"Your parents are giant assholes." Owen just rolls right into it as soon as we we're seated in one of the booth inside Pete's.

After I told him some snippets of what happened this morning, I end up going with him for coffee date after school. Iced coffee may not solve all of life's problems, but to be honest, after seeing Kade and my sister this morning, I'm feeling a little better about mine. I know what's coming next so I take a giant sip of my drink.

"Honestly, Ayla, you should've let me convince my mom to adopt you when we were six." he continued and runs a hand through his thick hair.

I can't help but smile at how gorgeous he looks. His dark hair is slightly tousled and his big blue eyes are earnest in his handsome face. Why can't he be straight? I ask myself for the thousandth time.

Laughing, "I remember when you cut off Matilda's head and ran out crying because I told you no. You acted as if you were the one with the headless doll."

He sighs. "Poor Matilda."

"I had nightmares for weeks you know."

"But I replaced her with a better one complete with castle and a fucking carriage."

"Yeah. Arabella was so jealous she hurt her feet for stomping so hard."

"Good for her."

We laughed until a silent calm washed over us as we both just looked at each other. Owen's eyes were sad and concern.

"Please tell me you're not doing it."

I shake my head. "Hell no. I already called the administrator. Everything is settled."

There's no way in hell I will let them ruined our plans. Even though Owen and I will be in the same city, he'll get an apartment close to his choice of school like I am. He'll be taking up fashion design just like his mom and I can see now that my bestfriend will make a name for himself in the fashion industry in the near future.

"Good." he says as he pulls out a Chanel face mist. He gives himself three sprays then holds it out to do my face.

"Close your eyes." I do as I'm told. The mist actually feels great on my skin.

"Thanks." I open my eyes and smile gratefully at my best friend.

We've been inseparable ever since I pushed him off the merry-go-round when we we're six because he bumped against me which causes my ice cream to go flying on the ground. We both bawled like a baby and scared the other kids away.

Me about my poor ice cream.

Him about his sore butt.

His mother, Carissa, ended up buying us both ice cream filled with crispies but not before telling us to apologize to each other. We're each other's rock ever since.

He was there when I fainted during P.E because my parents forgot to put money on my school badge so I had to skipped lunch. Or when Brent O'Conell ditch me in school dance because he thinks my sister is much "hotter" so Owen decided to egged his motorbike. I was also there when he came out with his mother about his sexuality. I've never been proud of my best friend more than that day.

Owen stares at me for a long moment. He knows me well. He has sat with me through endless tirades about my family, about my desire to be a writer, and recently about Kade, the many nights all blurred into one, giant, alcohol-induced haze.

"How about Kade?"

I bite my lip and hope my face doesn't betray the pain of hearing his name. And as if he can tell we were talking about him, I felt my phone vibrating inside my bag. I reach for it, and my eyes light up as I see an incoming text from a number I've memorized by now.

Kade sent me a text this afternoon telling me to come to his house tomorrow night. I hadn't replied. After what happen this morning, I couldn't bring myself to face him. For all I care we're done. Frustrated with myself, I click the sound off and drop it inside my bag.

"I'm ending it." The word tastes bitter on my lips, or maybe that's just my pain manifesting in all aspects of me.

"Will you confess at least?" he says, and I gave him an incredulous look.

"It won't change anything."

"Why don't you talk to him?"

I shrug. "I don't think he feels the same way. And besides, he never said anything."

"Well duh. That's because you two never talk. You just fuck."

"Lower your voice!" I hiss at him in agitation as I look around the pub. A woman in her late fifties sitting a couple of table from us gave me a stink eye. I flushed.

Owen was grinning shamelessly. "Do you ever wonder maybe he doesn't want to marry Arabella?"

"Their official engagement was two days ago for god's sake. Also, have you seen my sister?"

A new level of self-loathing exploded inside me, because an ache for him was forming. Again. I was sick and disgusted with myself for feeling the way I do for a guy who definitely belongs to someone else.

