Chapter 1 - The Summer He Returned
I knew it was him the second the doorbell rang.
No one else rang it like that two quick presses, no hesitation,Confident,Like the house already belonged to him.
It had been two years since I last saw Jayden. Back then, I was seventeen, all braces and baggy hoodies, tagging along behind my brother and his tall, tattooed best friend like a shadow no one noticed.
Now, I was nineteen. The braces were gone, the curves had come in and I’d learned how to hold a gaze without flinching.
And this summer? I planned to make sure Jayden saw me.
I adjusted the tank top I’d purposely chosen tight, thin strapped, slightly sheer and smoothed the hem of my sleep shorts. A touch of lip gloss, hair loose over my shoulders. Effortless… but calculated.
Let him see me.
I opened the door slowly, leaning against the frame like I hadn’t been pacing behind it for the past ten minutes.
There he was.
Jayden.
Six-foot-something of sun-kissed skin, sharp jawline, and that same messy hair he always pushed back with his hand when he was frustrated. His black duffel bag hung off one shoulder. A faint scar cut through his left eyebrow, making him look even more dangerous than I remembered.
His eyes landed on mine. And then—just for a second—they dropped lower.
“Amara?” he said, blinking. “Shit. You’ve grown.”
I smiled, tilting my head just slightly. “You say that like I was supposed to stay frozen.”
He cleared his throat, stepping inside. His scent hit first clean, masculine, with a hint of leather and mint. God, even his presence filled the house differently. He used to be just my brother’s loud best friend. Now he was gravity.
“You look… different,” he added, eyes fixed somewhere over my shoulder. Not on me. Definitely not on the fact I wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Yeah, well,” I said, closing the door behind him. “Two years does that to a girl.”
He set his bag down beside the couch like it was still his second home. And maybe it was. He practically lived here when we were kids. Video games in the living room, sleepovers that turned into weekends. I used to sneak peeks at him through the stairs.
Back then, I blushed and looked away.
Now, I wanted him to see me.
“You sure your brother’s okay with me staying, he asked, glancing around like expecting to see Daniel walk out of a room.
He insisted, I replied. Said you needed a break. A place to crash while your place gets renovated. Guest room’s all yours.”
Jayden nodded, pushing a hand through his hair.
God, that hand. Those fingers.
Stop.
And you,he asked suddenly, his eyes on me now—really on me. You’re okay with it?
I shrugged, walking toward the kitchen, making sure my hips swayed just a little more than necessary. It’s not me you have to worry about.
Cute,he muttered, following behind. Still got that mouth, huh?
I turned, met his eyes, and let my lips curve. “Oh, you have no idea what kind of mouth I’ve got now.
His eyes darkened for the briefest second. Then he looked away fast. Like he hadn’t just imagined things he shouldn’t.
My heart pounded. Gotcha.
He walked past me, muttering something about being tired. But I watched him, the way his muscles moved beneath his shirt, the way his jaw clenched when he was uncomfortable.
He was trying not to see me as a woman. Trying to respect some unspoken code between him and Daniel.
But something had shifted.
And I was going to push it.
Later that night, the house was quiet. I couldn’t sleep.
I got up for water, wearing a thin robe barely tied at the waist. I wasn’t expecting to find Jayden awake, sitting on the edge of the guest room bed, shirtless, elbows on his knees.
He didn’t hear me at first. I stood there for a moment, watching the muscles of his back, the way his tattoo curved over one shoulder blade. There was something heavy about the way he sat like he was carrying guilt that didn’t belong to him.
Can’t sleep? I asked softly.
He looked up, startled. His eyes landed on the open part of my robe, then quickly darted to my face.
“Amara…” His voice was rough, tired, conflicted.
You okay?
“I don’t think me being here is a good idea.
I stepped closer. Then why didn’t you get a hotel?
He swallowed hard. Your brother would kill me.
For staying in a hotel?
For looking at you the way I just did.
I froze.
The air between us snapped tight, like a wire pulled to breaking.
I smiled slowly, walking past him toward the hallway.
Then maybe, I said without turning back, you shouldn’t look.
But I hoped he would.
