All Chapters of Chasing the Fading Light: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

"We look so hot."I applied more gloss and twisted my hair into a slick bun, smoothing down the edges until they gleamed under the bathroom light. It was almost seven p.m., which meant we were running fashionably late to the club Jennifer's boyfriend had invited us to. Kyle was a dealer there, the kind who dealt in things he preferred not to name. At least Jennifer claimed to know what her boyfriend was really up to. The rest of us could only speculate."I am so happy you passed that test," Jennifer squealed, doing a little twirl that made her dress lift and swirl around her thighs. "Now I get to twerk on random men and make out with whoever I want."I paused mid-blush application, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "Don't you have a boyfriend?""Not tonight," she said with a wicked grin, then gestured at my outfit. "That look makes you seem dangerous. I love it."I glanced down at the tight skirt and low-cut top clinging to my body, then back at her reflection. "Is the top too revealing

Chapter ThreeThe park was empty by the time we got there, sodium lights throwing pools of amber across cracked asphalt, moths circling like they hadn't gotten the memo that it was nearly midnight."You brought me to a playground." I crossed my arms against the chill, not quite managing to fight my smile. "At eleven p.m.""Best swings in the city." He was already walking toward them, hands in his pockets, like he'd never once in his life been late for anything. "Trust me."I sat down, the cold chains biting through my jeans. He took the swing beside me, though it was clearly too small for him. His knees were almost pressed to his chest until he stretched his legs out, giving himself room, and let the swing slowly carry him back."This is childish," I said."But you're smiling, though." He chuckled, turning to look at me."I'm just cold.""You're smiling and cold." He nudged my swing with his foot, sending me into a lazy arc. "Multitasking. Impressive."We swung in silence for a while,

The first thing I noticed was the music.It was coming from somewhere nearby, soft enough that I almost slipped back to sleep. I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out where I was.Then the smell of coffee reached me.And suddenly, I remembered.I kept my eyes at half-mast, pretending the fog of sleep hadn't cleared yet, and watched him from across the room instead. Root stood at the stove in grey sweatpants and nothing else, back to me, hips moving in some small unconscious rhythm to whatever was playing. The kitchen light caught a tattoo on his shoulder I hadn't noticed last night, dark ink curling over his muscle, something I couldn't make out the shape of from this distance and fully intended to ask about later. He flipped what looked like an egg in a pan with a competence that felt almost unfair for a man who supposedly lived off takeout, humming under his breath, off-key but still cute.He turned with two plates and caught me mid-fake-sleep, eyes sh