Authors: Jasmine Carolina
I held on to Colin for dear life, my hands fisting his shirt as I sobbed my heart out. I hiccupped and I knew that I probably looked a hot ass mess to him.
God, I’d wanted to start off the summer before my senior year happily and with the boy that I loved on my arm. Instead, I was going to start that summer off depressed and with a broken heart.
Colin pulled away from me, then pushed my hair back and away from my face. He wiped my tears then placed his hands on my shoulder.
“Okay, Michele,” he said, sternly. “Are you done crying?”
I nodded lightly, eyeing him questioningly.
“Good,” Colin said. “Now stand up. I want you to go to the bathroom and wash your pretty face. Then go upstairs and get packed. You’re coming with Nic and me to Raleigh for the summer.” I started to interject, but he held his hand up to silence me. “Get packed, and meet me outside in fifteen minutes. I’m not going to let you wallow in self-pity—and also, you’re not allowed to bring any Dashboard Confessional music on this trip.”
I giggled in spite of myself, placing my hands on my hips.
“You know I don’t listen to them,” I said.
Colin cocked an eyebrow at me, then smiled.
“Given your current emotional state, I’m sure you’d be surprised at what you’d listen to with a broken heart,” he said, softly.
I stood up and started toward the stairs of my house. I turned to look back at Colin, who was stretched out on my sofa, his hands behind his head.
“Colin?” I asked, my hand splayed against the railing.
He looked up at me expectantly, his green eyes bright.
“I know what you and Nic are trying to do, and I appreciate it so much,” I said. “But I don’t know if it’s going to work. I don’t know if I can let go of Brody.”
Colin nodded slowly, but then he sighed. His eyes softened and I was sure that if he were close to me, he’d wrap me in another hug and tell me that everything was going to be okay. That was just so Colin. He cared about people without a second thought, and no matter what, he always saw something good in every person that he came into contact with.
“Michie, you’re going to have to. You know I love you, and Brody’s a good friend of mine,” he said slowly, enunciating every word of the sentence, “but he’s not worth crying over. He’s not worth losing your way and being miserable. So please, pack your bags, and come with us. We may not be able to heal you, but we can damn well try.”
With those words, I rushed down the stairs and over to Colin, hugging him tighter than I’d ever hugged anyone. I closed my eyes, thankful that he was my friend and that he was there for me when I needed him the most.
“Thank you, Westwick,” I said, allowing my tears to fall freely once more. I pulled away from him, racing up the stairs. “Fifteen minutes, I promise!”
As I made my way to my bedroom, tossing clothes, shoes, toiletries and such into a couple suitcases, I forced my mind to think of Brody and the hurtful things that he’d said. I forced myself to remember how devastated and heartbroken I was feeling.
“Okay, Michele,” I said aloud. “You can bounce back from this. You’re not going to let Brody ruin your summer. You’re going to Raleigh, and you’re going to have a good time. And you’re not going to let yourself think about Brody Durham.”
I closed my eyes, allowing one final tear to fall.
I was going to try to let him go, even if it killed me.
Chapter One
Stepping off the plane in Raleigh was like stepping into another world. Whereas in Harlow, people barely took a second glance in our direction, in Raleigh, everyone smiled and waved as though they knew us personally.
We’d been in North Carolina for exactly an hour and already I was loving life more than I ever thought I could.
Colin’s family came from a small town just outside of Raleigh called Big Springs, North Carolina. I had no idea what exactly Colin’s grandfather did before he died to make such a huge name for himself here, but I was going to make a point to find out before the end of the summer; it was all thanks to him that we were able to even spend the summer in Big Springs.
We were picked up from the airport by a driver named Finn, and treated to Starbucks upon our arrival. Nic and Colin were overly ecstatic to be spending the summer together, which, I didn’t understand since her parents had given her permission to move in with him before senior year started.
Me? I was just excited to be out of Harlow, even if it was only for a few months.
“So, are you telling me that we’re gonna get chauffeured around the state for the next three months like we’re some kind of Raleigh royalty?” I asked Colin, taking a sip of my white chocolate mocha Frappuccino. “Because if so, I can totally get used to this. This is the life that I was born to live!”
Nic laughed, feeding Colin a bite of her warm cinnamon roll as the car pulled to a stop. I reached for the door handle, but Colin held his hand up, gesturing for me to wait.
“Pretty much,” Colin replied, grinning. “But if you ever want to drive yourself somewhere, you can.”
I stared at Colin in awe as the door opened and a hand reached out for me. Finn, a man in jeans, a button down, and a leather jacket took my hand, helping me step out with ease. I grabbed for my sunglasses, pushing them up and over my hair, a startled gasp escaping my lips.
The house before us was an elegant, two story white cottage-style home with dark blue shutters. The wrap-around porch held an umbrella table with six chairs, and a rose garden sat in front of it. The grass was greener than any grass I’d ever seen in Harlow, and the fact that just the outside was prettier than any house I’d ever laid eyes on, I was sure that the inside was even better.
Nickayla’s expression matched my thoughts exactly as she wrapped her arms around Colin and walked toward the front door.
“Goddamn, Westwick,” I said, heading for the trunk and reaching for my bags.
“I’ll get that for you, Miss Michele,” Finn said, speaking for the first time. His Irish accent was faint but still incredibly sexy. I flashed him a smile, and he gave one back. “I’m told you’ll be staying in bedroom number three, overlooking the terrace and the pool?”
I nodded, assuming that he knew the place better than I did, but I couldn’t bring myself to follow him as he proceeded to carry our bags inside. I was just so awestruck at the sight of the house—the house that would be my home for the summer.
