Prologue
Tyler
My hand shakes as I lift it and bring it back down.
This is a bad idea.
What are you even doing here?
I didn’t travel thousands of miles only to chicken out.
She doesn’t want to see you.
Why torture yourself?
I swear my heart is going to burst through my chest and land on the concrete floor in front of me. Resting a hand on the door, I lean forward and hang my head.
Giggles erupt behind me, and I look up to see a group of girls running past me down the hallway.
Fuck, I must look so pathetic.
I rip my hand away from the door and clench my fingers into a fist.
This is fucking dumb. Just do it already.
With a deep breath, I knock on the door twice and take a step back.
I hear voices and a chair scraping against the floor.
The warm air causes my shaggy overgrown hair to stick to my forehead. It’s October and feels like summer. Does Chloe like it?
Does she like living here?
Does she miss me?
The door swings open, and my knees almost buckle on the spot when her familiar scent hits me. My eyes roam over her, greedy from withdrawal, and it’s like I get my fix and crave more all at the same time.
My arms ache to hold her, my hands burn to touch her, and damn, do I want to kiss her.
Just a taste.
One small taste.
I know I won’t be able to hold myself back if I give in, so instead, I don’t move, frozen by her presence.
“Tyler! What are you doing here?” Chloe says, and I can’t tell how she feels. My mind is too busy racing, my heart too busy feeling way too many things.
“Making sure you’re alive. You know, since you never return my texts or calls.”
Chloe scoffs like she can’t believe what I’m saying. C’mon, I’m not dumb. It takes two seconds to answer a text. “That’s not true. Besides, I told you I’m busy, and midterms are coming up.”
“Yeah, you look super busy.”
Chloe looks behind her shoulder and then back at me. “Let’s go somewhere to talk.”
“Whatever,” I snap. Fuck, I need to stop being a dick, but I can’t. The shit comes out of me, evil and vile.
She steps into the hall and shuts the door behind her before sliding her small bag across her chest.