"Oh spare me the mental anguish! Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

I look away from Owen. "You're my friend."

He shakes his head at me in disappointment.

"I honestly don't understand why you don't see the hot woman looking back at you when you look in the mirror. I'm at a goddamn loss."

"Hot? Please." I shrug.

Owen looks like he want to strangle me.

"You're a goddamn knock-out. You've got an amazing body. You have perfect brown hair, which happens to have its own natural highlights. You're blessed with great skin, beautiful green eyes, spectacularly long, naturally thick, curly lashes. If I were straight, I would totally do you."

"You would?" I'm so pathetic.

"Ayla!" He shakes his head in exasperation and I laugh.

"You know how I was strongly oppose to this when it started?"

I nod. "Yeah. You didn't talk to me for a week."

"Right? but if I hadn't notice the way he looks at you, damn..." he shakes his head in disbelief.

I frowned, sitting up straighter, intently trying not to act curious. "What? How does he look at me?"

"Like he wants to devour you. I mean, I was there when you two first met. You've been eye-fucking each other the whole time you've been standing there. But it's more than lust. Trust me, he likes you."

My heart is in my throat. I will forever remember the day that I met Kade Sinclair. Fall. It was fall. I remember because the first time I saw him, I was sitting on the curb outside my house, bag resting in my lap, waiting for Owen to give me a ride to school.

Kade's black boots appeared first, crunching on the autumn leaves that had fallen from the maple tree. The moment I looked up, my heart lurched somewhere south and I had to blink rapidly to keep my focus from blurring.

Oh, he's beautiful.

Harshly masculine, tall, commanding, robust. His dark blonde hair twists around his head in the breeze, a subtle curiosity dances in his green eyes. Even though he looks a couple of years older than me, there's an air of command in the way he pin you with his gaze.

Power dripped from him.

Authority emanated from him, even from just standing there.

He was staring at me in a way that made me feel like there was no one else in the world. It was the strangest experience of my life, almost like one of those out of body things you hear so much about. I couldn't break the connection and was more than a little surprised to realize I didn't want to. That was so not like me, to stare at a total stranger with what I was sure was longing.

My view was rudely interrupted by the appearance of my sister who threw herself into his arms excitedly, wrapping herself around him. I blinked away the sudden moisture from my eyes as I rubbed my hand across my chest where my heart is, as if to wipe away the sudden pain that lodged there. I forced myself to look away not understanding the sudden feeling of grief that was almost crippling.

In that instant, I had a fairly good notion of who the guy was. Kade Sinclair is the only heir to the Sinclair Empire and the word "rich" wasn't a strong enough term to describe the wealth that family had. My parents might be wealthy, but the Sinclairs are beyond the level of wealth and power no one can even comprehend.

They control half the country and controls the other half through politicians. I had heard further stories about him. How he lost both his parents in an accident when he's still a kid and even though he's only twenty-one, he already took over their company a year ago from his grandfather who'd ran it for the better part of forty years. He was rarely seen in the public. But when he does, the media will go nuts. He had the smoldering looks, but he was out of reach for so many.

When Arabella announces that her boyfriend is moving in our town, I'm a little pensive about it. Her relationships only lasts for two months and it revolves around to either jocks, sons from elite families, and a couple of celebrities. Apparently, she met this 'guy' during her summer trip in Costa Rica and definitely a love at first sight according to her. She was secretive about it and didn't disclose his name until last night during dinner.

To say my parents were ecstatic would be an understatement. They looked like someone who'd caught the biggest fish in the sea. You see, from the eighteen years I lived with my family, there have been a couple of things I learned. They were sly. Cunning. Manipulative. And they can broke the law and get away with it in a snap. My father was the worst though. He want someone who could bring him more power, more money, just more, more, more.

But in the months I've been with Kade, I knew he's not someone who can be easily fooled. And I also knew he was hiding something. That something lurked beneath the surface of the monstrously gorgeous man. I should have been scared.

Instead, I found myself drawn to him even more.