(Book 2 in If I Could series)
"What do you want, Lily!?" he yelled, his patience on the verge of snapping. "You keep telling me you hate me but clearly you don't, you want me but you won't accept it either. You're stubborn and crazy and I- just tell...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Fuck.
Those golden-brown eyes glared at me as she snatched the fry hanging from her lips and stuffed them in, the ketchup lingering at the corner of her lips. I had to physically fist my palms, the keys of my Harley digging into my skin as I restrained myself from leaning over and wiping the ketchup myself. With my tongue.
A throat cleared from Lily’s side and I broke eye-contact with her, tilting my head to appraise the people sitting around her. The first I saw was Sully Taylor and he simply raised a brow at my presence.
I’d seen him on the night of Kyst’s party two days ago but I doubted he’d seen me. And even if he had, he had made no attempt to converse with me. And rightfully so, because in all of their eyes, I was the asshole who’d stalked their best friend, Vienna, while she had worked for me for a year. It was clear as a day that Sully recognised me; it was impossible for him not to because he’d already seen me after my transformation from blonde Ken to the grumpy, dark-haired Miller when I’d gone back to London to bring my girl back with me.
The memories of that night slammed into me and something akin to pain started at the base of my chest before I sucked in a sharp breath and looked away from Sully, my eyes fixing on the girl I’d known since she had been fourteen. Vienna Bell and I went way back, though I doubted she remembered me anymore.
I had been sixteen when I’d first met her; it was when she’d been fighting with the librarian for a copy of the book that was listed to be present but hadn’t been in the library on the shelves. I, in fact, had the book and had forgotten to register it so when I’d heard her eating the librarian’s ears off, I’d rushed to them and apologized. The little fourteen-year old girl had that fire in her eyes as she had rolled her eyes at me that had made me laugh. The next day, when I’d gone back to apologise to her again about the confusion, she’d been in a better mood and had apologised for being rude. We had read that book together and had become friends.
It was very easy; being friends with Vienna. Even though I had only been sixteen and a nasty fucking kid with a hundred tantrums and stubborn whims, I’d quickly learnt Vienna was quite my opposite; quiet, calm and satisfied with what she had. I’d only ever thought of Vienna as my little sister and had protected her from her ass of a father and her motherfucking boyfriend, Bernard Black, who had abused her. And then I had gone without any notice to London. Things at that time had been urgent and Vienna had already changed schools, left her father’s home and met Sully, who then became her best friend.
“Hey,” Vienna muttered and I stopped myself from going over there and enveloping her in a hug for everything she’d been through.
I only nodded, afraid my voice would break if I spoke. I greeted Savannah, Sully’s fiance and she smiled back.
But it was Lily’s voice that had my blood rushing. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, of course,” I said coolly, sliding into the seat next to her. “I need you.”
