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Jo hasn't heard a word from Jude since he left for therapy after they completed high school. Three years on, she decides to give love another chance. Just when she opens her heart to someone else, Jude walks back into her life. Do the feelings of old still exist? Do they matter anymore? Book 2 of Knowing Jude
"What will you give Eli for his birthday?"
I catch my roommate's gaze in the mirror before looking away. I know what I want to give Eli for his birthday. But I cannot tell her.
"You haven't gotten anything for him," she notes. "You're not going empty-handed, are you?"
I don't miss the accusing tone in Tori's voice. She probably has more to say but is holding back.
She has already bought him a present. I have no idea what it is, though. When she came back to the dorm with it, it was wrapped in gift paper and she maintained it was a secret.
"He did say we don't have to get him anything." I grab a scrunchie and tie one half of my curly hair at the back of my head.
"You can't be serious. The guy got you a box set of your favourite book series for your birthday. He only said that because he's sickening nice to you."
Tori is fond of reminding me of how Eli treats me sweetly. She also likes pointing out how blind I am to the fact that he likes me.
Elias is one of the first friends I made in campus. We got to know each other because he was friends with Tori, who has been my roommate since freshman year. But what made us grow closer is the fact that he's on the school football team while I'm a kinesiology major.
The football head coach is our exercise science professor, and he likes inviting the class to the field for practicals. We also have his classes in the Sports Complex, where gym facilities used by the school teams are located. Eli and I ran into each other many times and ended up becoming friends outside Tori's influence.
Am I blind to the fact that Eli likes me? That's impossible when the entire sports department 'ships' us together. As one of the popular guys in school, everybody is curious about who he's seeing. But since he broke up with his girlfriend from high school in freshman year, he has been single. We hang out a lot and many think we should 'date already'.
Besides public opinion about our relationship, Eli confessed to me. But even before he did, I knew. I would be lying if I said I didn't like him too.
It took a while to accept that what I felt for him was beyond friendship. After spending the past three years shielding my heart against romantic attachments successfully, my feelings came as a surprise.
I had known all along that he was special to me, and that's why we became fast friends. But me actually liking him enough to consider giving love another chance? That's another kind of special.
I tie the other half of my hair at the back of my head. "I have something planned for him."
"Really? What?"
"It's a secret." I ordered him a pair of cleats he has been coveting, but delivery has been delayed. Maybe they'll get here tomorrow. But that's not the only thing I have planned.
Tori rises from her bed and grabs her jacket. "I hope you're not lying. Let's go or we'll be late."
Eli's dorm is in campus, while we live about five minutes' walk from the school. As we walk towards his dorm building, there's an ongoing mantra in my mind:
It's tonight or never. Tonight or never. Tonight.
Tonight, I'm going to let go of what's holding me back and give Eli a chance.
Tonight, I'll let him go.
I've waited long enough. I've hurt enough. I need to get out of my mind and live my life.
When we get to Eli's dorm building, we head to the common room. While his dorm room is much more spacious than that of other students-a perk all members of the school's sports teams get-it's not enough to accommodate the party.
Eli is the starting forward of the school football team and undoubtedly the most popular player. Not only are his teammates going to be here, but crowds of admirers too.
We walk into an already busy room, with party music booming.
Tori squeals and bounces on her feet. "This is gonna be good!"
I look around, my eyes searching for a familiar face.
"Eli!" Tori yells and shoots forward.
I notice him then. A small smile covers my face as our eyes meet over Tori's head-she has rushed straight into his arms, hugging him.
I look away, suddenly shy. Out of the blue, my stomach is crawling with butterflies.
"Happy birthday!" Tori says excitedly as she lets him go. "Here!"
Eli accepts the wrapped gift with a raised brow. "What is this?"
"It's a surprise."
He chuckles. "Okay, I'll look at it later." His eyes lift to me. "Jo, are you going to just stand there?"
I approach, and he puts his arms out to pull me into a hug. I go willingly-excitedly-and press myself to him. He's tall and his chest is wide, and hugging him is one of my favourite things. He's so warm and cosy.
Someone comes calling his name and we pull apart.
"I've gotta go, but I'll find you later. Have fun."
I nod, and he walks away towards his friend.
"I'll get us drinks," Tori says and disappears.
