Cliché E-Book

Sharlet James

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

"Cliché" is about friends that fall in love. A thin line between love and hate. Wanting what you can't have. Winners can also be losers. Easily predictable. Statistically proven. Inevitable. No surprise. Fact. It should have been simple. But you know what they say... there is always an exception to every rule.

Leseprobe

Cliché

By

Sharlet James

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Table of Contents

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Copyright

All rights are reserved. All characters are fictitious in this story and no reference is intended to any person living or otherwise.

Copyright 2023 @ Sharlet James

Prologue

PAIN.

This was not happening to me.

What was I thinking? That’s right. I wasn’t thinking. That was the mistake. Somehow my meticulous predictability slipped and I embraced the spontaneous side to myself that I never knew existed.

HEARTBREAK.

How in the hell did this happen?

Wait. Stupid question. I know how this happened. What I should be asking is how did I let this happen. This was not supposed to happen. And if it did, it was supposed to be a realization or something. It was supposed to be one of those beautiful moments. The kind that caused you to choke up at the mention, or that made your stomach flip just knowing it. But it wasn’t like that. It was...

BETRAYAL.

I’d known him for what felt like forever. I couldn’t say I was his oldest friend. I wasn’t. I couldn’t say I was his closest friend either. I was his designated best girl friend. I turned him down flat when he tried picking me up in a club two years ago. That’s how we met. At the moment I was more interested in his friend than in him. Was and still am.

ACHE.

Everyone we knew had a running bet on how long it would take us to get together. We were that old love cliché waiting to happen. Male. Female. Raging hormones. Friends? Since when did you only just stay friends? But we ignored what everyone said about us. Joked about it actually. A lot. I kissed him every now and then just for the shock value it would give. But it never meant anything. Despite our games, and our playful flirting we weren’t the type to fall in love with each other. He was practically my brother. Then again brothers and sisters never kissed how we kissed. And they never hurt, the way I hurt.

AGONY.

I think what made us gel so well, or at least what had made us gel so well, was that I never expected anything from him. I didn’t need those reassurances like all those other women in his life. I didn’t need his promises of coming to see me, to be there for me, to spend time with me, to call me. I saw him when I saw him, I talked to him when I talked to him, and I was fine when I didn’t. We had the perfect relationship. He was the one I could complain to about how men were scum and call him the exception. I was the one he came to on advice about understanding women. We’d tell dirty jokes. We’d drink. We’d laugh. I never had to dress to impress. He never had to open doors for me. Perfect.

DISTRESS.

Everything would have remained the same if I hadn’t listened to my heart. In any other case it would have been the only thing I should have listened to. But I knew better. I still know better. And this scenario was only asking for heartbreak.

SUFFERING.

It could have been simple. Best friends who one day realized that they wanted to be more than just friends. But of course, it wasn’t like that. No matter how hard I wanted it to be, no matter what. I could never escape the perpetuated cycle I had thrown myself into because I thought that if you loved someone enough, they would just love you back. You see not only had I crossed the line, I became a part of something that I thought could never be. One kiss changed my whole life. No turning back. But you don’t choose who you fall in love with...it chooses you.

LIES.

Chapter One

He watched her from across the crowded room. Watched as she swept her hair back, her fingers straying for a moment at the base of her neck then subtly tracing across her collarbone. She was wearing that little black dress. The type you knew all girls owned, the one that was usually tucked somewhere in the back of their closet. The type they wore if for nothing else, to attract attention. And hers was doing exactly that.

The dress left little to the imagination. Cutting off mid-thigh, two thin spaghetti straps held it together. Barely. It was tight fitting, easily removable, showing off all the right places, and accentuating every single one of her curves. Standing there bare legged in a pair of matching black stiletto high heels there was no doubt about it. She was showing skin...lots of skin. His eyes met hers for one brief instant. And there was also no doubt that she was doing it on purpose.

“I don’t believe you sometimes Claudia.”

I smiled with satisfaction. “Please. Like he didn’t deserve it.”

She shook her head at me. “Harsh.”

“Am I not permitted to have any fun?” I reached to take a sip of my drink then sat down on the bar stool frowning. I eyed the glass before me. “Damn. I’m empty.”

Kate lifted her own glass, nodded her chin up, motioning behind me. “Well maybe he’ll buy you one.”

I turned my head to check out the potential. And I immediately raised an eyebrow.

