Unique wasn't sure how long she and Ryder stood there kissing, or if this really was a dream and soon she'd wake up alone in her room. She did know that whether real or not, she didn't want it to end. Being wrapped up in his arms was heaven, and his soft, languid kisses left her feeling weak and breathless. If she died tomorrow it would be worth it, if only for this one night.
Vaguely, she thought she heard voices drifting in from the hallway, getting louder as they came, and she knew it must be the gang heading out to Breadstix for Mr. Shue's impromptu wedding reception. A brief sense of panic flashed through her at the thought of being caught like this. How would Ryder react at being seen kissing her? As if in answer to her unspoken question, she felt Ryder's hold on her tighten and her anxiety, as well as the rest of the world, melted away.
She slid her arms up around his neck as he pulled her even tighter against him. God, the feelings this boy was stirring within her were almost too much for her to bear, and Unique knew that if he wasn't holding her, her trembling legs would give way.
The clean scent of his cologne was almost as intoxicating as his kisses, and the feel of his lean, muscular body pressed so tightly against her was more amazing than she had ever imagined. He was so beautiful and perfect, and the fact that they had shared things with each other, their thoughts and secrets, made this connection even more special. Nothing had ever felt more right than being wrapped up in his arms with his mouth against her own.
It was the sudden clearing of a throat, loudly and very close, that broke them apart.
Unique quickly pulled away from Ryder and looked to the doorway where Marley, Jake and Kitty stood staring in at the two of them. The rest of the Glee gang arrived, one by one, moments later.
"What's going on?" Tina's head bobbed around as she tried to see what had captured the attention of the small group of sophomores.
"Oh, just Ryder and Unique sucking face." Kitty smirked as she turned and continued on down the hall. "Now let's get going, I'm starving." The others followed her, glancing in at the guilty couple as they passed by. Some looked surprised, some just shrugged.
Sam stopped briefly to give them a thumbs up, along with his favored McConaughey impression. "Alright, alright."
Marley gave them a big smile. "Come on, you guys can ride with me and Jake."
And then everyone was gone.
Unique held her breath as she turned to look at Ryder. He didn't seem horrified that he had been caught kissing her. In fact he had a crooked, little grin on his face and his cheeks were slightly pink. He was rubbing the back of his neck but stopped when his gaze locked with hers.
And then he smiled.
Unique let out her breath, relieved, and smiled back.
Ryder held out his hand to her. "We'd better get going before they leave without us."
She took his hand and together they walked out to join their friends.