Hello readers. So it’s my first author’s note and what I want to say is thank you so much for giving this book a chance. It’s been a journey and I really appreciate you for not giving up on this story. You guys motivate me to keep writing and I don’t think I could ever thank you enough❤️
Ayva’s POVI spent half of the day arranging my closet and the other boxes that contained my belongings. By the time I was done the night had set and my whole body ached. I lay on my bed with all limbs sprawled out, staring up at the ceiling. A deep shaky breath escaped my lips as I thought of the event of the previous day. Had I been too harsh on him?Was that the reason why he never tried to call or text me after I left yesterday? As if the universe heard my worries, my phone started to vibrate next to me and my heart skipped a beat. In a flash it was in my hands and upon looking at the screen to confirm the caller ID, my expression fell. It was Olivia. I felt terrible that I wasn’t too thrilled by my best friend’s call. I hadn’t spoken to her in two days so I should be happy she’d called. I should be happy to speak to her but I wasn’t and that made me feel guilty. I tried to put a smile on my face before swiping answer. “Hey Liv,” I tried to sound cheerful, I didn’t want her
Justin’s POV“What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she’s still mad at me? What if she doesn’t wear the dress? What if she doesn’t like it?” I was a nervous wreck. I’d been standing outside Ayva’s apartment for over thirty minutes. I’d watch the time go from 6:30 to 7 pm and now, it was past 7 pm and I still couldn’t bring myself to walk up to her door. “Stop worrying so much,” Emily said to me on the phone. “Just go meet her, you’re late already. You don’t want her thinking you don’t keep to time.” If it were up to me, I never would have waited a day before seeing Ayva again. I’d wanted to call her the day before but Emily had been against it. She’d said “Give her time. Trust me when I say you’re the last person she wants to hear from right now.” Emily had instead made me divert all my energy into preparing for a date that I thought was too extravagant by the way. I mean what ever happened to sending her a bouquet and telling her I was sorry? Did I have to spend hours plann
Ayva's POVI lied, I wasn't hard to impress. I'd forgiven Justin since the moment I got the box and when he appeared in front of my door looking more attractive than the last time I saw him, every remnant of my anger melted away. The truth was I wanted to tell him that I wasn't mad anymore but I thought that'd be going too easy on him. I mean where would that leave our dinner and his will to impress me? And what if he did the same thing some other time because he knew I’d just forgive him again. Besides, I was having so much fun watching him stumble over his words and fiddle with the edge of his jacket. It wasn't often I got to see him nervous and jittery and so I wanted to make the most of that moment. I guess It was safe to say that Justin tried 'too hard' to impress me. Like he broke my impressing scale because tell me why he wasn't driving us to some fancy overpriced restaurant in LA like I’d expected but rather he was taking the road to the airport. "Where are we going?" I'd
Justin’s POVBy the time we landed at Santorini International Airport, Ayva was already fast asleep. She’d fallen asleep in her seat about seven hours ago and I’d had to move her to the room where she could comfortably sleep on the bed. I couldn’t fall asleep even though it was a fourteen-hour journey. I’d never been one who was comfortable enough in an airplane to close my eyes no matter how long the flight hours may be. “Ayva,” I tried to wake her, gently shaking her arm. She stirred awake, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked around, a disoriented expression on her face. “When did we arrive? Is this a hotel room?” She asked as she pulled herself to a sitting position. “No. We’re still in the jet.” I told her and she tried to get off the bed. I quickly caught her arm to hold her upright when she almost tripped on her feet.She pulled her hand out of my hold to walk around the room.“Oh my-, this is… it’s like a luxurious hotel in the air.” She marveled.As I wat
Justin’s POVI promised myself to make sure that I gave Emily all she wanted from me because, without her, I never would have seen Ayva look so happy. I never would have seen her smile so brightly at me, brighter than the morning sun. Who knew that a trip was all I needed to make Ayva feel like the happiest woman alive?We arrived at the hotel soon and after speaking to the receptionist and confirming the reservation I’d made online, she gave me the key card to the room, thanking me for choosing that hotel. “Just one room?” Ayva asked, her eyes narrowed and glimmering. “Would you have rather I got us separate rooms? It’s not too late to get another room if—”“No.” She quickly said, wrapping her arms around my left bicep. “No, this arrangement is perfect.” The room was vast and luxurious like I’d seen online. There was a large living room, a balcony, and a room. And like I’d wanted, there was only one king-sized bed in the room. There were so many things I wanted to do with her on
Justin’s POV“Can I have the key? I left something in the room.” Ayva asked just as we arrived at the reception. “I’ll be back real quick.” She said before running over to the elevator. I walked over to one of the green couches in the waiting area and took a seat, patiently waiting for her to get back. “Senhor,” a feminine voice called with a gentle hand placed on my shoulder. I looked in the direction of the voice, a look of familiarity shining in both of our eyes. “It’s you.” She said in Portuguese. Her eyes shone with surprise as if she never expected to run into me again after our little encounter that morning. She flashed me a wide grin and to be polite I gave her a small smile. She must have taken it as an invitation because the next thing she did was sit next to me. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to be polite. “I don’t remember getting your name earlier.” She said. Maybe that was because I told you what it was…“I’m Alexia,” she said with an arm outstretched. I must have tak
Ayva’s POVThere were two things Justin did that made anger bubble within me. Firstly, he was still sitting so close to the lady, despite me standing right in front of him. He made me feel as though they’d been doing something important and I’d ungracefully interrupted them. Secondly, the way she looked at him. While Justin had no power over the way she was looking at him, he’d given her the access. He’d let her be so close to him that one may think he’d gone on that trip with her instead.I wasn’t someone who irrationally got jealous or was against my partner interacting with the opposite sex but something about that lady’s fondness with Justin ticked me off. Where did they meet? In LA or somewhere else? Could she have been one of those girls he used to have sex with during his whore phase? Jace did say something about Justin going wild those two years I was away. Did they meet then?Her eyes scrutinized me and I couldn’t help but feel a bit insecure under her stare. I mean sh
Justin’s POV"I forgot to ask, how's Ethan doing?" Ayva suddenly asked, catching me off guard. I felt a mix of surprise and relief that she decided to break her silence. It was the first time she had spoken to me since we boarded the cruise ship.Gabriel, one of the staff members on deck, had given us a tour of the ship, a journey that lasted about thirty minutes. Throughout the tour, Ayva remained silent, not sharing her thoughts on the ship's ambiance and facilities. Even when I asked for her opinion, she simply nodded. There was no excitement or joy, unlike the previous day on the jet. Most of the time during the ship tour, she was engrossed in her phone.I blamed myself for the situation.If only I hadn't stared at Alexia as she left. If only I had been more mindful of where my gaze wandered.I had attempted to address the issue multiple times since then, but each time, she found a way to deflect the conversation before it could even begin.When I tried to broach the topic at the