This is the tale of two souls whose paths intertwined by chance during their fledgling days of college. The boy, unremarkable in appearance yet gifted in intellect, arrived as a stranger in town to pursue his studies. In contrast, the girl, adorned with native beauty, belonged to the very fabric of the place. Their encounters were fleeting, serendipitous, yet little did they know it would ignite an enduring saga of shared anguish.
As days unfolded, the boy found himself captivated by the enigma of the girl, despite knowing so little about her. Unbeknownst to him, fate was already weaving its intricate threads. Just as he began to unravel her mysteries, he made a fateful decision to distance himself, unaware of her blossoming affection. Their lives, once parallel, now diverged on paths fraught with heartache and longing.
Thus, their story unfolds, a poignant narrative of missed chances and poignant regrets, leading inexorably to a denouement tinged with melancholy.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]