A gentle breeze blew, and under the vast tree shade, the messy strands of his hair swayed slightly. His sharp - featured and handsome profile seemed to be glowing.
Ah, his looks really can withstand scrutiny.
Sydney nodded in understanding and exclaimed with admiration, "I have to say, just looking at his face, he really has something. If I didn't already have someone in my heart, my little heart might have skipped a beat too. Good taste, sister."
"..."
Aria was so teased that she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.
This was the first time in her life she had faced such an embarrassing situation. She held back for a long time but couldn't say a single word.
The girl's fair cheeks were flushed bright red, and even her small earlobes and neck were tinged with a rosy pink. She looked so cute that one couldn't help but want to hug her and take a bite. She buried her head deeply.
Seeing her like this, Sydney smiled and put her arm around her shoulders. "Okay, okay, I won't say anything. Lift your head up, huh?"
"..." Aria replied sullenly and glanced at her.
Sydney covered her mouth and laughed heartily.
Aria: "Sydney!"
Sydney immediately held back her laughter. "All right, all right, I won't laugh. Is that okay?"
After that, she tried her best to hold back her laughter and made no more sound.
Aria glanced at her several times. When she was sure she really wasn't laughing anymore, she let out a sigh of relief and patted her burning cheeks with her palms.
It was already late after the opening ceremony. By the time the self - introductions ended, it was already past ten - thirty, and there was less than an hour left until the end of the morning military training.
Ryan Bennett threw his phone to Ryder, put away his joking manner, and only demonstrated and taught some simple postures, such as standing at attention and resting, which everyone already knew, as well as the requirements for standing at attention.
Standing at attention is the most tiring task. The sun came out at some point. Under the sun, everyone stood straight on the playground, and soon beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.
Some boys secretly started to make small movements, trying to relieve the soreness in their knees and legs, and got kicked when caught.
If it was a girl, she would be severely lectured. Ryan Bennett, perhaps because he had been with Ryder for a long time, was merciless when making sarcastic remarks like this.
His words were extremely mean and hit the mark.
And at this time, actually, it was the most comfortable state for Aria.
The direction of standing at attention was right facing that tree.
For a moment, she seemed to have returned four years ago. The only difference was that at that time, Ryder was also in military training, so far away from her.
He was at the foot of the shade of the wall on the south side, while she was outside the basketball court on the north side. The scorching sun dazzled her eyes.
Now, he was just a few steps away.
If she were brave enough, as long as she raised her hand and said she felt dizzy, she could walk over openly and sit beside him to rest.
It's so nice.
Just being this close to him, every time she confirmed this fact, it made her couldn't help but feel delighted and excited.
The girl's fantasies in her head started to go wild. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but purse her lips, and the corners of her mouth raised uncontrollably.
When imagining the future, she included him in every blueprint.
"Student Aria."
Just when Aria had completely forgotten the soreness in her legs and feet from standing in one position for too long, she was suddenly called back by a serious voice.
She subconsciously opened her mouth, and before the word "ah?" could come out, she looked up and met the instructor's half - smiling eyes.
The small arc of the corner of her mouth quickly flattened.
Before she could feel annoyed.
Ryan Bennett looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Student Aria, what were you thinking about? You looked so happy. You could hardly hold back your smile."
"..."
Aria pursed her lips, and her eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
She was getting embarrassed so many times that she couldn't even count.
Of course, Ryan Bennett didn't really want her to answer. It was just that she was so obviously distracted. If it wasn't for seeing that she was on the verge of bursting into laughter, he wouldn't have spoken.
After all, he knew her, and she was someone protected by Ryder. Plus, he had a good impression of this girl Aria.
"Distracting yourself while standing at attention is a good way to relieve the pain. If you guys can't bear the tiredness, you can learn from this."
Seeing that the little girl's face was extremely red, for fear of making her cry, Ryan Bennett said with a smile, "But don't be like our classmate here, with the corners of your mouth unable to hold back your happiness."
Aria resisted the urge to lower her head and tightly pursed her lips.
And Ryder, who had been closing his eyes to rest, seemed to have heard Ryan Bennett call her name. At this moment, with his hands pillowed behind his head, he leaned against the tree trunk and looked over with interest.
There was a lazy and relaxed smile on his lips, and his gaze landed on her.
The more Aria was glad before that her position was facing Ryder's direction, the more she wanted to escape from this position now.
But it was the standing - at - attention session.
Not to mention turning her head to avoid his gaze, even simply closing her eyes was not allowed.
So she could only face those eyes directly, bite the bullet, and fall straight into his deep, lazy, yet vast and star - like pitch - black eyes.
Those eyes were really beautiful.
His single - eyelids were not a disadvantage. Instead, they added a bit more sharpness to his already overly aloof and cold handsome face. When he didn't smile, he looked fierce and made people Not daring to get close.
Aria remembered once he had just had a fight with someone and was given a school punishment.
Aria didn't know the reason. He was injured. There were wounds on his left eyebrow bone and the corner of his eye, obvious cuts. After the blood scabs formed, he looked even fiercer.
There were a lot of rumors about him in school, saying that he had beaten someone into the hospital, that he was crazy and fought without caring about his life.
Aria was actually never afraid of him.
She remembered that look. He was even more handsome than before. He leaned lazily against the wall in the corridor, with a black baseball cap on his head, his eyes lowered, hiding the expression in his eyes.
He came downstairs to find Finn Alvarez.
He didn't even notice the girl sitting at the last row by the window in the classroom, looking in through the back door, lying on the table, secretly covering her face with her school uniform, and carefully looking at him.
At that time, Aria just thought, how could there be such a person?
He looked bad and wild, with an unruly air that couldn't be hidden. He played with an unlit cigarette between his fingertips.
Perhaps many people liked him because of his reputation as a school bully and his honor of being the first in the grade. But when he was announced to the whole school, he was still looked at sideways with strange eyes.
After all, in that high - school era full of comparisons, what students valued most was still grades.
Fighting made one a bad student, and smoking also made one a bad student. For Ryder, even though he was the first in the grade, just one word "bad student" could ruin everything when people mentioned him.
"He? He can't be controlled."
"Smoking and fighting, just relying on his grades and family property."
"He'll end up ruined sooner or later."
So many people liked him, yet he was still caught up in rumors. So many people liked him, but no one spoke up for him.
No one knew that Aria, who had such a gentle and mild - tempered personality, had once argued with those who talked about him. Late at night, she also held her phone and refuted one by one on the forum.
Don't say anything about him.
No, he is the gentlest person. gòйЪ.ōΓg
You've all never seen his gentleness.