Unsuspecting
Welcome to Lavender Hearts! This is a new romance for Wattpad + Inkitt and an ode to a former fanfiction I wrote as a kid. This is more light hearted in comparison to what's past, formerly on Wattpad too. Keep your eyes locked in on the screen while you read. Aiming for 6 chapters at least—we shall see where this goes.
Copyright © 2026 by Mad Clover. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or places is purely coincidental.
•••••
Staring at the email, my heart breaks in half at silently reading the written words on the computer screen. How could they refuse to revert my book rights back to me? I grip my shoulder length, thick, chocolate brown curls—lower lip quivering at the heart wrenching blow. I'm seventeen, having learned so much more from two years ago. Why can't they just allow me my freedom?
Sighing, I drop my shaking shoulders, drying my forest green eyes of sorrow. I'm somebody who hardly got credit for anything and most people didn't want to read Chill of Desire by Mabel Broadbent pertaining to a slow burn romance built on whispers of deciet. Rereading my own title left me with a deep desire of my own to retrace my steps for a rewrite I was being refused by Riverspring Ink. I should simply give up. I close my laptop, whimpering as I went along when fever knocking comes from my bedroom door.
“Mabel.” The delighted voice of my best friend eagerly says as Angel Brandis idly strides into my personal space with no time for responding prior. He's eighteen, svelte, five foot eleven with grey blue eyes and short, caramel hair. He towers over me, immediately invading my privacy. “What's wrong? Why have you been crying?”
He's nervous about something, I can tell. I haven't seen Angel so fidgety since before my book dropped. I would be attending my final year of high school on a black and lavender cruise liner—S.S. Maple Lightning with Angel Brandis, Yasmin and London Baker along with a few other students. I don't bother to question the idea when I reach my mind. “Angel, why are you so pressed? I haven't been crying.”
“No worries...I just thought...a certain person popped in to make you cry nor am I talking about Liam either.” Angel voices, relaxing upon mentioning my younger brother by a year.
“Have you spoken to him since then?” I bring up a good question that immediately catches the caramel blonde panicking. I wasn't asking Angel about my sixteen year old brother.
“I couldn't.” Angel informs me, rolling his stormy eyes of grey blue. Him and I could have been the same person if I didn't know better. He's a nerd while I'm a loner and his…
“I can promise you I wasn't crying nor was it over some guy. I couldn't attain the rights back to Chill of Desire.” I finally give the explanation he would hound me forever for.
Angel was still anxious as could be, prepared to head to the S.S. Maple Lightning. He's gnawing on his lower lip, shaking his head. “Chill of Desire tanked for a reason...several reasons, Mabel. True or false, you shouldn't have written what you did. It hurt a lot of people.”
I push myself up, straightening my lavender tank top paired with my blue jeans, scoffing at Angel. “Chill of Desire had no reality to it! It was just a fantasy novel that could have been written better!”
Angel snorts, folding his arms to his chest. “So, you didn't sleep with—”
A resounding slap cut him off. He should have known better to ask a daft, rude question. My nostrils were flaring with such aggression I'm surprised I didn't burn the house down like a spring dragon. “I will not keep repeating myself to you, Angel! I did not sleep with anyone. Kiss? Yes. I haven't once kept anything from you.”
“I-I'm sorry, Mabel.” Angel weakly mustered an apology, wishing I hadn't taken it as seriously as I had. He cups his cheek while following me a little too closely from the bedroom, tripping over a sock on his way, slamming into me.
“Did you forget to watch your step?” I weakly groan with Angel pressing into me. I frown while he sends me a nervous grin, muttering a new apology to me.
“I was following your lead so it was hard to watch my step.” Angel chuckles, lifting himself to look at me before I shoved him all the way from my body.
It was bad enough for him to assume I was hooking up just because of a fictional book I wrote. I didn't need him to assume there was a possibility of anything more than friendship just because his body pressed into mine. Grunting, I brush myself off upon standing up, casting my eyes to the annoyed caramel blonde on the floor. “You are like my older brother, Angel.”
