Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
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SNEAKING INTO MASON'S HOUSE is just as easy as it's always been. Still, as I slip through the back door exiting from the garden, I creep as quietly as my sneakers will allow. Geon and Nari's laughter, followed by rapidly spoken Korean, echoes from their living room that's right next to the staircase. I pop my head over the edge of the stairwell to find their backs facing me as they rest along the sofa. Geon has his arm around Nari with his head resting atop of hers as their TV plays lowly.
I smile. As cute as ever. One thing I've always admired about them is how healthy and loving their relationship is. If it weren't for the amount of love and spoiled treatment I get from my own parents, I'd consider them my second family.
I creep up the stairs without making a sound, careful to avoid all of the stairs that creak. The same ones that nearly gave me away when I used to sneak out after secret nights here.
Mason's bedroom is the first one to the right and it's cracked open. I slip inside and seal the door behind me. He's sitting at his desk, clad in his usual black t-shirt and sweats, headphones blasting one of his favorite bands into his ears, mechanical pencil pressed against his reddish lips as he studies his homework.
My heart swells and the weight of everything I've been holding in all day crushes my lungs. Tears spring to my eyes but I suck them in and fill my chest with air. Stay strong. Don't cry. Make this easy.
I slink over to his side and reach out to touch his arm, but he sees me from the corner of his eye and jostles frantically in his chair. His dark eyes expand and he throws a trembling hand to his heaving chest.
"Sorry," I hiss, but his headphones are still in.
He rips them out. "Holy shit, Pepper."
"Sorry," I repeat.
"W-what are you doing here?" His eyes dart to his bedroom door and his shoulders relax upon seeing it closed. "Did you sneak in?"
I nod silently and fold my hands behind my back.
"My parents will kill me if they find you in here."
"You always say that," I whisper.
He's said it so many times and I still sneak in as easily as ever. He used to love my secret visits over the spring and summer nights. We shared so many intimate moments here. Me sneaking into his room after his curfew. Hours spent doing nothing but talking about our favorite things, dreams and hopes for the future. Arguing over frivolous things like who had better taste in music or movies and TV shows.
Nights he touched me in the most loving ways.
I miss him and he's sitting right here. My vision warps under a sudden torrent of tears. I miss everything. How can I miss someone who's only an inch away from me? Agony wrenches through my chest as I miss everything we had that is now lost.
