Page 2 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

And after that, everything shifted.

Rhys did not vanish from our lives—instead, he embedded himself among us like a puzzle piece that no one quite knew where to place. Arden was the first to note his courage; Chase, though reserved, harboured a cautious curiosity. Before long, Rhys was woven into our everyday: at the lunch table, buzzing in group chats, lounging on the couch during movie nights.

And me?

I was forced to pretend that the boy I desperately wanted—the boy who only gave half his presence when he was with me—was just another friend. He would sit beside me and crack jokes. He would debate with Chase about his favourite bands and teams, and I would laugh along, a hollow echo behind every smile.

But every time I caught his eye, I was reminded of that hallway confrontation, of the raw edge in his stare, of the moment when he withdrew so abruptly.

That memory gnawed at me. Because despite my resolve, I still loved him. I loved him even when I promised myself that I’d never let feelings compromise my defences again.

I was the only girl in the group; I lived in a household where my presence was acknowledged only when I broke a plate or slammed a door. My art was my sanctuary, the only thing I truly owned. And Rhys—he was meant to be the one person who saw me beyond the labels, the one who didn’t treat me as if I were fragile or merely an obligation.

But I was wrong, and so I built walls. I sharpened my voice with sarcasm and became a fortress of fire and defiance, keeping every boy at arm’s length.

Because love?

Love makes you soft, makes you hesitate, and makes you believe in fleeting, wistful moments that might mean nothing in the end.

So, I guard my heart fiercely—from the boy who once saved me, from the boy I can’t seem to stop loving, even when my entire self is screaming for me to let go.

I kissed him first. He shattered me first. And ever since, I’ve been tangled in the wreckage, trying to piece together a heart that is as conflicted as the echoes of that empty hallway.

CHAPTERONE

ALLY- PRESENT DAY

“Earth to Ally.”

Yasmin’s voice slices through my spiralling thoughts like a well-aimed dart, snapping me back to the chaos of Grumpy’s.

It’s the usual Thursday night crowd. I'm surrounded by beer-fuelled laughter, glasses clinking, and someone’s off-key attempt at karaoke in the back corner—but all of it blurs into white noise around me. I keep looking at the other side of the table.

To where Rhys is sitting.

With her tucked under his arm like she belongs there.

Ashley Slade: blonde, beautiful, untouchable. And very much not his.

Not really.

Everyone might see them as the golden couple—him, the brooding Gilmore boy with too many secrets behind those stormy eyes; her, the Slade princess who floats through life like she doesn’t know her last name could get you killed—but I know better.

We all do.

We’ve just gotten very good at pretending, especially since finding out the truth about their relationship and the reasons why they are together.

Yasmin nudges me under the table with her foot. Hard.

“You okay?” she asks, leaning in with that same look she gives Chase when he’s bullshitting her. Concern, laced with just enough sass to saydon’t lie to me.

I force a smile, more a grimace than genuine. “I’m fine.”

Liar, liar, heart on fire.

Yasmin isn’t buying it; obviously she knows me better than that. Her gaze pins me in place — soft but unrelenting. She doesn’t push, though. Instead, she drapes an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into a sideways hug that smells like strawberries and cream and tequila shots. We’ve made Thursday nights at Grumpy’s a tradition. A way to catch up and unwind. It was something that Arden insisted on, especially when we all have conflicting schedules with university and work. We see each other every day at home, living together in the house that Arden renovated for us, but this gives us a chance just to chat and spend some quality time together.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Yasmin murmurs so only I can hear her.

---