“Well, hello there.” Blue eyes traveled down and back up accessing me. “May I just say, you have to be the best-looking woman in here.”

My gaze didn’t waver from his. “No shit,” I declared with no modesty whatsoever. Not in this black dress. No way. I knew what I had to offer, and he was going to have to work harder than that to get my attention.

He smiled at my retort. Heartbreaking. Okay now we were talking. This one had possibilities, and well I was in need of an alcoholic beverage. I flipped my hair and pouted my lips a little. “So what are you planning to do about it? Stand there all night and gawk or buy me a drink?” I purred flirtatiously.

“Actually, I wouldn’t call it gawking, admiring, is more like it.”

My eyes narrowed. “Asshole.”

He laughed and at the sound I jumped up from the barstool I was sitting in and threw my arms around him, hugging him with everything in me. “Two years and you still have got the worst pickups I’ve ever heard. Have you learned nothing after all of my rejections?”

“Gotcha to hug me, didn’t I?”

I grinned and nodded; I could never deny the man the truth. “Took you long enough to get down here.”

“Well, you know I did just finish a show,” he teased. “Tends to well...take a lot out of you.”

“I saw.”

“And?”

“And I liked.” I admitted. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

He shrugged. “Well, someone,” he emphasized. “Always did say that they never understood what the fuss was all about.”

I gave him a pointed look. “The screaming girls, you moron,” I said playfully hitting him, getting in a swat even though he and I both knew what I had been referring to and that he was never going to let me live that comment down.

“Missed you, Claud.” He hugged me again. “I never realize how much until you’re standing right in front of me, you know that?”

God he was a charmer. I’d missed him like hell. I squeezed right back. “Missed you too Tommy.”

He shook his head, pulling away. “I still don’t know why I let you call me that. I won’t let anyone else.”

“Cause you’re my Cameron Tommy silly, not theirs,” I chastised lifting my head. I ran my finger over his mouth, seductively, as always, letting myself dwindle longer on his lower lip. “Need a lipstick mark?” I whispered leaning my forehead against his.

He laughed again. But it was more of a throaty laugh than his normal one. “You’re just evil.”

“That’s how you like me. Besides. You like the way I kiss,” I stated matter of fact.

“That I do,” he said touching his lips with mine for a quick peck.

I wrinkled my nose at the motion. “I haven’t seen you in two months and that’s all I get?”

“Well, I suppose...” he began before being cut-off by an all too familiar and momentarily forgotten presence.

“Oh please! Can you guys get anymore sickening?”

I rolled my eyes at Cameron. He just gave me another one of his smiles and waved behind my back acknowledging the sarcastic blonde beside me. “Hey Kate.”

“Hi Cameron. Good show. How you been? How’s life? Meet anyone new?”

“What Kate is so subtly trying to ask is how’s Caleb’s love life IE is he single?” I clarified moving out of Cameron’s embrace and sitting back down beside her.

Kate shot me a look that if looks could kill would have had me buried six feet under.

“No. I meant what I said,” she said still glaring at me.

Cameron chuckled. “Nope. Nobody new except Caleb’s girlfriend.”

Kate pretended to not look disappointed. And Cameron pretended he didn’t notice, “But you know Kate, Elian’s still single. And he’s around here somewhere,” he added as if it would soften the blow.

I visibly flinched at the mention of his name. It didn’t go unseen. Kate leveled her gaze, catching my eye. “Blond boy wonder working the room? And we didn’t notice him?”

“You know how Elian is.”

I snorted. “Don’t we just. Probably making out with girl number 654. Wait take that back, the wonder has to at least be in the thousands by now.”

“Claud.”

I ignored Cameron’s warning tone. He was about to lecture me and I didn’t want to hear it. “What? It was just a comment.”

And he gave me one of his looks. He knew exactly what I was thinking. “I wish you’d give him a chance.”

I twirled the straw in my empty glass “Cameron, you’re my best friend and I love you. But no matter what you say I’m not going to change my mind about what I think about Elian. He’s a jerk.” I pushed the glass away. “Why are we even talking about him anyway? I haven’t seen you in forever and he’s the last thing we should be talking about.”

Cameron sighed. “I just want you guys to get along that’s all.”

“Well you’re going to have to wish on a whole bunch of stars because it ain’t happening anytime soon.”

“Claud.”