Whatever smile in his eyes dimmed the moment those words fell from my lips. His eyes danced across my body before his own words came out in a vicious tone. “You aren't my type either. I prefer blonde women with the busty—”
“Bite your tongue, blondie or I will sever it.” I warn Angel who smirks while I'm seething, wishing to strangle him. I wring out my wrists when Liam Broadbent opens the front door with wide emerald eyes.
“Liam, why do you seem worried?” Angel inquires of my younger brother who is visibly shaking.
“It's time to board the S.S. Maple Lightning so we should get going. I need several words with Mabel so we will catch up to you, Angel.” Liam says, using his thumb to usher Angel Brandis from our apartment.
Angel rolled his grey blue eyes, shaking his head at the utter disbelief of having to deal with Liam. “Are you wanting to talk about girls? My girlfriend and I—”
“Gross! I don't want to hear what you do with Mabel!” Liam sharply interrupted Angel who's face lit with a blush as I groan.
“Um, I'm not his girlfriend. He's talking about Paris Calvert. You'll meet her—she's blonde and from Canadia...” I trail off, mincing the last word by mistake. I shake my head of chocolate brown curls while Liam snorts.
“Now, who's lying to themselves?” Liam questions, rolling his emerald eyes while shutting the door behind Angel as quickly as possible. New panic found it's way into the eyes of my younger brother. “Chaz is spearheading the program!”
My hands rest on my waistline as I glare at my idiot brother. “I'm highly aware of our older brother being on board. Why would that stir a panic? I feel like I'm missing something.”
Liam snapped his fingers, forgoing earlier information. “He's also going to be on board!”
Excitement lit up my forest green eyes with me bouncing on the spot. “The cat that keeps jumping the U.S. and Canadian border is going to be on board with us? He's an adorable baby. I would love to meet him! Chaz not so much.”
Slapping a hand to his forehead, Liam wants to strangle me. He grips my shoulders slaying any excitement when seriousness is evident in his emerald eyes. “The guy you dedicated Chill of Desire to will be joining our class. Isn't he the love of your life?”
Fear struck me down as breathing became difficult for me. “He can't be...I don't want to see him ever again.”
“No one does. Not even Yasmin and London Baker who were best friends with him long before you ruined his life.” Liam kindly reminded me.
I should drop out while the getting was good. My brother shook his head, pointing to the door before walking from the apartment with me down to S.S. Maple Lightning where we boarded, standing around in the lobby. I sighed. “Why couldn't you just let me drop the darned class?”
“Several reasons.” Liam said when Yasmin and London Baker came into view.
Yasmin and London were twins, born seventeen minutes apart with Yasmin older. Her and London were my age, having taken a shine to me. She's got olive tan skin with piercing dark eyes, and shimmering, black hair to match. She could be stuck up, mean, down to earth and goofy which made her lovable. “Mabel, we didn't think you would make it!”
“Yeah, not after news broke of you know who returning.” London smiles, quite the opposite in appearance to his twin sister. His eyes were opal with short, black hair, a svelte frame compared to the petite frame of Yasmin with a lighter tan that had the boy freckling. He was five foot nine, still close in height to his high heel loving sister.
“I wouldn't quit.” I roll my forest green eyes at London who chuckles while teasing me.
“Liam is the one who wouldn't let you quit. I'm sure you wanted to ditch. Was it worth it?” London winks at me, partly serious by the end of it.
I can't keep dealing with them. I need space, wondering how attending a school on a ship would fare. “I want to ditch this friendship.”
“You can't ditch our friendship, Mabel. You will be stuck at sea with the ones you love the most.” London did what he did best upon joking, wrapping an arm around my shoulder while inching closer to familiar faces. He makes a promise to everyone present. “I will be keeping you clear of drama and bad juju all year long.”
To my ears, no other threat could suffice like the joke from London Baker. He's more of a fool than Angel—just not as nerdy.
