All Chapters of A Taste Of Him: The One I Was Never Meant to Want : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter 71Aurora's povWhat… what just happened? My brain felt like it had short-circuited. The words she said—“Now, you've lost me anyway". they kept echoing, bouncing around my skull, pounding like a drum. I could feel my heart thumping in my ears, loud enough that I was sure she could hear it too.Did I… did I cross the line? My hands trembled slightly, and I wanted to reach for the door, to stop her, to say something, anything. But my tongue refused to cooperate. My throat felt dry, raw.Layla, my best friend… I’ve hurt her. I’ve broken something that maybe can’t be fixed. The weight of it pressed on my chest, heavy, suffocating.I wanted to call her back. I wanted to explain, to tell her No, I didn’t mean for it to be like this. I didn’t know it would… it would… My thoughts scattered, tumbling over themselves, each one more frantic than the last.But she’s gone. The click of the door seemed to mock me, final, merciless. I sank onto the edge of the bed, my knees pulled close to m

Chapter 73Aurora's povMy house hadn’t felt this loud in weeks.Music hummed softly from my speaker, something light, something careless. Layla was sprawled across my bed like she’d never left, legs crossed, eyes bright, energy filling every quiet corner I’d grown used to.“Okay,” she said suddenly, sitting up. “Let’s talk hot guys girl. because I’ve been gone for weeks and I know Ravenwoods didn’t suddenly become boring.”I laughed, tossing a pillow at her. “Please. You’re the one that falls in love at airports.”“And every time,” she shot back, catching the pillow easily, “they’re fine as hell. Don’t blame me for good taste.”She jumped up and dragged her suitcase into the middle of my room. The zipper screamed open like it had been waiting for this moment.“Now,” she said dramatically, “the real reason I traveled.”She started pulling out clothes, one after the other. Dresses, tops, things that shimmered, things that hugged, things that looked way too bold for the version of me th

Chapter 75Jaxon's povI stared out the car window, the busy streets of London rushing past like the life I was about to dive into. I thought of the unmoving weight of my father’s words settling deeper in my chest.Son, the Kensington branch is yours now. You’ll head it. Finish your studies. Prove you’re more than scandals and mistakes.Mistake.That’s what they called her.I let the weight of it sink in. It wasn’t just a new city, a new school, or a fresh start. It was a war waiting to be fought—corporate, personal, internal. I gritted my teeth, thinking of everything I’d lost leaving Ravenwoods, everything I’d left behind, and most of all… her.By the time the cab pulled up outside the sleek building my father had arranged for me, my thoughts had hardened into something darker, sharper. I made a vow—quiet, deadly, unbreakable: I would come back for what was mine.London doesn’t feel real.I stand by the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment my father arranged, watching the city b

Chapter 77Aurora's povThis day came quietly.The kind of day autumn always brings—the air crisp enough, the trees shedding gold and amber like they were tired of holding on. Leaves skittered across the pavement, crunching under careless steps, and the sky hung low and pale, like it was holding its breath.It was the end of the semester.Layla insisted we make it a day. One last lighthearted memory before our final years. wrapped in soft knits and long coats—hers a cinnamon-brown trench with a scarf too big for her neck, mine a cream sweater tucked into high-waisted jeans, boots brushing fallen leaves every time I crossed my legs.Autumn made everything softer and prettier.I glanced at Layla, scarf wrapped around her neck, cheeks rosy from the cold. “So… you said this was ‘just a chill walk and some coffee,’ but I swear you’ve been planning some over-the-top stuff, haven’t you?”Layla smirked, hands in her coat pockets. “Chill? Me? Nah. I accidentally bought matching fuzzy socks fo

Chapter 79Aurora’s POVIt was finally graduation day.Finally.Layla had stayed over at my place the night before, because there was no way we were facing the biggest day of our lives without being together. The house was alive with noise—hair dryers humming, laughter bouncing off the walls, music playing too loud for the hour.We had done our hair together, sitting cross-legged on the floor, mirrors everywhere. Our moms had bought us different dresses—hers bold and dramatic, mine soft and elegant—and somehow, seeing them hanging side by side made everything feel real.We actually made it.Days before today, Layla and I had been counting down like little kids before a holiday. Crossing out dates, screaming “one more sleep!” like graduation wasn’t already knocking at the door.Layla flopped dramatically onto my couch, staring at the ceiling.“So,” she said slowly, eyes sparkling, “how about we do something… mischievous tonight?”I turned to her sharply and smacked the side of her head