Nic Winter, who's cut himself off from everyone, is trapped in a constant cycle of grief and guilt. Currently, his entire focus is on his studies - his legal studies, his career, and again, his past. He swore he would never fall in love again, especially when she's an exchange student. We don't commit same mistake twice, do we? But when he crosses paths with Aneesa, an exchange student who's staying at his place, he's trying his best to stay away from her. No conversations. No connections. No friendship. No attachments. And love? A big no. But Aneesa had her own struggles and today, she stands strong against all odds. Would Nic ever be able to break his built-up wall around him when he learns more about t(his) new exchange student? Would he ever be able to lower his grounds and look at the things he's missing out? Would he find a hope at second chance and give it a try if love knocks on his door for the second time? Or would past repeat itself again? ******* His gaze dropped to my lips and slowly moved back to my eyes and I could feel the shift on air. I could feel his eyes turning deeper shade of blue. That burning gaze that could send me into the deepest spiral of obsession but at the same time keeping me rooted to the present to relish and admire the beauty sitting in front of me. "Trust me, I'd rather like to have you as fucking anything but friends."

A painful breakup pushes Kyla Evans to get into a fake relationship with the person her ex-boyfriend hates the most: Seth Everett. But what will she do when the game starts to feel too real? ***** Seventeen-year-old Kyla has sworn off love. After getting dumped all too suddenly by her longtime boyfriend Cedric, she becomes convinced that people are never really who you think they are. So when notorious playboy Seth Everett suggests that Kyla fake date him to get back at Cedric, it seems like the perfect plan... as long as she doesn't end up falling for him. Content and/or trigger warning: This story mentions cancer, which may be triggering for some readers. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]]