1. Gianna

“Yeah, drop me right there.” I point at my apartment building in front while the cab driver nods.

I let out a sigh, eager to get home as soon as possible. For the past week, Ive been bombarded by deadlines and projects that need to be submitted the day after tomorrow. It doesnt help that Im still racking my brain for the best way to conclude the last segment of my design. And even though my colleagues have invited me for a hangout tonight, my plan is to hit the sack.

“Thanks,” I say to the driver as his car stops in front of my apartment. I step out after paying him.

The mansion in front of me catches my attention.

The mansion has been uninhabited for the past five years that I’ve lived in this neighborhood. But currently, there are trucks packed in the compound, the gate ajar, and hefty men carrying boxes inside.

Through the open window of the mansion, I see a man with his back turned to me. His white silk shirt hugs his broad shoulders. I find myself transfixed as I watch long fingers slowly undo the button cuffs of his shirt.

A man walks into the room which snaps me back to reality. My face heats up, and I quickly look away.

I facepalm myself. What on earth is wrong with you, Gianna? When did you become a creep?

Against my better judgment, my eyes drift back to the man in the white shirt. Suddenly, he turns, and my eyes catch on his hard chest through his unbuttoned shirt. There’s a hint of a tattoo on his chest, but I cant make out what it is from where Im standing.

My eyes draw up from his chest, and his lips pull up in a smirk to meet a pair of amused green eyes. My heart stops as I recognize the man I have been staring at.

Chris White, my best friend’s brother and the man who broke my fifteen-year-old heart. This is the first time I have seen him since that unfortunate day eight years ago. I had made sure to avoid him since that day, which was successful even though my best friend, Nala, was his sister.

I quickly turn away as the embarrassment creeps up on me.

“Gianna, is that you?” I hear a familiar voice call, but I ignore it.

I hasten my steps, wanting to get to my room as soon as possible so I can scream into my pillow.

“Gianna Hermosa?”

I freeze at the mention of my full name. Having no other choice, I turn to see who the person calling me is. The tall, dashing man looks oddly familiar. He breaks into a grin as our eyes meet. “I knew it. I just knew it was you.”

I blink confusedly at him, trying to place his face. “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to?—”

“Its me, Luke, Luke Martin. Your shoulder to cry on, remember? I cant believe my little one doesn’t remember me.”

“Oh my god!” I exclaim, jumping into his arms unexpectedly, almost making him fall backward. His hands wrap around my waist by instinct, steadying me.

I cant believe Im embracing Luke, Chris’s best friend and my knight in shining armor. His natural black hair has been dyed blonde and shaved at each side. That’s why I didn’t recognize him immediately.

“Im so sorry. I should have known it was you.” I slowly pull out of his arms.

“Its fine. Its quite understandable since we havent seen each other in years.” He grins, shaking his head. “So what are you doing here?” he asks, and I point at my decently sized apartment in a modest flat.

“I live there,” I respond.

His eyes widen and his mouth opens slightly. It makes me wonder if theres something wrong with my apartment. He looks at me then at my apartment and back to me. “You live here?”

I nod, wondering why its so shocking.

“This world is truly small. This is quite funny,” he says with a slight chuckle. “Chris is your new neighbor.”

Its like ice cold water had been splashed on me. I couldnt have heard him correctly. It cant be. It just cant be. He has to be joking.

“Gianna, are you okay?” Luke asks, his dark eyes reflecting concern.

I force a smile to reassure him, but I am interrupted by another voice.

“Luke, what are you up to? I need you here.”

I freeze, downright refusing to turn around, if only to postpone the inevitable. I recognize that voice. Oh, I recognize it well. There’s no place to hide. I can’t run. I can’t pretend I don’t know him or notice him. Not with Luke here.

So I close my eyes, preparing for the inevitable.

“Chris, you wont believe who your neighbor is,” I hear Luke say, and the sound of approaching footsteps increases my heart rate.

“Who?” that voice replies.

The familiar scent of Bergamot and Cedarwood infiltrates the air.

I open my eyes, and all my fears are confirmed. Before me stands the man I loathe, Chris White.

He still looks the same, just more mature in his looks. He always looked good. Even when we were lounging around in his house back in Georgia in casual clothes, he somehow managed to pull off an effortless classiness that I always envied.

