HEADING NEXT

RACHELMy chest wasn't supposed to ache this much, but it did.At first, I felt nothing as I watched him walk out of the room and shut the door behind him. The silence that followed was deafening. I didn't feel a damn thing, like I was submerged in ice-cold water and everything around me had gone numb.Then the ache came. A slow, pulsating pain in my chest that made me realize just how much damage he'd left behind.Suddenly, my throat hurt so badly I couldn't force down the lump sitting there.I lowered myself back onto the edge of the bed, one hand still faintly clutching my towel to my chest while the other dug into the small space between the mattress and the bed frame until my fingers curled tightly around the wood.Thane's face flashed through my mind again. I couldn't stop replaying the pain I'd seen in his eyes. The more I thought about it, the harder my nails dug into the wood.I sniffed and swallowed hard, but no tears came. Maybe this was the kind of pain people talked about

UNDERNEATH

RACHELI walked down the stairs to the kitchen and yanked the fridge door open. The warm yellow light flushed my eyes, followed by the cool air spilling against my face.I brought out a bottle of cold water and didn't bother shutting the fridge door. I'd already unscrewed the cap and brought it to my lips when my eyes caught the third rack, where a half-empty bottle of wine sat aimlessly.“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.Right there, my first thought was to grab the wine and down the whole thing, consequences be damned. It would probably end with me barging into Thane's room afterward, yelling at him or, who knows, even slapping him.When I was done, I'd probably feel so guilty I'd want to slap myself for slapping him.I sighed and lowered my head, giving myself a second to reconsider the terrible decision I was about to make.The second I lifted my eyes again, my hand shot out and grabbed the bottle.I uncorked it. A hollow pop sounded through the quiet kitchen.The next thing I k

SHUTTING EVERYTHING

RACHELHe simply turned and walked away. I shoved at Jay's chest, trying to go after him, but he caught my arm and held me back.“Hey.”“Let go, Jae Hyun.” I glared at him.His grip tightened slightly. “Don't go.”“What? That's none of your business.”“Yeah, it's not.” His eyes stayed on mine. “But it doesn't make sense for you to run after him after what he just saw.”He was annoyingly right. And that only made me more annoyed. Because for one stupid second, I actually thought I could go after Thane. But what was I supposed to say to him? It wasn't what it looked like? Except it was.I jerked my arm free from Jay's grip. Went quiet for a second before breaking it. “Listen.” I dragged a hand through my hair, lowering my eyes. “Uhm... let's just forget about what happened. It meant nothing.”“About what?”I looked at him, then quickly looked away again. “The kiss. It just happened.”“Oh?” He nodded slowly, his expression flattening. “Let me get this straight. I kissed you, you kissed m

LEFT BEHIND

THANE ADAMS“Sarah Princeton Adams?” The nurse asked with a small smile.“Yeah.” I nodded.She looked down at the screen in front of her, scrolling through the details.“What’s your relationship to the patient?”“Stepmother.” The word felt strange leaving my mouth. Not because Sarah was a stranger. She wasn’t. But she wasn’t my mother either. Still, somehow, saying stepmother made the guilt sitting somewhere in my chest twist a little harder.After a moment, the nurse smiled again.“Here’s your visitor badge.”I took it from her and headed toward Sarah’s ward. She looked peaceful in her sleep when I walked in.My eyes immediately landed on the small bandage beside her left eye. And just like that, I regretted coming back. I’d hurt her. That was a fact I couldn’t run from, no matter how much I wanted to.My jaw clenched, but my feet refused to move from the doorway. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to her. Sorry suddenly sounded too fucking small.That’s when she stirred. My han

ANYMORE

THANE ADAMSThe last session hadn’t ended well. Thinking about it now, I had to admit I’d gone a little too far. I released a sharp breath as I stepped out of the car and headed inside.“Hello.” Brittany flashed me her signature wide smile as I walked over to the reception desk.“Hi, Brit.” I forced a small smile back.“So good to see you, Thane.” Her lips quivered into that flirting smile I already knew too well. Most times, I’d have flirted right back. Not today.“Is Nancy in?” I cut her off before she could say anything else.“Oh, yeah.” She smiled.“Right. Thanks.” I walked away without waiting another second.After knocking twice with no response, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The fresh scent of lemon filled the air. I settled into the usual spot I took during my sessions. Water was running from the bathroom, so I assumed she was in there.Not even a minute later, her phone vibrated on the desk. I knew that sound. Her alarm. I let the first ring end, but when it star

CURIOUSITY

TWO WEEKS LATERRACHEL“Rachel!”One troublesome girl named Cassie yelled my name from downstairs.“Can we have the last champagne from the freezer?” Her impatient voice thundered all the way to the bedroom but I didn’t respond. She’d eventually stop if I didn’t.Whereas, I couldn’t help but smile as I checked myself out in the mirror. I had told Tiara I’d prefer my usual shorts and top, but here I was, finally giving in to a pink corset dress that somehow hugged my obviously grown curves in all the right places. My hair was curled into a wavy Italian style, and I better not even talk about how she managed to talk me into changing my hair color. I loved my dark hair, but staring at the blond ends now, maybe a little makeover for bunfirewouldn’t hurt.I was just finishing up when Tiara appeared at my doorway.“Ugh!” she huffed, leaning against the doorframe. “I swear I was going to drag you out myself if you weren’t done. Everyone is set except you. I really don’t wanna miss the bonfir