He opens the door to the passenger seat. I slip inside, not asking any questions. Suffocating silence once again starts to vibrate between us. My fingers twitch on my lap. I keep my gaze fixed out the window, trying to think of the appropriate words to say to him, words that would convince him that
[AVA] It’s been a month since that night—correction: morning. A month since I saw the last of Brian. A month since we had that moment and he kicked me out of his life as if I had no place to be in it. Maybe he was right. Maybe there was no reason for me to feel so betrayed. Maybe it was just what h
But none of that mattered. None of that mattered because a month rolled by and I heard nothing from him. I even left his company in a fit of rage and frustration—whatever you want to call it—and took a receptionist position at a nearby gym instead. Exactly what I needed. I needed to remind myself th
“Oh my, such a charmer you are,” I smack him gently across his upper arm and take a sip of the wine. Right then, a woman in a satin golden gown appears on the stage and welcomes everyone. Two more men join her and they all do some sort of speech for the night. Seven minutes later they finally open
[AVA] I’ve always despised being that person who ruins everything. Back in middle school, my friend Val and I received an invitation to our classmate Angelica Barden’s birthday party. Let me tell you, she was basically Regina George from Mean Girls, but with a touch of the devil. I really wish I co
“Ava...” Sean’s voice reaches my ears like a gentle whisper, but it feels more like an icy blade piercing my chest, intensifying the urge to cry. However, the awareness of being in a public setting feels like blinding spotlights shining directly in my face, making me feel overly exposed and suscepti
I offer Sean the most sympathetic face I can muster, accompanied by a quick eye-roll that silently says, “I told you so.” To my surprise, Sean handled the situation better than I anticipated. He chuckles and shakes his head, finishing his drink. “In my defense, she’s old enough to know the rules of
[SEAN] Have you ever experienced a deep sense of helplessness? A feeling of desperately wanting something, but being unable to pursue it out of fear of hurting the people you love most? These situations are all too familiar in my life. I have become the epitome of sacrificing my own happiness for t
[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