Chapter 27: Lexington Charter: Library
"Finally back on our side, Hero?" Sydney grinned at me.
"Oh, Sydney, you’re alive," I muttered. The words came out rougher than I’d intended, betraying just how worried I’d actually been about their her fate.
"Of course I am," Sydney scoffed. "My dying day has already been chosen, and it’s not today, and certainly not by the hands of some brain-dead walking corpses."
I couldn’t help but smile. "Somehow I missed your very weird sense of humor and ridiculously high opinion of yourself," I replied, feeling some of the tension finally leaving my shoulders.
Sydney smirked. "I missed you too, Ryan."
Before I could process what was happening, she suddenly grasped the front of my shirt with both hands, pulling me closer. The intensity in her eyes caught me completely off guard.
"W-Wait," I stammered, my cheeks immediately flushing red as I watched her eyes flutter closed and her face move closer to mine.
Almost instinctively, I found myself closing my eyes as well, my pulse quickening with anticipation and nervousness. But instead of the soft warmth of lips I was half-expecting, half-dreading, I felt the gentle pressure of a single finger against my mouth.
When I opened my eyes, Sydney was grinning at me with that mischievous expression I knew all too well – the one that usually meant I’d fallen for one of her elaborate pranks.
I should have seen it coming from a mile away.
"You’re annoying," I grumbled. My face was still burning with embarrassment, and I was acutely aware of how many people might have witnessed that little display.
"Did you want that kiss that much?" Sydney asked, batting her eyelashes with exaggerated innocence, though her grin was anything but innocent.