In this book you will follow Lyra and her friends Aiden, Kai, Belle, Amina and Soren, New Yorkers in their early/mid twenties trying to navigate the tumultuous waters of adulthood.
When Lyra meets Soren her whole life gets flipped upside down. How...
"Soren?" Aiden beats me to the reaction. My face flushes immediately, and Soren just flashes me that familiar smile before turning his attention to Aiden.
"What's up!" Soren greets us like it's the most natural thing in the world. I guess it makes sense—he's the groom's brother, after all. But damn, I didn't think this through. Did something happen between us last night? I can't even remember.
Soren slides into the seat next to his brother, and they start goofing around. It's kind of cute, honestly, seeing them like this. He's wearing sunglasses, which looks a little ridiculous inside, but I get it—he's probably rolling on something or hiding some serious under-eye bags. Been there.
The brunch goes surprisingly well. Aiden, in typical fashion, puts on his best version of himself for his mom, and I find myself actually enjoying talking to his relatives. Every now and then, though, I can't help but glance over at Soren. Eventually, he catches me looking, smirks, and starts making goofy faces. I try to keep my laughter under control, but it's hard. I sneak my phone out and snap a picture of him, wanting to remember this moment. It's funny, and when I look at the photo, I can't help but giggle.
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"Soren!" His mom scolds him, making me laugh even more.
Aiden leans over, sees the picture, and flicks my forehead, but I catch the hint of a smile on his face.
"He looks so stupid," Aiden says, trying to sound serious, and I nod enthusiastically in agreement.
I decide to post it on my Instagram story—why not? It's funny. As I scroll through my phone, I see a few more stories from last night. Nothing bad, just some group shots of me, Kai, Aiden, and Belle. I smile, looking through them, but my stomach twists as I try to piece together the rest of the night.
Soren excuses himself to smoke a cigarette, and as he walks past me, he taps my shoulder. I glance up at him, and he gestures for me to follow. I smile back and wait a moment before excusing myself, too, pretending I'm heading to the bathroom.
Outside, Soren's already halfway through his cigarette. "Glad you came," he says, offering me the pack. I shake my head.
"Gotta keep up the 'perfect daughter-in-law' act," I say with a smirk, and he rolls his eyes.
"So if I offered you a Perc, you'd say no too?" He raises an eyebrow, teasing, but I shake my head.
"I can't risk it after whatever happened yesterday," I say, feeling a little nervous, and he just chuckles.
"Did Aiden tell you what happened?" he asks, smirking in that way that makes me instantly suspicious. I shake my head.
"Oh, well, I'll stay quiet then." He's messing with me.
"Come on, tell me!" I complain, but he keeps that annoying smile.
"You tried to kiss me," he says casually, and I can feel my face turn red, heat creeping up my neck. Oh God.
