2.8 | Miles Away

11 | eleven

A / N

I want to clarify three things, since some readers seem to take issue with the following:

1) Miles is NOT Kaden. If he were colder, harsher or even more manipulative like Kaden, then he wouldn't be Miles. (And aren't you glad that he isn't...?)

2) Darcy IS Darcy. Her narrative is singularly unique in that her narrative reads light-hearted and occasionally sarcastic. It might sound like a teen-fiction, but her development is anything but.

3) It's great to predict endings and everything, but to ASSUME that Miles x Darcy is/isn't endgame...???

Come on, let me tell the story. We're not even midway through.

x Noelle

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1 1

(the one without Miles...for the time being)

IN A SMALL town like Caverly, gossip traveled fast.

Woe betide you if you slept with your best friend's boyfriend. That piece of gossip would spread faster than the speed of light, and everyone would know about it within twenty-four hours.

I should know. It was exactly what happened to my cousin, Marcel, after all. When Liam Tulden had cheated on her with her best friend, Alexia Grant, she'd found out about it within the hour. Either Liam or Alexia had bragged, or someone had heard them through the walls. Whatever the case was, Marcel had stormed over to their doorstep just as they were getting dressed to give Liam a solid kick to his man-whoring balls.

The house of Evers had been sworn enemies with the house of Tulden ever since.

So it didn't surprise me that this town was all abuzz about Hale & Co. Most of it were false rumors anyway, and I didn't pay attention to any of them...

Until the day Ean came bearing dire news.

"What?" I nearly spat out my coffee when I heard him. We'd both shamelessly invited ourselves to our parents' for breakfast, because my dad made the best coffee in the world. And it wasn't a good morning without good coffee.

But coffee was the last thing on my mind now. "Hale & Co. bought over Blue Haven?" I asked, reeling from this unexpected development.

"That's right." Ean turned to Mom and flashed an unrepentant grin. "Your son's moving back in, Mom, now that Blue Haven's shutting down. So you best be prepared to serve him breakfast in bed."

"How strange." Mom's expression was serene as she buttered her croissant. "I was just about to ask you to serve me breakfast in bed now that you're moving back under my roof."

I ignored them and turned to Dad. "Is this even possible? Can Hale & Co. actually shut Blue Haven down now that they've bought it over?"

Dad shook his head. "Unlikely. Tenants have their rights. Even if a new landlord takes over, their lease doesn't expire and the terms of their lease cannot be changed. Maybe you should head down to Blue Haven and have a look," he suggested.