Novels by Gem

Cameron's POVBy the time I made it back to my apartment, my head was still spinning—not from the alcohol, but from him.Brandon.His name echoed in my mind, tangled with the memory of what had just happened. My heart pounded like a drum in my chest as I kicked the door shut behind me, leaning back against it like I had run a marathon.I dragged a shaky hand down my face, but it did nothing to erase the way my lips still burned.The way his fingers had gripped my face—firm, unyielding, like he owned me. Like he had every right to hold me like that.The heat of his breath just before he closed the distance between us.The moment his lips touched mine, time had completely stopped. My body had gone rigid, every nerve sparking at once, like an electric current had shot straight through me.His lips were softer than I expected. Warm. Steady. Certain.Mine?I didn’t even know what I was doing. I wasn’t kissing him back, but I wasn’t pushing him away either. I was frozen in that moment, lost

Brandon’s POVCameron gasped for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His fingers touched his lips as if trying to confirm what had just happened. His wide, disoriented eyes locked onto mine, and for a second, he looked completely lost.Then, realization hit him like a truck."What the hell?!" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly. "Did you just—?"Before he could finish, he shoved at my shoulders, his hands shaking.I tightened my grip, holding him in place. "Calm down.""Calm down?!" Cameron’s face was red—whether from anger or the alcohol, I wasn’t sure. "You kissed me, Brandon! Are you insane?!"I wasn’t surprised when he started struggling harder, twisting against my hold. He was stronger than he looked, but I wasn’t about to let him go."Let go of me!" he snapped."Not yet," I muttered.His eyes burned with frustration. Then, before I could react—Ow.Pain shot through my foot.Cameron had stepped on me. Hard."Shit!" I hissed, loosening my grip just enough for him to sh

Brandon’s POVMy phone vibrated, the screen lighting up with a notification. I almost ignored it, but then I saw Cameron’s name in the caption of an Instagram reel.My stomach twisted.I tapped on it, and the video played.Loud music. Flashing lights. And Cameron—leaning against the bar, a lazy, tipsy smile on his face. His friends were laughing, clinking their glasses together, and Cameron, in the middle of it all, looked completely wasted.I gritted my teeth.What the hell was he doing?Before I could think, I was already moving, grabbing my jacket and heading for the door."Sir—" My driver barely had time to react as I climbed into the car."Find the address of that bar in this video," I ordered with my voice sharp and I threw my phone to him "Now."He nodded quickly, and within seconds, the car was speeding through the city streets.I shouldn’t have been this annoyed.It wasn’t like I owned Cameron.We weren’t even together—at least, not in the way normal couples were. Our engagem

Cameron’s POVWalking through the school hallways felt weird.People were staring and whispering. Looking at me like I was some kind of fucking celebrity.It wasn’t surprising, though.The news of my engagement had spread like wildfire, and now, everyone had something to say about it.Even some teachers had some to say and they were calling in favors so they could be invited to the wedding.I kept my head down and gripped the straps of my backpack tighter. I just needed to survive the day. Just one day at a —"Cameron!"I groaned internally. Here we go.Turning around, I saw my friends—Ethan, Ryan, and Mason—walking toward me with the biggest smirks on their faces."So it’s true, huh?" Ethan asked, crossing his arms. "You and Brandon Deville? You guys are a thing now?"I exhaled sharply. "Yeah, I guess so."Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You guess? Like are you crazy bro?"Mason nudged my shoulder. "Dude, this is fucking insane. You and Brandon hated each other! I have heard you say you're

Cameron’s POVI wasn’t sure how long I had been staring at my phone.Maybe a minute. Maybe an hour. Time felt irrelevant when my notifications wouldn’t stop exploding.“Damn, it's been going on forever.” I muttered to myself.Messages. Missed calls. Social media tags. Even some nosy reporters trying to get a statement.But none of it mattered.Not even the curious texts from my classmates. Not the shallow congratulations from people who only wanted gossip.The only thing I really cared about was had Erica seen it?I swallowed hard, gripping my phone tighter.Erica was in another country for work, far away from all this chaos. Maybe—just maybe—she hadn’t seen the news yet. Maybe I still had time to think of what to say, how to explain.But the universe clearly hated me today, because just as that thought crossed my mind—A new message popped up on my screen.From her."Cameron… is it true?"I felt my heart drop straight into my stomach.So, she did see it.I hesitated, my fingers hover

Brandon’s POVDinner had gone smoothly—or at least, as smoothly as it could with Cameron glaring daggers at me every five seconds.Our parents had done most of the talking, discussing engagement plans, venues, and how wonderful it was that we were getting along. If only they knew.Now, as they stood up from the table, exchanging their final pleasantries, I leaned back in my chair, watching Cameron out of the corner of my eye."Brandon, we’ll be heading out first," my mother said, fixing me with one of her usual unreadable looks."Try not to cause too much trouble son," my father added, though his voice held a hint of amusement.I smirked. "Me? Trouble? You wound me father. I can never."Cameron’s stepmother, Vivian, gave him a small, tight-lipped smile. "Don’t forget, Cameron. We still have a lot to prepare. I expect you to be cooperative."Cameron barely nodded, his jaw tight. "Just go home already."His father clapped him on the back before turning to me. "Take care of him, Brandon.