❝ You make this messed-up world look so much more beautiful. ❞ Gathering me in his arms, he pulled me close -- his lips seeking mine hungrily.
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The only thing Summer Hale has ever wanted was to live peacefully away from her secrets...
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All my friends are heathens, take it slow Wait for them to ask you who you know Please don't make any sudden moves You don't know the half of the abuse — Heathens by Twenty One Pilots
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The warm lights were dimmed, and the ambient music accompanied by the occasional clinking of glasses turned down the volume of my thoughts. Gray and I were seated across from each other on the dining table, next to the french windows overlooking an illuminated infinity pool. We were staring at the lights as they faded from red to purple, my forefinger tracing the rim of the old-fashioned glass resting on the table in front of me.
It was only us in this massive villa. I proposed that we drink for the night. Gray initially refused, but he caved after a full three minutes of pouting and pleading.
"The Marchioness," Gray drawled.
I looked back at him and watched as he poured himself another glass of Johnnie Walker Blue. For someone who seemed repulsed by the idea of alcohol no less than an hour ago, he surely was enjoying himself.
"Not a horrible self-proclaimed title, but a tad bit dramatic," he mocked.
"That's an understatement," I noted in an equally mocking tone.
He scoffed in response as I gulped down the entire glass of whiskey, the liquid running down my throat smoothly. I faced the pool again and watched as the lights faded from one color to another. It was an appreciably peaceful night, a glaring contrast compared to the events that happened only a few hours ago.
"Why lure us to New Jersey of all places?" I mused.
Gray stared past my shoulder, his eyebrows knitting together. "If what I'm thinking is right, then I suggest we pay a visit to Mapleleaf Asylum tomorrow morning."
"Mapleleaf is located in New Jersey?" I rubbed my temple with my forefinger and thumb. "Now I understand why we're here."
"At least we're certain that this has to do with what happened in the past."
"You're right." I nodded, smiling coyly. "And judging from that diary, I must've been crushing on you hard. Brother Gugu this. Brother Gugu that. Brother Gugu here and there. It's freaking cringy."
