"Why can't I stop? Why don't I ever stop?

Brody

Avoiding Thanksgiving was not an option this year. I couldn’t prevent the inevitable from happening, no matter how much I wanted to. I’d have to see him, my step-brother. Evren. I’m not sure what’s worse, seeing him or what I refuse to acknowledge. He’s all that I hate and everything I’m not. The longer he clings to that night three years ago, the more I question my ability to endure this intense hatred. I may hate Evren, but I hate myself more.

Evren

I hate how perfect he is. I hate how he lights up the room just with his smile. And I hate the way he makes my rotten heart thump back to life with a single look. Brody is pretentious, hypocritical, and the worst liar on the planet. So when he shows up for Thanksgiving, giving himself away at every turn, I try to remind him why he has hated me all these years. The only problem with this plan is that I’m not sure I want him to hate me anymore, or if I ever wanted him to hate me at all.

 Drystan

I noticed him immediately.

Wylder McCallen.

The guy with the headphones, intense eyes and dimples. God, I’m a sucker for dimples.

What should’ve been a year of me laying low and sticking to the plan was tossed out the window after that.

Young and love-drunk fools like us could’ve never seen what was coming…

I wonder if I can even be that guy again. If I can be that person Wylder fell for and make him stick around this time...

Wylder

I’ve always stood out, but back then I was not too fond of it until the day it manifested the perfect guy for me.

Drystan Locke.

He was brave, strong, and unapologetically himself---everything I wasn’t.

We linked up on a molecular level, speaking without words and riding on pure instincts.

We were molten. Hearts open for the taking.

But that was before. And this is now.

Now we have to find a way back. Now…

It’s time to be wild.

 Phoenix

Bad breakups happen. Sometimes, they hurt, and other times they’re downright deadly.
I spent the last year trying to keep my head above wave after wave of heartache. I focused on my band, my friends, and my cat.
I wasn’t living, but I was surviving without Eli.
That all changed because he’s back.
And he’s with someone else.
As if seeing him with another person wasn’t bad enough, he hasn’t changed. He’s still the same addict I fell in love with.
I don’t know if I can forgive him for it, either.
But the heart wants what it wants, and I don’t think mine will ever stop begging for his.

Eli

I had no business inserting myself in Phoenix’s path again.
We were a catastrophe before, so what made me think it’d be different this time?
I made it my mission to ensure that I broke him so thoroughly that he’d never want me again.
But that’s the thing, I can’t seem to forget him.
He’s a living memory beneath my skin.
His kisses are burned into my soul.
The screams in my skull are only quiet when he’s near.
But the noise is louder than ever before, and I fear he might be unable to silence them this time.
We’re doomed, but I can’t stay away. Not anymore.

I never meant to keep this secret for so long.

I also never meant for this secret to twist and bend into something…more.

Suffering from an insatiable hero complex has been a real issue, which might explain my need to keep Oli close.

It might explain why I wanted nothing more than to help him.

What it doesn’t explain is my attraction, which grows more with every day that passes.

Being his friend has made me question everything about myself whilst simultaneously opening my eyes to the beautiful heart he hides behind layers of impenetrable armor.

I should put a stop to it all. I should come clean.

Every moment we spend together puts my band and friendships at risk.

That’s what happens when you walk hand in hand with a strange lad…

You never want to let go.