My Dad's Bestfriend

Evelyn

His lips fit perfectly against mine, as if they were meant to be pressed together forever. The softness I had missed, the closeness I craved, and his cologne-all of it was a lethal combination for me. My determination not to let him in again wavered. How could I resist? Sitting here in his arms, it felt like I was always meant to be his, and his alone. Forever his.

For the first few seconds, I tried to pull away, to push my feelings down and extinguish the growing fire between us. It stirred alive as ever, but in the end, I surrendered. To him and the ever-growing desires. I released all my restraints, just as I had done that first day in the kitchen, pressed against the counter with his body between mine, a fervent flame blazing. I pulled him close and kissed him back. He was my favorite sin, one I'd commit over and over again without an ounce of shame or regret.

And call me stupid but I'd let him destroy me again if it meant that I'd get to have him close to me like this in the end. That's all that mattered. He mattered-Jacob Adriano, my life, mattered.

As I kissed him with everything I had, I allowed his tongue to explore every corner of my mouth and did the same in return. He flipped us so that I was now the one lying on my back, and he became the predator, hovering over me, seizing every string of control, wrapped right around his fingers whilst mines tangled in between his silky hair locks.

Our lips pulled apart, swollen and wet, as we locked our gazes with each other. He leaned in, wiping my tears away with his gentle touch that soothed the wounds of my soul in one single stroke. He knew how to heal me by barely doing anything at all just like how he'd broken me without even touching me.

With his free hand, he slowly grabbed the scissor and placed it in my hand before guiding the sharp tip against his chest, "Kill me if you want to, Evelyn. I won't say a thing nor complain," he murmured. "Just stab me and end this because if you are to reject me now... I really don't know if I can live without you. I really fucking don't.

God! I was here to be mad at him. To hurl hundreds and thousands of curse words at his stupidly handsome face, but all I found myself doing was looking at him as if he meant the whole world to me. Damn it, he did. He meant the whole world, and I hated to admit it, but it was easier to forget what he did than to let him go.

"You broke my heart, you...idiot," I sobbed, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand. "It was a nightmare for me. You told me that you loved that bitch, you lied to my face without even considering how reckless that decision was! How could you change my whole world without a second thought? How could you?! Did it not even for once bother you to do this to me?!"

"It did, Evelyn," he sighed, nuzzling my nose as he breathed in, "It was excruciatingly painful to see you hurt, every second. It fucking broke me. You don't even know the amount of agony it caused me to... do that to you. But I thought it was the right thing to do. That's the only reason why I did that and I unknowingly ended up ruining everything.'

"How could that ever be right, Jacob?" The scissor slipped from my grip, and I cupped his face with both of my hands, locking my gaze deep into his eyes, "You know I love you! I fucking love you so much! You know I want nothing but you by my side every single moment! You're the one I've always desired and yearned for. So how could you ever think it was right?"

"I didn't... but, at the same time, I wanted the best for you. I know I acted like a coward-I didn't want to see the day when you'd regret being with me, I just couldn't bear it." This man...

"I told you that I never regret, Jacob! I've never had any regrets in my life, but you fucked it up and decided to be the first one! It broke my heart every second to see your face and those eyes devoid of the love I'd known. I questioned my worth, Jacob. questioned everything we had, yet I couldn't stop loving you. I tried to understand why you'd do this to me-but I didn't get any answers. I felt helpless and pathetic, crying for the man who couldn't care less about giving a damn about my emotions. I wanted to stay strong and never look at you again, but... you don't understand, Jacob, I love you. I need you to breathe, to stay alive, and to live right. You are my world, you idiot. How could

someone ever regret being with a man like you, who's perfect in every

way?"

"I'm not perfect, Evelyn," he sighed, shaking his head, "I have flaws, and they will always be there. I didn't want you to fix what didn't need fixing. Why would I want you to live picking up pieces your whole life? I wanted you to have a life with someone better, someone who could give you the world."

"I found peace in picking up those

pieces, Jacob. I found love in it. I loved those broken fragments, I loved those moments when I got to hold you close and keep you together-those were my moments. My peace to keep and hold you close...Just there and I considered it an absolute privilege to be the one to mend you when you fell apart because I wanted to! How come you never saw that? Didn't I deserve to have you in my own way?" A trembling breath escaped me, "Jacob, it's not about what you have to face, how many obstacles there are, or your so-called better options-it's about who we want, Jacob. It's just about that. Only that. I love you, and no matter what, I'll always love you. It's about whose hand we want to hold until the end of our lives."

Tears glistened in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Evelyn," he pulled me close, his hand sliding around the base of my neck as he pressed his forehead against mine, "I acted foolishly. My past... it just doesn't let go of me. It clings to me like a shadow, and no matter what I do, I don't want those shadows anywhere near you."

"Those shadows couldn't hurt me! They never did! It's you and your doubts," I sobbed, cupping his face, god I feared that he'd disappear again, "I am willing to stand by your side when those shadows haunt you, Jacob. I will stand between you and your past just so I can have you, and trust me, they won't hurt me, not even the slightest bit because I fucking love you. Having you means the world to me! This is how love works you idiot, not at all the way you think it does."

"I'm sorry, but I promise I'll try everything to bring you back after the wedding," he said against my lips, "But for now, you know I'll have to leave for things to set right..."

I shook my head, another sob breaking through, holding him tighter as I buried my face into his neck, clutching onto his shirt as tight as I could, "No... I can't. I just can't let you go."

"I know it's hard for both of us,

Evelyn, but... this is what's right for now. I promise to do everything to change Samuel's mind. But now, it's the best thing to do, you know that right, love?" He breathed out, making me look at him and kissing my tears away before placing a gentle peck ommy lips, "I know you don't want to lose Samuel. I know youdove him more than your life, and we can't do anything to jeopardize our relationships with others. But if we handle this the right way, with a little time, we can get back everything we want."

"And what if we don't?" I asked, looking up at him. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

"Then, we elope," he let out a breathy chuckle and pressed a kiss on my forehead. "And when we hand a cute little grandchild to Samuel, I'm sure he'll forgive us."

"It's not the time to joke, Jacob," I said, sniffling and slapping his chest. More tears rolled down my cheeks. "I can't lose you."

"You won't lose me, Evelyn. You'll never lose me," he murmured against my lips, leaning ever closer, and goosebumps pricked my skin both from desire and the determination in his eyes, "I promise I'll turn everything upside down to make you mine. This time, I won't give up."

His eyes smouldered with desire as he spoke, "You're all mine, and I'll make sure the whole world knows that," With those words, he crushed his lips against mine in a scorching kiss, deftly stripping away my

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