But now, his silk shirt is buttoned up, hiding his abs, which made my mouth water. Soft black hair cascades down his forehead, styled into utter perfection. A chiseled jaw, high cheekbones and dewy skin, somehow contrasting with the harsh, almost disinterested, look in his eyes and the downward pull of his mouth.

My stomach lurches, but Im not sure if its because of my hate for him or a reaction to this godlike creature in front of me. There are alarms going off left and right inside of my mind at the same time, telling me to run. Run like I had done eight years ago on the day that Chris turned me down pathetically. But I can’t, not anymore.

His eyes meet mine and they widen ever so slightly. Then the corner of his mouth quirks up and he stretches forth his hand. “Hi, Im Chris. Your new neighbor.”

I stare blankly at his outstretched hand.

Luke slaps his arm and chuckles. “Dont you recognize Gianna? Gianna, your sisters soulmate?”

I see the recognition slowly fill his green eyes, and he smirked. I bite back a snort. Of course, he wouldnt recognize me immediately. I was too insignificant for him then, and I still am now.

“Gianna,” his deep baritone voice repeats.

Its been so long since Ive heard his voice or heard him say my name. My stomach feels a little funny, and my head is swimming. I need something to calm the beating of my heart. This is not how I envisioned my evening.

“Nala mentioned that you live in Malibu, but I never thought I would get to see you or end up being your neighbor,” Chris offered.

A sharp indignation shot through me. I scoff, and he raises his eyebrow at my reaction. “How unfortunate that we met like this or even had to meet at all. I will get out of your hair now.”

He frowns, looking confused. I look at Luke, whose mouth is slightly open and in shock.

“I have to go. It was nice seeing you, Luke.” I walk away as fast as I can, ignoring my racing heart. I hastily open my door and close it with my back resting against it. I perform a breathing exercise to calm my racing heart.

Chris is my neighbor?It seems so ridiculous but it’s my new reality. The reality I have to live with from now on. The reality that I will be seeing the man who cruelly rejected me years ago everyday.

I sink to the floor as the memory of that day eight years ago brushes through my mind.

* * *

“Nala, I cant find my diary,” I complain, almost on the brink of tears as I rummage through her drawer. I have already checked her room and the kitchen, which are the places I frequent the most.

I had forgotten my diary at her house yesterday, and it was too late to come back. Maybe if I had gone back, I would have found it.

“Maybe you forgot it at home and thought you misplaced it here,” Nala says, not looking up from where she is lying watching a cartoon.

“No, Im so sure that I left it here.”

She doesnt say anything after that, too engrossed in her cartoon to be bothered.

I step out, my heart feeling heavy. That diary is more like my life. It was given to me by my grandmother before she passed. Since then, I have made it my personal confession book. Writing down feelings I have that I dont understand. The thought of anyone finding out the contents of the book makes me anxious. Even Nala doesnt know whats in the diary.

“I will just check outside again,” I say and step out of her room.

The rich tone of Chris’s laughter blesses my ears. Hes back.

I suddenly feel giddy at the thought of seeing my crush again after so long. I wasnt aware that he was back from his business trip.

The fact that hes around and I will get to see him again helps lift my sad mood.

“The poor little thing,” a soft feminine voice says, giggling.

Does he have a visitor?

I need to go downstairs and see if I forgot my diary there, and at the same time, I want to see him again.

He would not be pleased to see me. After all, he had warned me to stay out of his way so he could pretend I didnt exist.

It still hurts when I think about it.

With a deep breath and a perfect excuse at hand, I rush downstairs. The sound of mocking laughter welcomes me.

I freeze on the last step when I find Chris flipping through…my diary? How? When?

A lady is sitting on his lap reading it with him, giggling every second of it. Theres absolutely nothing funny in my diary, and the fact that they have both invaded my privacy pushes me to make my presence known.

Chris’s eyes land on me, and he smirked. He keeps his eyes on me as his fingers flip through my diary.

I dont know what gives me the courage to jump over him and try to snatch the diary away from him. If anyone should read the diary, it shouldnt be him. Oh no.

The lady on his lap moves away to sit on the sofa. She looks at me as if Im crazy, but I dont care. Chris stands, keeping the book above his head away from me.

“Give me back my diary,” I demand trying to reach for it, but I cant. Hes a whole foot taller than me at six feet high.

“You shouldnt be reading someones diary,” I argue.

He quirks an eyebrow up as if he finds me amusing. He opens the diary again and starts reading. “How can I tell him I love him? He barely looks my way, but in my dreams hes so friendly and protects me. If only my dreams can become a reality. Then Chris White wont just be my best friends brother but mine too,” he quotes to me.

