Page 1 of King of My Heart

PROLOGUE

ROSE

Hate you for a lifetime– Connor Kauffman

16 Months Ago

Graduation Day…

“You’ve packed your bags, right?” I ask as I put a strand of hair behind her ear. Blonde, below her shoulders, with a habit of tickling my nose when I hug her.

She nods, biting her lip and looking up at me. The hope shining in her eyes makes my chest buzz with warmth.

“I just need to grab some last-minute things. Charger, laptop, some cash I’ve got hidden. I didn’t want my parents to understand something’s going on.” She accompanies her words with her arms wrapping around my narrow waist.

Sliding my hand behind her neck, I bring her closer until her cheek is against my own neck and I can drop a kiss at the top of her head. She smells of chamomile and honey because of the shampoo she uses. No one smells more like comfort than Rachel Harris does.

“You go,” I tell her. “My brother will drop me off at your house. Are we still good to take your car?”

She smiles and nods again. I can see the images of freedom and adventure reflecting in her eyes. She is speechless, light, hopeful.

My gaze catches on the groups of parents and Stoneview Prep students around us. Everyone is celebrating our graduation. Everyone is jovial and ready for their new life.

So are Rachel and me. This town is already in the past for us. Our future is somewhere else together. Far from her restricting, homophobic parents. Far from the rich kids and their poisonous families. Far from the power-hungry wealthy criminals who control the underbelly of a town that is spotless on the surface.

My friends will be going to college, and my twin will be following the love of his life. While I will be going to Duke, taking Rachel with me even though she hasn’t applied to any colleges. She’ll be with me, and we’ll figure it out.

Three years of ups and downs. Of secrets and toxicity that we need to leave behind. It’s the only chance we have to flourish peacefully.

“Ready to say goodbye to Stoneview?”

She looks around, too, taking in our beautiful campus. Then, she locks her eyes with mine in that way she does to tell me she’s going to say something she means. I see her losing herself in my midnight blue eyes for a few seconds, incapable of resisting and melting for me. She finds her focus again and her stare hardens.

“I’ll be waiting, Rose. My parents said we have dinner with the McGills tonight. I know what they want. They’ll try to start the process of my engagement to Conor.”

I nod. “I’ll be there. Trust me.” I put everything I have into those words, but I know the number of times I’ve asked her to trust me just for her to be disappointed.

Not this time.

“Don’t disappear on me,” she whispers, her throat clogged with pains from the past. From all the times I hurt her. “Not again.”

“I’ll be there,” I repeat. “Nate is driving me. I’ll be right behind you.”

Words are not enough for Rachel anymore, even from someone as charming and convincing as me. She knows my promises don’t often mean much, that I use human language as a weapon and turn people’s emotions against them. I can see in her eyes that it’s not enough right now. But it will be very soon.

I observe her going back to her parents with a watchful eye. We didn’t hide from anyone but them in the last three years. Her mom looks back at where Rachel just walked from and then stares at me.

She knows.

She’s always known I wasn’t just the best friend coming for sleepovers. Rachel is helpless when it comes to me. She has this impossibility of hiding her infinite love for me no matter how much she tries. And her mom is a hawk. She sees and hears everything. She plans, schemes, manipulates, and poisons minds like a creature of nightmares.

I smile in response to her glare. Her plan to lock her daughter in a loveless marriage so she can gain more power in our corrupted city is going to crumble under her. A house of cards she spent years building that I will destroy with a whispered breath.

I go my own way and join my older brother waiting for me in his car.

“Look at that. Look at that fucking offer,” I laugh as I slide inside.

I show my Duke acceptance letter to Nate. I’m going on a lacrosse scholarship. I’m never going to go pro, but I’ve now got access to my dream college. And then it’ll be law school.

---