LOGINIt was the deep rumble. The way I felt it in every inch of my body, the thrill settling in the pit of my stomach. I tried really hard to push it out, to stop and just turn around. It was too dark. It was somehow too hot. “Get out.”His voice echoed through the walls of the room, settling in the centre. It smelled of him, concentrated in here. This was his space. This was home. Unlike the house in JAR that had bits and pieces of him, this was his entirety. And I was standing in the middle of the chaos. "You wanted me to take the job." I took a step forward, the pain ebbing away. "Although I don't mind quitting, seeing as the first thing you have made me do today is wait for hours when we have a whole city to get to."I couldn’t see. Not yet. But I heard the soft whisper of sheets, as if he was rousing. A frustrated groan followed and then silence. I would have thought he’d fallen asleep if I didn’t know him so well, if I couldn’t feel him in every fragment of my being. “You shouldn
“You know you want to,” Nita goaded, her feet now propped on the couch. “I know Jordan can be really annoying and honestly, it’s a wonder why anyone is still friends with him.”I looked at her. “Right,” she nodded. “Half of those friends like him for his status and wealth. And I think he knows that, but he doesn’t really care because his mom handpicks his friends for him.”“What?”“I didn’t just say that,” she said in one breath, leaning back into the couch like that was magically going to give me amnesia. “Forget you heard anything.”“His mom does that to him?”Nita angled her head and blinked. “Does what?”“What are we talking about?” Joshua was back in the sitting room. “I am still trying to get Marcus to go get Jordan up.”"How's your luck?" He was with two mugs of tea. He handed one to Nita and settled next to her with the second mug, taking a sip; so much for Joshua being the nicer cousin. Ignoring the stairs, I settled back on the couch, taking my phone out of my pocket and
“Marcus, can we talk?”We were in front of the Arthurs' mansion, and I was getting my suitcase out of the trunk. Apparently, they had a helipad on the rooftop of their building, and we were taking off from there. I'd only seen the possibility of that in movies and books. “If you are going to tell me how soft I am and how my feelings would get hurt because I accepted a job that I think could change my life, then I don’t want to hear it.”My mom sighed, coming to join me by the trunk regardless. The gates opened behind us, and a man dressed in a dark suit stepped out. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I gave birth to you, Marcus. That is how I know you are not in any way weak. You are one of the strongest people I know, and I am not saying that simply because I am your mother. You left home at a young age, seeking something that neither we, your parents, nor your brother had the guts to. You are strong and believe in what you stand for."I stopped fussing with my suitcase. “Then, why, Mom?”S
“Are you sure you are going to be fine alone?” My mom asked for the umpteenth time as she stood by my door, one arm on the doorframe and the other on her waist. “I could come with you if you like, or better still, you could opt not to go.”I glanced at her from over my shoulder. She had been on this for three days now, since I learned I was going to travel to Spain with Jordan, Nita, and Heather. A stranger would think it was my first time having to leave home. “It’s just for a couple of days, Mom,” I muttered, carefully folding in a pair of pants. “I’ll be back before you know it.”“But after that, you would only be here for the weekend before you have to go back to school. I have barely spent more than a few hours with you as it is.”I turned around fully, walking to her. “What is it?”She paused. “Nothing. I just…I just...”“I know you, Mom. You think something is going to happen, don’t you? Is this about me kissing Jordan?”She bit her bottom lip. “I guess I just don’t want you t
My father was waiting behind his desk when I walked in, and from the look on his face, it was a conversation we both knew I wouldn't like. His hands were clasped on the table in front of him, and a stern look settled between his eyes.Closing the door behind me, I dropped into one of the couches, making sure to put as much distance as I could between the two of us. The last thing I wanted was to hear whatever he had to say while standing so close to him. I didn't think my patience was that great."Good of you to join me, Jordan," he started, getting on his feet. "Surely, answering one's father the instant they call is now a fast-declining tradition. Maybe I need to get up to speed with what kids these days are doing."I watched as he moved to the mini bar by the left side of his study, right next to the rows of books. “Or maybe I need to be harder with you. I don’t get it, Jordan. What is wrong with you?”I wasn’t entirely certain if that was a question, because he said it so calmly t
The shrill of the alarm clock reverberated around the room so abruptly that, right then, it took a few seconds for me to realize where I was. “Urghh!” I groaned, rubbing my palms against my face. “What time is it?”When I checked the clock, I saw that it was almost midday. A few months ago, I would have panicked. My father hated it when I slept in after a night out. It didn't matter that it was a weekend. There was always some document to go over, or an urgent trip to be made. I’d forgotten what a holiday felt like. Until now. Yawning, I got out of bed and sauntered into the bathroom, brushing my teeth. I had already stood him up last night when my mom said he was waiting in his study to see me. I might as well stretch it for as long as I could.My part of the house had a little kitchenette, so I headed there first after brushing my teeth. The door was already open when I strolled in, walking towards the coffee machine. The pot was full. Someone had already gotten to it. A housek







