Nicole’s POVThe crash of my body against his was louder than I expected, a messy thud followed by the sound of his grunt as his back hit the tiles. But he seems like he didn't care about all of that, as it was like he cared about my own safety now that the die has been cast. In the promise, still trying to find balance, I noticed that my lips were lying across his directly. ‘Did I just just kiss him?’ I thought out loud.“Oh my God!” I gasped this time, scrambling, but my palms just slid aimlessly against his chest.“Nic—” Brad’s voice broke halfway between concern and shock. “What are you doing?”I froze. My chest was pressed against his, my knees braced awkwardly on either side of his hips, and his hands hovered like he didn’t know whether to steady me or shove me off.The worst part? Our faces were so close I could count the faint freckles dusted across the bridge of his nose. I caught the clean, woodsy scent of his cologne even through the damp steam clinging to my skin. My lips
Brad’s POVI made attempts to escape just to be with her-Nic, back at the orphanage after I was adopted. When I finally did, I was surprised that she couldn't even remember my face. Later, I found out it was as a result of the accident she had after I left the orphanage that wiped her memory. Before my adopted parents finally took me to New York in relocation.For years, that memory sat like a thorn pressed against my chest. I used to picture her face every night, wondering if she ever thought about me. To stand here with her now, laughing in my living room like no time had passed—it almost felt unreal.I was all lost in thought when I felt Nic tap my ear slightly. She must have realized I was a bit carried away.“Where did you go, you stalker?” she teased, her lips curling into that mischievous smile of hers.That smile. God, that smile could make any man fall in love over and over again. It was the kind of smile that made you forget the world outside the four walls you were in.For
Nicole’s POVAs soon as we left the inside of the bar while I leaped beside him, he backed me and in no time, we advanced closer to where I suppose he packed his car.He walked with this quiet confidence, like someone used to leading. His steps were long and sure, and it was as if that even the pavement trusted him.To be honest, I really don't know why he feels so familiar.“Where do you want me to take you?” he asked, calling my attention the moment he made my legs gently reach the floor so I could stand on my feet.“Oh! Right. So sorry, I wasn't thinking.”But deep down, the truth is that I don't want to let him know that I didn't have a home for now, as there was no way Rowan would accept me back into his house. He practically said that to my face.A lump rose in my throat the moment I remembered Rowan’s cold eyes, the way his voice sounded so final. What was the point? Besides, he made it clear that I meant nothing to him.It would be wrong letting him—this sweet, unexpected stra
Nicole's POV“You can try,” Brad said, barely flinching.The tension was thick, like one spark could set the whole place on fire.I was transported back to that place of feeling less—that place I didn’t want to return to. And just then, panic slithered up my throat, pressing against my windpipe like invisible fingers tightening with every passing second. My buttocks felt glued to the floor while I still sat there and my chest rose and fell in rapid bursts.I hated how easily fear crept in me. How it knew exactly where to hide, exactly when to rise.Something terrible was about to happen and I could feel it vibrating in my spine.And all I could think was—if a fight broke out, the bar would lose it. Definitely, someone would call security. Or the cops. And you know who’d be blamed? Me.The “orphan and loner girl” who caused drama at work.Just my luck. No last name worth anything. No family to call. Just me, the girl with a clipboard and a temper she kept zipped under her hoodie.And t
Nicole’s POV“What about us?” Rowan said, puffing out his chest like he was giving a post-game interview. “I’m a star quarterback. With an NFL career literally waiting for me.”His voice dripped with cocky arrogance, like he believed the lies he was telling more than anyone else did.I scoffed quietly, brushing glass off my scraped palm. NFL career? He wished. Even he knew deep down that Brad was the one now basking in the limelight and not him. Rowan was just flailing to stay relevant, and it showed.“And Sophia?” he went on dramatically, like we were all in some low-budget soap opera. He slid his hand over her waist and pulled her against him with the flair of a man who needed an audience. “She’s more of a woman than you’ll ever be.”I didn’t flinch as I just stared at him with my face blank.He looked to his group of friends like they were his personal laugh track. “Am I right?”“Hell yeah, bro!” one of them chimed, slapping the table. “Sophia is on fire!”“Facts,” another added, r
Nicole’s POV“Put the cup up.”“All right.”Rowan’s voice echoed from the far end of the bar, followed by the usual chorus of his teammates laughing like middle-school bullies on a field trip. I could barely hear the words at first, but I knew that voice.I didn’t bother to look in his direction. I was too focused on delivering drinks to the rowdy customers up front, trying to keep my smile pasted on. Inside though, I was exhausted. My feet ached, my palms were sweaty from the nonstop rush.Rowan showing up here? Of course, he would and probably would get back to me with regards to the humiliation he must have felt.I know that he wasn’t just here to drink. I knew why he brought his little pack of jackals because he must have wanted a show. Who knows, he came to watch me struggle and to remind me of just how disposable I was.“Okay, another round is here,” one of his buddies said as I made my way over, carefully balancing a tray of five foamy beers. But from the way they were holding