[AVA] Lost in my own thoughts, I was caught off guard by a knock on the door. I glanced over, expecting to see the nurse, but it wasn't her. It was Brian. Why was he still here? Startled, I jumped up from the chair and took a step back, feeling an inexplicable surge of energy coursing through me. "Hey!" Why did I have to be so awkward? There was no reason for my heart to feel like it was about to burst just because we were in the same room. Get a grip, Ava. What's wrong with you? Brian winced, brushing off my awkward greeting. Instead, his focus turned to Max. "How is he doing?" It was only then that I noticed the red stains on his shirt. Dad had mentioned that Brian was the one who found Max and brought him to the hospital. Could it be Max's blood on him? "Ava?" "Huh?" I snapped out of my daze, looking up at him before turning to face Max. "He should be awake by tomorrow." Brian nodded silently, lost in thought. "That's good," he finally said, pulling at the collar of his
I felt a pang of sympathy for him. He had likely been delayed because he had taken Max to the hospital. Damn, this was a difficult situation. "Did you try explaining to him why you couldn't make it?" "I called him multiple times, but he's not answering." I sighed. Yes, this was definitely problematic. "Why don't you go and see him? He won't be able to ignore you in person." "Right now?" he questioned, sounding as if he thought I was being foolish. "It's almost midnight, Ava. He's probably already asleep." "But he read your messages, didn't he?" He abruptly stopped, causing me to continue walking before realizing he wasn't by my side. Curiosity piqued, I turned to see what had happened. His expression twisted into a deep scowl. "How do you know?" I couldn't help but smile. He was so endearing. "Because I've been there. Trust me, I'm well acquainted with the whole 'I'm sorry, I got held up, something important came up at work' scenario. I've seen it all." He resumed walking, b
[BRIAN] The light in Kian's room is still on, so I'm assuming he's awake, and the fact that I can see the read sign in the voice message that I sent him using this app that he typically uses for texting—the one that he installed on my phone a month ago—means he heard my apology as well. Yet, an ho
“I thought you'd never open the door," Kian huffs, his breathing harsh and quick, as if he'd sprinted a mile before reaching the car. I'm so taken aback by what's going on that I don't respond for almost an entire minute. Kian snaps in front of my face. “Dad? Are you still here?" I jerk my head a
[AVA] “You’re dating Sean Edwards?” Mom asked as she followed me into the kitchen while I poured myself a glass of water. “It’s not a big deal, mom. Relax.” I said, maybe for the fifth time since I woke up and found her standing at the foot of my bed, probably contemplating waking me up by bringin
I wasn't as foresighted as they were. I still wasn't. I couldn't read between the lines. I couldn't see the signs. It wasn't until my then-boyfriend Xavier Montero pressured me to sleep with not one but three of his best friends that I saw him for who he truly was. An A-grade motherfucking asshole
[AVA] After relieving dad from watching over Max the entire previous night, I made sure to walk him to the elevator before turning around, heading back into Max’s care unit and punching my brother straight across his face. Max groaned, startled and infuriated by my attempt to bruise him, given his
I knew he would say the same thing, yet something in my chest fluttered anyway. How could anybody imagine this man could hurt me? Why were Brian and Mom so determined to split us up? I knew our relationship was a sham and only existed to save him from confronting his parents, but we were still frie
[AVA]“Nope! Still not picking up his phone,” Sean says, shaking his head, trying his damnedest to keep it together.I can’t blame him. If Brian walked out on me this way, I would freak out like hell. Fuck, I don’t even know what I would do. I would probably have a meltdown or something.Perhaps tha
[MAX]I’m ready to take a break and hand over the counter to Patrick when the rainbow girl walks into the café/diner, and the bell chimes over her head.Her eyes find mine in an instant, and I stop whatever I’m doing for reasons I don’t even want to know.“Hey!” She walks over to me, leans on the co
[AVA]“It’s a great idea,” I say to him, finally realizing that it’s never the gift that matters, it’s the intention. And Sean loves Aaron; he only wants the best for him.Sean looks so damn relieved, tears twinkling in his eyes.“Oh, thank God!” He chuckles, nervously running a hand through his dar
I chuckle. “I’d love that, but I’m not sure Aaron would appreciate being put on the spot.”“Don’t worry, I’ll work my magic,” Sean winks and heads toward the kitchen, leaving me alone in the living room.I wander over to the bookcase, running my fingers over the spines of Sean’s collection. He has a
[AVA]“Brian was right, this is a very bad idea,” I mumble to myself as I stand outside the apartment Sean and Aaron share. And yes, let me remind you this is the same apartment where Sean found Aaron furiously making out with his sister.And yes, I should not have thought about that because now the
[AVA]“I’ll miss you,” I say once Brian and I step into the elevator of his penthouse.Kian and Mason are already downstairs, waiting for us. But Brian, being Brian, needed a moment to “make it up” to me for the whole two weeks he would be absent.I’m excited for him. I swear, I am. And yet, when I
[BRIAN]Time for some honesty: I’m terrified of what I’m about to do.Rock/Mountain climbing, I’m not sure if I’m made for such stuff. I mean, sure, I love treks and long walks and boating and camping and driving and all that stuff but climbing a mountain? That sounds a little stretch, even for me.
We pull back and Brian glares at his twin brother, who in turn, winks at us, making sure we know he has only been kidding. “We are heading to the next store. Think you can take your make-out session on the go?”Brian flips him off and Mason laughs, walking away with Kian in tow.Kian looks over his
[AVA]“I can’t believe you agreed to this.”“Trust me, I can’t believe it either.”I chuckle, not able to help myself. I would have loved to see Brian climbing a mountain, but I can’t, and that makes me sad. But maybe I’ll have better luck next time. I just hope Brian will be as willing to take part