All Chapters of Second Life: I Choose My Childhood Sweetheart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

In my last life, I let myself get played by Zeke Fulton's good-guy act. I took his manipulation as proof of love and foolishly gave up a spot at a top university to follow him to some no-name college in the middle of nowhere.Zeke… Even now, I couldn't help gritting my teeth at the thought of him.All that nonsense about how he would love me forever and how he would treat me right if I left with him—every word was a lie he cooked up to get his hands on my family's money.The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. But just then, my phone rang, interrupting my train of thought. Speak of the devil—it was Zeke.I drew in a deep breath and answered. I wanted to see what he would say to try to fool me this time."Liss, today's the last day to submit college applications. Do you wanna double-check that you filled yours in right?"Over the phone, Zeke's voice was gentle and warm. If I hadn't already lived through this once, I would probably still be stupid enough to think he was pla

"Mom," I said.She set down her paintbrush. "Honey, you're up. Hungry? I can heat up the lunch the housekeeper made."Not that she mentioned it, I was indeed kind of hungry. But she was so warm, and it felt so good leaning against her that I didn't want to move. Besides, Dad would be home soon, and we'd have dinner together. I could hold out until then.Mom ruffled my hair. "Alright, alright. Go call Hugo over for dinner. Look at you, still glued to your mother like this, even though you're already a big girl. Honestly."Hugo? Again?Remembering how he'd ignored me this morning, my first instinct was to refuse. But then I thought about how he was always home alone and felt a little bad.After arguing with myself for a while, I decided to go get him anyway. Maybe I could also take the chance to ask what his problem was.I quickly straightened myself up and went to knock on Hugo's door.The door opened a moment later. He didn't look surprised to see me; he just turned around and

I froze, and so did Hugo. His gaze darkened, but he didn't push me away… or pull me closer.I slowly withdrew my hand and rubbed my nose, feeling a little embarrassed.Seriously, hand? Could you be any hornier? Have some self-respect!I gave Hugo a sheepish smile. "Why didn't you dry your hair? You're gonna get a headache."He didn't answer. He just went over to the kitchen island, poured himself a glass of water, and knocked it back in one go.I stared at his Adam's apple for a long time. He was so hot and sexy…The second I realized where my thoughts had gone, I honestly wanted to slap myself. I cleared my throat and said, "Uh, so… I, uh, wanted to talk to you."I moved over to the couch, sat down, and patted the seat beside me, wanting him to sit.Hugo glanced at me, then sat down on the rug by my feet instead. "What about?" His voice sounded as low and rich as a cello."About why you've been icing me out."He ignored that, picking up a game controller like I hadn't spok

Even Dad, usually the calmest one at home, got a little worked up. He said, "I'll call Edgar and tell him to come back so we can throw a graduation party."I took a moment to settle down, then grabbed my admission letter and headed next door."Hugo, look at this—my admission letter! I got into Joslin University's literature department!"I shoved my acceptance letter right in front of his face, like I was showing off some treasure.He couldn't hide how happy he was, either. He reached out and ruffled my hair. "Nice job, Liss. I'm really happy for you."Because of the good news, both our families decided to hold a combined celebration and graduation party in mid-August. Even Edgar, who was doing further studies overseas, got called back.Deep down, I was a little uneasy. Edgar and I had parted on bad terms before he went abroad, and I had no idea how I was supposed to face him now.Of course, that was exactly when Mom told me to go to the airport with Hugo to pick Edgar up. I was

It didn't seem like enough. I leaned in and gave Hugo a quick peck on the lips, smacking my lips as I did. It sounded way louder in the empty stairwell than it should have.I suddenly felt embarrassed, like I'd just gotten my brain fried by hormones and lost all sense.Hugo didn't give me time to cringe. His left hand slid around to the back of my neck, pressed down hard, and yanked me forward, crushing my mouth against his soft lips.Compared to my earlier peck, this was a whole different level of sexy. I took a second to really feel it—his lips were soft, plush, and almost like jelly.It was Hugo's first kiss, too. All he knew how to do was latch onto my upper lip, sucking, licking, and nipping at it. He was way too into it. If he kept going like that, my lip would split.I pushed at his broad chest, trying to catch my breath and say something, but he suddenly freed his right hand, wrapped it around my waist, and lifted me up. He pried my legs apart, hooked them around his hips,