To the two boys I like: Burn me the safe way
After a devastating car crash in England claims her father and two younger brothers, seventeen-year-old Elena Hart and her mother flee their shattered life for a coastal town in America, hoping distance will dull the pain. But grief doesn’t fade—it follows.
At elite Pacific Crest Academy, Elena collides with two opposites who both feel like lifelines and threats:
Liam—the golden boy with a gentle smile and steady hands—offers safety, quiet comfort, and the kind of kindness that makes her almost believe she can heal.
Then there’s Noah—Liam’s childhood best friend . Arrogant, bruised, and dangerously sexy, he fights in illegal underground cages, chasing pain like it’s the only thing that makes sense.
Torn between the boy who feels like home and the one who feels like chaos, Elena is drawn deeper into secrets, stolen kisses, and a dangerous pull she can’t ignore. One wrong choice could break her heart all over again or finally set her free.
Which boy will she choose when staying safe means losing the only thing that makes her feel alive?
Baca
Chapter: Distance GamesNoah didn't look at her once.Not in the morning when she passed him in the hallway. Not in English when she sat two rows ahead and felt the back of her neck go hot for forty straight minutes. Not when their shoulders nearly collided outside the biology lab door and he just—stepped around her, smooth and practised, like she was a lamppost. An obstacle. Something to avoid without breaking stride.She told herself it didn't matter.She told herself that approximately eleven times before first period ended.AP English was its own specific kind of torture. Ms. Rivera was still doing Gatsby—the green light, the longing, the whole exhausting architecture of wanting something you've already lost—and Elena sat in the second row with her pen moving but her brain somewhere completely else. Behind her. Specifically in the back corner where Noah was doing that thing he did, that total physical stillness, like he'd decided to stop existing in any way that could be perceived or felt or—"Elena. Wha
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-10
Chapter: FalloutElena walked back to the bonfire with sand in her shoes and Noah's warmth still pressed into her skin like something she'd never asked for and couldn't give back.She almost turned around twice.Didn't.The fire had gotten bigger—someone had thrown on more driftwood—and the group was louder, drunker, easier. A girl was doing a terrible impression of their Spanish teacher and everyone was losing it. Normal. God, so embarrassingly, achingly normal. Elena stood at the edge of the circle and blinked at it all like she'd just surfaced from underwater."Hey." Liam materialized at her elbow, appearing from nowhere the way he always seemed to. He handed her a drink—just lemonade, she realized, fizzy and cold, like he'd somehow known. "Where'd you disappear to?""Just needed some air." She took the cup. Wrapped both hands around it. "It got loud."He nodded. Didn't push. But his eyes moved over her face, slow, like he was cataloguing something—the flushed cheeks, maybe. The slightly too-delibe
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-10
Chapter: Breaking PointElena stood in the kitchen doorway, twisting the hem of her hoodie between her fingers. Claire was at the sink, rinsing dishes, the soft clink of plates the only sound in the house.“Mum?”Claire glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, love?”“I… was wondering if I could go out tonight.” Elena kept her voice even, casual. “Liam invited me to a bonfire at the beach. Just a small thing. A few people from school.”Claire turned off the tap. Dried her hands slowly on a towel. “Tonight?”“Yeah. It starts at eight.”Claire studied her for a long moment. The lines around her eyes deepened. “You’ve been quiet this week. Distant.”“I know.” Elena swallowed. “I just… need to get out. Breathe. Please.”Claire sighed. Set the towel down. “You’ll be careful?”“I promise.”“No drinking. No wandering off alone. Text me when you get there, and when you’re on your way home.”“I will.”Claire hesitated another beat. Then nodded. “Okay. But if anything feels off—”“I’ll come straight home.”Claire pulled her
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-05
Chapter: Forbidden PullNoah’s fist froze mid-air. Sweat dripped from his brow, catching the moonlight like shards of glass. His chest rose and fell hard, eyes narrowing on the shadow where Elena stood.“What the hell are you doing here?” His voice cut through the quiet lot—low, rough, edged with something dangerous.Elena’s mouth went dry. She stepped forward into the weak spill of the floodlight, heart slamming against her ribs. “I was… just passing by.”He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Passing by. At one in the morning. In an empty lot behind closed shops.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist, then reached down and gripped the hem of his soaked black T-shirt. In one smooth motion he peeled it off, tossing it onto the heavy bag.Elena’s breath hitched. She couldn’t help it. His torso was carved—lean muscle shifting under bruised skin, fresh red marks blooming across his ribs, old scars crisscrossing like a map of every fight he’d refused to lose. Sweat gleamed on his abs, trailing down th
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-05
Chapter: Cracks in the ArmorElena walked home from Pacific Crest under a sky turning the color of bruised peaches. The uniform skirt chafed against her thighs, the blazer felt like armor she didn’t ask for.She kept her head down, replaying the day in fragments: Liam’s easy laugh in the hallway, the way he’d waited by her locker after last period just to say “see you tomorrow,” the brush of Noah’s shoulder that still burned hours later.She pushed open the green door. The smell of garlic and tomatoes hit her first—Claire was at the stove, sleeves rolled up, stirring something that looked like actual effort.“Hey, sweetheart.” Claire turned, smile tentative. “How was the first day?”Elena dropped her bag by the stairs. “Fine.”Claire’s spoon paused. “Just fine?”“Yeah.” Elena started up the steps. “Tired. Homework.”She didn’t wait for the follow-up question. Door shut. Locked. She sank onto the bed, still in the blazer, staring at the wall until the light outside faded to navy.Dinner was quiet. Claire tried aga
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-05
Chapter: Eyes in the Back RowElena woke before the alarm, heart already racing like she’d been running all night.She stared at the ceiling, replaying the alley over and over: the crack of bone, the scar slicing through that dark brow, the way those eyes had pinned her for one frozen second before he vanished. She hadn’t told her mother. Hadn’t told anyone. What would she even say? Some stranger beat up three guys for me and then disappeared like a ghost? It sounded insane. It felt insane.She dragged herself out of bed. The navy blazer hung stiff on the closet door, the plaid skirt still creased from the packaging. She dressed mechanically—white shirt buttoned to the top, tie knotted too tight, hair pulled into a low ponytail. Every movement felt borrowed, like she was wearing someone else’s skin.Claire was already in the kitchen, coffee brewing, forcing brightness into her voice. “You look ready. Nervous?”Elena shrugged. “It’s just school.”Claire handed her a travel mug of tea. “You’ll be fine. They’re expec
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-04-05
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