Chapter 32
Stella
O ur silly competition is finally over, and our team won by two points.
We spent the last two weeks playing games, and Jay’s team actually made a major comeback. However, we still managed to keep our lead and win.
Isa is still over the moon. While Isabella sees this as a celebration of our victory, I think most of us can agree that this is the end of the tension between us that lasted for the last few days.
Over the last week, we all connected in our own ways and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. Finding people that feel like home is truly one of the biggest treasures of life. Whether they come in the shapes of siblings, friends or more than that.
Layla feels like the best friend I always craved, Hazel like the soul sister I needed through every part of life and Isabella like the friend you can’t help but want to grow closer to.
And Adrian . . . God I can’t think of him anymore without smiling. The way he makes it so effortless to smile, to take up space, to be anyone I want to be. I’m becoming obsessed with spending all my time with him.
I laugh as I think back to the competition we had in the last few days, how different it was from the ones I’m used to.
Now I realize that differences can be good.
Just because you’re used to something doesn’t mean another thing can’t be better.
Just because the routine you built is steady doesn’t mean you can’t try something new.
We’ve played games all this time. It’s a completely silly thing, but it’s fun. It’s playful, and I missed that feeling.
Playfulness where the world just fades away and all that matters is the giddiness and laughter around you.
It’s a feeling I didn’t realize how much I lacked until right now
“We’re almost there!” Nate calls out from the front, dragging me out of my thoughts, as Isabella starts running down a downhill path.
The breath escapes my lungs as we make it to our destination. We made it to a cliff above the water. It’s not much of a cliff, really—just a spot carved perfectly for summer chaos. The kind of place that dares you to jump, but never actually scares you.
The sun’s brighter today than it’s been in the last days, making the water sparkle. It reminds me a lot of my spot with Adrian. Except here, we’re higher up in the mountain and this place bursts with life and colors, instead of the soothing waves and comforting vibe of our spot.
I can’t help a smile from spreading across my face. Gosh, this is beautiful.
The sun is starting to set, making the sky a colorful painting. Pink, red, orange, violet . . . Everything feels alive.
The cliff beneath my feet is rough and weathered, warmed by the heat of the sun.
Jagged rocks cradle patches of hardy grass and tiny wildflowers clinging to life on the edge.
The sea below us stretches out endlessly below us.
It’s one of those spots that feels way higher than it is until you’re in the water laughing.
From our perch on the cliff, the world feels infinite—a perfect union of earth, sky, and sea painted in colors that exist only for one fleeting moment. Everything feels alive. I can’t help the grin that makes its way on my face.
I turn to face the others, chuckling when I notice Hazel and Nate at the side of the cliff.
“Nooo! Stop,” Hazel shrieks with laughter in her voice.
Both of them are wrestling to try and push each other in the water. Nate manages to push Hazel in the water first, but his chuckle is short-lived because a strong wind pushes him off the cliff and into the ocean as Jay grins wickedly at him.
I thought we’d just stopped with this war.
Isa, Adrian, and Jay start wrestling.
Oh well.
I guess I better join in now.
Layla playfully shoves Sam, smiling proudly as he falls down. I walk over and start pushing her. She laughs, snapping out of her thoughts. “You’re trying to shove me in the water?”
I laugh as both of us wrestle to push the other off the cliff.
“Stella Brookstone, you better hope you don’t fall with me because you will regret it!”
We’re both laughing, and I eventually manage to shove her into the water with our laughter echoing all around.
Jay’s curse and chuckle distract me, and I turn to find Adrian. We are the last ones standing.
Of course.
When his green eyes meet mine, freaking butterflies break free. His face breaks into a wide grin and I can’t help but smile back.
Before I know it, we’re both walking toward each other. His eyes sparkle with mischief, and it makes my heart race.
Since I met him, Adrian’s care and heart of gold made me want to get closer to him. But playful, goofy, joyful Adrian? I’m quickly learning he’s kryptonite for my heart in the best way.
I can see across his face that he’s waiting for me to move first. I take back what I said, it’s annoyingly frustrating.
His eyes dive into mine, and I refuse to be the first to back down. I wish I’d watched him push Jay because he must have a pretty damn good technique if he managed to push his best friend in despite the fact that he could control the wind.
I smirk and lightly pull my fingers, changing the shape of the rocks beneath our feet. He stumbles, finally breaking our eye contact. He manages to get his footing again fast enough though.
From below, voices cheer.
“Go, Stella! Kick his ass!” Jay calls.
“Come on, Adrian, get both of you down here soon!” Isa calls laughing.
“I’m waiting for you, Stella Brookstone. You better hope Adrian doesn’t succeed because I am ready!” Layla teases.
