felt about her.
All I knew was that she was the person I needed the most at this moment.
Chapter 1
Bowe
The last thing I expected to encounter after dragging myself home from a band practice that lasted way longer than it should have was a heartbroken, seemingly devastated Archer. The only time I crossed paths with any of the Archer family was on holidays or during summer vacations when my parents dragged me to Denver for a couple of months each year. Since that one fateful summer, the amount of time I spent with my childhood friends was less and less. I loved my life in Austin and often resented being dragged into all the memories and relationships that made up my parents’ past. I was very much a live-for-the-moment type of girl, and I didn’t enjoy being pulled away from my friends and the interests I had at home. I’d skipped the last trip to Denver for Christmas, and I fully planned on staying in Austin for the summer, even though my parents had heavily hinted they wanted me to tag along for their upcoming annual trip. I was living on my own now and trying to make my own choices without feeling guilty or ungrateful. It was a struggle I’d yet to master.
I had twin sisters, Yves and Zola, who were significantly younger than I was. Neither one of them had stopped texting me and begging me to go with the family since I flatly refused. So far, I’d managed to stand firm in my determination not to make the trip, but if the twins kept hounding me, I knew I was going to cave. My mom and dad struggled to have more kids after I came along. It was something they were very open about. They were transparent with me when they decided to pursue in-vitro fertilization. It hadn’t been an easy process for anyone in our small family. It took more than one attempt before they were successful. As a result, my little sisters were often viewed as the miracles they were. We all treated them like they were precious and special. They might be the only soft spot I had. Or at least, the only one I would ever admit to.
The other tender, sensitive spot in my icy heart, I would rather die than acknowledge to anyone, but especially myself. Unfortunately, that secret spot had been blown wide open and was aching because the boy who claimed it was currently standing in front of me looking like a zombie.
Even as young children, Ryier Archer and I were always on opposites sides of any situation. We bickered endlessly and never saw eye-to-eye on anything. Fighting with Ry was as easy as breathing, and our endless conflicts, big and small, played a pretty big part in why I didn’t want to pull myself out of my own life just to play the reoccurring villain in his. We were old enough now; there was no need to force each other to endure the other’s company. There was no reason either of us had to suffer.
I didn’t have to let his perceived perfection irk me. And my absolute lack of conformity no longer needed to bother him.
And he didn’t need to be bothered by my blatant disregard of rules and regulations.
Things were never easy between the two of us, but over the last few years, while he’d been dating Aston Wheeler, they’d become unbearable. There were several reasons for the discontent between the two of us, but I only let myself think about them when I was alone and feeling particularly melancholy and introspective.
None of that mattered at the moment, though, because Ry looked like he was on the verge of tears. I grabbed his stupidly attractive face and looked into his icy blue eyes. It might be the first time since knowing him that Ry Archer allowed himself to show any kind of weakness or vulnerability. So, while a big part of me wanted to turn him back around and send him on his way, I knew I couldn’t kick him while he was down. Instead, I practically dragged him inside and situated him on my second-hand couch before he crashed and burned.
One minute he was looking at me with his broken heart bleeding in his eyes; the next, he was knocked out and oblivious to the world around him. I was stunned when I took a good look at his sleeping face and noticed he had dried tear tracks