// Best YA Romance in the Romance Fiction Awards 2021//
Thrill Hawthorne, keeping up to his name, lives his life on the edge. Or so people think.
Ignatius Rookwood is the darling son and the sole male heir to a gigantic business corporation. Or so...
The song attached is Hey Child by X Ambassadors because it weirdly reminds me of Thrill and Dray and it's both so painful and hopeful, I melt.
On that note, check out the Spotify playlist for Akimbo (link in my bio) and if you have song suggestions, drop them here; I'd love to add them.
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The first time Thrill was arrested – partly because of his own carelessness and partly because he was yet unaware about the workings of the world – he was terrified out of his wits. He could see the malice in the eyes of the cops, knew that it wasn't about the law anymore, instead he and the boy he was with, were prey to the two uniformed men who caught them. Thrill remembered how badly his hands shook as he bribed the cops to allow him to make a call, how long and torturous those minutes were as he waited for Quinn to come pick him up.
Over time, Thrill's fear for the police vanished. He began seeing them for what they were – crooks who could be easily bought with money. He knew his confidence came from his privilege, of course – when he was handcuffed, he knew a single phone call could get him out – because while he was allowed to go free, he knew of many people like him who weren't, who, unlike him, did not sit high on the food chain. It was all a game of money.
Yet, this time, as his lawyer approached him with a grim face, telling him how the top people in the police department were involved – people who couldn't be as easily and openly bought with money – the familiar fear he felt the first time he was arrested crept into him.
The police put Thrill in a holding cell. Much of what was going on outside was not known to him but he knew Mr. Mersden never left him alone, and if he had to, he left one of his assistants in his stead. The assistant, by the name of Banyu, even stayed the nights in the police station and Thrill wasn't sure if he was thankful or guilt-ridden for making him go through this.
The third day, around forty-eight hours since his arrest, Thrill was brought out of the holding cell and made to sit in the interrogation room where he and Mr. Mersden used to talk. This time, though, there was no sight of the older man so Thrill just took his seat and waited. His patience had really hardened over the last two days. So had the deterioration of his mental state.
Drayden never came to see him. Quinn did, despite all the mean things Thrill had said to her when they last met, and so did Caspian, but Drayden didn't. As much as it broke Thrill's heart, he was somehow relieved – he did not know how he would ever face Drayden again. He had yelled at him, punched him!! How could he claim to love Drayden when all he does is hurt him? In that sense, maybe this was okay, Thrill deserved to rot in jail.
And then there was Ignatius! Thrill could not believe Ignatius kissed him like that, in front of everyone. As happy as that made him, Thrill was scared of the repercussions Ignatius would have to face. That guy was so impulsive, it worried Thrill. Maybe he did that in the rush of the moment, but now? Where was he? How was he doing? Caspian assured Thrill Ignatius was with him, that he was okay, but... for how long?
