The Enforcer’s Obsession

Episode 4 :THE PEOPLE AROUND RYKER HAYES

The next day, the campus was bathed in the kind of crisp, golden autumn sunlight that usually made Lila feel entirely at peace.

She sat cross-legged beneath the massive, sprawling oak tree near the edge of the college lawn, her sociology textbook resting unopened on her lap. Beside her, Ethan Walker was sprawled out on the grass, picking at a stray acorn.

The weather was undeniably nice. A cool breeze rustled through the orange and yellow leaves above them, carrying the faint scent of pine and roasted coffee from the nearby student union.

The company, however?

Highly questionable.

Mostly because Ethan hadn't stopped grinning for the past ten minutes. It wasn't just a regular smile, either. It was a knowing, insufferably smug grin that made Lila want to hit him over the head with her heavy, eight-hundred-page textbook.

"What?" Lila finally snapped, eyeing him suspiciously. She closed her book with a loud, definitive thud.

Ethan didn't flinch. His smirk only widened, his eyes practically dancing with amusement.

"You've been spending a lot of time thinking about Ryker Hayes."

"I have not," Lila fired back instantly, her defensive walls slamming into place. She adjusted her posture, refusing to look him in the eye. "I haven't thought about him once."

"Liar," Ethan sang out, leaning back on his elbows. "You literally asked me three questions about him yesterday on the walk back to your dorm."

"That doesn't count. It was conversational filler."

"It absolutely counts, Lily-pad. You asked about his major, his hockey stats, and whether or not he always looks like he's ready to murder someone."

Lila rolled her eyes so hard they actually ached. "I was just making an observation. The guy has a perpetual scowl. It's a campus safety concern at this point."

Ethan laughed out loud, a bright, booming sound that drew the attention of a passing group of freshmen. He shook his head, sitting up and brushing stray blades of grass off his jeans.

"Well," Ethan started, his tone shifting into something a little more gossipy, "if you're curious—and I know you are, despite your aggressive denial—you should know that getting involved with Ryker means he comes with a package."

Lila frowned, genuinely confused. "A package?"

"Yeah. His two best friends."

Lila’s frown deepened. She plucked a blade of grass and began tearing it into tiny pieces. "What kind of package are we talking about?"

"The annoying kind," Ethan said without hesitation.

That instantly caught her attention.

Ethan lifted a hand and pointed across the wide expanse of the lawn toward the massive, glass-fronted athletic building that housed the ice rink.

"The holy trinity of the ice," Ethan joked dramatically. "Ryker, Parker, and Landon."

"Who's Parker?"

Ethan groaned loudly, dropping his head back in a theatrical display of exhaustion. "Parker Donovan. He plays right wing. And he is, without a doubt, the campus's biggest flirt. The guy considers breathing to be a romantic gesture."

Lila raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Worse than Jason?"

Jason had been bad, constantly seeking validation from anyone who would look his way, but surely no one could be worse than her narcissistic ex.

"Way worse," Ethan confirmed immediately, his expression deadpan.

Lila blinked in surprise. "That's even possible?"

"No," Ethan deadpanned again. "And yet, Parker achieves the impossible daily."

Both of them burst into laughter, the sound ringing out into the crisp afternoon air.

Ethan leaned closer, warming up to his storytelling. "I’m not kidding, Lila. Parker Donovan changes girlfriends more often than he changes hockey sticks. He’s a walking disaster of a romantic."

"Seriously? How does he even have the energy for that?"

"He doesn't," Ethan laughed. "Last month, he accidentally texted three different girls the exact same 'good morning, beautiful' message."

Lila gasped, her hand flying to her mouth to cover a smile. "You're joking."

"I wish I was. He copy-pasted it."

Lila nearly choked on her laughter. "What happened?"

"Well, two of the girls were in the same sorority, and the third was their bio lab partner. They all found out."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

"He survived?" Lila asked, her sides starting to hurt from laughing.

"Barely," Ethan chuckled. "He had to hide in the hockey locker room for three days. Ryker had to bring him protein bars just so he wouldn't starve."

Lila laughed so hard she actually had to wipe a tear from her eye. The image of a massive, tough hockey player hiding from three furious college girls was entirely too funny.

"Okay, so Parker is a walking hazard," Lila concluded, catching her breath. "And Landon?"

Ethan smiled, his expression softening slightly.

"Completely the opposite."

"How?"

"Landon Brooks is probably the most mature guy on the entire hockey team. Maybe the entire campus."

"Impossible," Lila countered. "He's a college athlete."

"I know, it defies all logic," Ethan agreed. "But it's true. He's the defenseman. He's intensely loyal. Responsible. Smart. The guy practically acts like everyone's tired older brother. He breaks up the fights, he makes sure they pass their classes, and he’s usually the one apologizing for whatever mess the other two dragged him into."

Lila tilted her head, processing the information. "So he's the normal one?"

"As normal as a hockey player can be," Ethan nodded.

"And they're all friends? The three of them?"

"Best friends," Ethan corrected, his tone turning serious for a moment. "They've known each other practically forever."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Their houses back in their hometown are only a few miles apart. They practically grew up together. They learned how to skate on the same frozen pond."

Lila listened quietly, fascinated despite herself.

