He gave me adrenaline, passion and thrill. I just didn't know at what cost...
When small town girl Mia Thorpe moves to London to begin a new life, the last thing she expects is to fall head over heels for the charming yet mysterious Grayson Cooper...
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The grey September clouds blanket the skies of London, only a slither of sunlight able to seep through the cracks to dust my skin.
It would probably be enough to dampen anyone else's mood. But not me. Not today. Today, I'm too damn happy to care about the decisions of Mother Nature.
Hurling the last of my boxes from the car, I take quick and eager strides into my new home.
Inside, my dad and brother are lifting bags, emptying boxes and carrying furniture. My best friend Hailey is stood with a beaming grin, her emerald eyes glistening against the persistent yet minimal sunlight filtering through the tiny kitchen window.
And I just smile. My cheeks ache because I'm smiling so damn much. Because I'm too damn excited.
London is so different to home. Home is a small seaside town with a population of about five-hundred. Everyone knows each other and everyone knows everyone else's business. London is a concrete jungle of excitement, opportunity and madness.
London is going to be my new beginning.
"Right!" My dad emerges from the lounge, his fingers raking through his brown-grey hair. "I think that should be about everything." He slaps his hands together, looking pretty pleased with himself.
Behind him, my brother Lucas exhales, trying his hardest to not let it show that he can't be bothered with the laborious task of moving me in. Despite his eight year age advantage on me, he's never been one to show much emotion toward me. Well, not the nice emotions anyway. I mean, he's protected me like an older brother should, but equally he can get a little controlling. A little overbearing.
With slow movements, my dad walks towards me and pulls me to him. A lump gets lodged in my throat and seems to expand at an unhealthy rate because I know this is where I bid him goodbye.
All my life I've lived with my dad and Lucas. We never had much but we had everything we needed. I got a job in a local coffee shop as soon as I turned fourteen because I wanted to help my dad. Lucas worked as a builder since he was sixteen. We wanted to help because dad only had us, and we only had him. We weren't blessed with the presence of grandparents because they had passed away before we could share a bond, and when my mum was ripped from our lives suddenly by cancer, we grew closer than we had ever been before.
Because it was only us. And because of that, I never travelled anywhere. I never wanted to leave my dad.
Until now.
Not that I wanted to leave him, mind, but the opportunity of an apprenticeship in London was too good to refuse. Of course I'm scared. Petrified, even. Moving to London is a big enough leap in itself, but equally, I'm more thrilled now than I've ever been before.
It'll be hard for dad. The three-or-so hour journey between us will put hurdles in our paths. But I'll make it work. I'm sure of that. I'll still have term breaks and I can still take annual leave. There will be plenty of opportunity to get together with him.
