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Truce Attempt
Last Updated:
2025-04-17 00:41:51
Lunar DawnShew! Owen is turning up the heat 💕
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Sitting in the back, mixed in with a class of sophomores and juniors, I spent most of the entire class processing. His words, his touch. That bold statement that he wasn’t going to give up until he got to know me. My overwhelming need for him to be trustworthy. The worst thing about trusting someone, especially with your heart is that is also the same person that could destroy it if they chose to.Could I trust Owen Marshall or was this a game, a quest he was on? I set out this year to take risks, to live my life beyond just the four walls of the little white-sided house we live in. This was what I essentially signed up for. Take the leap of faith, the dive off into the deep end, the free fall from the airplane. Risking my heart and falling in love felt all the same to me.Anyone I had ever loved had left me at one point or another. Even Nate would find the day that he no longer chose me first and he would leave. I had survived all of that so surely I could survive if this thing with O
Last Updated : 2025-04-17Whispers of the Heart Distraction
I shook my head. “No, sir. I won’t care a bit. I just don’t know if something will be important or not.”He brushed it off with a lighthearted chuckle. “You can ask these knuckleheads in here. They should know if I need to keep something or not. Put them to work, too. Get up and do what she tells you, all three of you.” He said that as he walked past me and out of the office to start the class.As soon as he was out of earshot, Gary stepped over in my personal space as I saw Owen tense up. “What should we do first, BOSS?”I wasn’t about to let him get to me so I looked him right in the eye as I answered.“Well, FIRST. Grab that banker’s box on top of the filing cabinet there and pick up all the papers out of the floor and put them in there. We can go over them and decide if it needs kept or not once we have everything else organized. I will start with organizing the desk.”I strolled carefully through the papers, careful to not slip and sat down in the same chair Mr. Lawrence had just
Last Updated : 2025-04-17Whispers of the Heart Is It Even Worth It?
I made it to the bathroom between the gym and the cafeteria without anyone seeing me. I was thankful it was empty, too. I found a stall and ducked inside, shutting the door behind me. The tears continued as my whole body was wracked with sobs, finally letting go of all of the hurt I had held in all day.I usually wasn’t this emotional. The timing of my upcoming cycle, the emotional upheaval of the last few weeks and the exhausting emotional roller coaster I had been on today just created this perfect storm where I already knew I was on the verge of a breakdown. Danny yelling at me had just been the straw that broke the camel’s back.I couldn’t even blame Gary for this one. I had actually felt better once I got everything off of my chest with him and he had asked to start over. He had even kept me from falling when I slipped. If this one was on anyone, the blame needed to fall on Owen.Owen’s outburst had surprised me in the moment but even that was typical knowing that Owen had alread
Last Updated : 2025-04-18Whispers of the Heart Explanation
Danny shook his head with a scoff. “You might have a point there. Gossip is the fuel that heats this place. You’re on her good side right now so we wouldn’t want to do anything to change that.”“I’m on her good side? She has been nothing but nasty to me!”“That’s just how she is until you get to know her. Vanessa has a fierce loyalty to her that is hard to penetrate and she protects her circle like a lioness. But she hasn’t called you a bitch and hasn’t told me that she hates you so yeah, you are on her good side.” He answered as Courtney nodded a confirmation.“I guess I will have to take your word for it.” I answered without looking back at him. I kept my head down, just staring at my shoes.“Listen,” Danny started. “I owe you an apology and I do apologize for yelling at you like that. It was uncalled for but it was as much for your safety as it was to get you out of there so we could get both of them to calm down.”I turned slightly to look up at him. “You called me a distraction. W
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Courtney took this opportunity to speak up. “We all saw it happen but didn’t know what to do about it. I think that was one reason Vanessa stepped in and gave you a hard time about the water. I know you and her kinda clashed there but we needed something to break up the tension between those two.”Danny sighed. “But, it didn’t even stop there. We stayed longer than we should have because neither of them would be the first one to get up to leave. Then there was the bickering over the check. We all pitched in for our own but those two wanted to butt heads over who actually took the check. Owen grabbed it first and refused to even let Gary see it. Finally, Gary stomped off and we all followed him but not before I saw Owen write something to you on it. That was what the whole power bit was over, who would be the one to have the last contact with you.”“I’m sorry but that’s a little immature on both their parts.”Danny laughed. “Believe me, we all couldn’t agree more. Like I said, this has
