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"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫-𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐲." ────୨ৎ──── "You forget how hard it is to ignore someone who looks the way you do," He replied smoothly, taking advantage of the close proximity between the two of us. Running his large hands slowly down my arms before looping them around my waist possessively. His gaze drifted lazily over my body, lingering on the curve of my breasts visible above the low neckline of my tank top. The air thickened with anticipation as we stood facing each other, neither willing nor wanting to break the electrifying silence that hung between us. I tilted my head up at his tall frame before speaking, "How would my brother feel about his best friend checking out his little sister?" A dark chuckle leaves his mouth, Matío traced lazy circles on my lower back with his index finger. "Your brother left me alone with you, remember? So I guess it's fair game." His voice dropped huskier than usual as he leaned closer to me, his minty breath fanning my neck. He's toying with me, But it won't work. "That's not quite how that works." I respond, pushing his chest to back him away. He won't win against me. Will he? 𝐖𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐑

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 : 𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝑨 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅,𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒋𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍'𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔,𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆. Do you talk to other girls while being with me" "You don't even exist to me , but you know, if I'm committed to someone or they feel that I'm with them, I uphold the relationship with honesty and loyalty So, don't worry, as long as I'm with you, I won't talk to or even look at any other girl." I didn't respond to that because I liked what he said; I wasn't expecting such words, but I appreciate it. He rose to his feet and began straightening his shawl, perhaps signaling his intention that he is leaving. "You are going?" I asked him "Yes" he replied. "Arsalan please don't go" I said After saying this, I see him, who was gazing at me with an intense look, and he continued to stare at me for a minute. "Sweetheart I will be back in few minutes"

"Stop that." I jumped slightly as my eyes shot over to the familiar hulking form standing in the doorway of my bathroom. I always forget how tall Derek is until I'm standing right next to him. Or in this case in front of him. "Stop what?" my brows furrowed as I watched his reflection fully enter the room until he stood right behind me. His large hands rested on either side of me on the counter, trapping me between his arms. His chin hovered over my left shoulder as his forest eyes scanned my face in the mirror, his lips forming a small barely noticeable frown. But I noticed it. "Stop judging yourself." was his simple reply, but I know that something like that is easier said than done. "you're beautiful, red..." he leaned in further and I could feel his hard chest pressed against my back, making my insides do somersaults. "if you knew what I've done... the people I've hurt... you wouldn't think I was beautiful either..." ...... Alice Books has blood on her hands and doesn't believe she deserves a shot at redemption. A shot at love. Or a shot at life in general. What she did to have blood on her hands was out of self-defense and survival, but she doesn't see it that way and doubts she ever will... Until she meets the bad boy, Derek Wilder, who- underneath all the glares, tattoos, piercings, and leather jackets- is an absolute goofball. He sees Alice for all she's worth: Strong, beautiful, and not the cold-blooded murderer she likes to claim she is. He's determined to prove it to her no matter how long it takes- all the while fighting demons of his own. Will Alice continue to think she's the monster the voice in her head claims her to be? Or will Derek's demons ruin everything for everyone? ............... I will be uploading every MONDAY! ⚠️trigger warning⚠️ This story does contain ABUSE! so if that is something that you are not comfortable reading, I ask that you DO NOT READ! you have been warned...

"It's because Im in love with you" He says, with a straight face. Not even cracking a smile. I cant help but to laugh at his remark, staring at his serious face. Hes putting a lot into this act. He would never just admit it like that. "No you're not," I tell him after my fit of laughter. I pull at his cheek once before patting it with a smirk, "We just had sex," "And now I love you," He says, immediately after. "We were both desperate," I respond, finally deciding not to pay him any mind. I grab my rag off the counter top, wiping off the spot he is at and continuing down the bar. "I love you" He calls out as I get farther away. I don't react, keeping my back to him and ignoring his shenanigans, stilling scrubbing down the bar. "I said I love you," He calls out again, louder. I can hear his chair scrape the ground and I can see he starts to follow me from the opposite side of the bars. "Do you hear me? I love you" He yells over the noise in the bakery. -- "It's because Im in love with you" I tell him, seriously. "No you're not," He responds simply, "Because then you wouldn't leave me," "You know I love you," I plead, crossing my arms across my chest, "I wouldn't just do this to you, Tony," My arms are folded on my chest but I want nothing more than to wrap them around him and hold him for a second longer. He pulls further away from me, his hands raking over his face, before they drop in his lap. "You were using me," He says softly. Like a moment of realization hit. "No, I love you." I tell him again, unconsciously reaching for his hand for comfort for the both of us. He pulls it back, standing up and not giving me a second glance before he walks off from me. My jaw drops. "I said I love you," I call out from behind him. "Do you hear me? I love you," *** Friends and benefits could never hurt a childhood friendship. Could it? How far will this go? What is there to expect?

