Brooklyn Yeehser has always known she was a little... off. Not in a tragic, misunderstood way-more like, uniquely fabulous with a hint of chaos. She's smart, she's bold, and lives by her favorite motto: "Might as well let them see what real looks like." No fake smiles. No apologies.
Her world? Small but solid. Her job, her bestie , her pet lizard, and a dad who tries his best. With straight A's, a tight-knit circle, Brooklyn thought she had it all figured out. Life was rough-but it was hers.
Until he shows up.
The blonde boy with the stare that cuts straight through her. The boy who shouldn't exist. The boy who feels more like a glitch in reality than someone real.
From that moment on, nothing in Brooklyn's life makes sense. Secrets unravel-dark, forbidden secrets that feel too old to belong in this world. Her past isn't what she thought it was. And neither is her future.
Caught between two lives-one she's always known and one that's been hidden from her-Brooklyn has to decide if she's brave enough to keep playing the game, or if it's already been rigged by fate itself.
Because some buttons, once pressed, can't be un-pressed.
And sometimes? The truth is the scariest level of all.
Westlake, South Carolina. Home to Brooklyn Callahan, the best latte maker on the east coast. Or so her mom tells her. She's lived in the mundane town with two stop lights her whole life, never needing more than the beach, her record player, and three coffees a day to counteract her terrible sleep schedule.
Nothing interesting has ever happened to her and nothing ever will...that is, until one of the most famous, brown haired, green eyed nineteen year olds in the world waltzes into her work near closing and orders a black coffee. The ten minute exchange doesn't go very far, but with the whole summer ahead of him, Harry is determined to learn more about the first person he's met in a long time that didn't know his name.
Brooklyn has only known quiet, and Harry has only known commotion. What happens when they show each other the sides of life they've been missing, overcome trials, and experience heartbreak, all while learning what love is in the process?
EXCERPT:
"I'm Harry." He says, and I only furrow my brow deeper.
"Brooklyn." I say, even though I told him last night. "And I'm confused."
"About what?"
"You."
"Already? We barely know each other yet."
"Yet?"
"I said I had the summer off."
"...Congrats?"
He laughs. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to make the most of it in your little town you call Westlake."
Now I laugh. Hard. Almost a little too hard. And now I'm embarrassed. "Sorry, I just have no idea why you would subject yourself to that." I sigh.
"I'd like a little bit of nothing." He says, repeating my words from last night.
"I mean I guess there's nothing wrong with that...but why are you telling me this?"
His gaze averts from me to the window for a few seconds before he looks back at me and shrugs his shoulders. "Don't know. But I like you, Brooklyn, so maybe you can show me around."
- every chapter is based off of a taylor swift song, but you don't have to be a fan of hers to read! <3
STARTED JANUARY 2022
COMPLETED AUGUST 2022