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Danny took his cell phone out of his pocket, held up his finger to let me know he heard me but needed a minute and sent a text before he put it back and looked back at me with a smile. That smile that said he was smitten so I didn’t even have to guess the recipient of that text.“Bell is getting ready to ring. Just sent my girl a text to let her know where we are. She’ll be up here with Bethany in just a couple minutes.”My heart thumped hard in my chest and I was nervous again. That girl was intimidating! Even though I now had a little better understanding of Vanessa, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to see her but what choice did I have?“To answer your question, I can’t speak for how he sees you or how he feels about you but yes, you can trust Owen. He’s a solid guy and honestly, I’ve never really seen him give many girls the time of day. Trust me, being a football player around here is like being royalty so being the quarterback is like being a king. Owen’s past and all those detai
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“Phil is my legal guardian. He did it so I wouldn’t end up in foster care and so I wouldn’t be separated from my little brother. I haven’t told Owen any of this either. I will once we actually get two minutes alone to actually talk but I would appreciate it if you all not tell him and let me on my terms. Guess I could say my first request to see if I can trust you all or not.”“Where’s your dad?” Bethany asked.“I don’t know. My mom had me while she was still in high school and would never tell anyone who he was. That’s the basic outline of my life. Orphan or might as well be. Phil took me in the night I called him to come and get Nate, my little brother. Phil had no clue how to take care of a kid and hadn’t spent any time with Nate. Again, long story. I stayed home the last three years taking care of my baby brother. I have taken care of him since the day he was born. He started Preschool and I started my Senior year.”“You’ve been like a mom since you were fourteen years old?” Court
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Mrs. Laughlin was cool and had a laid back personality. She treated us more like equals than students, something we all appreciated. She was in her mid-thirties with blond hair styled in a pixie cut. She wore black framed glasses and had a real ‘soccer mom’ vibe to her, which made sense when she informed us that she was a mom to three little boys ages eight, four and two.She dove straight in with assignments as she said we were only two weeks away from the first football game of the season. She had us all write down on an index card our availability after school and on weekends. Since the class was generally reserved for seniors only, there were only fifteen people signed up total. That number included Owen, who missed the class serving his afternoon detention.“Aurora!” She called as she looked up at me, waving my index card in her hand. “I am assigning you to cover the football games. You have availability on Friday nights, according to your card. Home and away games. For all away
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Whispers of the Heart Big Surprise
He grinned as he answered with a wink. “Neither am I. Don’t get me wrong. I plan to go to college but my dreams are different than theirs. I want a good steady job that allows me to have more time with my family. I want several kids and the house with the big back yard. Barbecues on the weekends. Coaching my sons teams along the way.”I couldn’t help but smile wider as he talked about it. At least it sounded like he had his plans and that they could possibly include me down the road. I wasn’t so naive to think that Owen being the first crush I had ever had that he would be my happily ever after but it does happen. At least, I would stop stressing so much about our social differences. It sounded like the life he had lived would have been very lonely if it hadn’t been for his Nonna. I felt it was her raising him that shaped how he feels about family and having one.“Aurora, my parents have high expectations of me. I do my best to try to honor them but I decided last year that I could on
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“I’m being careful. If he wants to play games, I can play. I do agree, though. I’m glad he is showing me this side of him now.”“So, you told me how you ended up with Phil in the first place but I didn’t think until afterwards to ask you where your dad is?” He must have saw me cringe because he quickly followed up with, “You don’t have to answer that. I was just wondering.”“No, it’s okay. It is bound to come up at some point so I might as well tell you everything. Then, you can decide right now if you want to run for the hills.”“Aurora, I will not run.”“Yeah, we’ll see.”I opened up and told him everything. From not knowing who my dad was to what led to my mother’s death and the call to Phil in the first place. Owen just listened, asking a question here and there but I never saw any judgment or looks of disgust on his face.“So, that’s me. Ready to run now?”He gave me a smile but this one was more subdued. The kind of smile you give to someone when you feel sorry for them.“No, I’