"So, let me get this straight," I looked at him weirdly, raising my hands slightly in exclamation. "You like me?!" I asked him in disbelief. "Like or like-like?" I really can't get my head to process his words at the moment. "Is it weird that I don't." He simply replied, his voice sounded calm but serious at the same time. "And for your question, I do. I do like-like you. Like, I really like you. To the point that you're the only thing that's on my mind everyday and I can't seem to get you off it." I was literally standing there like an idiot, slowing blinking my eyes in a slow pace, still can't believe what's actually happening in front of me. ______________________________ ( Partially Edited.) First Published: July 23, 2020 Finished: October 16, 2021

❝What happened to us. Why weren't we ever an item?❞ I asked tenderly as he fluttered his eyes open. ❝Because, Chris. You never liked me the way I liked you. I've never been in love until I saw you sitting on that Juilliard stage playing the piano, the biggest goofy smile on your face, because you're doing something you adore, and damn it. That's when I fell in love.❞ -In which two believers fall in love, but not at the same time. A story about love, heartbreak, and a whole lot of rock and roll.

❝𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄. 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒.❞ ❝𝐈 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔. 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐈 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃.❞ ▔▔▔▔▔★▔▔▔▔▔ He saw that you present yourself to counter how others present themselves. You gave them a side of you that you know they will respond to, that they will resonate with. So he changed his demeanor with you, became more comfortable, allowed himself to be more casual and treat you less like his mission, more like his friend. And he hoped that in response to it, you would address him more like you did with her. More playful, more teasing, more sarcastic, less careful and more you. That was his reason. And now, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮. ▔▔▔▔▔★▔▔▔▔▔ ↳ 𝘐𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘵. 𝘖𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥. 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙖 𝙕𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙮𝙘𝙠 𝒙 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 (𝙊𝘾) 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 1-  𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 2- ✕ 𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 3- ✕ 𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 4- ✕ 𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 5- ✕ ◈

"Trust me," I hesitated slightly. I mean, we were just good friends, me and Louis. Maybe even best friends. I knew he had someone of his own, just kept away from the public and the people he didn't want knowing. I knew who that person was, of course. "I want to be with you, Charles." "Okay," The gentle whisper had me pressed against his body comfortably. He pressed his lips against my forehead. "Is this too early?" "Not too early, we've been friends for ages," I mumbled, burying my head into his chest. "Alright then, if you say so," Charles forced me to look up at him, with the slightest bit of light coming in from the street lights outside. He pressed his lips against mine, smiling brightly. "I love you, Adley. And I mean it."

"Don't you wish you could see the world?" Ryan asks me. "Sometimes, I wish to see who I'm talking to! But this is how it has to be." I whisper, I feel like I could memorize his facial features. "No it doesn't Faith!" He whispers. "Why do you care so much? I'm nothing special, You'll forget about me?!" I demand, as I stood up about to walk away. "Because you intrigue me! I want to help you see me! And you've made me fall in love with you!" Ryan says. "No you can't love a freak like me! You can have better people. A perfect girl who can see and give you what you want." I say with a tear streaming down my face. "No Faith your perfect to me! You're a beauty in darkness!" He whispers, as he places a kiss on my lips. I wish I could see him...

"Like you expressed your friend, am I the one who make you feel those butterflies that you encounter in the pages of your novels?" As soon as he spoke, my throat constricted. Our faces were just mere inches apart. I lowered my gaze, unable to bear looking at him. With his finger beneath my chin, he lifted my eyes to meet his, his piercing blue eyes held me captive, as if I had drifted into their depths. He murmured, " I asked you something, princess." I couldn't help but reply, "No". My voice was a mere whispered, his gazed still fixed upon me. It seemed as, if he blinked his eyes, i might be vanished into thin air. He grabbed the back of my neck and spoke in his deep husky voice. "Let me see, how truthful my princess is being with me." With that he pressed his lips against mine, showing how much he craves for and I felt my legs weakning.... Is he really the one? ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ ᴛ ʀ ᴏ ᴘ ᴇ s: ✧ Age gap (5 years) ✧ Bestfriend / boyfriend bestfriend's ✧ Heavy breeding kink ✧ Obsessive MMC ✧ Forced marriage ✧ Past Trauma ✧ Dark romance ✧ Mystery ✧ Billionaire romance ✧ Desi x Desi ✧ Enemies to lovers ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ *Unedited* Read at your own risk