#18 in TeenFic [prev titled "The Way We Almost Were" ••• ❝Don't,❞ he pleaded softly, offering her a tiny smile, ❝please don't make me a promise you will never be able to keep.❞ He released a quiet but deep breath, leaning forward even more, tilting his body towards her, until their noses were merely inches apart. ❝You are so, so beautiful, Bree,❞ he told her in a hushed voice, as if afraid someone was going to hear. He lifted his hand, trailed a single knuckle down the side of her temple, her cheek, her jaw, ❝you have so much good inside you, it makes me want to grab onto you with all that I have, because I need good, Bree, I need to know good. To see good. To believe in good,❞ he breathed shakily, ❝but all the goodness in you cannot defeat the monsters that walk in broad daylight. Monsters like Chase, like Alec, like...❞ He squeezed his eyes shut tight, closing the distance and resting his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses pressed against one another. ❝They'll get away. Monsters always do.❞ Bree swallowed past the lump in her throat, fought against the need to tilt her face and brush her lips against his, and instead, turned her head to kiss the corner of his mouth, where his upper and bottom lip met. ❝They don't always get away,❞ she whispered into his skin, sealing the vow with another soft kiss, ❝but until you learn to believe that, I'll fight them for you.❞ ••• In which Nick Fraser, the boy who'd grown up seeing monsters, believes he will spend the rest of his life running away from them... but then meets Bree Salvare, the girl with laughing brown eyes who makes him want to pause, take a deep breath, and stay instead. ••• ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©LITERALIGHT

[ A WATTPAD FEATURED STORY ] → #2 in Teen Fiction ••• ❝You're frowning,❞ he murmured, tapping his forefinger on one corner of her mouth. ❝I hate it when you frown. It makes me want to tear to pieces whatever has upset you.❞ ❝Then tear down that armour, Asa,❞ she told him, leaning her face into his palm because it was starting to feel like home and it terrified her, but also brought her peace. ❝Tear away that outer skin and wear the one you were born with like its gold, because it is.❞ She brought up her free hand to cover his one that was holding her face. ❝Because right now, that is what's upsetting me.❞ ••• In which Asa San Román, popular swimming champion of Reichenbach High, is afraid his looks are all that he'll be liked for... but then meets Carmen West, the girl with midnight hair and thundercloud eyes, who reminds him that beauty is soul-deep instead. ••• **Please note that only half the book is currently available on Wattpad. Chapter 39 onwards is unpublished due to copyright reasons now that TYE is an officially published paperback & ebook**

" He kisses my wrist, at the spot where the bruises formed. My heart goes into overdrive, sending hot chills all over my body. I stumble in my tracks, gawking, open-mouthed. 'Something wrong?' Archer asks, a hint of a smirk nudging his lips. I shake my head. The smirk widens, but he says nothing and we go on. " xxx Peyton's ex-boyfriend has scarred her for life. She vows never to date somebody that is: a) good-looking b) popular c) flirtatious It's too bad that Archer Raine fits all of those things. It's even worse that he lives right next door.