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“Nate has that blank wall in his bedroom. What if we get one of those cork boards to hang up in there. I can hang his art work and schoolwork on it, create like a display that I change every couple weeks or something. What do you think about that?”“If that’s what you want.”“Yeah, it is. I would like that and I think he would, too. Can we get one ordered or possibly stop by the office supply store and see how much one would cost.”“We will stop and get one maybe sometime this weekend.”I clapped my hands together, playing up the excitement and my gratitude. “Thank you! What can I help you with?”“You have that package of ground beef in there. I didn’t know if you were planning tacos, burgers or what but I figured baked potatoes would go with either.”“I had planned taco salads so the baked potatoes will work well. That way we can use the cheese and sour cream for both.”As Phil left the sink area with the potatoes to prep them for the microwave, I stepped in and washed my hands. I ope
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I wanted to look back, wave, something as Owen pulled out of the driveway and drove away but I didn’t dare. There was a dangerous, quiet rage radiating off of Phil. One I had never even knew he could possess. Until I could have that very important conversation with Phil, I had to be careful how I played this. With him coming home early, seemingly for no other reason than to see who I was with, this just went from playing a game of checkers to a game of chess.Phil knew my weakness. The little boy that he was currently hugging to his side. I remember asking him what happened if I didn’t want to start a relationship with him and he’d said that we would worry about that when and if the time came. When he said it, it never bothered me because I was still willing to give the feelings a chance to blossom and grow. Now, it worried me. The anxiety of the unknown and the differences I had now seen in Phil over the last day being the deciding factors.As I locked eyes with Phil, I planted the b
Whispers of the Heart Meeting Nate
As that look of worry transformed over into happiness after he spotted me, it felt like my heart was being squeezed. Seeing that worry, that uncertainty on his little face, in his eyes; that was something I had worked so hard to prevent him from experiencing. I was not naive enough to think I could and would protect him from ever being hurt or feeling disappointment or heartache but I would be damned sure it wasn’t ever because of me or my actions.I walked up, meeting the teacher halfway up the sidewalk and took Nate’s hand, thanking her as he waved and told her goodbye. He suddenly stopped, seeing the vehicle for the first time. Where the windows were tinted dark, he couldn’t see Owen yet.“Whoa, Rory! Where’d you get this car? It’s so cool looking!”“It belongs to a friend. He is taking us home cause it was raining and he didn’t want us to get rained on. Isn’t that nice?”“Yep.” We stopped beside the passenger door while I removed his backpack. He was so excited that he was hopping
Whispers of the Heart New Flutters
“Now, my turn. You were saying that it’s not like something and then you cut off. What were you going to say back there?”I almost said ‘next’ but then remembered that he already admitted that he likes me and Danny said he values honesty over everything so I just took the leap.“I was saying that it’s not like when I saw you at the diner last night. It was instant, the moment I looked at you. It felt different. It just hit me like, whoa. I am attracted to this guy. What about you with me?”I knew what Danny and Courtney had already told me and I knew he admitted earlier that he ‘kinda’ liked me but I wanted to hear him say it, admit it to me.“You hadn’t even seen me yet and I already couldn’t stop watching you. I probably came off like some creep, staring at you but it was an instant attraction for me, too.”He reached back over, his fingers brushing gently against mine. My heart raced as he entwined our fingers together, this sensation so new to me. As he stole a glance in my directi
Whispers of the Heart Waiting Through the Lights
Owen pushed the ignition button to start the Yukon and backed out of his parking space. The engine was so quiet that you couldn’t even really hear it. As we circled the lot to get in line, I tried not to let my lingering bad thoughts ruin this time we had together.“Wanna play twenty questions?” Owen asked as he looked over at me with a smile.“Yes or no questions or open ended?”“Open ended, of course.”“Sure. Best way to get to know one another. If something is too much or too personal, we just say ‘next’ for now.”“Got it. How old is your little brother?” He asked me.The wait to get on the road would not be a short one so we would have some time to talk. Each time the light changed, it let fifteen to twenty cars out before cycling back to the traffic on the main stretch of road. I wasn’t worried about getting there on time but as I looked off in the distance, back toward home, I could see what looked like storm clouds rolling in.“He’s four. He just started preschool. He won’t turn
