Chapter 1

Kelsey's POV

The roses hit the bottom of the trash can with a muffled thud, finally cutting off Tyler Olsen and Winona Carter's endless back-and-forth.

They both turned toward me.

Winona sighed and rolled her eyes. "There she goes. Her Highness is mad again. You deal with her."

As she headed for the door, she added, "I'm out. And don't forget you owe me for this."

Once the door closed behind her, Tyler walked over to the trash, pulled out the roses, and placed them on the table beside me.

"Why are you giving Winnie an attitude?" he asked. "The only reason I slept with her was because of you. If you didn't fall for me again every time I tried to push you away, I wouldn't have to use Winnie to make you give up on me."

Every boundary they crossed, every hurtful thing they did, was supposedly for my own good.

It was twisted and ridiculous.

"Tyler, I'm not going to fall in love with you again," I said.

Assuming I was having another fit, he crossed the room and pulled me into his arms.

"Babe, you never have to love me. It's enough that I love you."

He'd said the same thing when he first confessed his feelings to me.

Back then, I'd thought our love story was about to unfold. Instead, those words marked the beginning of an eight-year nightmare.

"Babe, you're so much prettier when you're mad at me," Tyler said. "I like this version of you way better than the one who was always all over me."

He pinched my cheek as if he were soothing a sulky pet.

"Let's go see a movie tonight. You've been wanting to do that with me forever, haven't you?"

I'd asked him to go to the movies with me six months ago.

While we were curled up together in bed, I'd playfully asked him to take me, and he'd agreed.

On the day we were supposed to go, I was happy all day. I did my makeup, planned my outfit, and curled my hair.

That evening, Tyler texted me to say he'd bought the tickets.

When I reached the theater, however, I found him standing at the kiosk with Winona's hand in his.

The moment he saw me, he held up the two tickets.

"Winnie wanted to see this one too, and tonight's sold out. You can come by yourself tomorrow."

My eyes filled with tears. "But you promised we'd go together."

Still, Tyler barely reacted. "It was just something I said. A verbal promise isn't some legally binding contract. Don't take everything so seriously."

I watched the two of them scan their tickets and walk into the theater.

A message from Winona arrived a moment later.

It was a picture of her fingers laced through Tyler's.

"That idiot thinks you've been way too clingy lately. He's worried he'll get fed up and break up with you, so he's trying to make you mad enough to back off. Don't cry, okay? And don't blame him. He's only doing this because he wants to be with you."

I didn't reply.

I didn't cry anymore, either.

From that day on, I stopped wanting to see a movie with Tyler.

His warm hand closed around mine, pulling me back to the present.

"Come on, babe. The movie's about to start. Afterward, we'll go straight to the beach house and stay up for the sunrise."

Tyler remembered every little thing I'd ever told him I wanted to do.

Eventually, he would even make those things happen.

But he just always waited until I'd finally stopped wanting him.

I pulled my hand free.

"We're done."