"They practice together. Train together. Travel together," Ethan continued, ticking the items off on his fingers. "They're a package deal. You mess with one, you mess with all three."

"Sounds nice," Lila admitted softly, a small pang of envy hitting her chest. She had Ethan and Sophie, but the kind of brotherhood Ethan was describing sounded rare and unbreakable.

"It is," Ethan nodded. "It's a pretty simple dynamic, honestly. Parker creates the problems."

"Landon solves them."

"Exactly. And Ryker?"

Ethan laughed, a sharp, knowing sound. "Ryker usually causes much bigger problems."

Lila shook her head, a reluctant smile playing on her lips. "That sounds incredibly accurate."

At that exact moment—

A tremendously loud CRASH echoed from the direction of the student parking lot. The sound of metal hitting pavement was followed by a sharp hiss.

Both Lila and Ethan jumped, their heads snapping over to look.

A familiar, panicked voice shouted over the wind.

"I WAS HELPING HER!"

A second later, a high-pitched, furious voice yelled back.

"YOU SET MY HAIR ON FIRE, YOU i***t!"

Lila blinked, staring blankly toward the lot. "What was that?"

Ethan was already on his feet, brushing off his jeans with frantic speed. "Oh no."

"What?" Lila scrambled up beside him. "What's going on?"

"That's Parker."

They didn't waste another second. They hurried across the lawn, jogging toward the growing crowd of students gathering near the edge of the parking lot.

Sure enough—

A tall, broad-shouldered blond hockey player stood in the middle of the pavement. He was wearing his team jersey, desperately clutching a large, bright red fire extinguisher that was actively spewing white foam onto the asphalt.

Standing opposite him was a furious girl in a pink sweater, swatting at the slightly singed ends of her hair while glaring at him with pure, unadulterated hatred.

Standing a few feet away, holding a half-melted birthday cake, was Landon. He looked like a man who was deeply, profoundly reconsidering every choice that had led him to this exact moment in time. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, exhausted sigh.

And Ryker?

Ryker stood leaning against the hood of a black Jeep, his arms crossed loosely over his chest, looking entirely amused by the absolute disaster unfolding in front of him.

"What happened?" Lila whispered to a girl standing next to her in the crowd.

Ethan sighed heavily before the girl could answer. "Parker tried helping a girl light a birthday candle."

"Okay," Lila said slowly. "That’s nice of him."

"He somehow lit her hair instead."

Lila stared at him in disbelief. "How? How is that even physically possible?"

"No one knows," Ethan muttered. "It’s a talent."

Parker, still gripping the foam-spewing extinguisher, spotted them immediately. He looked around wildly, seeking validation from anyone who would give it.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Parker shouted to the crowd, raising his free hand in surrender. "The wind shifted! I swear, it was the wind's fault!"

The girl with the singed hair let out a furious noise, grabbed a massive, frosting-covered cupcake from the box Landon was holding, and threw it directly at Parker’s face.

Smack.

Direct hit.

Vanilla frosting exploded across Parker’s cheek, sticking to his blond hair and sliding down his jaw.

The entire crowd went dead silent for a split second before erupting into cheers and laughter.

Lila burst into laughter, clapping her hand over her mouth. She couldn't help it. The sheer absurdity of the situation was too much.

Even Ryker looked amused. He pushed off the hood of the Jeep, a wide, genuine grin breaking across his usually stern face.

Parker wiped a glob of frosting out of his eye and pointed dramatically at Ryker.

"Why are you smiling? Support me! I am a victim of circumstance!"

Ryker folded his arms tighter, his broad shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "You almost committed arson, man."

"It was one candle!" Parker defended indignantly, licking some of the frosting off his lip.

"One flaming candle that you somehow turned into a blowtorch," Ryker countered effortlessly.

Landon stepped forward, entirely ignoring Parker’s frosting-covered face, and carefully handed the remaining, un-crushed cake to the furious girl. He muttered an apology on behalf of the entire male species before turning back to his friends and rubbing his temples.

"I need new friends," Landon announced to the sky.

"Too late," Ryker said, clapping a heavy hand on Landon's shoulder.

"Way too late," Parker agreed, tossing the empty fire extinguisher onto the grass and wiping his face with the sleeve of his expensive jacket. "You're stuck with us forever, Lando."

The three friends exchanged a look.

It was entirely silent, but it spoke volumes. It was the kind of look only people who had spent years together could share—a silent conversation of exasperation, loyalty, and deep, unshakable brotherhood.

For the first time since she had literally collided with his chest, Lila saw an entirely different side of Ryker Hayes.

He wasn't the intimidating hockey enforcer who broke noses on the ice.

He wasn't the arrogant, untouchable bad boy of the campus.

He wasn't the guy who had coldly threatened her ex-boyfriend in the shadows.

He was just a guy. A guy standing in a parking lot, laughing freely and easily with his best friends, his dark eyes bright with genuine joy. The harsh lines of his face were completely smoothed out, making him look impossibly younger and terrifyingly handsome.

Lila stood frozen at the edge of the crowd, her laughter fading into a quiet, breathless realization.

And somehow...

Looking at that genuine, unguarded smile...

She liked that version of him a little too much.