Novels by Feyi xtar

JESS'S POV The quiet inside the house had been oppressive, as if it had its own weight bearing down on my chest.I folded my legs over one another at the bed frame, pulled up close, clasped my knees. My fingers picked at a thread that was loose on my sleeve and twisted, pulled it over and over again as if I pulled enough, then maybe the rest of things would come apart too.Micheal's words wouldn't stop cycling in my head."I don't think I should have loved her."I know he still loved her. Even though he didn't say it. I could see it clearly in his eyes. I could feel it in the way his voice softened when he spoke her name.Ashley.Even her name made me want to throw up.I got up and went to the window, opening the curtains a little. The street was quiet now. Quiet. Empty. The sort of quiet that I never got at home. I leaned my head against the cold glass and shut my eyes.It wasn't supposed to turn out this way.I never want to fall in love with him.At first, I just wanted to be ther

MICHEAL'S POVThe clock on the microwave blinked at 11:42AM. I'm still in the same spot. Still holding the damn phone like it held answers to all the questions swirling in my head.I should've gone after her.Jess.She walked out like she was holding herself together with tape and string, and I just stood there. I watched her go. I didn't stop her, I didn't say anything that mattered. I let her walk away with that look in her eyes, like she already knew what I was gonna say before I ever said it.Because she was right.I didn't feel the same. And I hated myself for it.She deserved better than being a second option. Hell, she deserved to be someone’s first choice, not the person in the background, picking up the pieces when everything else fell apart. But I couldn't lie to her. I never harbour such feelings for her, she's always been like a sister to me and it's best it remains that way. And then there was Ashley.God.I leaned back against the counter, thumb hovering over my scree

JESS'S POVThe minute I heard the door click shut, I knew she was gone. Ashley.I sat on the bed upstairs, wearing Micheal's hoodie. The sleeves held tightly in my hand out of anger, knuckles white. I did not wish to hear the words, couldn't quite turn my ears quite enough to pay attention to what was being spoken. But I could feel it. In their voices, tension was there. The cracks. The silence that screams.And for a second….I hoped she'd stay gone.God, what's wrong with me?I rubbed at my chest, like maybe the pressure there would ease. But it didn't. It never did around her. Not when I saw her name flash on his phone. Not when he talked about her like she was everything. Not when he looked at her like she still belonged to him.Well, she did belong to him. And I hated it.I stood up, walked towards the window. The city felt so quiet. So blind. Micheal's apartment fell still again, the sort of stillness that convinced you that all else was sound. I saw myself reflected in the glas

MICHEAL'S POV The smell of coffee drifted through my penthouse before the sun had even fully come up. I stood by the stove, flipping pancakes half awake, wearing the same sweatpants I'd crashed in. My hair was a mess, eyes still a bit swollen from sleep, but Jess always liked breakfast early. And I'd promised.The kitchen was quiet except for the soft noise of the pans and the low sound of the fridge. Jess came down a few minutes later, barefoot, wearing an old hoodie of mine she’d found in the guest room closet. She smiled when she saw me cooking.“Now this is a sight,” she said, sitting down on a stool. “Mikey in his natural habitat.”I smiled, barely. “I told you I got you.”She watched me for a second. “You didn't sleep, did you?.”I shrugged. “Did you?” “Like a baby.”When I was done, I handed her a plate and sat across from her with my own meal in hand. She dug in immediately, humming like she used to when we were kids, and Aunt Marie made cinnamon rolls on Sundays. It should

MICHEAL'S POVThe numbers on my screen blurred together. I blinked once. Twice. Still nothing. I'd been staring at the same email for fifteen minutes, maybe even more. I couldn’t even remember what it was about anymore. My fingers hovered over the keyboard like they forgot how to type. I leaned back in my chair, rubbing the back of my head. Ashley.I couldn't stop thinking about her. She'd been off lately. Not cold exactly, just…distant. Her smile didn't reach her eyes anymore. Her laugh, the one that used to hit me right in the chest, now felt forced. Too quick, like she was trying to convince herself that it was real.And ever since she ran into him, Ryan, she hadn't been the same. I hated that name. Hated that I even know it now. Could she possibly still have feelings for him? I shook off the thought as soon as it came to mind.I used to think Ashley was an open book, but now? It was like someone glued the pages shut. Each time I asked, She said she was fine. Tired, distracted, w

ASHLEY'S POV The restaurant was nice. Too nice, maybe. Low lights, soft jazz, white napkins folded like they mattered. Micheal decided to take me out for lunch because my tummy wouldn't stop growling earlier. And the minute we got here. I fell in love with this place. Now the issue is…I couldn't stop thinking about Ryan. Don't get me wrong, I don't want him back or anything like that, but why was he here? Why now that I'm in a safe place? I told myself I'd gotten the closure I seek, but that one look from him made me question everything I believed. Micheal sat across from me, talking about something….work, I think, but his voice felt distant. Like background noise in a movie, I wasn't really watching. I nodded, smiled at the right moments. sipped my wine like I wasn't screaming inside. But I felt it. That stare. That burned on my back even as I walked away earlier, but I pretended I didn't. I had to, and Micheal was there.Ryan.God, why did he still get to make me feel like this?