Love Hurts (Lakewater Town, #1)

Chapter One

Jayden Santiago

Present

There are worse things besides standing on the front door step of my aunt and uncle's house: three garbage bags full of my shit and my old, battered car keys in hand. For example, I could be locked in a basement with my ex-girlfriend and her friend's catty bottle blonde hair. I rap my knuckles against the door three times. A minute passes before it opens.

My jaw drops at the site in front of me. Aurora Elaine is Emory's best friend. She has always been beautiful, but now. I couldn't even fucking explain it. Her hair was tied back and her glasses were on. Her face had a few freckles and a small scar near the corner of her mouth.

"Jay!" She squeals before throwing her arms around my neck. My body tenses; I've never been a physical touch kind of person, but even when we were younger, I always allowed her to hug me. She pulls away before grabbing one of my bags and opening the door wider for me to come in.

I blatantly checked out her ass in her shorts as she walked, not caring if she caught me. She led me up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms that I had already known would be mine.

"So, Lily told me that I am to take you to the shopping place just outside town tomorrow so you can get what you want for your room. Over here, is your wardrobe, it's a walk-in by the way. And the bathroom is over there." She explains looking around the room. I'm not going to lie this was a magnificent fucking room.

I put my bags on the floor near the bed that was in the middle of the room and walked towards her. She wasn't too far away but I didn't hug her properly earlier so I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her into the air spinning on the spot while hugging her. She laughed a little and hugged me back.

"Long time no see, freckles." I say placing her back on the ground. She glares at me a little before smiling again and rolling her eyes.

"Don't call me that man-bun." She says lightheartedly. I groan, why the hell is everyone making fun of me for a hair style I had when I was 9. I already knew my family wouldn't be here. Emory was in another state for a dance competition right now, Alex, an upcoming artist, was opening for some dude I never even heard of. Lily, my aunt, was with Emory, Jake, my uncle was with Alex. Mason, and Liam are also with Alex and Jake.

"How come you aren't in Victoria with Emory and Lily?" I ask Aurora sitting on the edge of the bed, looking over at her sitting on my desk chair. She looks up from the floor and smiles a little.

"I had something going on I couldn't miss, I wasn't able to go." She says before standing and heading to the door.

"Goodnight Jay, I'll walk with you to the Centre tomorrow." She says walking out of the room. The centre is clearly the shopping centre we were going to go to tomorrow. Ironic really.

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Sleep didn't come easy for me last night. I was too busy thinking about the beautiful girl down the hall. I don't really remember, but I think my crush on this girl started when I was twelve. When she came to family lunch with Emory and sat down next to me while Emory was playing soccer with our cousins.

I woke up early in the morning with my sheets hanging down by my waist. It was too hot to sleep with a shirt on so I went without one. I carefully stood from my bed and walked downstairs.

I found eggs and bacon in the fridge and carefully got to making them, remembering the way Aurora likes them. I make two plates and place hers on the bench next to mine. I wait and scroll through messages on my phone wanting to eat breakfast with her.