Adam's father groaned when he stumbled a little. Both Adam and Guille were at his sides in an instant, checking to see whether he was okay.“Boys, I'm fine.” The man tried to chuckle but stopped immediately, probably from pain. He coughed.“Dad, you never listen!” Guille groaned. “We shouldn't have left. Why are you so adamant, dad?”“Oh, come on,” Cough. “We're already here so complaining is a waste of time.”“Uh-huh, wait until you find us driving you back there.” Adam finally bit out after having spent most of their drive in the car in brooding annoyance.His father had insisted on getting discharged from the hospital even though he was still felling weak because as he'd said, if he was going to die anyway, he wanted to do it in the comfort of his own house, not in the confines of some hospital room.The fact that Doctor Andrews had agreed to discharge him and had only prescribed some pain medication without issuing any attempts to change his mind had thawed every remnants of Adam'
Eva was tired. Tired of her mother moving around mechanically like a mannequin endowed with the mechanical energy. Tired of her friends pretending not to be happy in their personal lives just so she wouldn't feel bad about herself.Her mother had never been talkative around the table, but at least there'd been something before. Now all she ever did was eat half her food and get up with the excuse that she was full. Her change in attitude had begun to show at work, and so now Eva handled most of the things she'd always so loved to do by herself.The sadness in her eyes was always such a mood killer.As for Adam, he'd moved to live with his father for the time the man had left, and they barely spoke. Eva missed him so much that sometimes she felt bad for being so selfish.Adam was going through a lot, and she had to be the supportive girlfriend.She didn't support the choices her mother had made in her youth, but every day Eva saw the guilt in her eyes, watched the regret eating her wh
“Seriously, Adam. Are you planning on drinking yourself to death?” Lucas said in a frustrated voice. Adam ignored him. “Give me the damn bottle.”Adam had raised his bottle of tequila to his lips to take a swig when Lucas whisked it from his grasp, causing some of the brew to spill on his shirt.“What the hell, man? Give it back.” Adam said and tried to lurch for his bottle with a body that felt like a dead weight as Lucas held it far away from him. “You won't? Fine.”He looked towards the bar and screamed at the woman at the counter, “Hey girl, get me another bottle, will ya? See this party pooper won't let me have fun.”“You're thinking of fun right now?” Lucas groaned in disbelief. “After how much you've hurt Eva you should be on your knees in front of her asking for forgiveness. I thought she meant very much to you.”Adam barked out a laughter that even to his inebriated ears came out like a goat's cry. “Me? Kneel in front of a woman
“When she does it, I swear it makes me want to cry.” Victoria whined.“Cry?” June snorted. “I swear it makes me want to grab her tablet and smash it against the wall.”They thought she couldn't hear them going on and on about how frustrating she was being, but Eva did perfectly. Easy for them to say. After all, they weren't the ones whose love had left and hadn't even bothered to contact them.After Ethan had told her over the phone that Adam had left LA, she'd assumed that he'd gone to his cabin in Jackson Hole since he'd once mentioned that he went there to find solace whenever his life got shitty.She'd been woefully wrong. After sitting in the hammock on his porch for about twelve hours with all her calls going straight to voicemail, Eva had finally left, booking a hotel to sleep in before taking the next flight to LA the next day.Still, she'd told herself that Adam had been going through a lot, that he just needed some time to sort his emotions out and to grieve his father. She
Before Eva could decipher what June was talking about, her phone had been whipped out of her hand. She shot to her feet to get it back only for Victoria to block her path and hold her in place.“June, I swear that if you do something stupid, I'm going to kill you!” Eva warned.June handed her phone back to her just then. Eva looked done at it and was sure she blanched. “No June you didn't.” She threw a glare at June over Vicky's shoulder. “'I'd love to go out with you?' Seriously?”“Come on, it's not that bad.” Vicky finally let go of Eva's arms. “Eva I think you should give Xander a chance. Who knows what might happen?”Sighing, Eva slumped back onto her bed. How could she explain to her friends that she loved Adam in a way no man could ever make her love him?But Adam doesn't care about you! He has moved on! Her subconsciousness screamed.“So?” it was June who spoke.Eva scanned her friends' faces, taking in the hope that shone so brightly, and she nodded. “Yes, I'll go out with him
Eva gritted her teeth in annoyance, wishing the earth would swallow her up as Vicky applied some blush to her cheeks. Done, the woman leaned back to assess her handiwork.“Wow, my God, and I thought I was already used to your beauty.” June sighed dramatically, standing behind Eva's chair. Eva rolled her eyes.After June had sent that text to Xander, the man hadn't wasted time dialing her number. He'd been so excited that she'd decided not to tell him that June was the one who had sent the text, and they'd arranged their date for this afternoon.Vicky had wanted to doll her up like it was her freaking wedding. Eva protested for no make up, but her friends had bargained for a light make-up instead.Vicky shifted from Eva's front so she could look at herself in the mirror. Eva had to admit that she looked stunning. Wearing the strapless pink chiffon straight dress that ended above her knee which her best friends had purposefully selected for her with her hair styled to look wavy and a sma
The large HOLLYWOOD appeared atop a spot which overlooked an endless stretch of mountain tops and shops and houses. Xander stepped over the fence which led to the words, then helped her so that she didn't roll down the hills.They stepped under the large D of the HOLLYWOOD. Even though she'd seen this before, Eva couldn't help but marvel at the vista being there offered. It made them appear like gods, and she couldn't believe they'd been driving along the bustle of the sidewalks down there about an hour ago.He pulled out their bowls of ice cream after they'd sat down, handing her one. It was accompanied by a wooden spoon. As Eva tore off the lid and took the first spoonful of the sweetness, memories she didn't want to remember fanned through her mind.Memories which had once been so beautiful but now only filled her with pain every time she thought of them. Luckily, Xander didn't seem to notice anything.Over their ice creams, the man regaled her with his endless amount of jokes, th
Adam watched the look on Eva's face transform from shock to awe then to denial, his heart hammering against his chest. God, she looked more beautiful than ever, and he'd missed her so bad.“Adam.” His name tumbled from her lips breathlessly. Before, it would've made him burn with molten desire, but today, all it did was prick him with guilt.“Wait!” The man she'd been kissing earlier said, eyes widening as he looked at Eva. “That's Adam? As in Adam Garcia?”“The one and only.” Adam stepped forward, figuring Eva had told him about them. “And it's not a pleasure to meet you.”“You're the stupid idiot who broke Eva's heart?”Adam gritted his teeth, any comeback he would've had dying right in his mouth because he knew the guy was so damn right. Only a stupid idiot would judge a woman like Eva so quickly.Ignoring him, Adam focused his gaze on the woman he was after, finding her eyes still transfixed on him like she couldn't believe he was standing there. “Eva...”She seemed to snap right