“You can do it, Stella!” Hazel says playfully.
Their investment in this makes me chuckle and unfortunately distracts me long enough for Adrian to run my way before I can stop him. I yelp as I feel him try to grab my arm, bolting to the other end before he can succeed. His hand finds mine as I run and we both stumble from the push-and-pull.
I reach for his other hand and push him backwards toward the water.
“You almost had me there.” I chuckle as I push, push, push.
He laughs, and I have to fight with everything I have to keep focus despite the butterflies spreading all the way to my toes at the sound. He pushes back against my hold as he says, “It’s not over yet. I still have a chance.”
A very, very big chance at that. His eyes are diving back into mine and I want to drown in them. They’re like an enchanting forest, calling to me in a way I can’t describe.
He smirks and I focus again, using the magic at my fingertips to twist the cliff’s shape, making it a downhill slide so Adrian can fall in the water as I push him that way.
He realizes what I’m doing too late, trips over his own feet and loses his balance.
I’m about to celebrate when his hand grabs mine, making me tumble right along with him. He laughs as we start falling.
“If I’m falling, you’re falling right along with me.”
Crap.
I inhale right before we hit the water.
The water is peaceful and it’s easy enough to swim back to its surface. Everyone is laughing and splashing each other. It’s a beautiful kind of chaos.
Ugh, I love these people .
Adrian swims back to the surface quickly after me, and Layla’s playful smirk finds me. In seconds, there’s water coming at me from all sides. I laugh as I try to catch my breath, completely drenched in the few seconds it took Layla to have her revenge. We’re both laughing from our spots.
I try to squeeze out some water from my hair and wipe my face.
When my vision clears from the water that’d been clinging to my lashes, I find Adrian’s eyes on me. His smile unravels me, and electricity shoots up my spine. His eyes are so full of wonder as he looks at me that every inch of my skin tingles.
I hold my breath as he swims closer, the entire world slipping away with only my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
His smile is gone now that he’s right in front of me, and neither of us are amused. His eyes track over my face and now the pull between us feels unbearable.
Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me.
It’s the only thing I can think about as we stare at each other. My heart rate is sky high when he gently grabs my wrist and pulls me closer. Taking my legs, he guides me to wrap them around him, and I hold on to his shoulders as he treads the water for us both.
I can feel my magic everywhere, and I feel something shift beneath my feet.
Adrian’s body steadies and I realize I gave him a platform from the rocks of the cliff to stand on, giving him the support he needs to hold me without treading water.
I can feel his smile at the realization of what I did.
The sunshine, combined with his gaze sweeping over my skin, is scorching.
One of his hands lifts above the water to push my curls to the side of my face, and any resistance I had left simply floats away. And then, I kiss him.
Going for it, I slide my arms around his neck and press my lips against his. Adrian is frozen for a second, and I immediately try to pull away. But then, as if struck by lightning, he inhales, and his hands tighten on the sides of my face.
Adrian is kissing me back, oh my god.
My world bursts into a kaleidoscope of sensations. It’s bliss, it’s wonder, it’s magic.
My heart kicks frantically against my ribs, and my skin is on fire. If it’s even possible, I hold onto him tighter, eager for more.
He angles his head and kisses me, and I slide my hand into his hair, holding on to it. He groans, and a shiver spreads all the way down my spine.
Every second of the kiss unravels another inch of me.
The glide of his tongue. His hands pressing into my back, my hips, my thighs.
His touch is intentional, and it’s annoying just how much it reminds me of him .
Adrian Westwood never does anything without a reason behind it.
It’s why everything he does feels so heartfelt.
He tilts his head, and I match his angle. His touch, his kiss, it carves his name everywhere in a way I know I’ll never forget. My mind has finally quieted down and all it can focus on is him.
Time loses all meaning. We could have been here for seconds, minutes, hours, or days and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
The two of us pull away, gasping for air, and I can’t shake away the giddiness. I can tell from his goofy smile that he’s just as happy as I am, and it makes my grin widen to the point of my cheeks hurting.
We stare at each other, our chests heaving.
Gradually, the world seeps back into my consciousness—the sounds of the waves around us, the salty air and the laughter echoing from the others.
Before I can overthink what happens, Adrian’s hand drags mine under the water and squeezes it. I feel that touch across my very soul, and I feel safe again, like I always do with him.
I’m in love with this man. But more than that, I’m in love with the new life I’m creating.
Westwood Spring and Adrian were planted inside of me, and their roots have only grown over time, like a garden bursting with life.
I thought changing my life would be scary, that moving on from everything I built would be difficult.
But right now, I feel nothing but peace.
Adrian’s thumb swipes tenderly at my jaw, and I know with unwavering certainty that I’m right where I need to be.