Indeed, they had overlooked the balcony attached to Max's bedroom. This oversight explained how I ended up concealed in a bush just outside 1648 W 54th Street, one hour and thirty-seven minutes later."Come on, Max. Reveal yourself already," I murmur to myself, focusing on the living room window while battling the rose thorns that are determined to prick every inch of my body.I still can't believe you managed to find this place, not to mention shelling out $130 for that Uber. By the way, Kalix is going to be furious, and don't even get me started on Max.It pays to have the right connections, Buffy. You, of all people, should understand that. Plus, what the guys don't know won't hurt them; in their minds, I'm snugly asleep at the moment.I'll keep you in my prayers.Please do, because suddenly, I have a pressing need to urinate.Choosing to focus on anything other than the water trickling from the front lawn's fountain, I carefully scrutinize the gang leader's residence, hoping to fi
Our inaugural public lap dance marked the beginning of a wild adventure, all sparked by Avery's audacious acceptance of Kalix's karaoke dare."Count me in," Avery exclaimed, taking a sip of her drink. Then, she glanced at me and added, "but only if my partner-in-crime joins me up there." Before I could respond, Max and Kalix burst into laughter."What's so amusing?" Avery inquired, her brows furrowed, mirroring my expression."Oh, come on," Kalix chuckled. "We've endured Isabella's singing before; we're among the few survivors with tales of that excruciating experience."Oh, he didn't just say that.Oh, yes, he certainly did, Buffy. He absolutely did.I scoffed, not with malicious intent but in a playful challenge. Arms crossed over my chest, I turned to Max."Don't expect me to come to your rescue here," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "We promised to be brutally honest with each other, remember?"I squinted at him, acting like a child and mocking, "Remember?"To my amazemen
I used to believe that this would always be one of those moments that the three of us would fondly reminisce about and laugh someday – one of those moments where I found my "mister" and gained a sister. Little did I anticipate that I'd lose my "mister" even before the "sister" part became official.Nevertheless, here's the second memory that I'll treasure for as long as I live...…"Are you feeling nervous?" Max smirks at me as he entwines our fingers before placing both of our hands on the gearshift."Do I have a reason to be?" I grimace, hoping that's not the case. If Riley's and Max's relationship is anything like mine and Alex's, which it seems to be from what I've heard, then I can't help but wonder how this weekend will unfold."Well, considering she's been eager to meet the girl who, and I quote, 'turned her brother into a lovesick fool,' I'd say not at all." Smirking, I shake my head as I gaze out at interstate US-101. That smirk, however, transforms into a warm smile when Max
Do you want to know what made that night even better than just "good"? It was accidentally overhearing the conversation between Riley and Max in the middle of the night while I was on my way to the kitchen for a cup of water. Okay, I admit, overhearing it at first was accidental, but my choice to continue eavesdropping when I heard who the conversation was about was entirely intentional. I couldn't help it; it had me grinning like a fool.From behind the wall, I saw Max nod slowly, turning to look at his sister."She's known everything since February. But right before we started dating, we shared some things we didn't already know about each other. I told her about you and mentioned my past, which I couldn't reveal right away. But she understood and let me share the rest when I was ready. The time to tell her came sooner than I thought, but at that moment, I knew it was now or never.""Wow," Riley said, sounding surprised. There was a brief silence before she asked, "So, you know what
If you've been following my story thus far, you might have noticed that I frequently reflect on the many memories that have shaped my life up to this point. I don't do this because I'm a melancholic or heartbroken woman without hope for the future - although that's open to debate at times. Instead, I do it because I genuinely enjoy reminiscing about the moments that have made me laugh, cry, shout, sing, dance, scheme, dream, and so on.To me, memories hold a special place in my heart, regardless of whether they brought happiness or sadness at the time. After all, sometimes we find ourselves laughing when recalling the days we once cried, and conversely, shedding tears when remembering the days we laughed. That's the essence of life.One of those cherished memories happens to be the day I graduated from college with my best friend, surrounded by our families cheering us on. However, the week that followed was the perfect ending to an already incredible month.…Me: Just wanted to infor
Did I mention that it started raining at some point? Talk about having sex in a rainforest!"You know, I got that from all the begging you did earlier," he says, caressing my back as his knuckles run up and down my spine."Smartass," I mumble, looking up at him as he chuckles. At that moment, our eyes meet, and I don't even mind the fact that we're probably lost in the jungle. Getting lost in his eyes all over again is worth it."What?" Max asks me after a while, a cute smirk on his face."Your eyes," I simply tell him. "I've told you this many times before, but they will always be my favorite feature of yours.""Yeah, well," he responds, pulling me closer so that my face is near his, "yours remind me of something I read recently.""And what's that?"He places his hand behind my neck, bringing my face even closer to his. But just when I think he's about to initiate another passionate round of sex, he looks at my lips and then refocuses on my eyes."Brown eyes are just brown eyes, unti
Not all of mine and Max's memories involved sex. Surprisingly, some of my favorites were the more vulnerable moments, like when he discovered that I was hiding my period from him.…"So, how's it been with Max home for the holidays?" Avery asks during our FaceTime call."Good," I reply, hoping she won't ask for more details. But then again, she's my best friend."Just good?""It's been great," I offer, wincing internally as another sharp cramp hits me. Meanwhile, Avery raises an eyebrow at me."Isabella, is everything-Oh," she starts, then stops before hitting the nail on the head. "You're on your period, aren't you?""Is it that obvious?" I wince again as the throbbing continues."And you've been hiding it from Max," she states knowingly, ignoring my previous comment."Of course I have, Avery," I admit. "You know how he is. He would drop everything at the office to be here for me. He's already arranged to be home for the holidays, and making him think he needs to comfort me would be
I'm not sure how wise it is for me to share this fond memory right before discussing what I've always referred to as 'my living nightmare' over the years, but I've decided to do it anyway. I've been postponing it, trying to spare myself the chest-pounding pain that still haunts me to this day. However, since you've all been with me for so long, you deserve to know how everything went up in flames. It's possible that it might be as baffling to you as it was to me back then and still is now. Even though three years have passed since the incident, I still can't fully wrap my head around it. I'm not sure if I'll ever find the right words to describe the emotions I felt then and what I understand now.I know this confession of mine might sound somewhat crazy. But if it doesn't make sense by the end of these flashbacks, I promise it will when I share the rest of the story. Until then......Just one month after Max's latest book release,My film crew and I have just finished shooting the fi