prologue

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

"What?" I ask. He brings his hand to my face. His fingertips brush my lips.

"What would you do," he says, "If I kissed you right now?"

"I'd probably push you away," I say, and huff out a nervous laugh.

I've never been a good liar, and Nate can probably tell because the corner of his mouth lifts into a smirk as he leans a little closer to me. "I really want to find out if that's true or not," he tells me.

I'm too frozen to say anything. I'm too frozen to move or breathe, really. Nate's hand snakes around the back of my neck gently. The rings on his fingers cool my burning neck.

"Relax," he whispers, and then he closes the distance between us.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Nate Miller left three years ago. Packed a bag in the dead of the night, snuck out the back door, and caught the only bus out of Woodvale, his wretched town.

He left Adya behind to pick up the pieces.

She had to console his grandmother. She had to bury her feelings for him. She had to deal with her addict mother. And when Nate returns, everything becomes more complicated.

Can they mend and repair the friendship they had? Can they handle if their friendship turns into something more? Adya isn't one to trust, not after Nate left; and Nate is cracking under the weight of his emotions. Is love too much to ask from either of them?

Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse