Chapter 1 Aviana Scott #3
He reminded me of my father in that way, always doting on me, making me feel cherished.
It was like he had this instinct to protect me, and I loved him for it.
Back then, I couldn’t put a label on it, but now I know that was real love, the kind that wraps around you and doesn’t let go.
He was the first person to show me what love should feel like, and I’d never forgotten that.
But then he shattered my heart into a million pieces.
My parents had always disapproved of our relationship.
Mythic’s dangerous reputation was well-known in our neighborhood.
My parents saw him as an immature troublemaker who would never be right for their daughter.
He proved them right when he cheated on me.
My young heart was shattered. Despite my obsession with him, my adolescent mind told me that I had to let him go.
I would have never thought that Mythic would still have the ability to take my breath away thirteen years later.
He had been the first to penetrate me and the last to ever truly have my heart.
Every time I saw him, it was like reopening an old wound, and the yearning and obsession was still raw beneath the surface.
Unfortunately, I saw him often. After he and I broke up, he, Mia, and I remained in a tight-knit circle.
Being so young, I transformed my heartache into hate for the type of man he was romantically.
I swore that he would never be a good man for any woman.
I treated him like a playboy, but I continued to long for him.
Yet, the fear of being hurt again always held me back and pushed me to pour my attention and love into Damar when I met him three years after breaking up with Mythic.
Luckily, Damar, an older man, who was ready to settle down, had been there to pick up the pieces of my heart.
Even while Damar courted me, I secretly pined for Mythic.
But Damar countlessly proved to be the more practical choice.
He was career-driven and more mature. Meanwhile, Mythic was in the streets, surrounded by women with a focus on his hustle.
So, I easily married Damar five years later.
But I shamefully never fell out of love with Mythic.
As I watched as Mythic approached, my pulse pounded in my ears. Everything about his six-foot-six towering frame had indecent effects on me. Everything about this man was delicious. My love for him was unreasonable.
As Mythic approached our VIP section, I could feel my heart rate skyrocketing, despite my best efforts to remain composed. His presence always had that effect on me—like a magnet pulling me in, no matter how hard I tried to resist.
“What’s good, Mia?” he greeted, giving her a playful side-eye as she poured another drink. “You getting started already, I see.”
Mia laughed while playfully rolling her eyes. “You sent them over here for us to drink, right?” she shot back.
They went back and forth for a minute, just clowning like they always did. The whole time, my heart was dancing wildly.
When his attention finally shifted to me, everything else fell away.
His eyes locked on mine. It felt like the whole world disappeared and it was just us standing there.
All that energy, all that charm focused on me, and I couldn’t help but feel his pull on my heart.
No matter how hard I tried to play it cool, he always saw right through me.
“Hey, Avi,” he greeted me with that signature smirk that sent shivers down my spine. “Found me any condos in the area yet?”
I raised an eyebrow in suspicion as I was forced to tilt my head all the way back in order to look up into his eyes.
He mysteriously chuckled. “What’s that look for?”
“You have a beautiful home in the suburbs. What do you need a condo in the city for?”
His smirk widened into a grin as he leaned in closer, his warm breath tickling my ear. “You know me, gotta have a place in every corner of the city.”
I chuckled at his cryptic response. “And what’s the price point you’re looking for?”
When his gaze locked with mine, his eyes twinkled with mischief. “You know my taste, Avi.”
I shook my head, unable to suppress a blush. “You’re always so damn vague.”
He was always discreet and secretive, as most hustlers were. Mia and I never knew in detail what his hustle was, and he preferred it that way, but being from our neighborhood, she and I could guess.
He chuckled softly as his hand lingered on my arm. He leaned against the railing beside me. “And yet you still put up with me.”
I glanced at Mia, who was watching our exchange with amusement, before turning back to Mythic. “Every day, I wonder why I do.”
He flashed me a playful grin, his touch lingering a moment longer than necessary. “Avi, you know you’ll always put up with me.”
I despised the way he looked at me. He was, at least, still attracted to me.
When it was just him and me, he never hid the adoration in his gaze, which he often locked on me.
But it was simply lust because, despite having the body of a Roman god, he had a thing for short, big girls.
His current girlfriend, Lelani, and I were neck and neck on the scale.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
He chuckled as his fingers trailed down my back.
“You know you always got my back like a car seat, Avi.” Looking up into his eyes, my heart ached with bittersweet longing.
Our playful teasing and lingering touches took me back to a time when things between us had been effortless, fiery, and simple.
I’d spent so long fighting this and resisting him, but standing here now, every breath and heartbeat screamed the truth that our chemistry wasn’t just undeniable; it was inevitable.