I freeze on hearing the words I had written deep in my diary meant for no one to see. But it seems I have run out luck because the last person I ever wanted to read it is Chris.

He starts laughing in a derisive manner. I can feel the hurtful words coming just by the tone of his laughter. I cant help but keep my eyes on the floor, so he wont see my teary eyes and further make fun of me.

“Im yours?” he says with such force as if he cant believe it himself. It causes me to flinch. “I didnt know a poor little thing like you had feelings. It wasnt enough that you have Nala wrapped around your fingers—you want to add me, too. Too bad Im not as trusting as Nala.”

My heart sinks little by little, and I rein in my emotions, biting down on my lips. He must not see me cry. He will just have something else to mock me over.

He bends to my level and tilts my chin up to face him. Having no other choice, my eyes meet his distant ones.

Its like the life in his eyes is no longer there. Empty.

I have never been this close to him before, and it doesnt help the state of my heart, which is now beating erratically against my chest. His breath smells kind of bad, like he has been consuming alcohol. I try to turn my face away to no avail. His grip is strong on my chin but not strong enough to hurt.

“Look here, little miss. You are not welcome here. You dont deserve to be in this house. You are just a doll my sister has to play with for the meantime before she discards you,” he spits at me.

Unbidden tears fall from my eyes down to my cheeks against my will. His eyes follow each drop until they fall on his wrist. He might just blame me for that, too.

“You are nothing. Not even an afterthought. Its better for you to know your place before you discover the type of monster I can be.” He suddenly releases me, and I stumble back a little.

He drops my diary on the floor, and I immediately bend to pick it up. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and run away through the back door as fast as my legs can carry me. It all feels too much. Too much to take and handle.

I stumble on a rock and tumble on the grass. I bite back a cry and look at my bruising knee, which doesnt hurt as much as my heart does. I hadnt even noticed that I was heading to the garden.

“Gianna, oh my god! What happened?” Luke asks, concern laced in his voice. He rushes to me and examines my knee.

He picks me up and rubs my back soothingly. “Its okay. Everything is okay. Im sorry.” He carries me to a part of the house Ive never been in and places me on a comfy sofa. He rummages through the wardrobe until he comes back with a first aid box. He kneels in front of me and tends to my wounds.

I watch him quietly wiping my tears. He should be the one in my heart, not that heartless brother of Nala’s.

Luke is too much of a gentleman that Chris will never be. He looks up only to find my eyes on him. He smiles at me sympathetically, “Please dont let what he says affect you so much. He didnt mean it. He wasnt in his right senses.”

I shake my head having none of it. “Even if he was in his right senses, he would have done the same thing.”

He sighs in defeat. “Chris is…” he pauses as if searching for the right words. “Hes very difficult to understand. Even I get tired of him sometimes, which is funny because hes my best friend,” he chuckles lightly.

I smile despite myself.

“But underneath his tough exterior and the harsh words he dishes out, hes a soft man. Extremely soft. He just had to toughen up.”

I roll my eyes at the excuse. “That doesnt excuse him invading my privacy and mocking me.”

He nods. “No, it doesnt. Im not trying to justify his actions. I just dont want you to hate him.”

I snort. “Too late. I hate him with every part of my being. I loathe the day I ever met him, and I never want to see him again.”

Lukes mouth opens and closes slightly in surprise at the certainty in my voice.

“Im done.” I get up and walk out.

* * *

I thought I was done. That I’d gotten over it, I thought all these years of not seeing him had made me forget. But seeing him again, the hurt, the embarrassment and the anger is back. It hurts that he’s still the only one who has the power to rile me up.

My cell phone rings, bringing me back to the present. I take it out of my purse. It’s a message from my workplace bestie, Sam, reminding me of our hangout at the latest bar in the city.

My evening is already ruined. I can’t rest with my mind all muddled. I need a distraction, and the best way to get distracted is to get drunk. I will be reckless tonight.

I stand and walk to my room. I spend the next two hours freshening up and preparing for the night ahead. The ride I requested for soon arrives, and I leave for the newly opened club.

It’s almost ten o’clock when I arrive, the speakers blasting out some trap mix that makes me either want to claw my ears out just to rid myself of the noise. It has me rethinking why I came here in the first palace.