“Welcome to the Westwick estate,” Colin said, smiling. He pulled Nickayla against him by her hips and kissed the top of her head. “One day, when we get married, this’ll be our home.”
A pang of jealousy shot through me.
Here Colin was, already talking to Nic about marriage and a new home after only six months together, whereas I couldn’t even get Brody to admit that he loved me after two years together.
It was unsettling to say the least.
Get it together, Michie,
I scolded myself internally.
This trip isn’t about Brody.
Even when I tried to convince myself otherwise, I knew that
everything
was about Brody. I just had to stop thinking about him long enough to try and enjoy myself.
“Well, I love what they’ve done to the place,” Nic said, a wide, hundred-watt grin on her face. “Can I see the inside?” She paused, facing Colin head-on. “And don’t even
think
about trying to carry me over the threshold.”
They were adorable together. Over the past six months, I’d watched their love blossom in a way that I didn’t think was possible. I was envious of them, of how seemingly effortless it was that they were together. I couldn’t help but compare them to Brody and I, who had known each other our entire lives yet he couldn’t seem to tell me that he loved me; Nickayla and Colin had been together a little over half a year and they never passed up the opportunity to express their affections for each other aloud.
I watched as they retreated to the house, hand in hand and hopelessly in love.
I simply stood behind, leaning up against the car, too stunned to speak or move or even think, really. I crossed my legs at the ankle, pulling out my cell phone to check for coverage. As soon as I saw that I had full bars of service, I opened up the Facebook app to update my status.
Michele Alexandra Taggaro
My, we’re definitely not in Harlow anymore. <3
I posted the status, then typed out a quick text message to my sisters so that they knew I’d arrived safely.
When Colin had initially approached me with the idea of coming to Raleigh with both of them, I knew that it would be an easy feat to convince my mother to let me come. The more difficult part would be convincing my older sister Cecilia, who, for all intents and purposes was my guardian.
Our father left our mother when Cecilia turned nine. I was five, and our baby sister Aly had just turned three. He’d promptly served Mom with divorce papers and remarried before we even had to process such big a change. Dad came and saw us as often as the stepmomster allowed, but once they had their twin boys, it was a done deal and we were lucky to get even a phone call from him. His visits eventually dwindled down to Easter, Christmas, and our birthdays, and although we definitely took the worst end of the stick, Mom took the new adjustments harder than me and my sisters did.
She fell into a depression and began serial dating. Cecy stepped forward to take care of Aly and I without even a second thought.
Hey, Cecy. We landed in Raleigh an hour ago; gonna get settled in and likely take a nap. I’ll call you later. XOX
When I looked up from my phone, Finn was heading toward me, an easy smile on his face.
“Hey! Finn!” I exclaimed, pushing off of the car. “Thanks for everything today.”
He leaned against the car right beside me.
“It’s no problem, Miss Michele,” he replied smoothly.
Scoffing, I turned around so that I was facing him. I rolled my eyes, taking in his appearance. He was tall and muscular, his dark hair cut in a crew cut. His eyes were a simple brown, but they were warm and inviting.
“Please don’t call me that,” I said. “Call me Michele, or call me Michie. My friends call me Michie. And since you’ll be around the next three months I’m sure we’ll be friends of some sort.”
He chuckled lightly, crossing his arms in front of him. His muscles protruded even further and my eyes were immediately drawn to his arms.
“Okay, but only if you don’t call me Finn,” he said.
I was flabbergasted.
“Why shouldn’t I call you Finn?” I asked, morbidly curious.
“Because it’s not my name.”
“But Colin calls you Finn.”
He sighed deeply, as though this was the most irritating comment that I ever could have made.
“I don’t know Mr. Colin all that well; my father and my brother Callum know him much better than I do,” he replied.
Oh.
I’d just automatically thought that since he worked for Colin’s family, he knew them well. I’d presumed that since Colin had spoken so highly of Gerard, Finn’s father, that maybe Colin and Finn had grown up together or something.
“This is my first year working for the Westwick family. I’ve recently graduated from high school.” He paused, flashing that grin of his once more. “My name is Rory Finnigan. Hence the reason most people call me Finn. But I prefer Rory.” A beat ensued between his words. “My friends call me Rory.”
I flushed.
Oh, he was definitely flirting with me. I had to admit, he was pretty cute. I could definitely see myself having a summer fling with him if he was up for it—shit if I could get my mind off of Brody long enough to do so.
“Okay then, Rory,” I said. “So you’ll be driving me around this summer?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes lighting up.
“Aye,” he said. “My brother Callum has been assigned to Miss Nickayla for the duration of her stay, as she has her internship at Vixen. But I’m assigned to you and Mr. Colin for now. So I guess I will be driving you around.”
I smiled, sauntering off toward the house. When I got to the doorway, I flashed him what Nickayla would call a hundred-watt smile and gave him my favorite flirty wave.
“See ya around, Rory,” I said.
“See ya after,” he replied, raising his hand in a soft wave.
I walked inside the house, closing the door behind me. I grinned as I peeked out the peephole to watch Rory get in the car and drive off—most likely to park it. God, he was cute.
This was going to be an ah-mazing summer.
I flounced through the house, finding Nic and Colin in the kitchen. She was chopping up strawberries and humming along to Avenged Sevenfold’s
Nightmare
. She placed the strawberries in a large bowl, smiling when she saw me enter the kitchen.
“Hey, Mich!” she greeted, brightening. “Have you gotten the chance to see your bedroom yet? It’s really amazing. You have an en suite—only three of the bedrooms have one—and you have a
beautiful
view of the backyard.”
I shook my head, situating myself on one of the bar stools at the island. I could see what she was preparing. It was my favorite Mexican delicacy: fresas con crema.