Page 5 of Imogen

I glance at him. “What do you mean?”

“The best way to hurt him back is to be with someone else. If he doesn’t see you the way I see you, he isn’t worth it anyway. We can try this together, and if it doesn’t work, we can go back to being friends.”

“And you’d be okay with that?”

“Yeah. I’ve liked you for ages, Imogen. I’ll do anything to make you see I’m the right person for you.”

Am I really considering this?

My heart aches, and Ben’s words are still floating around in my mind, hurting me deeply.

And Zach has been my friend for a while. He’s good looking in a pretty, boy-next-door way, but I’ve never really considered him to be anything more than a friend.

But he’s right about Ben.

I’m never going to get over him if I’m wallowing around in self-pity.

Or if I’m single.

It will just prove that everything Ben said was true.

I brush my tears aside and clear my throat. “Okay, I’ll try.”

He grins, his entire face lighting up. “You won’t regret this. I’m going to make you so happy.”

CHAPTER ONE

Imogen

Present

Another year older, and already I can feel the pressure of my life weighing down on me. I’m not where I want to be, and there are times when I still feel seventeen, stuck in a life I want to grow out of. At twenty-four, I should be living a life where the only concern I have is moving out of my parents’ house or finishing a degree. But I’ve done those things. Albeit, I only moved into the bungalow next door and I’ve onlyjustgot my degree.

A degree I have no idea what I want to do with. When I got my degree in technology, it was to help my dad with his business. I like computers, and since Dad hates all the office stuff and prefers being out in the field, it was a win-win for both of us. But working for him felt like a setback from everything I had been trying to run from.

Ben Donovan.

A guy who still haunts me, and the humiliation still burns. Even after everything, these feelings I have for him never subsided. I’ve tried so hard and failed every time. He still turns my world upside down, and he still renders me speechless. Secret glances and hidden feelings have been my life ever since the night of my dad’s birthday party.

Wanting someone I can never have is a sickness I can never be cured from.

So I added a business administration degree to my CV and thought if I could be a personal assistant to my dad, I could be that for another company.

And I have.

I am now an assistant administrator for the CEO of one of the largest gaming companies in the UK. Castle and Games have been launching new software and games successfully for eight years now and are one of the most profitable organisations in the tech industry—aside from the originals, like Sony, who have been around for generations.

But my life still doesn’t feel complete.

Zach, who has been my official boyfriend for two years now, finishes giving my order to the waitress. Like I can’t speak for myself.

He’s still the same Zach from school, but in many ways, he’s changed—especially in the past two years we’ve been together.

We tried to do the whole relationship thing back on my dad’s birthday, but after eight months, we ended it. I don’t know if it was because it felt forced or because we weren’t that into each other. But I played along for as long as I did, hoping one day I would feel something.

I didn’t, so I asked for us to be just friends.

I tried to date other people after, but the relationships ended badly. None of them lived up to who I wanted. Zach, however, did. We barely argued. He never cheated or disappeared on nights out. He never ignored my calls or texts. There were so many signs shining like a beacon to be with him.

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