New Adult Contemporary Romance
Date Published: June 2, 2015
Jesse Tyler is the perfect mix of sweet prince
and bad boy…
He is also my best friend—and I’m hopelessly in love with him.
Unfortunately he didn’t feel the same way about me, and to make matters worse, he moved away in the middle of our senior year, completely cutting me off.
Now after a few years (and did I mention a new guy?) I am hit with the biggest bombshell of all—Jesse is moving back to town!
I know I should be happy, but I can’t help but feel a bit nervous about our reunion, especially since I never once stopped loving him.
Will things be weird between us?
Will we struggle to reconnect?
But even more importantly…
Will he finally feel the same way about me?
He is also my best friend—and I’m hopelessly in love with him.
Unfortunately he didn’t feel the same way about me, and to make matters worse, he moved away in the middle of our senior year, completely cutting me off.
Now after a few years (and did I mention a new guy?) I am hit with the biggest bombshell of all—Jesse is moving back to town!
I know I should be happy, but I can’t help but feel a bit nervous about our reunion, especially since I never once stopped loving him.
Will things be weird between us?
Will we struggle to reconnect?
But even more importantly…
Will he finally feel the same way about me?
EXCERPT!!!!!
“Are you kidding me? That place is expensive!” I exclaimed with a mouth full of food. Apparently, I had lost all sense of table manners, but of course Ethan was nice enough not to care.
“Well, it’ll be our fourth date and I was thinking—”
“Oh! I didn’t know anybody else was in here,” a voice exclaimed. I looked up to see Jesse’s shocked face. He glanced between me and Ethan and then back again.
“It’s okay, man. Just having lunch with Rocky.” Ethan reached out and tapped my arm.
Jesse’s lips tightened. “I see.”
Ethan smiled warmly, seemingly oblivious to Jesse’s judging eyes. “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before.”
I cleared my throat, nearly choking on a piece of lettuce. “Ethan, this is my old friend, Jesse. He just started working for us yesterday.” I paused and glanced back up at Jesse, who had backed his way over to the old fridge in the corner of the break room. “Jesse, this is Ethan. He’s…uh….we…uh…”
Ethan stiffened slightly, but never lost the smile on his face. “No labels.”
“No labels,” Jesse repeated. He opened the fridge and grabbed a dirtied insulated lunch bag. Realizing he had no choice but to eat with us, I quickly began chomping down my salad. Anything to hurry lunch along.
“Old friends, huh?” Ethan glanced between the two of us. “How long have you known each other?”
Jesse answered for me. “We’ve been friends since we were fourteen.”
“Wow, almost ten years. That’s impressive!” Ethan’s eyes widened in appreciation.
“We lost touch a few years back,” I corrected, stabbing into yet another cucumber. I kept my eyes focused on my half-eaten salad and didn’t notice Jesse quickly making an exit.
“Where are you heading off to? You can eat with us,” Ethan offered.
I lifted my head and realized Jesse was already making his way towards the door. He paused sheepishly and shook his head. “No offense, but I’m a bit of introvert. I need my lunch break to regroup…alone.”
“Understood, my man.”
Introvert? Since when?
“Are you sure you aren’t just sneaking out to take a smoke?” I asked doubtfully.
Jesse shook his head, but kept his expression cold. “I quit a long time ago.”
He stopped smoking too?
Ethan turned back towards me. “So, Carbanaro’s? Tomorrow evening?”
“Uh, sure,” I replied absently. “Why not?”
CHARACTER INTERVIEW!!!
Rocky: Well, I figured our friendship—if we can even call it that—needs a breath of fresh air.
Jesse: Fresh air? Seriously? Anything’s better than being poked and prodded about my life.
Rocky: *drops jaw* Jesse, don’t how old are you? Don’t be rude.
Jesse: Sorry, I’m just not comfortable with these sorts of things.
Friendship Counselor: Don’t worry about it. Well, let’s start off with something easy. Please introduce yourselves and tell us a little about you.
Rocky and Jesse glance at each other.
Rocky: I’ll go first. Um, my name is Raquel Rossi—
Jesse: You mean, Rocky
Rocky: Don’t interrupt. *Shakes head* But yes, I also go by Rocky—loved ones call me Rocky—I’m twenty-three years old and work at my family’s store.
Counselor glances at Jesse.
Jesse: Oh! My turn already? Well, let’s see. I’m Jesse—also twenty-three—I came back to take care of my sick mom and now I also work at her family’s store.
Friendship Counselor: So you both spend a lot of time together.
Both nod.
Friendship Counselor: Do you see this as helping your relationship? Or is the time together hurting it?
Rocky: *laughs* There’s nothing to hurt! He stopped talking to me about four years ago and honestly, I don’t know why.
Jesse: Sometimes you just grow up, Rocky. You see things for what they really are instead of the sugar coated fantasy—
Rocky: Sugar coated? What the hell are you talking about?
Jesse: What did you say about interrupting?
Friendship Counselor: Well, it looks like we’re getting somewhere. Um, Jesse can you explain what ‘reality’ is to you
Jesse: I’m not comfortable enough to say
Rocky: Really? You’re going to pull that card
Jesse: What do you want from me Rocky?
Rocky: I…
Friendship Counselor: Is it possible there’s something else going on here? Any romantic feelings between you two?
*Silence*
Thanks to her Mom’s unwavering devotion to read
a bedtime story to her every single night throughout her childhood years,
S. BRIONES LIM’s love for books began before she could even speak.
Raised in Southern California, Author S.
Briones Lim initially dreamt of becoming an artist and/ or Book Author. A
Psychology Degree (Summa cum Laude), a stint in Art School, and a career in
Advertising/Media later, she is finally delving back into her first love –
books. As a self- renowned bookworm, S. Briones Lim’s love for books has inspired
her to pen her own novels and hopes her readers will fall in love with her
stories as much as she enjoyed writing them.
Author of the Amazon Bestselling novel, Caught
Inside, S. Briones Lim’s other obsessions include time with family,
POPCORN, watching movies and her dogs, Tobi and Roscoe. She currently
lives on the East Coast with her husband and continues to write every day.
Contact Information
Website:
sbrioneslimauthor.wordpress.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/sbrioneslim and facebook.com/authorsbrioneslim
Twitter:
@sbrioneslim
Purchase Links
Amazon:
Barnes and
Noble: http://bit.ly/1fcW2A5
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