“Hey, G! Over here!” I see a tall, curvy figure of a woman with auburn hair shouting my name over the raging music of the nightclub as I make my way inside. The face of the woman belongs to no one other than Sam.

I swerve through the crowd, dodging the swaying and sweaty bodies of the people intoxicated by the alcohol and music on the dance floor. Nightclubs, alcohol, and loud music filled with strangers who have no idea what personal space means arent really a thing for an architecture nerd like me. But the event a few hours ago called for a distraction, and I couldnt refuse.

“Oh my god, you made it! I thought you would cancel on us as usual.” She teases me as she pulls me to sit next to her at the booth.

I shrug, grinning. “I almost did, but I changed my mind.”

“Good, because we are going to have so much fun!” She shakes her body in excitement.

“So, where are the others?” I ask, looking around the club, trying to catch a glimpse of my other colleagues.

She takes a gulp of her drink before she answers. “I don’t know. I can’t tell. I just know they excused themselves to go have some fun. I’m pretty sure Andrew is rocking some girl on the dance floor right now.”

I chuckle to myself. “Typical of him.”

She looks at me from head to toe, smirking. “You look so sexy. You really went all out.” She lifts my hand, her eyes dancing all over my day. “Damn, girl, you are making me doubt my sexuality.”

I playfully roll my eyes and take my hand from hers. “You are surely drunk,” I laugh back.

“But Im telling you the truth.” She points all around the club. “Just look around. You stand out!”

I will always take Sam’s word with a grain of salt. She’s good at exaggerating and hyping everyone up. It’s one of the things I like about her.

Sure, I feel sexy and confident in the spaghetti strap cut out midi dress Im wearing that hugs my curves. The dress Nala gifted me on my birthday last year. I know I look gorgeous as hell but there are prettier and sexier ladies here.

“Red is so your color,” Sam emphasizes.

“Thanks.” I give in, knowing she wont stop if I keep doubting her.

Her hand flies to her mouth, “Oh my!” she exclaims, startling me.

“What is it?”

“My crush is here,” she squeals, and I follow her gaze at the bar stand. A tall, muscular guy with dewy skin and round cheeks raises his drink and winks at her. She holds my arm, blushing.

“Did you see that? He just winked at me.”

“Yeah, I saw.”

She fixes her hair and her dress and fiddles with her purse. “I have to get to the restroom and retouch my makeup. This is my chance to have him tonight.”

“What? You are leaving me alone?”

She stands and shrugs. “You are a big girl, G. Loosen up.”

“But you can’t just?—”

She walks away before I get to finish my sentence.

The last time I went to a club was in college, and that was with Nala. She never left me alone because she knows that I get anxious easily in strange places and with strange people.

Coming here is a bad idea. It clearly is. Moping at home is surely better than this.

Strangely, I feel somebodys watching me. I just feel it. I look around the club to try and find whoever it is that’s watching me.

My eyes meet a pair of mesmerizing green eyes belonging to a handsome man sitting by the bar. I feel my heart constrict and my breathing almost snatched as I refuse to believe what my own visions are revealing to me. There is no way I can mistake the man I have been avoiding for nearly eight years of my life. The man that drove me to be here tonight. No way.

Its no one other than Chris. I don’t know why, but I feel the overwhelming emotions crash in my heart.

He somehow manages to look elegant and arrogant in his black fitted dress shirt and black pants and that same stupid smirk with a glass of whatever liquid raised slightly in a toast.

He isnt supposed to be here. This is supposed to be my escape. It’s like he knows the effect he has on me, and I dont like it one bit. I refuse to break eye contact with his intense green eyes.

Whatever his motive is, I have no idea. He has never cared much for me, so I dont understand why he’s looking at me now.

What I dont expect is for him to start laughing hysterically.

He finds me funny. He really finds this entire situation funny. Just when I think I can’t hate him any further, he keeps proving me wrong. The nerve of that bastard.

A waitress passes by with a tray of drinks. I stop her and take two glasses. I down one and wince when it burns down my throat.

I cough into my hand, mentally berating myself for being stupid. I kept making stupid decisions since he reappeared in my life.

I look back at where he’s seated but he’s no longer there. I let out a breath of relief.

But that relief is short-lived when I hear my name in my ear.

“Gianna,”

My legs felt cemented to the ground as I swallowed hard, turning to stare at the devil disguised as a dashing angel standing in front of me now.

“Fancy seeing you here.”