Ryder's POV
The following days were… different. Not perfect. Not easy. But different. Amara didn’t completely shut me out, and that was enough to keep me moving forward. She wasn’t ready to forgive me yet—not fully—but she wasn’t running away anymore either. It was as though we were walking a tightrope, carefully balancing between what we were and what we could become.
This morning, I decided to push my luck.
“Amara,” I called out, leaning casually against my car, waiting for her outside the school entrance. Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing as she spotted me, her lips already forming a protest.
“Ryder,” she said, her tone sharp as a blade. “What are you doing here?”
I smirked, unable to help myself. “Good morning to you too, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that,” she hissed,
