t wait for an answer. He stood up, a silent command in the way he looked at me, as if daring me to follow. And I found myself standing too, the pull he had on me too strong to resist.

Luke’s expression crumbled, a flash of hurt crossing his face before he looked away while Ashley only winked at me,a smile playing on her lips.

“Uhm…I'll talk to you later” I mumbled.

“Take as much time you want” Ashley said with a wide grin while Luke didn't respond

Ryan’s hand brushed lightly against my arm, guiding me out of the cafeteria. His touch was electric, and as we walked away, I could still feel Luke’s stare boring into my back.