Ava I tried to hide the mess quickly and haphazardly, but it didn’t matter; it was already too late. Chris had already seen the stained sheets and the look of panic on my face. For several moments, a tense silence hung between us as I stood there, clutching my ball of bloodied sheets with my nig
Ava Chris and I stepped off of the ferry for the second time in a week, and were instantly met with the hustle and bustle of the human world. Cars and motorcycles zoomed past, high-rise buildings stretched up into the sky, the sounds of street musicians and people talking and all the other sounds
Turning, I felt my cheeks redden beneath his gaze. “Oh, we should probably get to the hotel—” “The hotel can wait,” he said with a wave of his hand. He was already walking over to the shop door and pulling it open. “Besides, I like watching you try on new clothes.” There was no arguing that, I s
Ava When Chris finally set me back on my feet, I was too dumbfounded to speak. Here, in front of the flashing cameras and chanting paparazzi, he had… kissed me? Publicly? To be spread all over the media? I felt like a puppet in his arms at that moment. Even when he finally ushered me inside and
My voice trailed off, my words catching in my throat. Part of me wanted to tell him now—to rip off the bandaid, to finally reveal what Degas had warned me about. To reveal that I thought that maybe, just maybe, it would be the best to say goodbye on good terms now and look back on these past weeks t
Ava Smoothing down the front of my top in the mirror, I turned this way and that to get a better look at myself. I was dressed nicely, but still a little casual—as per Chris’s request. A matching skirt and sweater set, tall heeled boots, the necklace Chris had just given me, and I had put my hair
Anything to avoid looking Chris in the eye. He was going to such lengths to spoil me yet again, and… “Ava?” Chris’s voice suddenly snapped me out of my deep train of thought. Wincing a bit, I whipped my gaze up to meet his green eyes staring at me over the rim of his glass. “Hmm?” “Is everythi
Ava The cool fabric slid easily up my body as I slipped into the dress, my silhouette in the mirror all black elegance and old vintage glamor. I felt my breath hitch in my throat when I finally zipped it up and turned to look at myself fully. I couldn’t believe it. I felt like some kind of old H