Here she is. I can see the slope of her spine through that thin shirt. She's made of angles I ache to smooth with a hand, but I'd use my lips if she asked. I brush her knuckles with mine. Her skin is cold, but she flips her palm for more contact. I lace our fingers. It's enough to make her look at me. As those kaleidoscopic eyes meet mine, I hold my breath. Then she sets her lips just under my jaw. It rips the air from my lungs. It's the softest thing I've ever felt. "What was that for," I breathe. She pulls back, lashes damp, and whispers, "You're the kind of person that should be kissed." 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 BOOK TWO C O N T A I N S : ❤︎ mature content ❤︎ romance & friendship ❤︎ yearning Copyright © 2021-present Laurel Montaze (immoralLaurel). This body of work (story, characters, ideas) is available exclusively on Wattpad. If you're viewing it on a different website/platform or under a different username, it has been illegally stolen. Please notify the original author. Cover art: me © All Rights Reserved

A bet. A fake relationship. Peyton Sinclair doesn't do romance. Ethan Maxwell doesn't do rules. So why does pretending to be together feel so real? Every look, every brush of skin, every stolen laugh pushes them closer-and farther from keeping control. It's just a game... until neither of them can tell where the bet ends and their hearts begin.

"𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟." ˖ ݁♬⋆˚𝄞‧₊ ♪˚⊹ 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙩 is a symphony of hollow bones and piano chords, starving herself until there's nothing left to break. She wants 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙮 with a desperation that makes her lungs ache, but she's terrified of the crash. She sees the boy drowning in a bottle and the hollow warmth of too many girls. To Katie, loving a drunk feels like a slow way to die, and she's already halfway there. So, she runs straight into the arms of 𝙃𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙞𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙨, Patrick's best friend. Hugh is safe but shallow; he likes her company and the distraction, however his heart doesn't beat for her. But 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 is a storm that no amount of alcohol can drown out. He's a wreck of nicotine and cheap whiskey, forced to watch the girl he'd burn the world for settle for a boy who doesn't even know she's shattering. He loves Hugh like a brother, but he loves Katie with his entire being. Every time he sees them together, it's a fresh cut to a soul that's already scarred over. He hides his shaking hands in his pockets and his heart behind meaningless flings, too cowardly to admit that his fear of commitment is just a fear of being the reason she finally breaks. He's the boy who wants her but can't reach her, trapped in a silence where the only thing more addictive than the drink is the sight of her loving someone else. It's the devastating math of three hearts that don't add up: a girl too scared to be loved, a boy too drunk to be chosen, and a friend caught in the middle who doesn't realize he's holding the only thing that could save them both. ✮ Timeline: 2003-2007