[AVA] I paced back and forth in Brian’s penthouse living room, gnawing on my nails. It had been two days since Beau’s arrest, and I’d spent most of that time with my parents, trying to support them both. I couldn’t shake the guilt I felt for not understanding my mom sooner. How had I missed such a
In the middle of the movie, Brian planted a kiss on my temple, and that was the beginning of the slow romance that had been building since the movie started. I lifted my face up and kissed him on the lips. He pushed the throw pillow to the side and pulled me to him. In no time, we were removing each
[AVA] Three days had passed since the incident with Beau, and life had started to fall back into its mundane routine. It was then that I received a text from Sean, asking me to come to his house. He even arranged for a car to pick me up, which only added to my curiosity. Mom and Dad were out grocer
“Don’t lie to me!” Sean’s voice rose in frustration, and his fists clenched. “I’m not lying,” she screamed back, while I felt like something wasn’t quite right here. “And get the hell out of my room. I don’t need this right now.” “Just admit it, Cora. You’ve already made it clear that you’re not
[SEAN] In hindsight, it was clear that he was the culprit all along. I couldn’t understand why I had been so reluctant to accuse him of something so obvious. He had a clear motive for his actions, and given our history, it should have been easy to see through his deception. Instead, I had found it
Aaron’s face twisted in irritation, and he clenched his fists at his sides. “You have no proof,” he spat. “Just a hunch. And a grudge.” I stumbled back, realizing the danger I was in, but I didn’t want to show him any signs of fear. “Hold a grudge against you? Why would I?” I spat out, trying to ke
“Come on, Sean,” he growled, the sound sending a thrill through my body. “How long are you going to keep denying that you like me just as much? We’ve been playing this game since childhood, and we both know you’re never going to win.” I tried to think of a response, but my mind felt foggy, my thoug
[BRIAN] I couldn't help but nervously drum my fingers on the steering wheel, desperately trying to calm the jitters crawling up my arms and spine. I rolled my shoulders repeatedly, searching for some relief, and glanced at the rearview mirror out of habit, even though I had no specific reason to do
[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