Ryan lingered on the text a second time, thumb hovering over the screen as if expecting something else to follow. Maybe something lighter to ease the tension in his chest.
But it never did.
He exhaled a long slow breath as he reached to adjust his sleeves again, a pointless gesture given that the fit was already perfect.
Like a foreseen knowledge of something about to shift, the silence in the path gnawed at him, almost returning every sound.
Adrian was already outside, as the earlier text had stated. Resting on the hood of a lustrous black SUV, dressed in a navy velvet suit that appeared cleanly carved into his frame rather than sewn.
A hand was shoved into his pocket, the other loosely clutching a phone as though he was trying to navigate a series of manuals. His attention shifted the moment Ryan stepped into view.
There was a pause, not a long one maybe but hefty, as Adrian's eyes traveled from Ryan's shoes to his hair tip, slow and deliberate.
"You took a lot of time."
