Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 145634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 728(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 728(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
“I'm gonna go change out of my scrubs before Tony gets here.” The sofa groans as Sandra gets up, pushing herself off the couch.
I follow her up the stairs, grabbing my tote and bringing it to the guest room Sandra’s letting me stay in. I need to put on real clothes at least. I’m not meeting Tony and his friend in my PJs.
I pull baggy sweater over my tank top and pair it with some worn jeans. They’ll never know I’m not wearing a bra. I chuckle softly at the thought, but the smile vanishes when I see myself in the mirror on the dresser. I look rundown. There's just no hiding the dark circles around my tired eyes. I'm exhausted. At least my hair is still decent from this morning. Not that it really matters. I'm not trying to impress either Sandra’s boyfriend, or whoever his friend is.
“He’s here!” Sandra calls out from somewhere downstairs. She sounds giddy and excited. It’s kind of cute to see her so worked up over this guy.
The front door opens as I walk back down the stairs, my hand gripping the railing. My steps slow as I watch Tony come in. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. But what’s better is that he smiles when he sees Sandra.
That makes me really happy and I can’t deny the smile creeping up on my face. There’s a joy reflected between the two of them that warms my heart. She squeals and runs down the hall as he kicks off his boots, dusted with snow.
“Hey, baby,” he says as he wraps his arms around her waist. She holds onto his shoulders as he leans her back slightly and kisses her. I nearly roll my eyes, but that’s just the jealousy in me thinking, get a room!
“Hey, yourself,” she answers playfully. She smiles back with a blush on her cheeks, pulling away and looking at me for a split second.
I feel like such a third wheel.
“Em, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Tony.” She twirls back and forth a little on her heels, still holding his hand. “Tony, this is my baby sister, Emma.”
I walk down the rest of the steps and toward him with a smile.
“Hey, nice to meet you,” he says as he shakes my hand. It’s a firm shake, and his large hand makes mine feel small. I definitely approve.
He seems kinda familiar. It’s not a small town, but maybe we went to high school together. I rack my brain, but come up with nothing.
The front door clicking shut pulls my attention away from the happy couple.
I suck in a breath and freeze in my spot. My stomach drops as I stare with wide eyes at the person standing in front of the door. My heart slows, and my body heats.
No fucking way.
Derek Wade.
“Em, this is Derek, Tony’s friend,” Sandra says absently. I can’t respond. Derek. I swallow thickly, remembering how we last left. We didn’t even say goodbye to each other. My heart beats slower and slower, and blood rushes into my ears. This is a fucking nightmare. I feel so awkward. I have the urge to just turn around, run upstairs and hide. But I don’t want to, I never wanted to run away from him.
He’s just standing there, casually shrugging his coat off his shoulders as if there’s no tension, nothing there between us.
He's acting like I'm no one special, so maybe he doesn't remember me. The thought makes my throat dry and close.
For me… he was my first love. I can’t deny that. Even if we were a secret.
Even if the words were never said. I wasn’t brave enough to tell him, but I know what I felt for him was love.
I struggle to breathe as Derek walks closer to me.
I can feel my cheeks flaming, and I hope it’s not obvious.
No one knew back then. I never told a soul. It was a secret. Even if we never called it that, we both knew what it was. We snuck around, fooled around. I almost gave him everything… I wanted to give him everything. I was just waiting for him to pull the trigger and make things official. But he never did.
I wish I could look away, but I can’t. His pale blue eyes are piercing into me, holding me in place. They used to mesmerize me back then, but now they feel colder.
The heat between us is still there though. All of the feelings and memories from high school come pouring back into my mind. The nervousness, the excitement, the bliss when he first talked to me. Then the heartbreak, and rejection when it ended. God, I feel so naive. So young. So lost.
He's even more gorgeous now than he was back then.
He sure as fuck isn’t a boy anymore. His shoulders are broader, stretching the Henley tight across his chest. His arms are so much thicker, corded with muscle. He’s still tall, making me feel so small beneath him. I love it though, just as I always have. He makes me feel protected.