Hello everyone. I already know that I am not everyone’s favorite person right now and this is only going to make you hate me and the book more. This chapter is basically a rewrite of the the last two chapters. I tried to please everyone by pacing them meeting again as fast as possible but I got stuck and felt nothing while writing. This was how I intended to write this part from the very beginning and I know exactly what comments I’ll see. “it’s dragging” “nothing interesting is happening” But I’m only trying to complete this book in the best way I can. I already made mistakes but if this is the only way the ideas can flow, then I apologize for how much you’re going to have to hate me and my book a lot more. I’m genuinely sorry.
LESLIE’S POV “He’s here. Where are you?”—Cole. I stare at the message from Cole that was sent about five minutes ago. That’s also how long I have been parked in the company’s parking lot, doing nothing but pondering on whether coming here is a good idea. When I asked Cole two days ago to invite
LESLIE’S POV I should have stayed in the car. That regret comes only after I have intervened and now I catch myself wondering why exactly that happened. Was it because I couldn’t stand seeing Kian get punched in the face? Or because a boy who looks up to me as an older sister was about to get pumme
KIAN’S POV I’ve had a terrible day. First, I woke up all sore from the cheap mattress at a motel room which is the only place I could afford during my stay here in Seattle. Then I was served the most terrible meal I have ever eaten courtesy of the motel’s room service. After that, I got into an
LESLIE’S POV I waited for his call for an entire day but it never came. Every time my phone lit up or vibrated, I dropped everything I was doing to run to it only to be met with spam calls and messages. My daily routine that included going to the gym, grocery shopping and then designing was disrupt
I nervously usher him into the living room and go to the kitchen to get him water. When I return, I see his eyes wandering around the room and I wonder if he suspects anything. If he does, he doesn’t show it. He perches himself on one side of my couch and takes the cup of water from me. I don’t kn
KIAN’S POV Her warmth encircling me is everything—everything I’ve missed, everything I’ve craved and everything I thought I would never have again. With that one word, she has my knees so close to bending and has my rage at her disappearing into oblivion. I didn’t mean to be angry or to say those
LESLIE’S POV How I went three years without Kian is beyond anything I can comprehend. Before him, I felt like I was enough. I told myself often that I didn’t need anyone and if I’m being honest, it served me well. It made me focus, knowing that all I had was myself. Even with my found family co
LESLIE’S POV The blissful feeling instantly turns to horror at the sight of Cole. I know that his presence will change everything but I still hold on to the hope that the bond Kian and I have built in the last few days is strong enough to withstand this moment. I am to blame for Cole being here a
CHAPTER 99 ~SOPHIE~ The moment Sebastian disappeared down the street, a crushing silence fell over me, broken only by the unsteady rhythm of my breathing. My fingers twitched at my sides, my entire body locked in place as if moving would make the moment real, as if accepting that he had been
CHAPTER 98 ~SOPHIE~ In between the endless nightmares that were triggered by the events of the past week and waiting for Travis to reach out to me again, I had been pushed to the edge of insanity. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but it did. It got worse. And now I was bolting out
CHAPTER 97 ~JUSTIN~ I’ve never been anyone’s first choice. Never. No matter how hard I tried, Jac always had the spotlight. He was the golden boy, the prodigy, the one with all the medals and accolades. Meanwhile, I was the kid bringing home crayon sketches and piano recitals that no one car
CHAPTER 96 ~SOPHIE~ There were many questions; like how on earth she was in a place that was at least an hour's drive from her family’s mansion, and why she was chugging down cheap beer when I have only ever seen her enjoy the finest wine. The longer we stood there, wordlessly staring at ea
CHAPTER 95 [ Punching Bag ] ~ELAINE~ (6) The moment I slipped through the gates and caught sight of my father’s car parked neatly in the driveway, dread curled deep in the pit of my stomach. I stopped dead in my tracks, my pulse quickening. They were home. They were never supposed to be hom
CHAPTER 94 [ The One Who Needs Saving ] ~SOPHIE~ I didn’t even blink when the words fell out of Justin’s mouth like he'd been holding them in for years. I just sat there, watching him like he had told me the most obvious thing in the world. If I felt remotely surprised, it was simply because I
CHAPTER 93 [ I’m Gay ] ~SOPHIE~ My scream echoed down the street, loud enough to wake the dead or at least give someone a mild heart attack. But the hand gripping my shoulder was barely even settled before instinct took over. I spun around, grabbing the wrist tightly and twisting it with all the
CHAPTER 92 [ Little Contradictions ] ~SOPHIE~ The faint neon lights from the cinema flickered on and off as I stood by the curb, watching the stream of people moving in and out of the building. I couldn’t remember the last time I watched a movie—couldn’t even remember the last time I did somethi
CHAPTER 91 [ The Man I thought I knew ] ~SOPHIE~ He said no. I never imagined that would be his answer. I sat there, stunned into silence, blinking at him like I hadn't heard him right. His fingers were still wrapped around my wrist, firm and unyielding as if he could anchor me to him by sheer