I sigh and discreetly press an open palm to my chest. My heart is wilding out. Could he feel it?
"Fuck him already."
I startle and turn to the newcomer. It's Simon. I roll my eyes and elbow his side. "Shut up."
One of his arms rests on my shoulder. "No, but seriously. You've been ogling him since forever."
"Not true."
"Blah. Blah."
Tori reappears with two cans of beer in her hands. She hands one to me. "Hello, Simon."
He nods. "Tori."
She hooks her thumb over her shoulder. "I'll be with Kelly and the girls over there."
I snap the beer can open and take a gulp after she's gone. Only after I'm done do I notice the look Simon is giving me. "What?"
"Am I missing something?"
"Like what?"
"Why are you drinking so easily? I usually have to wrestle you to get you to take a sip."
I shrug. "This one barely has alcohol in it."
"You still always chose Sprite over it."
I want him to let it go, but he doesn't look about to. Knowing him, he has probably picked up on something. Whenever I'm busy hiding things from others, he always figures me out. I guess that's what best friends are for.
He slips his hands into his jeans' pockets and rocks on his sneakers. "You'll need something stronger than that if you're looking for liquid courage."
I swallow and stare at the floor. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Let's not fool each other. Come with me."
He grabs my hand and brings me with him. He leads me through the living area to the kitchen. There are kids everywhere. We come to a stop in front of a large collection of alcohol on the kitchen island.
"Now, look. I don't advise being drunk your first time. Knowing him, he'll not touch you in that state."
My eyes grow into saucepans. "Simon!"
"I'm right, aren't I?"
I groan and stare at the ceiling. "Yeah."
I don't know why I thought for a second that I could hide it from Simon. I've joked numerous times that I would go to him for advice when I finally decided to have sex, but when the moment came, I became too embarrassed. I was only going to mention it after the deed.
Now that he knows, I guess I can take advantage of his extensive knowledge.
I'm suddenly engulfed in a hug. His cologne assaults my senses. "Finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"
"Me to have sex?"
"No... I mean yes." He laughs.
I push him away. "You are shameless."
He arches an eyebrow. "You getting to this point means you're finally ready to be happy again."
His words tug at a spot in my heart. "I am happy."
He gives me a soft smile. "You know what I mean."
I nod. Yes, I do.
He rubs his palms together and turns to the collection of alcohol. "Okay. The secret is not having too much. You want to be excited but not drunk out of your mind."
I guess I'm really doing this.
Mari is running away from her abusive boyfriend when she runs into Stefan. Stefan, a werewolf king, has mistaken her for his destined mate, and before she can correct him, he bites and mates with her. Mari is happy enough with her newfound life as the werewolf king’s mate, but will her happiness last when his fated mate, who happens to be her long-lost twin sister, shows up?
“Is sex on a boat any good?” He went with her, an amused smile on his face. “Depends on the captain.” 💫💫💫 Amanda Lemaiyan's heart is shattered when she discovers her fiancé was using her to rise the ranks of her father's conglomerate. After a bitter break up, she has a one night stand with a strange man on her short vacation. When she comes back home, she finds out that the man she slept with is the new CEO who has taken over her ex-fiancé's position at her fashion company. Can she trust him when he says he's after her and not her company's fortune? *** Love woes aside, Amanda finds herself in the middle of family drama when her sister tries to take away her control over the fashion company. Rebecca has her eyes set on the family business empire, and she sees Amanda, who has always been the apple of their father's eyes, as her biggest competition. In the ensuing conflicts, secrets and betrayals are revealed that change Amanda's life forever. When everything seems to be working against her, will she find the true love and achieve the dreams that have eluded her so far?
"You're not the kind of girl I'd usually kiss," he says, his eyes latching onto my lips. "But I'll do it anyway." Then the cocky jerk leans in and kisses me. ____ Jude Walker is a troubled soul. As a little boy, he made a mistake that made him grow up with hate from his siblings and unacceptance from his dad. He is depressed, suicidal, and a bad boy. Ava Jo Hansen is a quiet girl who cares too much about others. She seems okay to everyone around her, but she has demons gnawing at her sanity. When their paths cross, Ava finds herself drawn to Jude's darkness knowing very well every step of the way it's a wrong direction to go. But she keeps on. Will it be a happy ending for them?
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"