ALEX
I watched them from a few steps back, the small ice cream stand casting a lazy shadow over the sand, the canopy swaying gently above their heads.
Lily’s fingers brushed against Roland’s as he handed her the cone, the corners of her lips tilting into a smile I didn’t think I’d ever see, at least not like this.
Every laugh that slipped from her felt like a tether I was straining against, every glance she threw his way sent a jolt straight through my chest. I was supposed to be observing, guiding, nudging… not falling apart in my own thoughts.
Roland’s smirk was subtle, but I could see it in the way he leaned just enough toward her, the way his eyes lingered on her hands as if memorizing every twitch of her fingers.
I clenched my jaw and took a breath, trying to remind myself wha
