Parting Under the Moonlit River

Nora Reynolds kept a polite smile on her face, but in her heart, she had already decided this man would be difficult to get along with.

Even if he was Ryan Brooks’ good friend, he was no exception.

Lifting her dress slightly, Nora brushed past Ethan Blake, leaned down just enough, and lightly clinked her glass against Ryan’s. Her eyes shimmered, bright and lively. The reflection on Ryan’s glasses flickered — at first, he thought it was just the tilt of the wineglass catching the light, but as he squinted, he realized it was the glint of the crystal hairpin in Nora’s hair and the diamond brooch pinned to her chest.

Perfectly matched.

Ryan’s heart sped up, his gaze lingering on Nora with an unexpected sense of loss.

Despite all the people he had met over the years, seeing Nora at that moment still made his heart skip — he couldn’t escape the pull of it.

But Nora was completely oblivious to his stare. To her, Ryan was still the same as ever — proper and serious, like an old-fashioned scholar, clueless about romance.

But that was fine. This glass-clinking was just politeness on her part. She curved her lips in a small smile.

“Let’s catch up one-on-one next time if we get the chance.”

There were two layers of meaning to those words. Ryan caught the first — that Nora had things she couldn’t say in front of Ethan today. But there was another layer, one he missed completely, though Ethan understood it perfectly.

This girl wore her likes and dislikes plainly on her face.

Even though a faint displeasure rose in his chest, Ethan, who had perfected the art of hiding his emotions, didn’t show it. He watched Nora’s retreating figure — her back straight, her waist slender — like a young willow tree that somehow bloomed with the dangerous beauty of a rose.

A rose with thorns — delicate on the outside, resilient within. And if picked… how sweet would it taste?

Even after she was long gone, Ryan’s gaze followed her until a deep, cool voice suddenly sounded at his ear.

“You like her.”

It wasn’t a question — it was a statement.

After so many years of brotherhood, they could read each other with a glance. There was no need for Ryan to hide it. He chuckled softly.

“You caught that? What do you think of Nora?”

“She’s called Nora?” Ethan’s low, slightly raspy voice pressed the words, carrying a strange texture.

Ryan hooked an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Yeah. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. In his mind, he saw a flash of last night — Nora curled against him as they slept. He could still feel it. Yes, she was very soft.

“Lives up to the name.”

Oblivious Ryan didn’t catch the double meaning. He just thought Ethan was complimenting Nora’s delicate, gentle nature and became immediately excited.

“I want to marry her. Think we’d be a good match?”

Ethan’s gaze cut sideways, giving Ryan a deep, unreadable look.

“If Ryan Brooks takes a wife, he ought to treat her like the rarest of treasures.”

Ryan grinned. “Exactly. You know me too well.”

Ethan’s eyes glinted.

“You sure you really know her?”

“It’s been years since we last met,” Ryan said easily. “But we’ll have time to get to know each other again.”

“Then I wish you luck.”

Ryan didn’t hear the chill in Ethan’s voice. He thought it was a simple blessing, clinked glasses with him, and felt more excited than ever.

A little while later, Ethan excused himself to go to the restroom, leaving Ryan behind.

Out in the garden, Nora sat on a white swing, becoming dinner for the mosquitoes.

She was lost in idle, wandering thoughts. A few big red welts had already formed on her pale arm, but she hadn’t noticed — not until the swing behind her, which had been still, suddenly moved.

The sudden weightlessness made her cry out.